Conventions
Below The Surface Of Aussie Indie Game Hollow Knight – PAX Aus 2015
Hollow Knight is an indie platformer being developed by Aussie studio Team Cherry. It’s all about an ancient world that exists below the town of Dirtmouth. Players take on the role of the Hollow Knight and delve into the darkness, taking on all manner of insectoid enemies. The game is designed to be challenging both in its combat system and in its many, inter-connected areas and maps. It’s one of the indie games displayed at PAX Aus this year that stood out thanks to its artwork, all of which has apparently been hand-drawn. William Pellen, design director at Team Cherry, spoke with me about the game.
“It evolved when Ari (Team Cherry’s animator) and I did a few game jams last year,” Pellen said. “The first one we did was a game called Hungry Knight. It starred this character, and it went around eating cherries, which is why we’re called Team Cherry. Ari was super keen on doing another game with this character. So we started doing this as a side project. There was another game jam that we missed, but the theme for that was ‘beneath the surface.’ It was a cool theme, so it gave us the idea of this big, underground insect kingdom, which is where the game is set.”
Team Cherry started working on the prototype last year for Hollow Knight, and ideas kept on piling up until the game grew to what it is now – a 2D action-platformer about delving into the dark. “We don’t give players heaps of information at the start, but the basic premise is that there’s this ancient kingdom – the Hallownest, an old insect kingdom.” The Hallownest was destroyed long ago by unknown causes, and now there are explorers constantly going down there looking for treasure and mysteries to solve.
“You’re the Hollow Knight, so you’re one of those explorers,” Pellen said. “You’ve come to explore Hallownest. Exactly why the Hollow Knight is there, what his connection is to the kingdom, and exactly what the story of the kingdom is – that’s something that unfolds as you play.”
Hollow Knight was Kickstarted in December last year. Pellen says most of the world has already been constructed. “I’m doing all the enemies right now. We’ve got heaps, over a hundred. One of the key things we want to achieve is constantly having surprises. Lots of weird characters to meet, weird creatures to fight. We want there to be new experiences constantly throughout the thing.”
Team Cherry is looking to release Holllow Knight early next year. It’s currently set for release on PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam. They have also locked in a Wii U release and they’re looking into securing a release on other consoles and handheld devices.
Like many of the indie developers at PAX, Pellen says making the game hasn’t always been an easy journey. “It’s always super gratifying to work on something like this. There’s a less fun part at the start of the project where you have to get all the systems in place and spend a lot of time without anyone actually playing your game. And now that we’re towards the end, it’s more fun because we get to see people get their hands on it and play it. We get to see Youtube and Twitch streams of people playing it. It’s kind of energising and helps push you towards the end.”
The reception for Hollow Knight has been overwhelmingly positive so far. “People are really getting into it. The first thing they say is that they like the art6 style. We get a lot of people to come over and try it who might not be familiar with the game style of an action 2D platformer. But the look of the game has brought them over and they start playing it. It takes them a while to get the grips of it, but they always persevere and keep playing.”
Pellen says those interested in the project can follow Team Cherry’s developer blog, which they use to both keep people updated and to share gifs from the game itself.
In exactly two weeks, an epic journey will start in the heart of Transylvania for all those who love comics, games, and movies. The Transylvania Comic Con starts on October 18 and invites all participants to enjoy a three-day event where they will get to unleash their imagination at the cosplay contest, meet their favorite actors at the photo ops and photographs sessions, or find out interesting things at the panels hosted by the event. Great fun is granted even for those who would just like to take a look at the ComicCon and do some shopping of really cool items or snap some pictures with famous props, such as the Iron Throne.
The Transylvania Comic Con will take place in the heart of Transylvania, at the BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca. The event starts on Friday, October 18 at 4 P.M and lasts until Sunday, October 20. The stage hosts’ roles will be filled by Maria Muller and Ken Huegel. Some of the celebrities invited to the event are ‘Vikings’ and ‘Hunger Games’ star Alexander Ludwig, Kevin McNally Pirate of the Caribbean, ‘Spartacus’, ‘Arrow’, and ‘Shanarra’ star Manu Bennet, Rick Cosnett, from ‘The Vampire Diaries’, ‘Stargate Atlantis’ star David Nykl, and Roger Ashton- Griffiths, who played Mace Tyrell in Game of Thrones. Cosplay enthusiasts will get to see Daisy Cosplay and Imriel Cosplay.
Transylvania Comic Con will also welcome three featured artists and a Cosplay Guest, who wasn’t announced yet. The schedule is not public yet, and the timetable is subject to change, however, on October 5 participants will get the first glimpse at the program, from where they will find out more about the guests of the event. What we already know is that Transylvania Comic Con will host cosplay competitions on Saturday and Sunday. The General Cosplay Competition hosted on Saturday targets solo cosplay enthusiasts only, while on Sunday groups will get the chance to show off their costumes. This is also the day of the qualifiers for the international cosplay competition Clara Cow Cosplay Cup.
