Screenshot Saturday Featuring Anuchard, Cloud Jumper, More

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Hello, and welcome back to another edition of Screenshot Saturday, where developers, publishers, and more share little peeks from their upcoming games via the #screenshotsaturday tag on social media, keeping us updated on how things are coming on, acting as little previews and whatnot!

So…where the heck has this feature been recently, you may ask? Well, last time I said we wouldn’t be coming back until the new year. At the time, the reasoning was pretty simple: The next two weekends were right next to Christmas and New Year’s Day, and so I felt it was appropriate to take that time off, and then come back fresh and renewed!…Unfortunately, without stating the obvious, the next couple of weeks would end up being some of the worst times to spend going through mounds of unfiltered social media, so I decided to put the brakes on Screenshot Saturday until things got at least a bit more sane. This feature really has taken its toll on me this past year…

It did not help that once again, I also questioned the future of Screenshot Saturday during this time, like if things were getting repetitive, if my standards were getting too high, if I was having trouble finding fresh material to work with, and more. And as such, I could really use some feedback and suggestions regarding this feature. What do you all think? Are there ways we can improve Screenshot Saturday? Ways to fix current flaws? Are there alternatives instead? Feel free to let us know in the comments.

But, as for now, I was still able to recover a slightly larger sampling of impressive games from recent weeks to show off, in order to help make up for our absence. So without further ado, enjoy!

Anuchard- File this one under “How the heck did we let this pass us by for so long?” An action RPG game that’s a stylish tribute to the likes of Soul Blazer and Terranigma with a unique world featuring the goal of rebuilding a civilization bit by bit, and it even features a unique bell weapon with a nice punch to it. The scene here presumably showing part of this ritual doesn’t necessarily do it justice due to the resolution, so indeed, check out the Steam page, but be sure to keep an eye out for this one.

Cloud Jumper- If you’re in the mood for something more relaxing, then it looks like you can’t go wrong with a chill atmospheric adventure across a series of floating islands in order to find ways to reconnect everyone. With a stunning mix of low-poly and modern graphical styles, some fun-looking flying, and impressive-looking and intriguing locales to visit and fix up such as this, it’s certainly hard to say no to such a trip.

Bämeräng- A multiplayer boomerang fighting game set in a surreal fantasy world with colorful pixel art? What’s not to love with that setup? Things in this game already look extremely fun and competitive so far, but the revelation here that being the victor doesn’t necessarily mean that the fight is over is a bit of a cherry on top.

Eastward- At this point, the various drops of seemingly semi-weekly screenshots for this anticipated top-down action/adventure are starting to feel like a bit of a tease. Once again, we see more of the game’s drop dead gorgeous graphics, except now showcasing a flamethrower weapon, a night setting, and some cartoonishly creepy slime creatures that can apparently abduct your partner. Well, time to get back to praying for a release window…

Sea of Stars- Well, if Sabotage’s previous game The Messenger had mechanics revolving around time, it only makes sense that its RPG successor ends up working with time in a different way as well. In this case, not only do you speed up to night time in order to open up a stone head to reveal a nasty surprise, you also get to see some truly stunning lighting on top of the already jaw-dropping graphics. Can’t wait to see what else can be done with this.

Godstrike- So yet another Steam Game Festival will be happening again next week, and with over five hundred demos involved (as Steam decides to count every single demo available as part of the event, for some reason), it really takes a lot for a game to stand out. But upon seeing the joyfully chaotic trailer here for this bullet hell twin-stick shooter where time is both your life and currency, I think it’s safe to say I now know at least one demo that I’ll immediately be diving into.

https://twitter.com/BelugaWeird/status/1350487987369304065

Clid the Snail- Speaking of indie twin-stick shooters, when you think of the genre and the ideas behind some of them that we’ve seen, you would arguably never really be able to predict one where you play as a gun-toting snail. Yet here we are, with our gastropod friend in the middle of a rather intense boss fight, in what look likes a potential blast worth putting on the radar.

Young Souls- This is still one of my most anticipated upcoming beat-’em-ups (or anticipated games in general, really), but while I’ve been lucky to spend some time with the game in the past, I don’t think we’ve had any quick Screenshot Saturday features that can show off some of the game’s true potential. Until now, of course, with this snippet from a ball-busting boss battle that really shows off the skills you’ll need to advance, alongside the game’s impressive art style.

Beacon Pines- These certainly are some gorgeous locales, and if you’re like me, they succeeded at immediately grabbing your attention and making you want to know more about the game…but the bigger selling point is when you find out that not only is this a unique adventure game where the words you discover alter the game’s storybook narrative, but that this game is described as “Winnie the Pooh meets Twin Peaks.” With that, you immediately have my money. Here’s the link to their Kickstarter campaign that begins on the 2nd, I suggest you give them your money as well.

Learning Factory- Some games about managing factories or industries give you the near-impossible task of having to create a monolithic business that remains successful after years and years of hardships. This game instead has the even more impossible task of making a factory in order to understand the behavior and thoughts of cats. It’s certainly a unique and fun-looking approach to the genre, but I feel like the portion of what’s shown here will be at least one fiftieth of what we’ll need for the end goal, if not smaller…

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Hell is Others- In a twisted online multiplayer dystopia where horrific sights can lurk around every corner, even the simplest of errands can easily turn into a bloodbath. Although on the plus side, since the economy is fueled by blood here, that’s arguably a good chunk of cash splattered all over the floors afterwards. And hey, the excitement alone easily makes things worth it.

Chinatown Detective Agency- Admittedly, the abundance of bright neon in the genre means that the description of the city after dark in this cyberpunk adventure game kind of seems a little at odds with what we see here…unless those businesses are what I think they are, of course. Regardless of what filth lies underneath the sleek exterior, though, the stage is still set for an impressive piece of detective work.

Osteoblasts- Typically, most games would have you feeding a dog to show of the character’s kind personality and whatnot. However, in an RPG where you’re playing as a skeleton, feeding the dogs is the last thing you’d want, if only because they won’t take no for an answer. What we do want is a nice and quirky RPG with a sense of humor, though, and this seems to definitely fit the bill.

Snowtopia- Now that I think about it, have we ever had a simulation game where you have to build and manage a successful ski resort? If not, then this game, now available in Early Access, certainly fills that gap. Seen here is the type of impressive resort you can build now with the game’s bare essentials, and while it looks cool enough, one can only imagine how much more detailed it ends up being down the road.

Kyle & Lucy: Wonderland- This Sonic-inspired platformer already looked quite impressive in its earlier stages, but as seen here, WOW, can a lot of hard work and tune-ups make a world of difference. Here’s hoping we see more of this duo later on, because it looks like this is shaping up to be an adventure that the blue blur himself would be proud of.