Hello there! I’m Tomas Sala – solo developer of Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles.

Way back in 2020, I launched my first game on Xbox in the form of The Falconeer, an Xbox Series S|X launch title that combined a hostile, flooded open world full of political intrigue, with supernatural and spiritual overtones all seen from the vantage point of Falconeers, skilled riders of giant building sized warbirds that fought each other with lances that charged from the stormy skies.

Four years later I’m asking you to return to the Great Ursee with the next entry in the series, Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles – set 40 years after the events of The Falconeer within the same flooded open world. But whilst The Falconeer focused on tight aerial combat and moment to moment thrills, Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is an open world builder with freedom and expression at its core. Build sprawling towns, spires, and fortresses as hubs for trade, or rallying grounds for conquests.

The demo for Bulwark has just landed on Xbox consoles – here’s some useful tips that will help you make the most of your time with it as you reforge a shattered world.

Demo Tips

Experiment in Freebuild Mode

The included opening tutorial gets you to grips with how you’ll grow from simple wooden outposts to sprawling cityscapes in the hostile world of The Great Ursee. There is also a freebuild mode, which allows you to build without the need to locate resources, and upgrade any of your towers at will. This mode is perfect for experimenting with how you build, or simply enjoying the art of painting the landscape and embracing chaotic creativity!

Keep an Eye on Your Resources

Bulwark treats resources a little differently than other builders, instead of collecting X amount of a resource to build a specific unit or building, you must locate each resource type and link its extractors to the buildings you want to upgrade. The number floating above an extractor will tell you exactly how many ‘building jumps’ that resource is effective for, so optimising the routes your resources take to get to your towers is important for creating huge sprawling citadels.

Use the Right Captains

Some resource nodes will be far from your initial settlement, scattered across the restless waters of the Ursee. You’ll need to set a pair of harbours (indicated by an anchor icon on your surveyor’s target reticule) for pick up and delivery of your resources.

You’ll need to hire captains to transport these goods for you You’ll start with a set amount, unlock more in the soul tree or via random events. Each captain has vessels designed to carry certain types of cargo. Don’t forget to bring workers out to the resources to upgrade the extractors and increase their efficiency!

Keep an Eye on Your Trade Routes

Speaking of trade routes, you can see the path that each ship will take as it ferries your precious cargo across the Ursee, though be sure to install defences along the routes where possible and pay attention to updates from your advisor – there are opportunities that would rather raid your supply lines than scavenge for their own.

Unlock and Use Commanders

Commanders are powerful units that live within fully upgraded towers – converting them to their faction’s aesthetic and providing useful boosts to your economy, defences to your creations and trade routes, or units to escort your surveyor and act as a war band.

More commanders can be recruited through random events (question marks in the world map) or by simply expanding your settlement and increasing your population (progress can be checked in the soul tree)

Use the Photo Mode
With Bulwark’s super flexible photo mode you can control the time of day, apply depth of field and camera positioning completely detached from any unit.

Want to turn it from night to day and soar across the Ursee to capture a whale breaking the waters by your port whilst in the middle of a raid – go for it! You can also choose to pause the action when in photo mode, or allow events and time to play out, perfect for video capture or time lapse photography as you manipulate the time of day.

Finally, Bulwark stores every single brick you build and commits the action to memory – just click the stick while in photo mode and watch your creation build itself brick by brick from where you started to really show off the scale of your achievement and progress!

I hope you enjoy the Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles demo, whether you’re a fan of The Falconeer returning to try your hand at creation rather than destruction, or this is your first adventure in the Great Ursee – there’s a restless world out there waiting to be tamed and built upon – and I can’t wait to see what you create.

Thank you!

Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles Demo

Wired Productions

☆☆☆☆☆
5

★★★★★

Get it now

A FRESH TAKE
Paint the landscape with ever more complex and stunning fortifications simply by building up from humble wooden structures to colossal defensive ‘command towers’. Connect your towers through a freeform network of walkways and battlements to supply resources and defences.
Build a refuge for the scattered people of this broken world and they will build their houses and industries powering your ambitions,

AN OPEN WORLD OF WAVES AND LORE
Extend your empire across many islands in this open world through a network of trading ships, discover new locations to build or conquer, and learn about the ancient history of the Ursee and its people in this continuation of the Falconer Saga.

