Humble Monthly Bundle - September 2018 - Review and Discussion Thread . Release Date 9/7/18

It's that time again, the next Humble Monthly Bundle is about to arrive! For those unaware of Humble Monthly Bundles, please see my more in-depth introduction here during my first thread from April 2017 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humble-monthly-april-review-and-discussion-thread.1929347 - I'll just get right into it again!

For those interested, here are all my back Humble Monthly reviews..

May - https://hardforum.com/threads/humble-monthly-bundle-may-review-and-discussion-thread.1931795/
June - (Missed writing one)
July - https://hardforum.com/threads/humble-monthly-bundle-july-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1939318/
August - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...st-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1941294/
September - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...er-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1943055/
October - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...er-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1945470/
November - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...er-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1947730/
December - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...er-2017-review-and-discussion-thread.1949477/
Jan2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...ry-2018-review-and-discussion-thread.1951895/
Feb2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...ry-2018-review-and-discussion-thread.1953943/
March 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humble-monthly-bundle-march-2018-review-and-discussion-thread.1956171/
April 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...-release-date-4-6-18.1957941/#post-1043572129
May 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...iscussion-thread-release-date-5-4-18.1959906/
June 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...iscussion-thread-release-date-6-1-18.1961480/
July 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...iscussion-thread-release-date-7-6-18.1963715/
August 2018 - https://hardforum.com/threads/humbl...iscussion-thread-release-date-8-3-18.1965425/

August 2018 Early Unlocks

Sniper Elite 4 ($60, Windows) - The latest entry in Rebellion's series of World War 2 stealth adventures, Sniper Elite 4 places you behind the scope yet again! The Sniper Elite series has for several years iterated on WW2 combat with each title a combination of third and first person shooting. Realism is the name of the game here, specifically with regards to the titular marksmanship of the sniping system. Players can choose various settings that contribute to the difficulty level overall such as the presence of bullet drop, wind effect, scope calibration, noise and muzzle flash etc... among others, allowing players to scale from a more forgiving experience to a more realistic one. Other aspects such period weapon recreation show attention to detail as well, but the game also is willing to stretch a little to make theoretical or limited prototype weaponry present at times, which can increase enjoyment.

Where earlier Sniper Elite titles were set in West Europe / Germany (SE 1 + 2) or Africa ( SE3), SE4 heads straight to a representation of Italy; a more rarely represented theater of conflict when it comes to gaming, adding freshness to the experience. The game offers a wide variety of modes for single player and multiplayer alike, both co-op and competitive. Competitive modes can handle up to 12 players for all kinds of sniper duels, while cooperative play is set up for 2 - 4 players which seems to be the "magic" number for co-op shooter balance. Its worth mentioning that co-op play is no afterthought -there are specific co-op only type scenarios meant to challenge teamwork, and the whole story campaign can be played in co-op mode if desired!

The campaign sets up the first player as series protagonist Karl Fairburne dropped into Mussolini's Italy for covert action; players can also choose other avatars if they wish with a wide smattering of different characters of varied backgrounds and genders. Each Sniper Elite title has grown in scope and SE4 is a full stealth adventure, with large open world areas, skill progression, character/weapon customization, unlockables, and much more. The titular sniping gameplay is as great as ever and the famed "X-ray" kill cams have returned, showing the path your bullet took bursting organs and shattering bones on an accurate shot. However, there is also emphasis on short and mid rage gunplay with weapons like SMG, shotgun, and pistols as well as a focus on stealth takedowns plus the mobility (ie climbing etc) to position themselves for such things. Missions have multiple ways to solve any given encounter and co-op teamwork can be very rewarding when your simultaneous shots clear a field without leaving any guards to be alerted, for instance! A myriad of secondary objectives including collectibles are present to add even greater depth and provide replay value.

