<p dir="ltr">This the second part of games previewed at Midnight City&#8217;s Pax Prime event. You can read part one <a href="http://www.explosion.com/43478/midnight-city-preview-part-one-two/">here</a>.</p>
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<p dir="ltr"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Blood of the Werewolf</span></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">After a couple tricky puzzle games, I’m ready for something completely different. Luckily the team at Scientifically Proven had me covered with their new game Blood of the Werewolf. A classic platform-action game where players fill the shoes of a werewolf named Selena whose husband has been murdered and son kidnapped, by a group of iconic monsters.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I watch a couple people play before I get my hands on the game, getting my bearings for what Scientifically Proven has cooked up for me. Blood of the Werewolf has the classic metro-vania set up of combat and platforming that is as rewarding as it is challenging. When I start playing, I am Selena in her human form, jumping my way up through a series of obstacles, most of which are trying to smash me. There’s a timing and rhythm to the game, once you grasp that pace, the platforming is not too difficult, just a nice challenge.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Nathaniel McClure, the head of the Scientifically Proven team, is standing next to the game, watching others and myself play, a smile on his face. McClure is an industry veteran, spending years at Activision, who left AAA development to get back to the reason he wanted to make games in the first place. That love is all over Blood of the Werewolf. McClure can barely contain himself as he encourages players through the more difficult parts, then reacts with a cheer when players make it through.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I wanted to recapture that old school feeling, when it was an achievement to beat a game,” McClure says to me as I artfully work my way higher and higher through the platforming section. Old school is exactly how Blood of the Werewolf feels, the achievement bit isn’t far off either. As I reach the top of the platforming section, Selena turns into her werewolf form to deal with the monsters blocking her path. I double jump to avoid an attack, and slash the monster with Selena’s powerful claws. I barely have time to react before a trap slams down on me, turning me into strawberry jam.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Much like Grapple and The Bridge, the Blood of the Werewolf hinges on the player mentality of, “One more time. This time I’ve got it.” The addictive loop that keeps you hooked because you know that the next time you’re going to make it. Blood of the Werewolf is exciting, nostalgic, and shaping up to be a great game. Look for it on PSN, WiiU, and vote for it on Steam Greenlight.</p>
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<p dir="ltr"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Videoball</span></strong></p>
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<p dir="ltr">As I started working my way through all of the games Midnight City had to offer, I didn’t even notice Videoball at first. It wasn’t until I am heading back to the bar for another beer that I notice a group of people cheering on a TV of circles and triangles. I wander over and get my first taste of the multiplayer frenzy that is Videoball.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The game, from Action Button Entertainment, captures the essence of sports in a way so few multiplayer games do. The games takes four players and splits them into teams of two. Everyone controls a triangle that shoots smaller triangles, that get bigger and more powerful depending on how long they are charged up. A circular ball is placed in the center of the arena, the object of the game being that both teams shoot the ball across their opponents goal line using their super-charged triangle. There are other rules, like charging up a shot too long will freeze you, shooting other players will freeze them, touching the ball will freeze you, and other nuances to add more strategy to the game.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Videoball captures the lighting-in-a-bottle feeling of sports. It moves at an extremely fast pace as the ball drops into the center of the arena and players instantly descend upon it. Strategy revolves around charging up your shots while avoiding enemies and getting to the ball first. What is the most unexpected part of Videoball is the mastery of defense and how defending your goal is almost more important that charging your opponents. It adds respectable layers of depth to the game, making you realize that there is far more to the high-energy game than you would expect.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Just when I am starting to get comfortable with the rhythm of Videball, the stakes are raised. While my team sits with a comfortable lead, multiple balls start appearing on the screen at one time. Players begin to rush, unchallenged to take advantage of all the potential points available. It dangles the aspect of a comeback, the danger that at any time the tables can be turned.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">It is not hard to imagine Videoball taking over living rooms, turning parties into shouting matches and friendships into rivalries. Even playing online with total strangers seems like it would be a rush with such short matches and interesting gameplay. I am really looking forward to playing more Videoball and sharing it with my friends.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">As I step out of the bar into the night air, I see Lynch taking some time away from the crowd with Kopp. I stop to talk about games and ask some questions. “After leaving IGN, I just started playing games,” Lynch says describing how he ended up with this eccentric, yet appropriate collection. “I know how it sounds, but there’s just something&#8211;all of these games have that certain quality.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">It does sound a bit corny, but it is undeniably true. There really is something about the five-some of games that I got to play at the Midnight City Press Event. They are all crazy addicting. From attempting one more jump with Grapple’s wacky platforming, to asking for one more game of the competitive Videoball, each game makes you want to dig a little bit deeper into it.</p>
<p dir="ltr">There’s a crazy range of games and developers at Midnight City. Some are fresh out of school, others are industry veterans from AAA development. The games range from puzzlers to esports. It is a lineup that scratches a lot of different itches and prevents Midnight City from being easily pigeonholed. There’s an energy to the publisher, a drive to get small, independent games out there and keep them from getting manhandled by larger publishers. This is what Midnight City is all about. It is really exciting and I can’t wait to see more games from the new publisher and their inventive studios.</p>
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