April 3, 2023

Audiogames.net Monthly Digest - March 2023

Welcome to the March 2023 edition of the audiogames.net monthly digest! Spring is here, which means that all the sleeping plants and animals will start waking up. And just like nature springing back into life around us, so have game developers! And do we have an absolutely stacked month for you, featuring a few absolutely massive new releases, both ones we were expecting, as well as a few more awesome surprises that we weren’t. Whether you’re a PC, console or mobile gamer, you won’t be disappointed!

And as always, don’t forget to tell your friends they can subscribe to these digests as well!

New Releases

Brok: The InvestiGator (PC/Mac/Linux, Xbox, PS4/5, Switch)

Narrative-driven adventure game that blends action and investigation in never-before-seen ways. Will you use your brain… or your brawn? In a futuristic “light cyberpunk” world where animals have replaced humans, privileged citizens live under a dome protected from the ambient pollution while others struggle to make a living outside.  Brok, a private detective and former boxer, lives with Graff, the son of his deceased wife. Although he could never elucidate her accident, recent events may shed some light on an even more tragic outcome… one that may be linked to their own existence.  Will they be able to withstand the threats of this corrupted world and face their own destiny?

FEATURES A deep and emotional narrative-rich experience filled with characters reminiscent of classic 80s/90s cartoons. The first game to combine a “Classic Adventure” with “Beat’em up” and RPG elements! - Text fully translated into 10 languages - Solve puzzles with your wits… or muscles! - Make choices impacting gameplay and/or story - Easy mode for pure “Point & Click” gameplay (fights can be skipped) - Level up to beat enemies and bosses - Combine clues to uncover the truth! - In-game hints - All controls supported (mouse, keyboard or controller) - Fully voice acted Each itch.io purchase includes a Steam key! (in addition to the DRM Free downloads)

ACCESSIBILITY BROK is the first full-fledged adventure game to be fully playable by blind or visually impaired players! (added in version 1.3) - Fully narrated via quality text-to-speech and audiodescriptions (characters, locations and scenes.) - Puzzles adapted for blindness. - All puzzles and fights can be skipped. - Adapted tutorials. - Buttons to repeat the last voice speech and instructions. - Positional audio for fights (on Windows) - No online connectivity required (after the download). - No specific device required: play with keyboard or a controller. - Additional options: larger fonts and increased contrast (backgrounds and enemies.) - To enter the accessibility menu, press SPACE (or Y on a Xbox controller) on the title screen, then follow the audio instructions. - For best audio prompts, choose your type of controller in the options.

IMPORTANT: Accessibility speeches are only available in English. Also, the Mac version does not have positional audio for now (due to a bug in the middleware)

The Last of Us Part I (now available on PC)

Experience the emotional storytelling and unforgettable characters in The Last of Us™, winner of over 200 Game of the Year awards.

In a ravaged civilization, where infected and hardened survivors run rampant, Joel, a weary protagonist, is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a military quarantine zone. However, what starts as a small job soon transforms into a brutal cross-country journey.

Includes the complete The Last of Us single-player story and celebrated prequel chapter, Left Behind, which explores the events that changed the lives of Ellie and her best friend Riley forever. Built for PC The Last of Us Part I PC release brings with it plenty of PC features to bring Joel and Ellie’s tense and unforgettable journey to life. This version of The Last of Us Part I is optimized for PC with PC-centric quality-of-life enhancements. Part I will feature AMD FSR 2.2 support, Nvidia DLSS Super Resolution support, VSync and frame rate cap options, and a host of features designed specifically for PC, including adjustable Texture Quality, Shadows, Reflections, Ambient Occlusion, and more.

Through the experiences of Joel and Ellie, PC players can fully immerse themselves in beautiful yet haunting environments in stunning detail with true 4K resolutions**. From the harsh, oppressive streets of the Boston QZ to the overgrown and abandoned homes of Bill’s Town to so much more, embark on a beautiful journey across the United States of America with Ultra-Wide Monitor Support for both 21:9 Ultrawide and 32:9 Super Ultrawide aspect ratios.