There is a significant amount of DLC available for Sniper Elite 4. Much of it I would consider proper and worthwhile content, while some packs are the kind of "take it or leave it" variety depending on your particular inclinations. There are several packs that are "expansion" type content, adding new campaign style mission series. The "Deathstorm" expansion is broken up into 3 parts, each part costing $7. "Target Fuhrer" for $10 is a Sniper Elite tradition; a mission to assassinate Adolf Hitler himself, this time in a secret U-boat base! The remainder of the DLC range from $3 - $8 and often include rifle skins, new payable characters, new competitive or scenario mission maps, and sometimes entirely new weapons. Those not particularly enthused about weapon or character appearance skins may still find themselves wanting to purchase those that include new maps and weapons. A Season Pass confers the entire collection for $35 standard price, which is likely worthwhile considering that the complete Deathstorm and Fuhrer expansions alone come to about $31 ! Of course, waiting for a sale on Steam, Humble et al may mean being able to pick up the Season Pass at a major discount!

Sniper Elite 4 will provide many hours of Axis head busting (literally! ) fun under the Mediterranean sun, solo or with friends; a solid title and a great value!

Tales of Berseria ($50, Windows) - Bringing some Eastern flair this month comes Tales of Berseria! The newest entry in the long running "Tales of" JRPG series (most of which resided on consoles all the way back to the SNES with Tales of Phantasia), Berseria is the story of a woman named Velvet who undergoes a tragedy, acting as catalyst for a world-spanning adventure.

The gorgeous cell-shaded 3D has been honed to mesh well the the anime-style aesthetic, rendering characters and the world alike; much of the character designs were created by a mangaka of note and an anime studio was brought in to work on the cinematic aspects. Fans of Japanese media or anime specifically will find a lot to enjoy and Namco Bandai has thankfully included the full original Japanese audio option in addition to an English dub; an excellent choice and proof, combined with its presence on Steam at all, that Japanese companies are finally starting to settle into releasing titles on PC and properly including original language/content options their fans appreciate.

Unlike "Tales of Symphonia" and "Tales of Zestiria", Tales of Berseria is said to have a much darker thematic storyline, so even those who often find some of the cultural aspects and tropes of many JRPGs not to their liking, should consider giving Berseria a solid try. Combat is more active than simple menu or turn based combat, instead favoring a system of active positioning and abilities keyed to button presses, with additional layers of combat added as you go deeper into the game, challenging the player to sequence attacks between different characters for a multiplied effect. As is tradition in many JRPGs and the Tales series itself, players will accumulate different party members, attend to their trials, and explore the world over - in this case, pirates and saling ships are a major theme - adding exploration and side quests to the central plot of vengeance and redemption. While play on a keyboard is certainly possible, many would say that thanks to its console heritage the Tales of titles are best enjoyed with a gamepad so if you have one available I suggest a Steam Controller, Xbox

From a DLC standpoint, Tales of Berseria has quite a bit though, in what seems to be a Namco Bandai tradition, some in my opinion is significantly overpriced; the good side however, is they're mostly costumes! . I should start with a positive - there are 5 free "Adventure Item Packs" granting a number of consumable game items to help you off to an easier start and even add a few later-game rare crafting components for when you need them. Paid DLC is typically cosmetic costumes - The $12 Summer Holiday Costume Pack grants bathing/summer gear for each character in various colors, p whereas the $12 High School Costume Pack offers school uniforms for each etc. There are also other costume packs for Pirates, Maid/Butler, those inspired by the Idolmaster game series, and those reminiscent of characters from earlier "Tales of" titles , each for around $7. There are other cosmetic packs as well, but the most expensive item, the $20 "Adventure Items Super Pack" is essentially paid (expensive!) cheat codes -offering things like instant level ups, double XP and money, huge stat buffs etc... the kind of publisher meddling that should not be rewarded.

Tales of Berseria adds JRPG flavor to this month's bundle, with a darker vibe than its colorful appearance may initially convey. Fans of the genre should definitely give it a try and also consider looking into the other series members on Steam I mentioned above. So if you're in the mood for a more poignant character driven JRPG adventure as autumn approaches, Bersaria won't let you down!

P.S. - Anyone who picks up Tales of Berseria for PC (or Symphonia, Zestira and a whole ton of other games for that matter) should seek out "Special K" - https://gitlab.com/Kaldaien/SpecialK . This open source framework is a replacement for the many individual mods made to either fix rendering errors or otherwise enhance game features and thus is newer than the stand-alone "Tales of Berseria Fix / TBF" option ( https://github.com/Kaldaien/TBF/releases ) , but I'd suggest looking into at least one of them.

