Handsome & Humble: August Issue
Handsome & Humble is an ongoing series from Handsome Phantom about the games in the Humble Monthly Bundle. Humble Monthly is subscription service ($12 per month) from Humble that give subscribers a bundle of PC games each month. There are always some AAA titles, as well as a handful of indie games. The bundles are usually worth somewhere around $200, so we think it is an awesome value for what subscribers pay.
Subscribers also have the option to pay for the next month’s bundle early, in order to get the “early unlock,” which is typically two or three of the games from the next month’s bundle. Handsome and Humble is the monthly series where we look at what you’ll get in the early unlock as well as a quick overview of the games from the last bundle.
This month, if you pay for August’s early unlock, you’ll receive a copy of The Escapists 2, A Hat In Time, and Conan: Exiles.
The Escapists 2
The Escapists 2 is a pixelated, sandboxy strategy game all about escaping from the various institutions in which you find yourself imprisoned. The first Escapists game was very popular on steam, but players had a handful of complaints about the game including bad pixel graphics, a tough learning curve, and lack of creative options for escaping. Well, the folks over at Team 17 heard the complaints of players and have adjusted The Escapists 2 in order to make the gameplay experience even better.
This game starts players in a very simple prison which teaches players the basic mechanics of the game, like how to avoid being discovered by guards, crafting different break-out tools, and completing various objectives for other inmates. Players will have to work their way through a variety of different prisons, develop their own skills and stats, and hone a playstyle that allows them to be creative in breaking out of prison. So channel your inner Andy Dufresne, and start planning your prison break!
A Hat In Time
This is a very long anticipated (it was actually originally supposed to be launched in 2013) 3D platformer that was released at the end of 2017 by the indie studio Gears For Breakfast. The game begins with our Hero wearing a cartoonishly huge top hat (a girl named “Hatkid”) being rudely awakened by her alarm clock. The camera pans out to reveal that she is walking around on her spaceship, which is apparently powered by little hourglasses. Just then, a representative from the mafia knocks and comes to collect a tax for passing by Mafia-Town, and ends up breaking the window of her spaceship and scattering the hourglasses all over the world. We can’t make this stuff up people, that is ACTUALLY the premise of the game.
A Hat In Time’s gameplay is just as exciting and whacky as its premise. Players will run, jump, and dash around four distinct worlds, each of which provides really fun and challenging puzzles to complete as you figure out how to get back all of the hourglasses. Along the way, Hatgirl meets a variety of interesting and goofy characters and finds other hats that unlock new powers for players to accomplish their goals in ways that suit their particular playstyle. A Hat In Time may not be the best 3D platformer you’ve ever played but it has elements from all of the best platformers, and the extra time the studio spent on this game makes it feel VERY polished.
Conan: Exiles
(We wrote a full PS4 review on Conan: Exiles. If you’d like to read a more comprehensive review, check it out here)
The survival genre has gained an increasing popularity amongst gamers and specifically PC gamers. With games like ARK: Survival Evolved, Rust, and Minecraft growing in popularity, you’re bound to get quite a few games that copy the style and hope to cash in on the popularity of the genre. Unfortunately, even though there are a lot of really fun elements of the game, Conan: Exiles is kind of one of these games.
Players gain control of a criminal in the world of Conan the Barbarian, who has been hung on a cross for his crimes. After Conan shows up and cuts you down, he turns you loose to survive in the harsh world. There are some genre standard parts of this game like crafting, eating, and building. However, there are also some parts that are not standard to the survival genre, like subduing and employing slaves to work for you, exploring dungeons, fighting bosses, and free climbing all over the map. For fans of the genre, Conan: Exiles provides a decently fun experience, but is honestly nothing to write home about.
And many more!
Each monthly bundles contains a handful of other titles as well, some that are well known, some that are not so well known. Since we can’t tell you about any of the other titles that will be in May’s bundle, here’s a quick overview of the games in last month’s bundle!
Blackwake – An open seas pirate game in early access. It’s rough but a lot of fun.
Forts – A physics based fort RTS. Think World of Goo meets Angry Birds
Hearts of Iron IV – The fourth installment of the World War II grand strategy game, for those of you who want to micromanage a war
Interplanetary – A turn-based strategy game on a galactic scale
Portal Knights – An open world, blocky, crafting RPG where players build portals to connect the shattered world
Serial Cleaner – Dive deep into the life of a professional cleaner by hiding bodies, hiding weapons, and destroying murder evidence, but don’t get caught!
Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom – The action RPG where animals and humans unite to defeat evil!
Titan Quest: Anniversary Edition – This top-down action RPG has been a favorite of PC gamers for years, and the Anniversary edition combines the games together
Check out the Humble Monthly subscription, an incredible value for PC gamers everywhere!
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