Experience all these locations, stealthily sneaking through abandoned homes and cities (and picking their drawers and cabinets clean looking for supplies) or engage in tense, captivating action with 3D audio support to better hear the rustle of leaves, the crack of glass, or the footfalls of enemies trying to ambush you***. AMD Fidelity FX Super Resolution 2 Supercharge your framerates and fight for survival as Joel and Ellie with next-level temporal upscaling technology from AMD. FSR 2 uses cutting-edge algorithms to boost your framerates and deliver high-quality, high-resolution game experiences in The Last of Us Part I across a wide range of compatible graphics cards. Peripheral Support The Last of Us Part I on PC features DualSense support through a wired connection so players can feel the impact of battle, the rumble of a tank rolling by, and so much more through haptic feedback and dynamic triggers. With support for the DualShock 4 controller, a wide range of other gamepads, and keyboard and mouse, players can adjust their playstyle to suit their preferences. The PC release includes a number of new control customization options including full control remapping, primary and secondary bindings for keyboard and mouse control, an adaptive mode that allows players to combine keyboard and controller inputs, and more. Part I’s PC launch will also include The Last of Us Part I’s suite of accessibility features so that players can adjust the experience to suit their needs and preferences.

Grid Games (iOS, Android, Windows)

The Grid Games app contains five puzzle games: Sudoku, Leaf Sweeper, Squares, Pairs, and Where’s WCAG? The app explores how traditional puzzle apps can provide an accessible experience as possible for all players. Particular attention has been paid to the screen reader experience when playing the games, and the source code for the app is publicly available for all software developers to review at https://github.com/gbarkerz/GridGames. Details for developers on how the game was built are at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/considerations-around-building-accessible-app-guy-barker, and a video showing the Microsoft .NET MAUI team discussing some of the accessibility-related code in the app is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbxE2p9o1fI. Details on how to play the Sudoku and Leaf Sweeper games are available in the app’s help content.

The Pairs Game is based on a traditional card matching game, where face-down cards are turned over in order to find pairs of cards.

When the game is run, a 4 by 4 grid of blank squares appears, each square representing a card. When a card is tapped, an image is shown on the card. When another card is clicked, an image is also shown on that second card. If the two images are the same, then the cards are considered to be matched, and will not change again for the rest of the game. If the images do not match, then the cards are considered to be unmatched, and cards must be turned back over by tapping on any card. These steps are to be repeated until all matching images have been found, and a “Congratulations” window appears.

The Squares Game is based on a square sliding puzzle, where squares in a grid of squares are rearranged by the player to form an ordered sequence in the grid.

When the game is run, a 4 by 4 grid of squares appears, with fifteen of those squares occupied with a movable element, and one square being empty. When a square is tapped, if it is adjacent to the empty square, the tapped square moves into the empty square. The space where the tapped square was then becomes the empty square. The aim is to arrange all the squares in a sorted order, leaving the empty square in the bottom right corner of the grid. Once all the squares are ordered, a “Congratulations” window appears.

When the game first runs, the setting to have numbers shown on squares is on, and the settings to have pictures shown on the squares is off. This means a number is shown in the top left corner of the squares. When the squares are sorted, the square showing number 1 is at the top left of the grid, and the numbers increase from left to right then top to bottom.

When the game setting to have a picture shown on the squares is on, then a single picture is shown across all the squares. The sections of the picture will appear jumbled until the squares are arranged in their sorted order.

The Where’s WCAG? game help players remember the grouping of some of the Web Content Accessibility Standards (WCAG).

Purple Friday (iOS)

Welcome to Purple Friday, the immersive mobile audio game adventure that will take you on a thrilling journey through sound! Get ready to embark on an unforgettable experience that will transport you to a world of mystery, danger, and excitement. With an emphasis on audio, Purple Friday is the perfect game for users who are blind sighted or vision impaired, as it allows them to enjoy the game just as much as sighted players.

With Purple Friday, you’ll get to experience the cutting-edge technology of binaural audio, which simulates sound as it would be heard in real life, creating a truly immersive experience that will make you feel like you’re right in the heart of the action. This means you’ll be able to hear every creak, every whisper, every footstep, and every breath in stunning, crystal-clear detail.

But that’s not all – we’ve also made sure that interacting with the game is a breeze. With simple swipe gestures, you’ll be able to explore the rich and detailed environments, uncover hidden clues and objects, and interact with the game’s cast of characters in a way that feels natural and intuitive.

Speaking of characters, Purple Friday features a professional voice cast that brings the game’s world to life with their incredible performances. From the mysterious femme fatale to the quirky sidekick, every character is fully realized and voiced with the utmost care and attention to detail, making them feel like real people that you’ll come to care about throughout your journey.

