Hi, I’m Daniel Thurman

Daniel reviews cyberpunk books, games, and more.

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  • Ghost Song Has Gone and Gotten Itself a Release Date

    Well this is something that I’ve been waiting many years to hear. After a many years-long wait, Ghost Song finally has a release date! The game was initially funded on Kickstarter back in 2013 and for various reasons ran into many delays. Earlier this year developer Old Moon announced that the game was on track for a 2022 release and had a publisher, Humble Games. Now, it’s been announced that this beautiful metroidvania will be released on November 3rd. That is not long at all! Especially after 9 years. Take a look at the announcement trailer below.

    Ghost Song is coming November 3rd

    Based on the trailer above and some of the screenshots I’ve seen recently, it appears that time has been kind to Ghost Song. Extremely kind. The game, while always looking good even back in 2013, looks gorgeous as it nears completion. It so far looks like one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever seen and I couldn’t be more excited for its release.

    On the desolate moon of Lorian, a long-dormant Deadsuit awakens from slumber—armed and combat-ready, memory clear of purpose. But something new is stirring…

    Strike out beneath the surface in search of answers in Ghost Song, an atmospheric 2D adventure of self-discovery, ancient mysteries, and cosmic terror. Explore winding caverns lit only by bioluminescent flora, battle strange and powerful creatures, and acquire new abilities to help you unearth this alien world’s long-buried secrets.

    Descend deep into the darkness—only then will you learn (or is it remember?) the truth.

    –Ghost Song Steam Page

    One thing that has always struck me about Ghost Song is its unique sci-fi horror aesthetic. It looks on the one had like it is very Metroid-like. It is very sci-fi. You are exploring a desolate alien planet, acquiring weapons and upgrades to your space suit, etc. But on the other hand, there seems to be some sort of mysterious paranormal aspect to this that gives it some enormously creepy vibes. Cosmic terror indeed. And I am here for it.

    Ghost Song is coming to a variety of platforms including Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PS4, PS5, and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store. It’s also coming in the heart of Castlevania season, so I’ll have to divide my time between it and my yearly Castlevania marathon. It’s likely going to prove difficult not to give this my full attention, though. I cannot wait to unravel the mysteries of this strange world.

  • This Could Be the Most Complete Metroid History Video You’ve Ever Seen

    While there have been many efforts to document the history of the Metroid series, not many have dared to not only document the main games in the series, but also offshoots and fan games. But METROID – History of a Legendary Franchise by MarcTheCyborg does just that in good measure. The video is extremely approachable, which is perfect for series newcomers who want to dig into the franchise because Dread got them curious. Take a look:

    METROID – History of a Legendary Franchise is a must watch for hardcore Metroid fans.

    The video starts off with a brief history of Nintendo as a game maker before jumping headfirst into the Metroid series. Starting with Metroid of course. MarcTheCyborg then takes on each game in the series chronologically all the way up to Metroid Dread. Nothing is left out. Which means He even goes into some of the interesting side-games and offshoots like Metroid Prime Pinball and Metroid Prime: Federation Force.

    What’s very interesting about METROID – History of a Legendary Franchise, aside from its amazing depth on the entire series, is that it is not afraid to discuss fan games. AM2R is even given its own entire section in the video. This makes for some really interesting viewing. Especially since AM2R is not as well known in the mainstream (i.e. outside of hardcore Metroid fandom) with the developer having been serviced a cease and desist by Nintendo.

    The video seems to be doing well, surpassing MarcTheCyborg’s expectations by quite a lot. His initial goal was ten thousand views. As of this writing, the video has surpassed forty thousand.

    So if you don’t have a lot of plans this weekend, take a little time to give this video a watch. It is pretty long, clocking in at an hour and forty-five minutes. But worth it, I assure you. It’s a well done little gem for fans of the series and maybe even more for newcomers who discovered it thanks to Metroid Dread.

  • Rebel Transmute Is an Upcoming Metroidvania I Can’t Wait to Sink My Teeth Into

    Metroidvania games are, as much as I hate to use this term, a-dime-a-dozen these days. Some more Metroid than Vania. Some more Vania than Metroid. This is not a bad thing because we get some truly great games as a result. We also get some not so great ones. By all accounts however, Rebel Transmute looks like it will be one of the great ones. As you can see by the trailer below, the game is one of those that is closer to Metroid than it is to Castlevania.

    If you, like me, are constantly saying that you need more Metroid in your life, Rebel Transmute seems like the kind of game that will have you covered. Of all the Metroidvanias I have seen, this one is closer I think to Metroid than most if not all others. And that is not a bad thing. In fact it is a very, very good thing.

    Explore a rich and storied world, fight colonizers, and unravel a dark mystery in Rebel Transmute! This challenging and intimate action adventure will see you battling cosmic bosses, befriending emotive bots, and transmuting your very being to find your missing mother. You play as Moon Mikono after she crash lands on Terra 6, a dilapidated research planet and her mother’s last known location. In this modern metroidvania you’ll embark on a deadly journey through an abandoned outpost on an alien planet. Each sector of the outpost will offer up its own stunning visuals, difficult challenges, colorful characters, epic bosses, and vibrant score.

