A new year has come with a lot of changes, but there will be some things remain intact. It's Epic Games Stores' policy of giving away free game(s) every week! 2019 saw Epic giving away totally 73 games that account for a total of $1,455 in values. That's very generous from the storefront, and that has definitely paid back as Epic has surpassed 10 Crores PC users.
But the numbers are for other stories, and today, we're talking about the freebies. This week, Epic Games Stores will replace the Metroidvania action-adventure Sundered with Horace - the platformer that was highly praised in the last year of debut. The game tells the story of a robot tries to blend in the world of people, and it has broken the boundaries of the genre with its intriguing storytelling.
You can see the beauty of the game through the trailer below:
Overview on Horace
It's very rare for Epic to give away a game this new, but Horace is an exception. To be more specific, it has proven itself by appearing in numerous list of the best indie games of 2019, and is definitely a must-try dubbed by many media outlets. In details, Horace is a platformer game with great storytelling and decent gameplay, which you can find out more about its goods below:
"Life is not so bad when you have a family and video games" - that's the thought of the main robotic protagonist of Horace that all of us can relate to. Horace puts you into the shoes of a yellow robot that was made to serve the needs of people. Working in Horace family, the robot is working to fulfill his task of helping people, but through the long period of learning, it has developed something else that a robot should not have - feelings.
The robot starts to learn the cruelty of human - who tends to hurt their own kinds. That opposed the robot's vision, and the innocent machine is thrown into the world full of things that he can't understand. However, with his love for the Horace family, he will keep his mind to protect them, and bringing his family together all over again!
Gameplay features
The story of Horace is already very attractive, as it brings not only emotional elements but also the pop-culture references of the ‘golden age’ of the UK. However, its gameplay is even more exciting, as it doesn't only rotate around getting through levels, but also explore the world of human as well. Considering it's the work from only 2 devs - Paul Helman and Sean Scapelhorn, it's very impressive.
To be more specific, Horace is a platformer game where you will control the yellow robot on his journey to serve and save the Horace family. The platforming actions mainly include hardcore puzzle-solving, physics-defying mechanics where you can change the gravitation vector's direction, as well as making friends with the casts of characters with weird personalities.
After a certain point of the game, the game will change to an open-world, where you can (almost) freely explore the strange world of human, while learning their cultural codes with your machine brain. However, the boss fights are insanely hard, and it requires you to carefully time their attacks to dodge while finding any means to strike back.
Last but not least, the robot loves video games, and he has his own collections of minigames that you can enjoy. The more progress you make, the more Metroidvania skills you will learn as well as the more video games you'll gains, which add a fresh wind to the 14-hour long main story.
Free on Epic Games Store
Horace has landed on the free shelf of Epic Games Store, and you can grab it for no expense from later today to January 23. It's a tough contestant for the Indie Game of the Year, so don't miss it!
Enjoy!