Staxel ($20 Windows / *Linux ) - Extend your lazy summer just a bit longer, relaxing on the farm! There has been a lovely resurgence of "Village Life / Farm Adventure" titles in recent years and Staxel steps forth with their own take on the genre. With Natsume's "Harvest Moon" from the SNES days as the progenitor of the genre, the "Village Life" title has evolved alongside the industry with console titles like Nintendo's "Animal Crossing" and thankfully has bounded back into the limelight on PC with titles like the excellent "Stardew Valley" and "My Time at Portia", both of which I recommend.

Graphically, one could stay Staxel is somewhat between the two previously mentioned as it takes the pixel style graphics of Stardew and brings them into the third dimension but where Portia offers more cartoon-type designs, Staxel instead uses colorful voxel art! Players begin as a newcomer to a quaint little village and must fix up the ramshackle house and farm they've inherited. In addition, there are plenty of goings on in the village with many characters with whom you can do quests/favors, form friendships, and otherwise interact. Building, gathering, and crafting are major parts of gameplay and range from the workbench, to a barn full of cows and chickens, to planting in the fields and fishing in the river. Design and expand your home, build huge structures elsewhere, catch bugs, make yourself a whole new wardrobe....there's plenty to do!

One really noteworthy feature of Staxel is that multiplayer play is available! Many titles in the genre are entirely single player with the relationships built with town NPCs the social focus of the game (often with varying quests, friendship, and romantic relationship potential etc) , but Staxel offers this and more by allowing other players to come visit your farm. Dedicated server software is available for those who wish to run an instance inhabited by multiple players with maximum performance, but standard client/server play is also present and works well. It is important to note that Staxel is still in Early Access, but there are significant updates coming along with relative frequency - the most recent of which in late July added an enhanced Friendship system for NPCs, other NPC behaviors and schedule/AI enhancements, Roommate systems and more; I look forward to greater development in the future. At the moment the game is officially Windows only, but there is already a Linux dedicated server program and the underlying engine suggests a Linux port could come to the client with relative ease - lets hope the new interest from Humble Monthly encourages this development!

Staxel at its best is a charming, voxel village life game, offering players a cozy, friendly atmosphere on one's own or inviting friends along to visit. Progressing through Early Access and into release it will only get better and better with increasing interest and exposure, so Humble Monthly subscribers will be entering at a great time where it is certainly playable now, yet watch it progress. Staxel is just the thing for a different pace of virtual life!


***SPECIAL ALTERNATIVE OPTION*** Rise of the Tomb Raider ($30-60 , Win/Mac/Linux ) - This month, Humble is trying something new . If you do not feel inspired by the three previous titles for Early Access, you can choose "Rise of the Tomb Raider" INSTEAD of Sniper Elite 4, Tales of Berseria, and Staxel. Rise of the Tomb Raider was previously included in the October 2017 Bundle and this is some sort of one-off return of an old favorite - here is what I wrote about it at the time....

" The second and latest in the "modern" Tomb Raider series since 2013's "Tomb Raider" rebooted things to great acclaim, Rise goes even further and expands the dynamic in just about every way. From single player survival adventure with a heavy reliance on story, to co-op and competitive online play, Rise of the Tomb Raider gives lots of options in modes as well as mechanics. Like "TR 2013" it brings in collectibles, missions, and other features, as well as a multitude of new adventure aspects the go far beyond the old Playstation era jumping, shooting, and mazes

. Right now on Steam the game is sold as the "20 year celebration" edition which is $60 and includes the considerably content heavy Season Pass. I am unsure if Humble Monthly subscribers will be getting this version or if they'll be getting the "base" game, but even if they do they will have the option to step up to the complete edition for $30 max by buying the Season Pass. In the event it isn't included, I hope Humble negotiates a discount on the Season pass sold on the Humble Store, as they did for titles in the past like XCOM2. Rise of the Tomb Raider is often treated as one of the most inspired elements of the series, so if you enjoy the genre at all this archeological adventure will make the October Monthly Bundle well worth its price of admission!"

