The Epic Games Store Free Games Are Full of Atmosphere
The Epic Games Store has a very generous weekly games policy, as the store frequently makes more than just games free. As a move to attract as many customers as possible, it is a smart one. While Epic Games continues its ongoing court battle with Apple, free games still show up on the storefront, and the company shows no signs of stopping either. In recent months, Epic's storefront was particularly generous, often giving away several hundreds of dollars in free software over a month. Recently, the store even included in-game microtransactions as part of this incentive, among the many games.
After an incredibly generous month in April, what will become free on the store in this turbulent time for Epic is a mystery. However, the Epic Games Store has revealed what games will be available throughout the first half of May. First, there is Pine, a Breath of the Wild style open world RPG set in a world with an alternate global food chain. Following this will be The Lion's Song, an episodic title developed by Mi'pu'mi Games. This episodic point and click weaves the tales of four struggling creatives in 20th century Austria, with both games having a unique atmosphere.
If a customer were to log into the Epic Games Store before Thursday the 13th of May, they could claim Pine for free. The game, initially released in 2018, sets players down in a world where humans never reached the top of the food chain. The game shares some aesthetic qualities with Breath of the Wild, but has a much heavier focus on survival. Throughout the adventure, players need to negotiate, sneak, barter, and explore their ways through the many challenges of being low on the natural hierarchy.
Another really interesting selling point for this ambitious first time outing from Dutch developer Twirlbound is its open world. Rather than the specifically interactable, more static environments like Bethesda's open world games, Pine opts for a more dynamic setting. The player character human is not the most important character in the game world. As such, the game world does not only react to the player. The open world is dynamic and shifting, moving and changing due player input or a lack thereof.
The gorgeous visuals and spanning environments on their own invoke a tranquil, but intriguing atmosphere. This sense of intrigue is only compounded when the world moves against player characters. While Pine might not have one of the biggest open worlds ever, it feels alive in a way a lot of games do not quite manage. As a first project from Twirlbound, it is impressive, and getting it free could give gamers a chance to check out this promising indie studio.
Debuting on the Epic Store on the 13th of May is The Lion's Song. Like Pine, there is a focus on atmosphere in this moody, sepia-tone title. Developer Mi'pu'mi Games have a particularly interesting industry pedigree. The studio exists in two main forms: as a creator and contributor to various ports of triple-A titles and creating its own lo-fi and intimate indie titles. The motto of the studio on its website is "great games don't have to be big." Unsurprisingly, this attitude is on full display in The Lion's Song. As a narrative indie game, creating short and snappy stories with big emotional payoffs seems to be the central focus of the title.
The Lion's Den is a far cry from the Hitman console ports the developer usually works on. Set in the sepia hues of Austria in the 20th century, the game has accrued many narrative awards since the release of its first episode back in 2016. That includes 3 2016 award wins and 3 further wins in 2017, all in different award shows. Each of the series' four tales are sell-contained, allowing players to hop in and out whenever they want. It also makes the eventual payoff in the fourth episode even better, when a mysterious train journey unites all of the protagonists.
For The Lion's Den, forging an atmosphere is about weaving authentic and moving stories together. It plays with the serialized format like the best episodic games, incorporating the videogame form into its narrative structure. A striking visual style compliments this narrative complexity. The incredibly detailed pixel art is stunning to say the least, and nicely captures the feel of Austria in the time period. The tale of a starving artist in Europe is often told poorly, but that is certainly not the case here.
Narrative driven episodic titles are not strange to the "Discover: Free Games" section of the Epic Store. In April, 3 Out of 10: Season 2 by Terrible Posture Games released onto the Epic Games Store for free. It was an interesting move for the series, as having an initially free release would damage the sales of some games. Of course, with the amount of money that Epic Games is willing to spend on its free titles, that might not be a big concern for Terrible Posture. According to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, the point of these free games is to attract as many consumers as possible to futureproof the store. As such, the compensation some developers receive would more than cover these possible losses.
While The Lion's Den takes great care to craft such an example of an episodic series, 3 Out of 10: Season 2 reimagines what a narrative game can be. Specifically, it plays deeply into the "episode" structure. Rather than just a normal puzzler, the game is partly an animated sitcom, as players embody developers dealing with aliens, AIs, and a really frantic production schedule. While it might not be an accurate depiction of game development, it is certainly entertaining. The atmosphere conjured in 3 Out of 10 is markedly different to the other free games. It could, however, still impress fans of narrative games.
The Lion's Den will be free on the Epic Games Store on May 13th.
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