Fallen Aces - A crime noir FPS from New Blood Interactive - now available on Early Access

[Parsimonious cook]

Tried the demo, here is what I think:

- artstyle and atmosphere are p. gud, story seems to be something along the lines of the Watchmen in the 1930s period - seems OK as well

- there is surprisingly good stealth system in place, including shadows and distractions (throwing stuff)

- combat is really good and fairly hard on the highest difficulty, obviously inspired by Condemned with some additions (effects for hits into various body parts, you can throw objects), all weapons break after some time, firearms have very limited ammo

I was pleasantly surprised with the difficulty, you need to git gud in combat, which has a lot of nuance (you need to manage your stamina, you can block and dodge), enemies are usually numerous and hit pretty hard. This makes stealth very attractive. In any case the game is pretty legit - it is not just a by-the-numbers FPS trying to stand out through the artstyle.

The biggest problem for me was that there are no saves and whenever you die you start at a checkpoint - the thing is that the world state however carries over so you are walking through cleared out areas full of corpses/unconscious enemies on your way to the place where you died - for me this kinda breaks the flow of the game. Hopefully this is only the demo thing and the full release will either have saves or normal checkpoints.

In any case I wishlisted this. It has potential, the question is whether the devs will manage to fully unlock it.

 

[Excommunicator]

I also played through it.

Visually nice, style works well with stealth and showing your visibility etc.

Stealth actually worked and better than many games. Felt a bit unsatisfying sneaking when combat is clearly the "intended" way.

The combat felt too easy (original demo, haven't tried the updated one), with too many fodder enemies and thrown objects too powerful.

Could be decent but not really enough to go by in the demo. More emphasis on the story, characters and possibly humour might make it stand out and stay fun to the end.

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

Finally trying the demo of this. Looks pretty neat, but not too fond of the super arcade-style fast paced movement. At first I actually thought the game had auto-run enabled, but upon holding SHIFT the character actually rocketed through the environments.

Oddly enough, the movement speed seems tied to the FOV settings some? At least, it feels that way, which may be a perception thing. (Which it is, which is probably why some games increase the FOV when characters sprint, to give the impression of added speed).

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Parsimonious cook]

This looks like the most interesting boomer shooter thingy since forever tbh fam. Cant wait for release.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Infinitron]

First episode releasing on June 14th:

 

[Parsimonious cook]

D1P.

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

The demo was really good.

Whatever the price: This is gonna be an offer I can't refuse.

Particular like the pretty open approach to levels including optional more sneakily routes... and the in-universe map, Thief-style. This may be filed under "Boomer Shooter". But it has a few LGS twists, moreso than the more recent Blood West from my end.. Including everything not nailed down being able to be used as a tool/weapon.

 

[baba is you]

Yeah, this game demo is pretty good. I think it's probably a good choice for gamers who want an immersive sim that focuses on combat.

 

[geno]

Did they update the old demo for this event?

 

[baba is you]

They said on the Steam forums that there are no plans to update the demo version. And It is said that the officially released version has many improvements.

 

[geno]

It will be $13, level editor this year and its the first episode of 3.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1411910/view/4183360901881035336

Da Launch Plans!
You're gonna love em.
Hey there all yous gabagoons!
So unless you been living under a rock - you should know that we just announced that Fallen Aces:
Episode 1 will be out THIS WEEK.
FRIDAY, JUNE 14TH.

When?!

Should be in the morning. Might be at night.
Sometime on Friday, alright.

What are we getting?!

All of Episode 1! (there's 3 episodes total)

It's got
FIVE BIG LEVELS
with lots of
replayability, a ton of weapons
and ways to play em and
fully hand drawn and voice acted comic book style cutscenes
like you can see in that there trailer.

It's a
BIG PALOOKA
of an Early Access launch.

What do we get after that?

Well well well, after we're happy with the Episode 1 launch and we do some updates based on YOUR feedback - we'll be expanding and iterating on the game but also releasing our
FULL LEVEL EDITOR
later this year along with
STEAM WORKSHOP SUPPORT.

How bout dat?

That should keep you goons busy while we work on Episode 2, eh?

What about the demo?

That thing is
OLD
, man. Like seriously old as a rusty trombone. It's still good though so we've left it up but we'll be getting rid of it once Early Access starts! The game is so much better and different now, you're not gonna believe it.
Trust da boss on this one.

Will there be a new demo?

Maybe! Not yet though cuz we're busy polishing up Episode 1 for launch and working on the level editor and Steam Workshop support - but we do love free stuff - so if ya ask real nice maybe we'll do a new one down the line.

But I know what ya really wanna know...

THE PRICE!

Oh you guys aren't gonna believe this.

You ready for this?

Fallen Aces will launch with the full first episode out for just $12.99
That's right, just $XIII -
GET IT?!

And better yet,
with that there launch discount it'll be just
$9.99 USD
.

WHAT A MEAL

That $10 Early Access price gets you the
full game
and everything we're gonna do with it for the next few years. Are we crazy? Maybe. But we love you and we hate money. That's like our whole motto or whatever!
The price WILL go up for Episode 2 and 3 though so buy now and save!