Its worth mentioning that since then, ports to MacOSX and especially Linux has come to pass - a much appreciated example of a major publisher like Square Enix tapping veteran porter Feral Interactive to bring Rise of the Tomb Raider to Linux fans; from news posts, it seems that this was finalized on the latest 20 Year Celebration version back in April 2018. I am still not sure what "version" will be awarded to those who select Rise today; frankly as a replacement for three titles I would hope it would be the fully loaded 20 Year Celebration version with Season Pass included. However, even if not there are assorted DLCs available for sale as well as the Season Pass; probably the best deal, especially if found on sale!

While I think it is neat of Humble to offer this option, I personally feel that unless someone has no interest in any of the 3 Early Unlock titles, it would seem a poor deal to exchange them exclusively for Rise. I am assuming that as it is written, this is a permanent choice not simply for Early Unlock potential with all titles being available post unlock date. However, with Shadows of the Tomb Raider on the horizon, if you already have the other 3 titles and/or no interest at all while great interest in Rise of the Tomb Raider, it may be to your preference.

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Humble Monthly Titles - September 2018 - Unlocks 9/7/18

So that's it for now! This space will be edited when the rest of the bundle unlocks. For now, what do you think about the Early Unlocks?

Little Nightmares ($20, Windows) - Enter the unsettling word of Little Nightmares just in time for autumn! Little Nightmares is something of a psychological (some say philosophical, more accurately) horror platform puzzler. It takes the foreboding aesthetic and young protagonist demographic of 2D indie hits "Limbo" and "Inside", bringing them into the 3rd dimension . Players take on the role of a young child referred to as "Six" , cloaked in a yellow hooded poncho to the point of being non-descript, onboard a vessel called "The Maw" where lost souls and hungry predators await. The story is notable for being dispensed through play and the environment in a "show don't tell" sort of method that many find charming. Much of this is predicated on the aesthetic, which in all ways is created to disempower the player and protagonist; the world is much, much bigger than the protagonist in scale, emulating the way a small child could feel a counter or door handle could seem impossibly beyond their reach. This along with the categorization of many other inhabitants of The Maw, especially adults, such as enormous rotund men with masked and exaggerated features, hones the premise of experience through childhood nightmares.

The gameplay itself takes the place in pushing, pulling, and jumping about in sequence to progress, while also hiding from the various dangerous denizens that hunt the player. Control is equally viable for those who prefer KB/M or controllers, for which there is full support. While the game is only on Windows for the time being there is a long thread on the potential for a Linux port and the developers seem open to other OSes. As DLC is concerned there is more than one would normally think for this sort of title, but not unwelcome. $1 skins for "Scarecrow Sack" and "Upside-down Teapot" change your costume if you wish, but the most noteworthy inclusion is the expansion. Players can buy "The Depths" "The Hideaway" and "The Residence" DLCs for $4 each piecemeal, but the $10 "Secrets of The Maw Expansion Pass" is the better deal. The expansion seems to extend the story and has a new playable character, so it is likely worthwhile for those enjoying the game.

Little Nightmares brings something new to the horror genre and its strong identity and design help ensure its aspirations pan out! Enjoy!

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition ($30, Windows) - The Horseman rides again! The second entry in THQ's "Darksiders" franchise of action-adventure, Darksiders II gives players the chance to play as the personification of Death himself! The first Darksiders title, available on PC in an enhanced version known as "Darksiders: Warmastered Edition", started the saga where the first horseman of the apocalypse, War, was the focus of the story. Now that Armageddon has begun and is blamed upon War, its up to Death to follow and sort out the whole mess, uncovering those behind the scenes Gameplay mixes open world exploration with 3rd person action combat. This can take place against a horde of smaller minions or massive hulking monstrosities from Heaven and Hell alike, giving the player plenty of opportunity for satisfying combos and finishing moves. Its worth noting that compared to War's heavy and hulking style, Death is more acrobatic and lithe, which shows up in both combat and exploration. Like the previous Darksiders title, there is plenty of opportunity for advancement be it through completing side quests, special events, and more. Character advancement has some RPG flair to it as Death does not simply obtain and unlock new weapons and moves, but also has skill trees and a leveling system, so players can unlock and combine the best or their favorite weapons and armor, passive and active abilities, and more as they progress.

