XCOM's creator, Jake Solomon, joins a vibrant discussion with game enthusiasts about Assassin's Creed Shadows, Indika, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Echoes of the Plum Grove, and Cryptmaster. They also delve into Jake's new studio, Midsummer Studios, and field intriguing community questions.
Echoes of the Plum Grove offers a unique farming sim experience with generational wealth progression.
Lorelai and the Laser Eyes presents captivating puzzles and creative gameplay mechanics.
Cryptmaster combines dungeon crawler and typing game mechanics for an adventurous experience.
Echoes of the Plum Grove challenges players with survival elements and generational storytelling.
Discovering new abilities and solving riddles in games can be inspiring and thrilling.
A typing game provides immersive narration and dynamic responses based on player input.
Deep dives
Echoes of the Plum Grove: A Fresh Take on Farming Sims with a Twist of Permadeath and Dynamic Gameplay Systems
Echoes of the Plum Grove introduces a unique approach to the farming sim genre by combining elements of Stardew Valley and Paper Mario with the setting inspired by the original 13 colonies. The game starts with a shipwreck leaving you as the sole survivor in Honeywood Town. With features like a hunger bar, perma death, and generational wealth progression where your children take over, it adds a refreshing twist to the usual farming sim mechanics. The game's slow start poses challenges like hunger management, sickness, and balancing resources to survive and thrive in a unique farming sim experience.
Lorelai and the Laser Eyes: Intriguing Puzzles with Creative Gameplay Mechanics and Thoughtful Design
Lorelai and the Laser Eyes stands out with intriguing puzzles, creative gameplay mechanics, and thoughtful design elements. The game offers a fresh take on puzzle games, requiring players to think outside the box and engage with various types of puzzles that challenge logic and problem-solving skills. With a well-organized interface, engaging sound design, and a blend of unique puzzles, Lorelai presents a captivating experience that keeps players immersed and intrigued throughout their gameplay.
Cryptmaster: A Unique Dungeon Crawler Typing Game with Wizardry-like Mechanics and Creative Challenges
Cryptmaster presents a distinctive blend of dungeon crawler and typing game mechanics with elements reminiscent of Wizardry and Scribblenauts. Players immerse themselves in a world that combines traditional dungeon-crawling exploration with imaginative typing challenges. The game's unique premise of solving puzzles through typing and hangman-style mechanics offers a refreshing twist on the genre, catering to gamers who enjoy a blend of strategy, wordplay, and adventurous gameplay experiences.
Echoes of the Plum Grove Dynamics: Hunger, Perma Death, and Generational Progression in a Gritty Farming Sim Adventure
Echoes of the Plum Grove introduces dynamic gameplay elements like hunger management, perma death consequences, and generational progression that shape the gaming experience into a gritty and realistic farming sim adventure. With a focus on survival, resource management, and strategic decision-making, players navigate challenges like sickness, hunger, and wealth progression to forge a unique path through the game's immersive colonial-inspired setting. The game's blend of survival mechanics and generational storytelling provides a fresh take on the farming sim genre, offering players a compelling and engaging gameplay experience.
Inspiring Podcast Reflections
The podcast episode dives into discussing the experience of feeling inspired while playing games, particularly when exploring treasure chests and solving riddles. The speaker shares their excitement for discovering new abilities and the thrill of unpredictability in gaming interactions.
Satisfying Game Mechanics
The episode delves into the engaging mechanics of a word puzzle game, likening it to a blend of traditional RPG elements with the Wheel of Fortune experience. The speaker highlights the simplicity and approachability of the game design, emphasizing the gradual layers of gameplay complexity that unfold.
Interactive Riddles and Immersive Streaming
The podcast explores the fun and interactive elements of solving riddles in the game, noting the creative adjustments available for hint-seeking players. Additionally, the speaker reflects on the engaging and entertaining experience of streaming the game, with viewers actively participating and enjoying the challenging yet enjoyable aspects of guessing puzzles.
Typing Game Dynamics and Engaging Narration
The episode touches on the unique gameplay dynamics of a typing game, where players input one-word prompts and receive dynamic responses from the narrator. The interaction mirrors an old text-based adventure game, offering varied responses based on player input. The speaker highlights the immersive narration and the intriguing gameplay inspired by text-based interactions.
Tomato Plant's Caterpillar Cannibalism Chemical
Tomato plants emit a chemical that turns caterpillars into cannibals when they eat the leaves, forcing them to eat other caterpillars instead.
Top Secret Project with XCOM Developers and Psyonix
An interesting fact was shared during an NPR podcast, disclosing that Psyonix, developers of Rocket League, once collaborated with XCOM developers on a prototype for XCOM Enemy Unknown.
Marvel Rivals Alpha Agreement Controversy
The Marvel Rivals alpha release faced controversy due to a non-disparagement clause in the agreement that discouraged negative comments, comparisons, or reviews that could affect the game's reputation.
Community Town Showdown for MinMax Meetup
The MinMax community is in the final stages of voting for the location of a big community meetup in September, with seven towns including Ketchum, Asheville, Akron, Williamsburg, Kennett Square, Gloucester, and San Marcos as the finalists.
On this week's episode of The MinnMax Show, Ben Hanson is joined by Sarah Podzorski, Haley MacLean, Janet Garcia, and Jacob Geller to unpack the deluge of great games releasing in early May. We start out by talking about Ubisoft's reveal trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows before diving into the surreal Nun-based adventure Indika, the amazing puzzles of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, the dark farming world of Echoes of the Plum Grove, and the keyboard-based dungeon-crawler Cryptmaster. Then we're joined by the creative director for XCOM and Marvel's Midnight Suns Jake Solomon to talk about leaving Firaxis to start Midsummer Studios for a ton of community questions submitted on Patreon. Support the show directly and submit questions for future episodes on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/minnmax
