While the Steam Summer Sale is still going on, the Epic Store is giving you three free games this week that couldn’t be more different.
These games are:
- Hood: Outlaws & Legends: In co-op play, as Robin Hood or one of his friends, you try to steal from the rich to give to the poor. You can sneak into the fortress and remain unnoticed, or you can choose the loud and therefore usually bloodier route. But the NPCs aren’t your only concern, as there’s another team of real players looking to snag the gold.
- Iratus: Lord of the Dead is worth a look for all Darkest Dungeon fans. In the turn-based tactical game, you don’t have to fight evil, but slip into the role of the dark ruler who commands undead armies.
- Geneforge 1 – Mutagen is a remake of the 2001 released role-playing game Geneforge. You play a magician who can create life out of nothing. How and, above all, for what purpose you use this ability is up to you. The game is probably scary at first due to the graphics, which take some getting used to, but it can score with an astonishingly large amount of freedom of choice.
The offer runs until July 7th at 17:00. Say, as always, for exactly one week. How the titles play and for whom they are worthwhile, we clarify further down in the article. For those who can’t wait any longer, we have a direct link to the free games:
Here’s the action
What to expect from Hood: Outlaws & Legends
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Hood: Outlaws & Legends shows its action side in the launch trailer
An Assassin’s Creed in co-op – that’s the wet dream of some fans. Assassin’s Creed Unity’s multiplayer mode came close, but with bugs plaguing the entire game, it quickly went under. When Hood came out last year, it could have filled that void—but it didn’t.
But first, let’s clarify what Hood: Outlaws & Legends is all about. A team of four players embody the roles of Robin Hood and his notorious friends like Little John and Marianne. Together you try to steal a treasure from a fortress. How you go about it is up to you. Your characters have different abilities that make certain tactics easier. Where Marianne, for example, can use her crossbow to hunt down opponents from afar, John is more responsible for the loud close combats.
You’ll have to hurry, though, because there’s another team of players roaming the map who want to get their hands on the treasure. However, if you die you can spawn again, so don’t be too careful either.
Hood’s big problem: The game was plagued with bugs, lack of content and balance issues at launch. While some of these issues still exist today, the game currently faces an even greater challenge: the extremely small player count. The title is only coming to Steam rarely over 100 players a day. Perhaps Epic’s free campaign could now remedy the problem with the number of players.
If you prefer guaranteed co-op hits, check out our list:
Really good co-op games?
We have 8 tips for you
What’s behind Iratus: Lord of the Dead
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Iratus: Lord of the Dead – The Necromancer is Freed: Release Trailer for the Roguelike RPG
The fact that we embody the bad guys in video games is nothing new: Darksiders, Dungeon Keeper or Tropico have already done it. Nonetheless, it’s still a refreshing change from the same chosen one who must save the world from perishing. In Iratus you play the eponymous necromancer, who sets out with his undead entourage to rise from the depths of his former prison.
That sounds really cool, but the story is ultimately quite flat. The combat system works all the better for that. In turn-based battles, you tweak which of your Heartless subjects will use which ability to take out the target. This is strongly reminiscent of the indie hit Darkest Dungeon, only without the emotional connection to the fellow combatants. If they die a second time, then it’s finally over for them. But you don’t have to look far for a replacement, you can simply create a new minion. The journey to the surface is only really fun once, however, in the test of Iratus: Lord of the Dead we had enough of resurrection for now.
If you can’t get enough of playing the Bad Boys, you can check out the following article:
No more heroism
10 games where you can be really bad
What makes Geneforge 1 – Mutagen so special
link to YouTube content
Total freedom of choice – some games boast that. Whether in role-playing games like Divinity: Original Sin 2 or in the recently released horror adventure The Quarry, there are always limits somewhere. This is of course no different with Geneforge 1 – Mutagen, but these limits are hidden behind a mass of possibilities.
You play a magician who can create life out of nothing. Stranded on a desert island, you not only have to fight for our lives, but also defend the treasures of your ancestors – but you can also solve every conflict with words or join the thieving gangs.
The role-playing game Geneforge originally came onto the market in 2001, but since last year there has also been a remake with the nickname »Mutagen«. The new edition is still not a beauty, but in addition to the existing story, it has been given fresh side tasks, locations, characters and other content. If you can overlook the spartan graphics, a fascinating fantasy RPG awaits you here.
But if you’d rather use the freedom of choice to send teenagers to virtual doom, you can read our review of The Quarry here:
The Quarry im Test
How well does horror work with 186 endings?
Who are the three free games suitable for?
Hood: Outlaws & Legends is worth a closer look for those who can get a few friends together and don’t mind stealth games with a PvP aspect. What we cannot guarantee, of course: whether the number of players will pick up speed again as a result of the free campaign. If so, then you can expect a few exciting hours with your loved ones.
Iratus: Lord of the Dead is probably interesting for those who had their light (or rather dark) joy with Darkest Dungeon and need supplies. But everyone who is interested in turn-based tactical combat should also pay a visit to the necromancer game.
who with Geneforge 1 – Mutagen If you want to have fun, you probably shouldn’t put too much emphasis on graphics. The focus is more on the story and the fantasy world. But if you can get involved with it, then you can expect an enormously diverse role-playing game in which you can invest a few hours.
Did one of the games pique your interest? If so, which? Write it to us in the comments!
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