Tickets for the Transylvania Comic Con are still available for purchase, except for the VIP 3 Days Tickets, which are all sold out. The rules for participants and the tickets can all be found on the event’s homepage, here. It will definitely be an epic event, so we hope to see you there!
The countdown has begun. There are less than three weeks until Transylvania ComicCon kicks off. The three-day event will take place in the heart of Transylvania, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, between 18 October and 20 October at the BT Arena. Those who will attend the event will get to meet some really cool guests and can participate in numerous activities, all of which are going to be amazingly fun. The schedule of the event won’t be available for another couple of days, however, the majority of guests are known.
Transylvania ComicCon will welcome some beloved actors, such as Alexander Ludwig, Kevin McNally, Manu Bennett, Rick Cosnett, David Nykl, and Roger Ashton- Griffiths. The event will be hosted by Maria Muller and Ken Huegel, and the YouTubers/ streamers of the Transylvania ComicCon will be Cluj-Napoca’s own Creative Monkeyz. It is not yet clear who the featured artists will be, but this should become known on October 5th, when the event’s schedule will become available on the website.
Besides having photo ops and autograph sessions with the aforementioned guests, participants will also be able to show off their imagination and skills at the cosplay contests. The solo General Cosplay Competition starts on October 19 from 13:00. The group competition starts on Sunday, also at 13:00. At the same time, the qualifiers for the international cosplay competition Clara Cow Cosplay Cup will start. Other activities participants can attend at the Transylvania ComicCon include panels, and props& booths. Naturally, there will be an artists’ alley, a gaming area, and a shopping area too.
The entry fee for the Transylvania ComicCon is really affordable. Those who want to have a photo op and get the autograph of Kevin McNally or Roger Ashton-Griffiths have to pay less than 15 Euros for the treat. The VIP three-day tickets cost less than 100 Euros, while one-day entry fees are as low as 10 Euros. These prices may be incredibly low but the level of fun will go incredibly high at the Transylvania ComicCon. Check out the event and all it has to offer here.
Let’s travel back to 2000s. Can you remember the time when MMORPG genre popped up out of nowhere? Early genre games such as Everquest, World of Warcraft or Guild Wars were considered to be the prophets of the new age of PC gaming. MMORPGs or Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing Games have been considered the most gratifying, rewarding, immersive, and time-soaking games out there. However, as time went by, only a handful of MMORPGs managed to secure their communities and stay a little while longer.
So today we’re talking some time (and internet space), introducing the very best games of the MMORPG genre. Some of these games are old and can brag about their long history while some of them are fairly fresh inviting fans of the genre to explore seemingly unending content. Most importantly – all of these games are alive and will grant you hundreds of hours of joy.
- The Elder Scrolls Online
We begin our list with the youngest of the bunch. ZeniMax Online Studios creation, The Elder Scrolls Online is set in the magical continent of Tamriel which will be familiar to the fans of TES franchise. The game’s storyline is indirectly related to other games of the franchise; however, the game is set way far back before the events of Oblivion, or Skyrim. Currently the game has two expansions: The Morrowind and the Summerset, however, the developers have promised a third expansion The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr which is coming out on June 4, 2019.
- Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV is developed and published by Square Enix. First released back in 2013 the game quickly became a hit among many MMORPG genre fans across PC and PlayStation communities. It has tons of great content which is keep on coming even to this day. Recently Square Enix has announced yet another game expansion titled Shadowbringers which will bring a variety of new dungeons and include yet another playable race: the rabbit-like Viera, already known to the fans of Final Fantasy XII. The game will also increase its level cap from 70 to 80 and introduce a number of new zones to explore.
- Guild Wars 2
This ArenaNet MMORPG game certainly deserves a spotlight in our list. Guild Wars 2 is an attractive piece because of its ever-living world structure which captivates players with multiple quests, continuing storyline, and rewarding gameplay mechanics. The game is also considered among the best MMORPGs because of its freedom and versatility when it comes to personalization. You can literally create, augment, and specialize your character in such a way that it would be exceptionally unique to your preferred playstyle.
- RuneScape
RuneScape is the oldest game on our list, however, it carries the very same explorer’s spirit within. It’s safe to assume that if you’re interested in MMORPG genre you’ve tried this game already at a certain point in time. We can still remember the wood chopping, fire making, and fishing activities which required hours upon hours of discipline, and we also remember how much joy did that provide. And it still does if you’re patient enough. That’s why it secured a spot on our list!
- World of Warcraft
No MMORPG games list would be complete without the king of the genre. It has been over 14 years since Blizzard released World of Warcraft. The game was a phenomenal success and became one of the most iconic titles of all time. World of Warcraft is even included in the video game Hall of Fame and there are plenty of reasons why. Even today the game is huge and has millions of players logging in to play it every month. Throughout its history World of Warcraft has seen 7 major game expansions with tons of great content to explore. Furthermore, Blizzard is planning to release a Classic version of the game sometime this summer which means that the king of MMORPGs can be entering its second lifecycle. If you’ve never played – we do recommend you give it a try.
While some of these games can be played for free, some will require you to purchase certain expansions (or game time). On Eneba Marketplace you’ll find everything you need in order to start your new MMORPG adventure!
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