Hooded Horse and Digital Sun have released Cataclismo, a siege defense game that has you piecing together buildings, ??????????????????????????into Early Access today.

The ??hordes are coming, and the only thing standing b??etween the people and total annihilation is you. Thankfully, you can dig up some rock and put up a few walls.

Cataclismo is sort of like a tower defense game in the sense that you need to protect something from a horde of enemies. The big difference is that you’re mainly constructing walls and placing units atop them as defensive points. In a sense, it’s more like a modern Rampart, which is pretty exciting.

The big dis??tinction from a normal tower defense game is that you construct the buildings, piece by piece. You’re not just plopping down fully constructed nodes in the path of enemies, but designing defensive positions for your soldiers.

I can see that as either being extr??emely fun or a massive chore. Build modes are hit-and-miss for me. I can definitely design stuff, but I’d rather just get on with business. Then there’s the possibility that it becomes too repetitive to move to a new level and start building over and over. On the other hand, I do love a good turtling game. I want to play it.

Speaking of which, there are three modes to Cataclismo: narrative (currently a tutorial and 11 levels with more coming later), skirmish (two maps), and challenge (one randomly generated biome). There? is also a map editor so you can download new areas to try and d??efend. Digital Sun is planning that the Early Access will last a year.

Cataclismo is out for PC via Steam Early Access today.

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Developer Digital Sun revealed during the Triple-I Initiative for 2024 that its upcoming RTS meets Tower Defense title Cataclismo is set to release on July 16, 2024, on Steam.

Digital Sun, creators of Moonlighter and The Mageseeker, teases that Cataclismo will give players the ability to build ??????????????????????????their fortress and defenses piece-by-piece utilizing LEGO-inspired mechanics. While building up their castles, players will have to utilize tactical layouts, traps, and troop placements to survive against hoards of enemies that attack at ni??ghtfall.

Featuring a realistic physics system, Cataclismo allows players to use over 100 different building p?ieces to build up defenses while optimizing life and production inside the castle walls. As we see in th??e trailer, a stray block from a destroyed wall can literally crush innocent bystanders below, so the physics system itself adds its own element of strategy.

Cataclismo launches on PC via Steam on July 16, 2024 wit ha 30-hour campaign,?? creative, survival, and skirmish modes.

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You would never break the chain

The League of Legends universe is pretty big at this point, as the ??MOBA has spun out into series, collaborations, and even other genres. The Mageseeker is the latest of these efforts to create a compelling story within the world of Run?eterra, crea??ting a new flavor of League storytelling with an action RPG coa?ting. And, for the most part, i??t works.

Developer Digital Sun, known for their own pre?vious action RPG Moonlighter, definitely makes its mark on the League timeline. A focus on Sylas, the once-c??hained mage now caught between his potential as a revolutionary and his selfish desire for revenge, lends itself well to both a different kind of story and an interesting t??ake on combat. 

Even when it stutters and stumbles, The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story is an intriguing new lens on Runeterra, especially for those who don’t want to hop right? into champion select.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KHMMMHvDdM

The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story (PC, PS4, PS5 [reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch)
Developer: Digital Sun
Publisher: Riot Forge
Release: April 18, 2023
MSRP: $29.99

Sylas, the protagonist of The Mageseeker, is an interesting case. Demacia, the pristine fantasy kingdom focal point of the stor?y, has been hunting, jailing, and slaying those with magical powers for som?e time. As someone who can sense magic, Sylas is initially a valuable asset to the Mageseekers. 

But after he learns to ??channel magic in a change of heart, he’s jailed until the start of The Mageseeker’s narrative. He escapes?? prison, exposing his friend and high society member Lu?x’s hidden magical abilities in the process, and sets off on a quest for vengeance, with the help of a growing mage rebellion.

Though Sylas isn’t exactly my favorite League of Legends champion, I found his story in The Mageseeker interesting. There are some stumbles, mostly in a number of missions that feel like shuffling goals further away at the last second. Som??e of the dramatic twists also didn’t hit as hard as I think the story wanted them to.

[caption id="attachment_374437" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Sylas’s growing band of rebels presents one of the narrative’s main conflicts: Sylas is more than willing to martyr himself for petty vengeance, b?ut his friends, notably the rebel leader Leilani, value societal change more than just murdering Mageseekers. It works for the game’s relatively?? shorter runtime, though it sometimes felt like conversations were retreading philosophical ground a few times over.

