In addition to seeing tons of new releases, we’ve also been playing new DLC releases for some of the games we’ve enjoyed in the past. Here’s a look at new content for Nobody Saves the World, Walkabout Mini Golf, The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk and Beat Saber.
Nobody Saves The World – Frozen Hearth review (PS5)
It’s been a while since we reviewed it and we’re not at the end of 2022 yet, but it’s safe to say that Nobody Saves The World from DrinkBox Studios is one of this year’s indie darlings, so we were excited to revisit it when the new Frozen Hearth DLC launched for the game, adding more content to an already content-rich game.
Frozen Hearth introduces a new location, which you reach with a teleporter and brings you to a place called the Marrow Village. They’re hosting something called the Tempering, which is a competition with challenges that you can take part in. Do well enough and you’ll earn medals, earn enough of those and you’ll ascend up the ranks, hopefully making it to the status of the True Being.
Challenges present a mix of rules and mechanics, so there’s a lot of diversity to them. One constant is that the difficulty level has been implemented well through the medal system, where a gold medal consistently represents a real challenge whereas a bronze is often doable. You don’t need all golds to progress, but it’s always nice to push on for a better medal. Even better rewards come in the guise of additional forms for you to use in the game though: the Mechanic and the Killer Bee, adding to the 18 forms that were already in the game and letting you mix and match with new skills.
Everything can be combined with the existing set of skills and abilities to form new play styles, which almost makes us wish we could wipe our memory of the game and start fresh, unlocking these new forms early on and taking them with us during the entire campaign. You can still do a second playthrough that way, but newcomers will get more of an experimentation vibe from the new content.
Existing players will find fun in trying out different configurations to see what works best in order to get higher medals in the new challenges, extending your time with these challenges to double of what you need in order to pass them initially – which only takes about three hours. The ideal way to play? We’d say it’s to start a campaign and unlock the new forms early, then complete the story before returning to clean up on medals you’ve missed. Either way, Frozen Hearth adds even more lasting appeal to one of the best indies of the year.
Walkabout Mini Golf – 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea DLC review (Quest)
As one of the most accessible VR concepts out there, Walkabout Mini Golf remains ever popular around the office. It’s the kind of game where you can go weeks without playing, and be instantly familiar with it again. That makes it easy to enjoy the copious amounts of DLC that is being released for the game as well, and Mighty Coconut just launched their 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea expansion.
With 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, the developer is kicking off a brand new trilogy of expansions – this time based on the works of Jules Verne after a previous trilogy was based around fabled lost cities. Verne’s works are true classics in the fantasy realm, so it’s another opportunity for the team to get visually creative with new courses – which they’ve clearly done here. You’re not exploring a wide open underwater world here though, as the action takes place inside the confines of Nemo’s Nautilus ship.
Underwater wonders can be seen when gazing outside the windows though, and the interior scenes are elaborate and gorgeous. Although you’re often looking down when playing mini golf, it pays to just walk around and take in the sights as they’ve done great work with these sets. And yes, as in the source material there’s a giant squid that plays a role in your normally so casual round of golf as well. At a bargain price of just over $2/€2, this gives you another 18 holes of beautifully designed mini golf fun, and we can’t wait for the next chapter in this trilogy.
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk – Back to the Futon review (PC)
We reviewed The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk when it was ported over to consoles, but the developers at Artefacts Studio weren’t done with the game yet, as they’ve just released the Back to the Futon DLC for it – which we’d say is a must-have if you enjoyed the base game.
Back to the Futon is basically an end-game DLC that adds more content to the core campaign, and it’s a pretty hefty one as well. To put that into perspective, the base game has eight chapters, so having four more to play through is a substantial addition. The DLC also raises the level cap to 16 and introduces a few new items and skills, but ultimately the gameplay experience is very reminiscent of the base game, which should please fans.
In Back to the Futon, you go on a time-traveling trek after being arrested by the Dungeon’s Fund. In order to be set free, you have to accept a mission – one that explores the origins of the titular Dungeon of Naheulbeuk. In doing so, you’ll also come across new enemy types, are able to employ new battle tactics, but most of all – enjoy more of that unique blend of satire and RPG gameplay that made the base game so special. In a genre that often takes itself very seriously, The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk is a breath of fresh air with its oddball characters and strange fascination with chickens. If that resonated with you to begin with, then Back to the Futon is a must-have expansion.
Beat Saber Lizzo DLC review (Quest)
In the realm of rhythm-based VR titles, Beat Saber is still king, and with the backing that developer Beat Games now has they also have the potential to add high profile tracks to their catalogue at a somewhat regular interval. After earlier packs that features the likes of Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish, their latest addition brings nine songs together from American recording artist Lizzo.
Compared to the aforementioned artists Lizzo is perhaps less of a global music icon, so if you’ve only heard of a small number of her songs, no problem – the tracks can be individually bought as well, as is also the case with other bundles for Beat Saber. With nine songs at $2 per track you get a nice discount for the entire set though, which is priced at $12.
For us, the standout tracks were Truth Hurts, Tempo (feat Missy Elliot), Rumors and About Damn Time, which is from Lizzo’s most recent album. The pack contains a mix of recent and popular work as well as earlier tracks, giving new fans of opportunity to discover a wider range of Lizzo’s work. Gameplay-wise, the recently introduced Arc and Chain notes are featured again, mixing up the old school slashing motions with more subtle, flowing moves that fit well with Lizzo’s vocal range.
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