In the past month and amidst the Steam Summer Sale, I purchased two games that were not yet complete: Cube World and Mercenary Kings. However, buying these games now will allow you to play the games in their current state, and sure I’ll play the role of beta tester. Why the hell not?
This is not a new concept at all. Buying into a beta or even an alpha test is something common among online games. Of recent memory, Minecraft really took off before the game even hit “final”. Giving an actual product, despite how early it is, seems to be a pretty good way to entice people to throw money at you. This is not a pre-order or a Kickstarter, but instead you’re paying for a game in some form that you will get the moment the money leaves your wallet. Given that you will be receiving all updates for free and the eventual final release, it’s a pretty sound investment in my eyes.
The Adventures of Gorffy is a very edgy quest.
In the case of Cube World, it feels pretty incomplete, but that’s what I signed up for! The foundation of the game seems to be working well enough. Cube World at a glance is a “Voxel-Based Exploration RPG” that takes place in a world of blocks that are randomly generated based on seeds just like Minecraft. The game features infinite character progression, which means it will probably murder all my productivity.
What’s nice is that your character and the world that is created from seeds are separate. While there’s only private servers for up to 4 players for multiplayer, you can take your character and their progress with you to any of your friend’s worlds. You can also create multiple worlds as well.
There’s a Wiki up with a ton of information, and thankfully it exists because Cube World can be very daunting, more so because it’s incomplete.
Paul Robertson’s art makes Mercenary Kings awesome
Mercenary Kings, however, feels a bit more complete though it is missing a few things. Available on Steam’s Early Access program, Mercenary Kings is a “2D Borderlands” according to some. It looks like SNK’s Metal Slug or Konami’s Contra with a Scott Pilgrim look to it, but it’s a bit more than that. You grab materials on your missions which then can be used to craft better weapons. Though I have not had much time with this game yet, Mercenary Kings does feature online multiplayer with matchmaking and private parties, including 4 player local co-op.
And there’s also a pizza slicer as a weapon.
Typically, I like to see how well these early access games evolve over time. There’s always that concern of being too burnt out once the final game releases. I know I’m fearing that with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, but what will really matter in the end is not only what is added before release but what will continually added beyond. As of now, I’m pretty happy with my purchases.
Now if only I could find more people to play these games with…