What it does mean is that League newcomers, or even those who’ve never played a match on Summoner’s Rift, can still easily hop in here. Most characters receive a fair amount of exposition, so even if you don’t know why Garen and Sylas might scrap? with each other, Digital Sun’s made it e?asy to follow. For the League knowers, there are plenty of interesting cameos; Garen, Lux, and Jarvan IV are obvious ones. Morgana and Shyvana are particular highlights, and a few other surprise cameos were we?lcome additions.

T??hose cameos weave ??especially well into the heart of The Mageseeker: its magic-stealing combat. Sylas is a wizard who got extremely buff in jailâ€??”it’s been a good year fo??r t??hat particular brand of dude—and still carries his petricite chains with him, which he can whip around for damage, traversal, or to rip out some magic for his own use.

[caption id="attachment_374436" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

So when battle strikes, Sylas has options: bust heads with his fi??sts and chains, or cast magic that he either has or has stolen. It’s a delicate dance that feels like it’s meant to be a balancing act. Stolen spells a??re one-time use, and cost no mana; Sylas can also hold up to four spells he can use any number of times, provided he’s garnered enough mana through punching.

The spells are all pretty entertaining to use, even if the basic ones become a bit obsolete by the campaign's final?e. An elemental system of corresponding weaknesses is straightforward and sometimes ignorable, but adds a bit of strategy and reward for thoughtful spell use. And co?mbat feels like a rush when it clicks into place. There’s a lot of dashing and positioning, avoiding big red circles on the ground while trying to prioritize targets.

Where I hit some friction was the controls. And to be clear, it’s not all bad; sometimes, tension fro?m controls can elicit interesting, compelling feelings. That’s where I found myself with the opposing punchin??g and casting systems. The face buttons manage dashing, potions, and your light and heavy attacks; Sylas�chains and magic, meanwhile, are on the triggers and D-pad. But to aim your chains—for spell usage or just zipping around—y??ou have to use the right thumbstick.

Those moments of having t??o think about whether I wa??s safe to aim and steal something, or if dodging around or hitting foes was more important, made The Mageseeker’s combat feel a little more intentional than just dash-attac?king around an arena. At its best, The Mageseeker combines fast action combat wi??th strategic thinking, as you make quick?? reads of the elemental types on the field and turn them back on foes to wipe them out before they overwhelm you.

[caption id="attachment_374434" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

I did, however, hit some actual friction with all that motion. Sylas can be hard to track when the action gets going and spells start flying. ??It wasn’t uncommon to get hitched on some level geometry and not realize it. And some of the chain-specific prompts didn’t feel great to execute amid a horde of enemies on a controller, leading to unintended moves or zipping right into spells instead of toppling a turret.

Other general glitches popped up?, too. Enemies sometimes froze for me, or would be ??inexplicably non-interactable. User interface would disappear. Nothing game-breaking happened for me, but noticeable hitches happened often enough. Hopefully there’s some post-launch support.

The Mageseeker also hits some snags the further in it goes. The base building aspects are interesting enough, though mostly centered on passive upgrades for Sylas or acquiring the reusable versions of spells you’ve stolen from enemies. I wish bonus moves hadn’t been tied to which mages you brought with you on a mission, as Sylas�light-heavy combos start to feel stale, even within the roughly 12-to-15 hour runti?me.

Even the story starts to turn over familiar ideas after a while. And though the optional dungeons provide an inte??resting twist, with some using a roguelite-style pick-em setup that gives you enhanced versions of normal spells, I found myself wishing I could apply some of those to my actual magic. The Mageseeker has a lot of combat arenas, and while thoughtful stealing and use of magic works well, it felt odd having a really interesting system for upgradeable spells, with risks and rewards, being limited ??to just one line of side ??quests.

[caption id="attachment_374438" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Boss battles are a big highlight of The Mageseeker, where its League cameos can pay off in stunning battles. While some of the lesser bosses arenâ€??™t as strong, like a particular fight against a giant head that gets repeated a few times, those wi?th League champions are the main ??event. The champions have their full move sets, and the way they’ve been adapted into attacks, and then into ultimates that Sylas can deploy later on, is a high point here.