And with over 700 sound assets at your fingertips, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the rich and detailed worlds of Purple Friday like never before. From exploring an isolated mysterious island, climbing to the snowy top of the mountain, delving inside the belly of a whale, or venturing to a place between time and space, every environment is meticulously crafted to transport you to a new and exciting location. And with binaural audio technology, you’ll feel like you’re right there in the middle of the action, with every sound bringing the game’s world to life in stunning, crystal-clear detail.

So what are you waiting for? Download Purple Friday now and get ready to experience an audio adventure like no other. With its cutting-edge technology, intuitive controls, professional voice cast, and stunning sound design, this is a game that you won’t want to miss. Get ready to put on your headphones and lose yourself in the immersive world of Purple Friday!

Secret of Darkwoods (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Open-word illustrated text-based RPG The Secret of Darkwoods is an open-world, procedural, text-based RPG that allows players to explore a vast and dangerous world filled with secrets and treasures to discover. The game is set in the mythical land of Emeyralia, a dark and foreboding place where ancient magic and mythical creatures still exist. Players take on the role of a brave adventurer who must journey through the treacherous forests, swamps, and dungeons of Emeyralia in order to uncover the secrets of the land and become a true hero. As they explore the world, players will encounter a wide variety of enemies and obstacles, from fierce beasts and powerful warriors to treacherous traps and hidden dangers. Choose your fate in this non-linear fantasy gamebook. Key Features

• 800+ Unique Text Pages With Variations
• 350+ Generated Illustrations
• Play the main quest (3 to 5 hours), or randomly explore and start side quests
• Explore villages, cities, dungeons, swamps, caves, forests, cemeteries and temples
• Music by Dungeon Synth Artists: Percidae, Hjartans, Bounce castle, Alloch Nathir, Kasriel, Erang, Black Rose Tomes, Infernal Symphony, Rap2h

SoundEcho (iOS)

SoundEcho, the challenging and accessible memory game! SoundEcho is a memory game with sounds, that is easy to operate and is fully accessible by means of VoiceOver. Not only blind and poor sighted players, but also sighted players will really have fun playing SoundEcho. The purpose of the game is easy. Spread across the screen you find buttons with a letter, digit or smiley on them. When you click on a button, you hear a sound. If you press two buttons successively and you get the same sound, these buttons will disappear and you found the particular sound. Try to find all sounds with as few clicks as possible. You can choose between animal sounds and computer sounds and look for 10, 15 or 20 sounds. SoundEcho integrates Game Center, so you can compare scores, track your achievements and can play against each other with 2 to 4 players real-time. Don’t hesitate to try SoundEcho for free.

Game updates

• Patch 25.6 for Hearthstone has brought back buddies to battlegrounds. In addition, Blizzard has announced the next card expansion - Festival of Legends, as well as core card set updates coming next month in the card rotation. Naturally, the developers of the Hearthstone Access mod are keeping on-top of all the new features and you can already experience both the buddies and the festival event.
• Magic Research is now available on PC through Steam. Like the mobile version, the game is not only completely accessible but the developer has continued releasing updates to both versions which introduce extra accessibility features such as adding more headings, and on the PC version extra hotkeys to pause exploration or have your health spoken during combat.
• Upheaval is now available on Mac and Linux in both graphical and accessible console versions. In addition the update includes various small bug and typo fixes
• Breed Memorial is now at version 1.41 which allows you to watch marathon races from the perspective of other creatures, tweaks some skills, adds detailed logging of your creature’s life to a text file as well as fixes a few bugs.
• the Classic Six Dragons mud received a few smaller updates with bug fixes in March as well as a bigger one later in the month which included various tweaks to the Beastmaster class
• March updates in Alter Aeon involved most systems in the game, including tweaks to how much movement is used when walking through small rooms, new craftable items, new channel cast runes for mages and more.
• Sanctuary in Time received a major 0.3.4 update. Now the starting skills of new followers will be determined by their personalities which will also affect how good or bad they are at certain jobs. As such, there is now a coaching feature so you can help them overcome their bad personality traits. You can now also recruit actual historical figures as followers and new options have been added to the gene lab. Detailed descriptions of these new features can be found in the changelog linked above.
• Blind Quest II: The Frost Demon is now available on iOS and Android

Authors

This edition of the digest has been written by:

• Piotr Machacz (pitermach on Twitter and pitermach@dragonscave.space on Mastodon)