The "Deathinitive" edition ensures that Humble owners won't have to worry about any other DLC, as it is something of a "game of the year" package including the complete suite of content, from the small things to the expansions - claimed to be 30 hours of new content! Even better, it is something of a "remaster" as well, upgrading the game engine/graphics/lighting, rendering at 1080p internally at minimum , and even tweaking the game systems, layout, and loot for better flow and overall experience compared to the original release. Definitely an admirable attempt from THQ Nordic ; I've seen remasters with far less improvement. Controller support is present and I personally prefer using a controller for this sort of title, given that it was originally designed with use of one in mind and 3rd person action combat lends itself well to one today - grab those Xbox / Playstation or Steam Controllers!

Those interested in the entire Darksiders saga should remember that a similar remaster of the prequel - Darksiders: Warmastered Edition - is available on PC for $20 . Furthermore, new title Darksiders III (this time starring Fury) will be releasing in November 2018! If you're looking ffor some gothic hack-and-slash action-adventure, enjoy Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition!

Zombie Night Terror ($12, Win/Mac/Linux) - Ever wanted to unleash a plague? Zombie Night Terror is a comedic puzzler based around the outbreak of zombie infections. With comic reference to old zombie and horror films, the player is tasked as something of a mad scientist, figuring out how best to unleash his zombie plague in each level. However, the player only has relatively limited resources in both the zombies themselves and the few direct interactions the player has on the level's inhabitants . For instance, your goal may be to kill or convert the entire populace but you only start with 4 zombie "serum" injections you can give to human NPCs, so the puzzle is picking which NPCs are in the best locations (ie inside a crowded home, which will then bite and convert all the others into a horde) where less favorable ones may result in failure (ie your zombies run headlong into a team of humans with assault rifles).

I'm showing my age a bit, but Zombie Night Terror is most akin to the "Lemmings" puzzler of yesteryear and parallel each other in a number of ways from the limited number of zombies per level, to power ups (mutations) that needs to be strategically used , to win conditions that ensure survival of X many. Each level has not only a basic win-to-progress condition, but also a "Brain badge" condition which is usually much more difficult to achieve (ie Beat the level without losing any zombies at all), so puzzle fans will have even more to enjoy - especially when getting enough badges unlocks special levels and content.

It is laudable that Zombie Night Terror is fully cross-platform offering MacOSX and Linux support, so the undead hordes can arise no matter your OS of choice. Full Steam Workshop support means that user-created levels , zombies, and game modes are all available as well to extend your enjoyment.

Fans of "Lemmings" (or the open source penguin-based clone "Pingus") and other puzzlers from ages ago, "Plague Inc" style bioweapons sims, classic zombie films, and more will find a lot to enjoy with Zombie Night Terror!

Figment ($20, Win/Mac/Linux) - Journey into the wonders of the mind with this indie adventure! Figment is an isometric action platformer set inside the human mind; once quiet, it has now been afflicted with nightmares and players take on the role of Dusty, the (rather grumpy, though off-set by his upbeat companion Piper) personification of courage, to strike back - physically and metaphorically - against the destabilizing dark thoughts and nightmares. Fans of greatly lauded title "Bastion" will feel right at home between the action combat and isometric perspective, along with hand-drawn sensibilities of the world. The game world is lovingly hand crafted from end to end, and possible inspiration not just from "Bastion", but the works of Rohl Dahl, some Studio Ghibi films, and recent cartoon phenomena "Adventure Time" are just a few that could contribute to the surreal world representation. One element of particular note is that music is woven into the game world, with a dynamic soundtrack that not only responds to what is going on, but various structures in the game world may be actually involved in making the music itself from trees that play trumpet parts to enemies that sing; a unique dynamic that likely required significant planning to work out well.

The isometric action of gameplay has Dusty walking about the zany landscape, swinging his sword and using abilities when he comes across enemies; the "Bastion" comparison is present here as well and that is certainly a favorable one. The story unwinds as you progress and like most philosophical games of the type those with an astute eye will probably pick up on extra details or implications first, but those who wish to enjoy the surreal landscape and bash away at a few Nightmares will still have a good time. Puzzles are also stated to be present aside from just combat and claim to include musical elements, with some, boss fights requiring both!

