The Drop 8/9/16 — No Man’s Sky, Brut@l, and UNO 2016

No Man’s Sky — PlayStation 4 and PC

Every year there is “that one game” that signifies the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year — the fall gaming season. This year, few could argue that No Man’s Sky isn’t one of the most anticipated games of the year. Boasting a universe that supposedly takes 5 billion years to fully explore, Hello Games’ new sci-fi adventure has not only captured the imaginations of gamers around the globe, but also brilliant minds of mathematicians and software engineers who marvel at the technology behind the world itself.

At it’s core, No Man’s Sky truly is about exploring the unknown and making discoveries that no player has made before. That being said, the game certainly isn’t a gigantic sight seeing tour — there is plenty to be done and the constant threat of danger while traveling from world to world. As you treat across the forests, deserts, and snow-covered landscapes, you’ll be collecting resources (while also defending yourself from whatever forms of life you might run across). Once these resources have been gathered, they can be traded for new ships and equipment that help you on your travels.

Initially, the elevator pitch of No Man’s Sky sounds like one giant session of grinding after another — landing on planets, harvesting materials, trading materials for upgrades, moving onto the next planet. To some degree, that description might be accurate. For those looking for a good grind to get lost in, No Man’s Sky could certainly be the game to scratch that itch. However, the experience in No Man’s Sky is something more than that. Unlike many games that come out these days, No Man’s Sky isn’t about checking off a list of objectives or simply going from point A to point B. It’s truly about the exploration, the journey that the player takes as they are wandering from one world to another.

Brut@l — PlayStation 4

Continuing the “procedural generation” theme that seems to be happening this week, Brut@l is the newest addition to PlayStation’s PLAY 2016 event that has been showcasing some incredible indie experiences over the past few weeks. Developed by Scotland-based Stormcloud Games, Brut@l combines gorgeous 3D visuals with a classic ASCII gaming experience to create a truly stunning experience for a new generation. If you are a “youth” like me, you might be asking “What exactly is a ‘classic ASCII gaming experience?” At their core, ASCII games use the American Standard Code for Information Interchange to create games using letters and numbers. Needless to say, the first ASCII games were not works of art to say the least, but as time has gone on there are certainly some impressive creations that show off just how much that method of coding is actually capable of.

However the team at Stormcloud Games has taken that experience to the next level to create Brut@l. After choosing to play as one of four classes (Ranger, Mage, Warrior, or Amazon), you’ll set off on your journey to conquer 26 completely procedurally generated levels that make each run of the game a completely new experience. Mechanics such as weapon crafting and potion brewing alongside character and combat upgrades keep the gameplay fresh and exciting all the way to the final trial — facing off against the Guardian of the Dungeon.

With the procedural generation, Brut@l already has a good bit of replay value right from the start. However, co-op opens up even more possibilities to explore the dungeons with a friend. If they die, however, you’ll have to face the hordes of enemies alone until the next level when they can be revived. According to the devs, the cooperative mode is their attempt to bring back those gaming sessions of yesteryear — spending the night at your friends house, playing video games from sunset to sunrise. Even if that isn’t enough content for you, the included Dungeon Creator lets you create, play, and share whatever levels your own imagination can come up with.

With it’s ASCII-inspired graphics, local co-op, and hardcore dungeon crawling, Brut@l is truly both a classic game and a modern game in one package. For PlayStation Plus members, Brut@l pre-orders are 20% off thanks to the PLAY 2016 event happening on the PlayStation Store right now! Normally I don’t endorse pre-ordering games, but when it comes to the PLAY program that PlayStation holds every year, it is normally a safe bet that the games included are certainly worth checking out, Brut@l included.