The Indie News Roundup: Insane Robots, Kingdom Come DLC, and Pamali

An award indie hand is better than two in the bush.

After a mysterious week off last week, we’re back with another roundup of all the movings and shakings in the indie sphere. And whilst summer might be the slow period for the mainstream scene, it’s looking to be a busy one for indie news, so let’s jump in.

Robots of the Revolution: Insane Robots Arrives on Console and PC

Playniac’s robo card battle game Insane Robots has finally arrived and you’re all invited to take a trip down to the battle arenas and fight for a brave new road, for robots.

Insane Robots touts itself as a “hacked” battle card game, doing away with the norms of deck-building and buying cards totally removed. Instead, each match will have you playing with randomly selected cards in a system that gives way to simple to understand but deeply strategic bit of gameplay.

And the fun doesn’t stop with a simple makeover of the genre convention. Insane Robots delivers a pretty hefty 20-hour campaign, a huge roster of insane characters (that, when you read their bios, aren’t that insane), and both online and local multiplayer.

With a simple set a rules, mechanics, and some incredibly funny writing thrown in, Insane Robots looks like a perfect fit for those of us who have ever felt a little bit lost when it comes to card games.

Hardcore, you know the score: Kingdom Come Deliverance Introduces a Hardcore Mode

It wasn’t too long ago that everyone was going on about how difficult Kingdom Come Deliverance was. But apparently, WarHorse STudios didn’t get that memo, because along with their first DLC pack, called “From the Ashes”, they’ve also introduced a hardcore mode for the game.

Let’s start with what “From the Ashes” actually is. It’s a new story update that’ll see players getting to take an active role in the creation of a new town that, due to being a burned down bandit camp, is a little worse for wear. You’ll get Henry to help out with the town’s finances, expand the town, and even get involved with solving disputes between the townsfolk. The DLC will set you back Â£8/$10, but if you’ve been looking for a reason to jump back into the game, From the Ashes looks set to do just that.

Maybe… maybe don’t get too comfy Henry…

But of course, that’s not all WarHorse have done for the game. They’ve only gone and introduced a “Hardcore” mode – something which begs the question of what people were playing before that. The new mode removes your ability to fast travel, quick save, and oh, removes the compass from the game’s HUD meaning you’re going to have to become best friend’s with the world map if you want a chance to know where you’re going.

Along with these technical features, the game also lets you pick two negative statuses on poor old Henry, with statuses ranging from “Brittle Bones” which makes you as fragile as a baby bird, to “Tapeworms” that speed up how hungry you get. You can read a list of all the fun status effects here.

Both “From the Ashes” and the new Hardcore mode are available for players now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

And Finally… Give Pamali a Kickstart

There’s a new horror game in the works that looks like it could take the genre in a fairly new direction. Pamali, a game being developed by StoryTale Studios, gives players a four-chapter spookathon based on Indonesian folklore.

From what we’ve seen in the trailer, it looks as though the choices players make in the game has a fairly hefty impact on the events that take place. And with a whole catalogue of superstitions and stories to fall back on, Pamali seems like it could offer horror fans something entirely different to the Western or Japanese dominated genre. With an emphasis on unsettling interactions and ghouls and ghosts, Pamali may very well be the next horror hit – so if you like the look of it, give their demo a try and check out their Kickstarter page.

If Pamali does reach its Kickstarter target, it would release in late 2018.