The developers are to be commended for supporting MacOSX and Linux - always a heartening experience especially when smaller studios with less buffer in their budget are willing to take the leap! Controller support is present and may be preferable thanks to the game type, but KB/M play is still of course possible. Figment brings together both visual and auditory artwork into a dreamlike veneer, set atop gameplay beats and mechanics and woven to create its journey laced in metaphor. From quirky setting to solid underlying action gameplay, its worth a try for those open to it.

Battle Chef Brigade ($20, Win/Mac/Linux*) - This inventive indie has long been on my wishlist! Battle Chef Brigade proves that Adult Swim games eye for publishing novel hits continues. Trinket Studios's indie concoction has been well regarded by critics and players alike as Battle Chef Brigade mixes ingredients from multiple genres and the result is greater than the sum of the parts. Imbued with a delightful, bright anime-inspired artistic style, the world of Battle Chef Brigade is focused upon the titular organization where aspiring chefs must venture out into wilderness of a fantasy world and combat the local wildlife in order to procure wondrous ingredients before returning to the "Iron Chef" style kitchen duel where they must cook head to head using what they're procured.

This transfers into multiple gameplay mechanics. During the "battles" gathering ingredients it plays like a side-scrolling brawler of sorts, with each chef using their martial abilities and special techniques (including some fighting-game style exaggerated combos) in order to defeat all of the ingredient-rendering foes they may face. With their grocery cart stocked with extremely fresh ingredients, they kitchen colosseum gameplay is something of a sliding/match-3 hectic puzzle competition in order to use said ingredients and properly craft them into a stunning dish. The success of both gameplay variations also is rewarded and bolstered by some RPG-style progression, expanding your repertoire in the kitchen and on the battlefield. There are multiple game modes with the Campaign mode a highlight, telling the story of two chefs Mina (a human, who is shown in most marketing materials) and Thrash (an orc and adorable family man) fighting for spots within the elite Battle Chef Brigade. There are also a number of custom, scenario, and other modes of play, as well as unlockable art and other rewards for progression. Its worth noting that as of the latest patch, there is now local multiplayer as an option as well as the ability to play as another chef, Ziggy, who's necromantic magic affects both his combat and cooking. Alas, there's no online multiplayer as of yet but there are ongoing special challenges, leaderboards etc.. that have an online component and the game seems to be updated attentively.

While there isn't any DLC to mention at this point, the recent (Aug 28th!) free content patch that added Ziggy, local multiplayer, and many other features and appends "Deluxe" to the game's title, indicative of progress. I'd love to see future content patches and/or paid expansion-style DLC, as they have a lot to work with. From posting on the forums, they seem to be open to the idea of more characters and overall expansion content which is great to see. Windows and Mac support are included and advertised on the Steam page but it is important to note there IS a native Linux client! The devs report (via Steam forum post) that they do not advertise it because, as a small studio, they have only done limited testing on relatively few distributions; players report that the Linux client performs well. I believe they'd be better served to list it officially and mention it is in "beta" quality, just so that Linux-friendly players are aware of its presence without having to read into the forums or whatnot, as the little SteamOS+Linux logo and official flag on Seam is important. In any event, kudos to them for supporting Linux!

Battle Chef Brigade ingeniously mixes stylistic and gameplay elements together into an artfully prepared feast!

Ethereal ($??, Win/Mac, Humble Original) - This month's Original is Ethereal, a minimalist puzzle gaming experience. The world is structured as all matter of colored lines and shapes against a white backdrop while the player inhabits dot of color that must navigate through it. The player must move through the maze-like world toward their goal, taking advantage of certain mechanics, such as an orb that inverts the colors and allows you to pass through/around other objects, or locations that repel you away or attract you toward another etc. The developers claim intention to craft an introspective experience, with no time constraints and a game world that communicates the rules, parameters, and nature of the experience without writing. As with many Humble Originals, Ethereal attempts to try something a little different. If successful they'll take a place besides other abstract puzzlers encouraging the player to look at things from another perspective.

So those are the overviews of this month's titles! What are you looking forward to trying or are already enjoying? How does the full content of September 2018's bundle stack up?

