Earthlock is a pretty great turn-based RPG, similar to old-school SNES favorites, but with a nice, modern flair. If you haven't played it, you can often find it on sale for five bucks or so, and it is well worth a pickup. I enjoyed the game quite a bit when I played it, but I did not realize that developer Snowcastle Games was planning on spawning an entire Earthlock gaming universe. Shows what I know.
Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure started a two-week open beta today, allowing players to jump in and see what Snowcastle has been working on (there is also an Earthlock 2 being developed, btw). This new game is one of those "explore the island, gather materials, craft some stuff, farm some stuff, decorate your house" games, and from what I've seen, it is looking pretty good. I dipped in for the first half hour of the game this morning, and was surprised at how witty and clever it is. The writing in Ikonei is surprisingly off-kilter - nothing that is inappropriate for kids, but still amusing for adults. You can check out my time with the game here:
Ikonei Island will be in open beta for two weeks. If you like what you see, you can wishlist the Early Access version of the game here (a release date will be announced shortly). I'll likely be hopping in for more adventures during the beta period, so keep an eye on my YouTube channel if you are interested in seeing more.