A DIVIDED WORLD
Who you invite into your home determines your political alignment, unlocking new commanders and their flying units, war or trade-ship captains, new building options and architecture.

DEFEND YOUR BULWARK
Some in this world will eye your progress with envy, and violence and conflict will come for your settlements, and it will do so from the air. Your defences need to be strong, your towers mighty and your commanders with their warbirds, dragons and mighty airships need to be ready!

The post How to Build Your Bulwark – Demo out Now appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Introducing the newest collection of Xbox Wireless Controllers: the Vapor series in Xbox Design Lab and the Xbox Wireless Controller – Dream Vapor Special Edition. In this collection, each top case features a dynamic pattern that is unique to every controller. If you are familiar with the Xbox Wireless Controller – Stormcloud Vapor Special Edition, you have seen how this misty pattern creates a subtle and textured look that only you can call yours.  

The Vapor series with Xbox Design Lab brings some of the most unique controller designs available for your customization, offering six top case options with swirling color patterns. If green is your thing, the Electric Vapor top case merges the bold Electric Volt and the iconic Velocity Green, while the Nocturnal Vapor top case draws you in with its Dark Green and Grey swirl. Feel the heat with the Fire Vapor top case, featuring a fiery red and orange swirl, or opt for the cool and collected Stormcloud Vapor, with a sleek blue swirl design. If pink and purple are your power colors, look no further than the Cyber Vapor top case, showcasing a lively pink and purple swirl, or enter in the dreamy hues of the Dream Vapor top case with its soft pink and soft purple swirl. 

Once you’ve selected one of these unique Vapor top cases, it’s time to personalize further by choosing from a variety of button and thumbstick styles. You can even enhance your design with metallic triggers and D-pads, rubberized side and back grips, and add a personalized engraving for the finishing touch. 

Alternatively, enter dreamland with our newest Special Edition design, the Xbox Wireless Controller – Dream Vapor. Using the pink and purple top case from the Vapor collection, we’ve dreamt up a Special Edition controller that highlights the best that this colorway has to offer. The subtle pink-purple swirl is extended to the rest of the design, featuring soft pink thumbsticks, bumpers, triggers, and hybrid D-pad. What you’ll find unique about this Special Edition controller is the inclusion of purple rubberized side grips, soft pink ABXY buttons with purple accents, and an exclusive Dynamic Background that brings this amazing design over to your Xbox Series X|S console.  

All controllers within the Vapor Collection include all the incredible features fans can expect with our newest generation of controllers. This includes a battery life of up to 40* hours of gameplay, allowing you to stay immersed in the action for longer. Enter every reality of gaming via the Bluetooth and Xbox Wireless connection, enabling you to connect and play on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, iOS and Android devices.

You can chat with your friends using any compatible headset and share your most unbelievable gaming highlights using the dedicated Share button on your controller. Use the Xbox Accessories app to remap your controller buttons and create custom controller profiles for your favorite games, giving you endless potential to elevate your gaming experience. 

The Vapor Series is available now with Xbox Design Lab, where you can choose from the six Vapor designs to create a completely customized controller. You can also pre-order the Xbox Wireless Controller Special Edition – Dream Vapor today in select Xbox markets worldwide for $69.99 USD ERP. Visit Xbox.com or your local retailer, including Microsoft Store, for more information. 

We’re also introducing the newest addition to the Xbox Icon Collection – The Vapor Hoodie. Inspired by the two-color swirl of the new Xbox Vapor wireless controllers, our Icon Collection Vapor Hoodie is available in 3 print colors each with its own unique swirl pattern: the orange and red Fire Vapor, the purple and pink Cyber Vapor, and the green and electric volt yellow Electric Vapor. Available only in the Xbox Gear Shop.