The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story is ultimately an enjoyable experience in spit?e of any stumbles, though. Even when I?? would’ve liked it to expand more on ideas and fine-tune a bit, the highs of its narrative do work, and Digital Sun’s talent for both combat and art shine in this game.

Sylas�story is a good way to experience something differe?nt in the world of Runeterra, whether that’s fresh air for the MOBA fans or a more appealing genre for those new to League. The Mageseeker meets the bar for spin-offs, expanding well and adding more to the world while putting a unique spin that ??Digital Sun can call its own. This burly mage adventure is de??finitely worth looking into if you’d prefer a League game with more action, story, and gorgeous art.

The post Review: The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story appeared first on Destructoid.

You would never break the chain

The latest League of Legends third-party adaptation is arriving fairly soon. Riot Forge announced today that The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story will launch for Xbox??, PlayStation, Switch, and PC on Apri??l 18.

The Mageseeker is developed by Moonlighter studio Digital Sun, and published by Riot Games' publishing arm Forge. It's an action RPG starring League of Legends champion Sylas, an escaped mage who joins up with rebels. You take on Demacia, a nation built on the bodies of mages, and it looks like you'll deal with some familiar League faces along the way. Check out the new gameplay trailer to get a peek:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KHMMMHvDdM

The standard version of The Mageseeker will run $29.99, and be available on pretty much all platforms. Even on PC, The Mageseeker is? launching on ?Steam, Epic, and GOG. A Digital Deluxe Edition also includes some goodies, like exclusive spells and unchained skins.

Adding to the collection

Of course, if you want to get something a little shinier and more expensive, there is the Collector's Edition of The Mageseeker. With a price tag of $169.99, the Collector's Edition has a full Sylas statue, art book, deluxe art print, a hardcover special editi?on of a Lux comic, vinyl soundtrack, and enamel pins. All of this arrives in a special custom box, too.

[caption id="attachment_367455" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Riot Forge[/caption]

This marks the latest in League partnerships with outside studios. And so far, it's been an interesting move to watch. While Riot itself has branched out, both to League-adjacent games like Project L and new ventures like Valorant, the Forge has seen various studios tac??kle the universe in their own way.

Entries like Ruined King have been pretty solid so far, so I'm definitely curious to see what Digital Sun does with The Mageseeker. Sylas is a bit after my time with League of Legends, but as a former Lux support player, I'm curious to see the studio's take on Demacia. We'll see how it comes together pretty soon, too. The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story goes live for Swi?tch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on April? 18.

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Plus, two other Forge spinoffs have windows

Riot Forge, the publishing arm for spin-offs of Riot Games' League of Legends series, has locked in another game set in Runeterra. The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story is an action RPG following League of Legends champion Sylas, developed by Digital Sun, and arriving ?this year.

The Mageseeker will see players take control of Sylas, an escaped mage in search of vengenace and looking to take it out on Demacia. It's a 2D action RPG where Sylas and the player will raise a mage army and eventually lead a revolution. Digital Sun, the tema behind merchant RPG Moonlighter, is making The Mageseeker. It's ?set to arrive in ?spring 2023 for PC and console.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=n66QyujLXyg

Additionally, the Riot Forge locked in release windows for two other projects. Song of Nunu, a character-action game from Tequila Works starring Nunu and Willump, is aiming for fall 2023. And Convergence, a single-player 2D action platformer starring time-bending champion Ekko and developed by Do?uble Stallion Games, arrives in summer 2023.

Fanning the Forge

Riot Forge covers the ongoing third-party efforts to expand out the world of League of Legends. Games have been steadily rolling out of it, too; we've already seen the likes of auto-runner Hextech Mayhem and the Airship Syndicate-developed RPG Ruined King.

All the while, Riot Games is also crafting its own dive into the world of League of Legends. The fighting game Project L sits somewhere on the horizon, and other projects lurk around. Add on the likes of Teamfight Tactics and the successful Arcane series, and it feels like League of Legends has expanded far beyond its MOBA bounds at this?? point.

That's probably a good thing, for those who dug stories like Arcane but aren't keen on playi??ng some 5-on?-5 in the Rift. We'll see what the Forge has in store as more of its projects roll out throughout 2023.

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