Clippings: Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Ara: History Untold, and new CK3 DLC out

I’m further along in Frostpunk 2, the survival city-builder, since I posted my first impressions. The campaign is still compelling: I’ve reached the start of Chapter 3 (from late in Chapter 1 before). I also find it much easier after getting the hang of things — I weathered the latest crisis with full granaries and oil tanks — and I’d like to try a sandbox game afterwards. Returning players wanting to know what’s new might be interested in reviews such as Windows Central’s, Eurogamer’s, and IGN’s.

I’m also reading Christian Cameron’s Chivalry novels (Amazon link here), a historical fiction series about the adventures of a cook’s boy turned glorified bandit turned, eventually, knight and captain in 1300s Europe. Mount & Blade players will feel at home with these books. Certainly, we can relate to the main character scraping together the money to pay his followers & maintain his equipment, then being captured and losing his stuff…

Recent releases (strategy)

• Ara: History Untold, Oxide & Microsoft’s historical 4X, is now out. Reviews are mixed, but leaning positive (Metacritic score of 77, Opencritic score of 76).
  • I’m playing a practice game and so far, those scores seem about right. My impression is that this is a building / supply chain management game first and a 4X second. More traditional aspects of the genre, such as war and especially diplomacy, seem scanty.
• Paradox has released the “Roads to Power” DLC for Crusader Kings 3, which adds mechanics for landless characters and the Byzantine Empire.
  • Reviews are very positive: The Gamer & Sports Illustrated discuss it more broadly, while PC Gamer focuses on landless play.
  • For detail about the new mechanics, the dev diaries are worth a look.

Recent releases (non-strategy)

• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is now out on Switch — a 2D game where we play Zelda and summon magical objects to solve puzzles. Reviews are glowing, and I’m particularly interested in the reported focus on creative problem-solving.
  • Here is a charming 5-minute gameplay overview trailer from Nintendo.