We also want something more important than that cashola. We want
PLAYERS
. We wanna build dis game with you just like we've done with our other games like
DUSK, AMID EVIL, ULTRAKILL and GLOOMWOOD.

We want that feedback. We want that help balacing difficulty. We wanna know what kinda weapons and executions you wanna see Mike use. We want all dem suggestions.
CAPICHE?!

So anyway, if ya still haven't - don't be a wiseguy and wishlist and follow the game to know
EXACTLY
when it's out.
You're gonna love it.

Sincerely,

- Mr. Gabagool (Dave)

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

13 bucks for SKALD.
13 bucks for this.

Indie gaming is shaping up to be the new triple-A fun -- at a fifth* of the cost.



* slightly moreso if you factor in that you don't need a 5,000 Dollars piece of Nvidia plastic before even daring to show up for the gig.

 

[Alphons]

13 bucks for this.

9,99 with launch discount.

 

[ADL]

Episode 1 out now with a 24% discount
5 levels, two more episodes to come

 

[Infinitron]

Why Early Access?​

“Because just like New Blood always does, we love building our games with our players to make sure by the time they're finished they're as good as can be and that all yous goons and gals love 'em just as much as we loved makin 'em. Our goal is to release Fallen Aces episodically so we can get feedback from players during development and towards release. Plus the game's cheaper in Early Access because WE HATE MONEY!”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?​

“As long as it takes, wise guy! But more than likely a year or two. Just like our other games DUSK, AMID EVIL, ULTRAKILL and GLOOMWOOD we'll work with our community and deliver consistent stable updates until the game is finished and yous all loves it!”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?​

“We plan to update that there Early Access version with each new episode as well as provide hotfixes and tweaks as needed. For the full version we're planning to have 3 full episodes plus a level editor, Steam Workshop and lots of extra gabagool!”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?​

“Fallen Aces currently contains the entire first episode "Heart of Glass" and that Episode is pretty much just as polished as it'd be for a final release. We make 'em real good round here, boss.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?​

“The price will go UP with the release of each new episode so get in early and pay less, ya dig?”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?​

“As always, New Blood incorporates all the feedback from our players when developing our games so be sure to head over to use them Steam forums and head over to Discord.gg/NewBlood to talk wit us direct like!”

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

Fuck me this OOZES style.

Totally forgot that you can even put your fingers into the wall sockets (push E to get buzz'd), becuz WHY NOT. First level seems somewhat open from the start. Like: Get the hell outta here outta that door -- or smash through the window (it's a looong way down there, goodfellas).

Soundtrack's ace as well. Only wish for a walk toggle/button.

10 bucks for this? Are these guys communists or what.

 

[baba is you]

I finished the game. The level overall was large, but had some linear sections. But it's good, it has some of the advantages of the demo.
The last level was reworked based on the demo level, and I think only the positive aspects remain. It's surprising that this is sold for $10.

 

[Alphons]

On the 3rd level currently.

First level took around 1 hour, second almost 2. I was able to find around 80% of secrets.

Really great level design that reminds me of urban levels in Thief/ Deus Ex. There's a good amount of verticality and mantling ledges is very smooth.
There's a lot of secrets ranging from a sniper rifle on a roof, secret rooms, apartments with entrance through a window high above to safes that require you to figure a code.

Fists were improved a lot since the demo and I find myself using them just for fun even if I have some weapon.

Enemies respond well and have a lot of sprites. Kick someone in the balls or throw a rat at him for some fun stuff.

Enemies can hit each other and environment, so you can position them around for some friendly fire. There're 2 rival gangs currently and they'll fight each other if you give them an opportunity.

Negative stuff:
If you reload a save, the map in your notes will dissapear completely (they said they're fixing it).
There're some typos in cutscenes and notes like Sreet instead of Street.
Collecting money seems kinda pointless aside from bragging rights as so far I only had opportunities to buy cola and cigs (accuracy bonus for 1 minute) for $2 each (I have almost $2000).
For now I play completely non-lethal and if you KO 5 or more guys in one place, then their snoring gets amplified and completely drowns out other sounds.

 

[geno]

Collecting money seems kinda pointless aside from bragging rights as so far I only had opportunities to buy cola and cigs (accuracy bonus for 1 minute) for $2 each (I have almost $2000).

It's early access after all.

 

[Hobo Elf]

4 years to make an early access game.. I enjoyed the demo but I think I'll just wait until the game gets its full release, probably another 4 years later.

 

[Lemming42]

This game is superb but fucking hell it's proving I have no sense of direction. Slipped out of my apartment, ran down an alley, neck-chopped two guys, slipped into a diner, ended up in a brutal melee battle with some goons, scarpered down an alleyway, vaulted onto a rooftop, climbed through the window of an opulent apartment building...

My apartment. The apartment I was trying to escape from. Went in a fucking circle.

 

[Avonaeon]

Only got to the harbour level, but so far I really like this! I really like the writing and voice acting and I'm getting some Max Payne vibes, in a good way. Looks really good for what seems like a GZDoom game, but doesn't run all that great in places.