    -Press Release

    I’ve been following the development of Rebel Transmute for the last couple of years and it seems to have evolved nicely. I’ve also seen hype for the game gradually build. And deservedly so. The game seems like it will deliver a pretty authentic Metroid-like experience which has a lot of people interested.

    Evan Tor, the game’s sole indie developer, is going to be funding the rest of the game’s development via Kickstarter. Currently the game is scheduled to go live at Kickstarter on August 30th. If you are interested in the promise this game shows to give you a good Metroid fix, you should head over there now to add the game to your watch list so you can get notified when it goes live.

    You can also wishlist the game on Steam right now as well as download a demo of an early build of the game. The developer has stated though that the demo is going to be updated to coincide with the launch of the Kickstarter that will allow players to play up to 4 hours of the game. Currently the game is aiming for a PC release via Steam. Hopefully it will come to other platforms as well at some point.

    I love the promise this game shows of being a genuine Metroid-like experience and I personally hope the Kickstarter does well. Again, I really do need more Metroid in my life. And so do you, I assume. Heck, everyone needs more Metroid in their life, whether they know it or not.

  • Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider Is JoyMasher’s Next Retro-Inspired Action Game

    Kings of retro-styled action games JoyMasher and publisher The Arcade Crew have announced their next game, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider. The game looks to be another retro-styled 2D action game inspired by the 16-bit era. And it looks glorious. No surprise considering this is the same team that brought us such amazing retro-styled hits as Blazing Chrome and Odallus.

    In Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider you play as Moonrider, a cybernetic super solider created by a dystopian totalitarian government in order to enforce its dystopian totalitarian government things. Moonrider however decides it doesn’t like dystopian totalitarian governments and instead decides to destroy them. Which, I mean, sign me up.

    Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider’s design holds the best classic action game elements in the laser-precise sights of its starring ninja, keeping combat snappy, responsive and challenging. Powerful modifier chips are guarded and hidden throughout the adventure, allowing the cyborg super soldier to customize its fighting style while gaining killer advantages and abilities. The game’s gorgeously bleak world expertly recreates the 16-bit era through intricate pixel art and crunchy audio, building a striking, compact gauntlet across eight deadly stages. Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider revels in top-notch, refined platforming action for a tight, focused experience that never lets its blade get dull.

    -Press Release

    Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider looks like a futuristic Shinobi or Ninja Gaiden and indeed appears to channel the spirit of those games as well as countless other 16-bit era action games. JoyMasher seem to be the masters of this with their previous titles Blazing Chrome, Odallus, and Oniken having all been critically acclaimed hits. The game is being published by The Arcade Crew, who previously brought us the aforementioned Blazing Chrome and other hits like Infernax and Dark Devotion.

    The game also seems to feature some H.R. Giger-esque art that reminds me of the Alien franchise. That’s a huge plus for me personally as an Alien fan as well as a fan of Giger’s art in general. Pairing that with gloriously authentic 16-bit graphics and a story about taking down an authoritarian regime seems like it could be a recipe for success. I’m not sure how you could go wrong here, honestly.

    Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is currently set for a Fall 2022 release. Thus far it has been announced for Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, and PC via Steam. This looks very promising and could be yet another hit for the JoyMasher team.

  • This Is What Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Might Look Like if It Was Demade as a Game Boy Game

    We love demakes around here, and there sure are a lot of good ones these days. Some of them are real, fully playable games. And some are pixel art mockups. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is the latest to get the demake treatment, though it does fall into the latter category. These are pixel art mockups of what Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night might look like if demade as a Game Boy game. And it looks phenomenal.

    So phenomenal in fact that it makes me sad that it’s not a real game. These beautiful screen shots are brought to us by Game Boy Demakes, an account that spotlights the best of modern (and sometimes not-so-modern) games demade with Game Boy visuals. If you have time you should browse through what they have posted. It’s all top-notch, authentic-looking Game Boy graphics.

    Game Boy Demakes has even created a Game Boy rom file for the mockups over at their Patreon page. It’s free to download for everyone and you can use your favorite Game Boy emulator to load up the mockups. This is great if you use filters and want to see what this game looks like with your favorite filters applied. That’s why my above screen shots all have scanlines on them. Because I put scanlines on everything.

    Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night of course is Koji Igarashi’s spiritual successor to the Castlevania franchise, which he was a vital part of in the later years of the series. The game has been accompanied by two 8-bit style spinoff titles, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2. The Curse of the Moon games are sort of demakes themselves, resembling the Castlevania titles of the NES era pretty strongly both in visuals and game play.

    We can only hope that this gets popular enough to inspire someone to actually demake Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for real on Game Boy and have it be a fully playable game. That might actually be my preferred way to play it.