*Battery life varies with usage and other factors. Testing conducted by Microsoft using standard AA batteries in preproduction units. Button mapping available via Xbox Accessories app for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows 10/11; app for Windows PC requires compatible USB-C cable (sold separately). 

The post Introducing the Vapor Xbox Wireless Controller Collection: Where Style Meets Victory appeared first on Xbox Wire.

• LCB Game Studio’s third Pixel Pulp, is out now on Xbox.
• Unique interactive fiction experience merging 20th-century ‘Pulps’ with 80s game aesthetics.
• A captivating fusion of undercover cop drama, supernatural beliefs, and tornado-chasing road trips.

Bahnsen Knights is the third Pixel Pulp released by LCB Game Studio. A Pixel Pulp is our own way of understanding interactive fiction, trying to bring together two distant elements such as the genre narratives of the early twentieth century— the so-called ‘Pulps’—and the computer games of the 80s, with their limited palettes and with a whole history of possibilities ahead as a medium.

But what we term “Pixel Pulps” is not mere nostalgia; it’s a glimpse into a past that might have been.

History of Bahnsen Knights

In Bahnsen Knights, players assume the role of Boulder, investigating the disappearance of a fellow Agency member by infiltrating the Bahnsen Knights—a cult led by Toni, a former used car salesman. Toni believes that hell is above us, and tornadoes are the devil’s doing. With his Bahnsen Knights, Toni drives his Sierra to conduct ‘road exorcisms’, as a way to fight F5 tornadoes.

As with all Pixel Pulps, Bahnsen Knights aims to craft a gripping narrative experience reminiscent of stories published in pulp magazines from the first half of the 20th Century—stories that refuse to release their grip on readers.

Art of Bahnsen Knights

The starting point was the color palette of the ZX Spectrum console, limited to six colors plus black and white with two levels of brightness. Although the palette can be strident when used in its entirety, this is part of its charm and nostalgia.

To create distinct identities for each game, we reduced the palette to a couple of colors for each Pixel Pulp. Drawing parallels with magazine printing techniques—mixing small dots of two colors to create the illusion of a third color—we aimed to achieve this effect.

In Bahnsen Knights, centered around an undercover cop, saturating everything in red felt appropriate, creating a continuous sense of alertness. Combining it with magenta gives the visuals a vibrant neon 80s quality that complements the story perfectly.

Input in Bahnsen Knights

Our Pixel Pulps use a choice-based input system, extending beyond choose-your-own-adventure decisions to control mini-games. In Bahnsen Knights, this is no different. This system not only aligns with certain game genres we love but also allows us to experiment with game design elements such as time, muscle memory, and reflexes. And like our other Pixel Pulps, Bahnsen Knights includes a variant of a solitaire we designed… Cross Solitaire!

Time in Bahnsen Knights

Time is a crucial element that enhances the gripping nature of the story. As an infiltrated agent, Boulder is always on the verge of discovery, leaving no room for rest.

Experimenting with quick-time events, counters, and other game design resources, we aim to break the passivity of reading an interactive fiction, where time is usually on the player’s side—one of the achievements of the game has to do with this, specifically with the reading time… can you unlock it?

What Could Have Been and What Might be

Our Pixel Pulps – rooted in pulp-like narratives, pixel aesthetics reminiscent of a 1980s that might have been, and a control system that allows itself to experiment as if the video game industry hadn’t already calcified some design practices – are not products of a past we yearn for, but of a past yet to come. We hope you enjoy discovering this little universe of ours!

Bahnsen Knights

Chorus Worldwide Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$9.99

Get it now

In a world of religious fanaticism, F5 tornadoes and Ford Sierras you are Boulder, an undercover agent. Your assignment sees you infiltrate the Bahnsen Knights, a deadly, supercharged cult with an enigmatic leader. In this murky and dangerous world you must keep your wits about you and stay alive to unravel the mystery behind an old friend’s disappearance.