October's Early Unlock title is a little unusual, being Blizzard created, Battle.net activated "Overwatch" along with the promise for Overwatch loot boxes for keeping your Humble Monthly subscription consistent. More on that in my next post!


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Don't forget that aside from each month's games, you also are granted a global 10% discount (that even stacks with other discounts!) in the Humble Store , access to the Humble Trove of downloadable titles , and extras like discount coupon If you enjoyed any of this and wish to subscribe , feel free to use my Recruit-A-Friend link and discount/credit-sharing code to lock in the savings - https://www.humblebundle.com/monthly?refc=02L8o8 . There is also another coupon that can be used for 10% off everything on Humble Store for a month, but unlike the RAF it can only be used once per month - PM if you're interested in that (note: I do not think it stacks with Humble Monthly Discounts; its a new program version after all) Don't forget you can always "pause" your subscription for a month too before the unlock day, if you don't think you'll want what's upcoming. Enjoy!

Sniper Elite 4 or Tomb Raider for 12 bucks is a solid deal.

Thanks for your, as always, excellent reviews!

It's tough one for me. I already have sniper elite 4, don't have tomb raider nor berseria.

Turns out I was off by a day - the full unlock is less than 24 hours from now opening tomorrow, 9/7/18!

If anyone has any additional questions about the early unlock titles, choosing one or the other etc... or anything else to decide if they want to lock in for the month feel free

Welp, I wish I hadn't ventured outside of GenMay. Resubbed to Humble Monthly thanks to finding this thread. Good job.

Welcome back to the outside world and glad to be of assistance!

It looks like we're about 2 hours away from the September 2018 unlock, so anyone who wants to lock in for the month now's the time!

Tales of Berseria is an excellent game. While it doesn't quite rank in in my top three Tales of Games (Vesperia, Abyss, Symphonia, in that order) it ranks in the top 5 and is just an over-all fun game. I liked the tweaks they make to combat and Velvet is a good character. The game starts off very slow and overly flowery, but once stuff hits off it goes. I definitely recommend it.

Derangel said:

Tales of Berseria is an excellent game. While it doesn't quite rank in in my top three Tales of Games (Vesperia, Abyss, Symphonia, in that order) it ranks in the top 5 and is just an over-all fun game. I liked the tweaks they make to combat and Velvet is a good character. The game starts off very slow and overly flowery, but once stuff hits off it goes. I definitely recommend it.

Click to expand...

Glad to hear it! I wonder if Vesperia, Abyss and others will be ported over to PC eventually. In any case I like seeing formerly console-only style games, especially from Japanese developers, make it to PC. Sometimes the ports aren't all that great and rarely do they support Linux, but there has been massive progress in this arena and lots of forward momentum; lots of JP devs are starting to see that releasing on PC is a great way to cut out many of the red tape and middlemen of console releases.

Well it looks like the rest of the month's titles have arrived! I'm working on the post

RanceJustice said:

Glad to hear it! I wonder if Vesperia, Abyss and others will be ported over to PC eventually. In any case I like seeing formerly console-only style games, especially from Japanese developers, make it to PC. Sometimes the ports aren't all that great and rarely do they support Linux, but there has been massive progress in this arena and lots of forward momentum; lots of JP devs are starting to see that releasing on PC is a great way to cut out many of the red tape and middlemen of console releases.

Well it looks like the rest of the month's titles have arrived! I'm working on the post

Click to expand...

Vesperia Definitive Edition is getting a PC release. They haven't announced a date yet, beyond Q4 of this year, but it will be coming.

Ahh that should be interesting then - I can remember Vesperia from the Xbox360 / PS3 days if I recall; been quite awhile. Nice that we're getting an enhanced remaster. Now that I think of it, I'm actually surprised that stand-alone "Totally not a Final Fantasy, but you know;...kinda a Final Fantasy" Xbox 360 title "Lost Odyssey" hasn't been updated/remastered and brought to PC, given that Microsoft had a major interest in the studio behind it.

New entries are up for the rest of the month! There are certainly some neat titles across a range of genres. I'm personally excited to give Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe a try, How's everyone finding the bundle?