xanthi23

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The Rebel Path

Johnny Silverhand has wormed his way into my brain XD

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Secret Level (2024)

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Which Ex-Bioware veterans are behind the game studio Archetype Entertainment?

Archetype Entertainment is a video game development studio established in 2019 in Texas, and is a division of game publisher Wizards of The Coast.

The studio’s first title is called Exodus, a sci-fi adventure game with time-dilation and travelers across the universe.

It was announced in the 2023 Game Awards by none other than Mathew McConaughey, who also plays a character in this title.

If you didn’t know, he starred in the movie Interstellar which is all about time dilation, so I find it quite awesome that he gets to be a part of a video game with the same concept.

Apart from space and time concepts, I want to focus on the talented creators of Exodus who are former Bioware employees.

The same people that created some of the most legendary titles in video game history, like Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age.

Who are the former Bioware members?

James Ohlen, Archetype’s co-founder and Executive Creative Director, has worked at Bioware for 22 years as the lead designer for Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 and Neverwinter Nights. Due to the success of the first Baldur’s Gate, he became the Senior Creative Director of the studio. He is also behind the design of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age: Origins.

Another talent from Bioware now working at Archetype is Drew Karpyshyn, a lead writer of Mass Effect. He is a scriptwriter, novelist, and video game scenario writer who worked at Bioware for a total of 15 years with a break in between. He wrote for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur’s Gate 2 and Mass Effect 1 and 2 and according to Wikipedia and a tweet from 2017 he also worked on Anthem.

The writing in the Mass Effect series, especially in the first game, is outstanding.

The storytelling, the world-building and the characters of Mass Effect were so masterfully crafted that it’s one of the few games, if not the only one, that got me directly immersed in its universe.

Drew Karspyshyn has written three Mass Effect books that expand the existing narrative and also books that take place in the Star Wars universe.

Another former employee of Bioware is Chad Robertson who is now at Archetype as a co-founder and Executive Producer.

Chad Robertson has worked as a Studio Director at Bioware for games like Star Wars: The Old Republic and Anthem. 

He has also worked as the technical director for Anthem, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and more.

From Exodus website:

BECOME THE TRAVELER

Having fled a dying Earth, humanity has found a new home in a hostile galaxy. Here, we are the underdogs, fighting our final battle for survival. You are the Traveler, humanity’s last hope.

It’s safe to say that Exodus is in safe creative hands. It’s a project that seems ambitious and has every right to be.

There is no known release date yet but for now, I will consume as much lore, trailers, and behind-the-scenes material as I can from their YouTube channel.

Their website is already updated with a lot of lore and you can subscribe to their newsletter to receive their updates first.

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Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice – a 2025 review. Playing this game after 8 years of its release

A dark adventure that will take you into the abyss of a troubled soul.

Hellblade: Senuas Sacrifice is the ninth title of Ninja Theory, a BAFTA Award-Winning British studio from Cambridge, known for previous titles like Bleeding Edge and Devil may Cry.

The game was released in 2017 with a sequel, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II in 2024.

The story is about Senua, a young Celtic warrior who suffers from psychosis, a mental disease for which the game shows a warning at the very start. If you experience mental health issues, this may not be a suitable game for you.

Senua’s Sacrifice will take you to a dark Scandinavian land where our heroine, a troubled young soul goes on a journey to save her beloved one.

The story

You were gone from your village and on your return you found your partner dead. You want to bring him back to life and your only hope is to go through the hell of the Nordic lands. Hela, the ruler of the Underworld, may have the power to help you, but it won’t be easy to confront her.

You start the game alone, inside a small crafted boat, amidst calm but unwelcoming waters somewhere in Scandinavia with remains of war, dead bodies hanging from sticks, and abandoned Viking longboats at the banks of the lake you are traveling in.

It’s quiet and you are focusing on your row. But the voices begin. They taunt you? No, they encourage you. Or both? You try to ignore them, but they persist.

These voices are the product of a masterfully crafted audio-engineered experience. Make sure you wear your headphones for this one.

After a while, you arrive on land. It’s calm but not serene. There is death and despair.

Be wary. Your journey will be full of trials. You need to open many doors, and every door has its own test to pass.

The premise of the game

The game’s opening credits serve as an introduction cutscene, encouraging the player to use headphones to experience the game in its full capacity, meaning the whispers in Senua’s head, whispers that become voices, that become whispers again.