Who are the Bahnsen Knights?
The Bahnsen Knights are the fastest cult in the land. Powered by religious fanaticism and supercharged Sierras they follow their charismatic leader Toni as they unleash hell upon earth. What are their aims? Why are they performing ‘route exorcisms’ and babbling about ‘miracles on the road’? And adding to the enigma: Why are they holding paranormal investigator Lou Hill captive in a trunk?

An enigmatic leader
The Bahnsen Knights’ highest authority, Toni, is an ex-car salesman preaching that Hell is not below but above us all. He was being investigated by agent Cupra, one of your oldest friends in the Agency. But now Cupra’s gone. Does Toni have something to do with his disappearance?

An undercover agent
You thought you had seen everything in all your years working for the Agency, but this assignment is something else, something personal, something darker… and it scares you. Will you be able to keep it together for long enough to uncover what happened to Cupra and take down Toni and the Bahnsen Knights once and for all? Danger lies around every corner and every conversation. You just need to stay alive!

Features
– Immerse yourself in the story with its rich, branching narratives and evocative illustrations
– Decide the fate of characters in ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ style gameplay
– Earn the trust of the Bahnsen Knights to survive the investigation
– Piece together more of the interconnected world of Pixel Pulps
– Accessible, brain-tickling puzzles throughout the story… including the return of solitaire!

A Pixel Pulps adventure
Bahnsen Knights is a standalone experience and the third in the Pixel Pulps series of interactive adventures. Created by novelist Nico Saraintaris and artist Fernando Martinez Ruppel, Pixel Pulps fuse exceptional writing and stunning illustration, inspired by mid-20th century pulp fiction and 80s home computer graphics. The first volume comprises three games: Mothmen 1966, Varney Lake, and Bahnsen Knights.

Bahnsen Knights, like all the Pixel Pulps, is made to be played by anyone who enjoys fine storytelling.

The post Creating the Bahnsen Knights Universe – A Love Letter to Old-School Games and Pulps appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Discover the origins of Go Mecha Ball, a game born from late-night ideas during parental leave.

A unique game where a rolling ball transforms into a powerful mecha, capturing the internet’s attention.

From viral prototype to securing funding from Microsoft – a developer’s dream come true.

Go Mecha Ball began with a critical look at classic top-down shooters during the reflective nights of my paternity leave. I questioned the traditional use of rolling merely for evasion. What if rolling could be offensive? What if an object, known for crashing into things, could also shoot? This line of thought led to the idea of a ball, an object synonymous with rolling and kinetic energy, transforming into a powerful mecha. This concept laid the foundation for a game that would uniquely blend action and strategy.

I began developing this idea into a prototype, utilizing my new procedural animation system to ensure the transformation between ball and mecha was not just visually appealing but seamless – a crucial element of the game’s fun and engagement. The goal was to create something different: a game that was as enjoyable to watch as it was to play.

After a brief pause due to parental cover and adjusting to a new job, I resumed tinkering with the prototype. To my surprise, it wasn’t long before Microsoft took notice of Go Mecha Ball. Their decision to support the project was transformative. It elevated my late-night prototype into a serious game development venture, bringing Go Mecha Ball closer to a wider audience.

Now, Go Mecha Ball is set to leave its mark in the gaming world. This game is a testament to the power of a good idea and what can be achieved when creativity meets opportunity. It’s more than just a game – it’s a journey from a simple yet innovative concept to an exhilarating adventure. Go Mecha Ball is ultimately a love letter to what I believe is most important in games: game feel.

Try your hand at this new approach to kinetic movement today on Xbox!

Go Mecha Ball

Super Rare Games

☆☆☆☆☆
90

★★★★★

$19.99

$17.99

Get it now

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Load up and roll out, in this twin stick shooter with roguelike progression! Blast your way through arcade-style levels, using pinball-style physics mixed with an arsenal of devastating weapons. Defeat waves of enemy bots, battle big bosses, and upgrade your mech between runs!

The post From Late Nights to Limelight: The Story of Go Mecha Ball appeared first on Xbox Wire.