Short visit to Curve Games to discover two titles, a management game and a top view shooter!
Blooming Business: Casino
Developed by French people (Homo Ludens studio), Blooming Business: Casino is a tycoon-game where you have to build/renovate/manage... casinos. Yes, it's in the title! The first thing that strikes you when you see the demo running is its colorful side, with animals as employees and other customers of the casino. Each type of customer is represented by a distinct animal, with all that implies in terms of character traits. Like a Two Point Hospital, you will have to select casinos from the world map and renovate them to make real cash machines.
Installation of a currency exchange office, creation of changing rooms, installation of poker tables, a wheel, a bar, recruitment of croupiers, decoration to make the rooms more attractive... none of the aspects should be neglected at the risk of scaring away your customers. Also pay attention to the target audience. Some customers will indeed be uncomfortable if mafiosos enter the casino... however, do we want to do without this wealthy clientele? The choice is yours! In addition to these elements, the game relies on a system of VIPs, special customers who have unique skills, such as a customer who spots cheaters and declares them to security... In order to run the casinos, keeping these customers can prove to be a valuable advantage.
Especially since the game is not forgiving, it works with a rather special economy, and you can lose everything very quickly. When entering the casino, customers pass through the currency exchange office. So they make money, but if they leave before they've spent it all, they can leave and cash-out. It is therefore necessary to return the money not spent or earned. The balance is therefore to be established so that the cash-out fund is always lower than the one we have in total, to avoid bankruptcy... To ensure a theoretically "unlimited" lifespan, the studio counts on modding by providing all the tools available for players to create and share levels, decorations and other crafted characters. I'm curious to try it out! No release date at the moment: let's expect 2023.
From space
Change of atmosphere with From Space, a twin stick shooter to do in cooperation. Neon pink aliens are invading the planet and we must repel this invasion through multiple environments. As often with this style of play, cooperation is in the spotlight, with 3 players who can join the game. Note that like a Diablo, the more of us there are, the harder the enemies will be to kill and will do damage. You can thus start a level alone, and be joined by a friend via Steam along the way to continue the adventure together without any break in play.
From the simple pistol to the flamethrower, via the laser beam, the arsenal is as varied as possible and allows each player to find what suits them. We can also put turrets, throw a few grenades or slow down the progress of the aliens by putting barbed wire on the ground. On the other hand, not everything will be unlocked from the outset, it will be necessary to carry out a few missions beforehand to take a few levels and have access to the most advanced weapons. Luckily, I joined a game with an already well-experienced avatar, which allowed me to blast enemies with a devastating laser beam, which however has a major flaw, since you have to charge shooting for several seconds, which exposes us to attacks... and believe me, we end up on the ground very quickly! The poor developer who relieved me 4-5 times in 20 minutes remained happily smiling and patient, touting this difficulty as so many ways to cooperate more!
From space will in no way revolutionize the top-down shooter formula, but will undoubtedly offer a solid and fun experience, to be played with others. I will answer the call on September 29, on PC, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia.