These voices torment you but they also encourage you. Consider the encouragements a hint from the game. You will hear them say “Watch out” alerting you that something is behind you, or “Focus” to help you use a certain game mechanic.

Since this is a title with no visual aids, no HUD (heads-up display), no mini maps, health bar, or quest log, the voices will be your only guidance.

The game, with a third-person point of view, is linear and it does a great job showing you where to go by highlighting your path using environment lighting, visual lines, or coloured marks on the ground.

No enemies are popping out from the woods or behind the rocks. There are no jumbscares, but rather a constant psychological burden, haunting your every move.

You will find yourself alone in Nordic forests and abandoned villages with the gods challenging you, giving you riddles to solve before you can proceed.

You will meet the gods of Fire and Illusion and they will not be easy to defeat. You must use your surroundings to decipher their illusions and discover their secrets, which often translate to a set of runes, hidden in elements around you. The environment is your ally and you need to be observant to find the camouflaged clues.

You must use your mind and focus to defeat the gods.

Once a level is cleared, expect a fight.

Be prepared. Enemies will attack you at designated moments. Think of it as a combination of mini-bosses with a final boss at the end.

Game mechanics

The game will not make it easy for you. Remember, after all, you suffer from psychosis. There is no quick save or load. Only checkpoints and if you die, you “damage” yourself permanently.

The game is informing you of a rot that is plaguing you. Every time you die a black matter creeps your arm, starting from your fingers, towards your head, as if your veins are full of black blood. With every death the black veins expand, and the rot crawls higher, threatening you with losing all the progress once it reaches your head. The threat of a permadeath is real and remember, there is no save option.

But you can continue your path. You are not dead yet. You will get stronger and stronger, as you fight your inner demons on your way to your final destination. Just don’t let the rot consume you.

This is your journey together with Senua.

A masterfully crafted story that represents with respect and accuracy what it is like to suffer from a mental disease, in an era where people were misunderstood and deemed cursed.

Ninja Theory showed us how a great narrative and smartly designed audio and graphics can offer a complete video game experience, without needing any metrics to assist the player. All the information we needed was there.

I did experience an occasional glitch here and there, but nothing that would discourage me from playing or recommending this title.

If you like dark-themed games, build in Celtic or Nordic environments then you will love playing this game.

[xanthi23]

Currently playing this.

What a powerful game. As a GenXer ( 46 in two weeks) this game has me at awe (that and Death Stranding).

I know much wisdom, I see deep in the future, all the way to Ragnarök, a dark day for the gods…

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Literally me xD yes I am that old.

this old man

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Bad hair don’t care, but it’s time for a second coffee https://www.instagram.com/p/CmBgdAxoyoZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Behind the scenes 😁🤓👍 New videos will be released soon so make sure to follow me on YouTube @xanthi_s - link in bio 🙌 #youtuber #filmora9 #postediting #filming🎬 #tutorials #wordpress #vlogging https://www.instagram.com/p/CmBgK_govzy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Is it imposter syndrome that is stopping you from start blogging? Is it fear? Is it perfectionism? Let me tell you my story

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Then you need to go to your Wordpress dashboard, and go to plugins. Then go to Add new and search for Yoast. Install and Activate it.Once Yoast is active, locate it on your left vertical menu inside the dashboard, go to the General page and click on the Features tabs.

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Are we friends now? (på/i Halloween På Liseberg) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkSUR_aIlnN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Put all your important keywords together and compose the best title tag you can think of. Then go to Google to test drive it. Use that title you have writt

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In this blog post I want to share a few of things I do to promote myself on social media, and hopefully it will inspire you to do the same, or maybe give you some other ideas. In any case I hope you find it helpful 🙂 Make a social media content plan Everything starts… Read More »How to market yourself on social media as a content creator (plus free docs)

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So you want to start an online business in 2022 You are ready to take the next step in your business career and you said “f*ck it with my 9-5 job, I will create my own online business.” Great! Congratulations! The reasons why you want to start an e-business (such a ’00s term I… Read More »So you want to start an online business – a how to guide 2022, part 1

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gothiccharmschool:

Ghost cupcakes, via 365daysofhalloween.

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rubiesandpeaarls:

Greece again, and again ♥

 /me in a nostalgia mood