I’m back with another batch of upcoming Early Access release highlights. As always, even if you don’t like buying titles that are still in Early Access, remember to wishlist any games that catch your attention so you’ll be notified when they get a full release.
Here are five Early Access games that might be worth checking out:
Banners of Ruin
Developer: MonteBearo
Publishers: Goblinz Studio, Maple Whispering Limited, Mugen Creations
Platform: Windows PC
Price: $19.99 (Price will increase)
First up this week is Banners of Ruin, a card-driven roguelite set in a dark fantasy world of anthropomorphic animals. Fight your way through the city of Dawn’s Point, to deal a decisive blow to the forces of House Ender.
Engage in turn-based tactical card battles with a party of up to six allies, each of which contribute cards to your deck. Between battles, you’ll have to make choices during randomized encounters that can help or hinder your efforts.
Banners of Ruin will remain in Early Access for around a year.
Dual Gear
Developer: Orbital Speed Studio
Platform: Windows PC, Mac
Price: $19.99 (Price will increase)
Dual Gear is a blend of turn-based tactics and third-person shooter where you lead a squad of elite mech pilots. Take turns moving around and attacking with your mechs from a third-person perspective, all while taking overwatch fire from enemy mechs. Customize your mechs and pilots with a wide range of gear, weapons, and skills to prepare them for future skirmishes.
Dual Gear will get a full release sometime in 2021.
Drone The Game
Developer: Five Studios Interactive
Platform: Windows PC
Price: $29.99 (Price will increase)
Drone The Game is a competitive multiplayer drone combat game that focuses on customization. While the game features over 30 premade drones, the main draw is the ability to build your own combat drones from scratch with a variety of modular parts and weapons.
The game also features a robust level editor, allowing players to easily create their own combat arenas. In addition, there is also a racing mode available.
Drone The Game is estimated to remain in Early Access for around two years.
Tesla Force
Developer: 10tons Ltd
Platform: Windows PC
Price: $16.99
Tesla Force is a top-down roguelite shooter where Nikola Tesla, H.P. Lovecraft, Mary Shelly, and Marie Curie team up to fight eldritch horrors from another plane of existence.
Fight through branching, procedurally generated levels as you unlock new perks and bizarre retro sci-fi weaponry. The game can be played alone, or with friends via split screen and Steam Remote Play.
Tesla Force is expected to get a full release in around three months.
Zero Hour
Developers: M7 Productions, Attrito
Platform: Windows PC
Price: $11.99
Finally we come to Zero Hour, a 5v5 tactical military FPS where Bangladeshi security forces launch raids on terrorist strongholds. Each match consists of three rounds, where the security forces have to breach a building and complete objectives, like rescuing hostages, or defusing bombs.
There is a pre-match planning phase as well. During this planning phase, the security forces can plot out their strategy using a 3D scale model of the building. The terrorists, meanwhile, get a chance to set traps and establish defensive positions.
Zero Hour is set to get a full release in January 2021.
Which of these games are you interested in? Are you playing any recent Early Access releases that we missed? Tell us more in the comments below!
This is Niche Early Access. In this column, we regularly showcase various promising games that are currently in some form of early access or development, and haven’t reached full release. Please let us know if there’s a game you want us to showcase!