DCF Studios may be a small team of developers based in Brazil but the scope of their ambition is broad, so much so that they entered into the industry with a goal to create a shared gaming universe known as the DCFU.

Each entry will be a stand alone title story with a beginning, middle and an end. Interwoven within the narrative to varying degrees, dependent on how grounded or supernatural the individual title is, will be a broader mythological scope that enhances the overall narrative.

By contributing to a bigger picture with each game, DCF intend to satisfy the casual player whilst also servicing those who plan to stick with the series and offer glimpses of what’s to come.

A shared game universe isn’t an original concept but there’s very few examples of any that exist today with a similar approach to what DCF strive to achieve. A series of standalone titles with a larger than life interconnected narrative.

For comparison, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is so far comprised of 23 films, 19 of which were stand-alone entries with the 4 Avengers films laid out at regular intervals pushing the overall narrative forward and with it, the next batch of stand-alone films.

Bunny Battle Arena

2015 (Mobile) / 2018 (PC)

DCF launched Bunny Battle Arena on Mobile back in 2015 and it has since made its way to PC but not a console release.

The official synopsis reads; “How about anger management treatment through stabbing humanoid bunnies with a possessed princess in love with Death? Bunny Battle Arena, the best medicine for anger issues management!”

Battling through a series of waves against multiple variations of rabid bunnies as a possessed princess is an interesting premise. The gameplay consists of hacking, slashing, jumping and shooting these violent bunnies until a boss spawns. These boss encounters are more difficult and when lower class bunnies fight alongside them it can be difficult to survive.

Conquering the boss will end the Wave and give the player the opportunity to unlock different weapons, support abilities and increase their damage, speed and defence stats for instance by spending souls earned throughout the gameplay.

Checkpoints occur every 5 Waves, so if the player loses all of their lives in Wave 8, they will revert to Wave 5 or if they lose in Wave 14, they’ll revert to Wave 10.

Players do however keep all of their previously acquired upgrades, making it a little easier to push forward though they will no extra lives unless they unlock more by spending their souls.

It’s pretty fast paced and can be chaotic with multiple bunnies on screen at once, especially with a boss involved. The gameplay is fun and simple but a little clunky with its execution. It’s a fairly mindless affair that is different, engaging and most importantly… bloody violent.

One thing DCF take pride in is the violence of the combat in their titles, making sure to spill blood at every opportunity. With all of their titles intent for mature, adult audiences, we should only expect more graphic violence with each release.

Cruz Brothers

2017 (PC) / 2018 (PlayStation 4) / 2020 (Xbox One)

Originally launching in 2017 on PC, and 2018 on PS4, Cruz Brothers was radically overhauled into what would become known as Cruz Brothers: Combat School Edition.

By listening to player feedback, DCF rebuilt the combat system, added a wide range of new attacks, animations, modes and other technical improvements to create the ultimate Cruz Brothers experience. Launching earlier this year on Xbox One, Cruz Brothers: Combat School Edition had all of the mentioned features and more.

Official synopsis is as follows; “After the murder of his best fighter by the hands of Tray Sorrow, leader of the Sons of Subversion. Coach Marcus Luz becomes discredited in life and in the fighting world. His flame turns back to shine, after accidentally meeting the Cruz Brothers, Felipe and Igor.”

Cruz Brothers is a fictional story though it’s leading men, Felipe and Igor Cruz, are very much real people. Felipe has in reality found great success in MMA including winning multiple championships.

On the surface, Cruz Brothers is a boxing/fighting title with a story told via comic style illustrations. Getting into the gameplay sees the introduction of supernatural, energy attacks that may seem out of place initially. By the time the credits have rolled on the story, it becomes clear that Cruz Brothers is just a single step in the giant leap towards the greater DCFU.

There’s a reason these people have access to supernatural energy and the Sons of Subversion motorcycle gang and Mayhem characters have links to a deeper mythology. Cruz Brothers is a classic example of a self-contained story that is influenced by a bigger picture, a grander plan than may initially be obvious.

By completing various aspects of the game across its several modes, the player unlocks DCFU cards in the menu that begin to reveal the deeper connections to the DCFU.

I am currently the reigning Cruz Brothers King of Combos after winning a competition shortly after launch. Winning with a combo of 162 consecutive hits, I and DCF Studios encourage any and all challengers to send us your screenshots or video clips of you beating this record to claim the throne as the King of Combos!

Tony & Clyde

2021 (TBC)

Tony & Clyde is a twin-stick shooter putting the player in the shoes of the titular characters. I was fortunate enough to play a very early build and was pleasantly surprised. My interest was steady high after the awesome teaser trailer highlighting some of the story and gameplay earlier in the year which you can find here.

Tony & Clyde is challenging with a single bullet taken resulting in instant death. An assortment of guns and grenades to use make for some fun and silly violence.

The Pre-Alpha Demo for Tony & Clyde is currently available and playable via download at indiexpo.net at the link HERE.

Bunny Battle Nemesis

(TBC)

Bunny Battle Nemesis showcases the powerful females of the DCFU in this action slasher. Very few details have been officially revealed in regards to Ella’s Maidens and the war they will be waging in this title but a cool Alpha gameplay video below can give potential players a taste.

DCFU Explained

DCF produced a web-series that revealed more of the DCFU and sharing glimpses of the future that lies ahead.

All 5 episodes can be found in the playlist HERE and run for as little as 1-3 mins each. It is well worth a watch for anyone curious about the master plan DCF have been cooking up.

Andre Amorim, the CEO and Founder of DCF Studios has generously afforded me a great deal of his time to discuss the DCFU, plenty of which is in various stages of production or planning phases. In fact Andre went so far as to appear in the first episode of my podcast, “Talking DAYNE”, and had prepared a special animated presentation, similar to a slideshow, to guide us through talking points of the DCFU from its origins and through to its future in great length. This video podcast can be found below.

The Future

40 Steps to Valhalla, La Hacienda and Path to Valhalla are in the early stages of conceptual development and from the details my super secret source has shared with me these are going to be wild. There’s no telling how many more are on the way as the very nature of the DCFU and it’s mythological influences suggest the series could run for any length of time and span a wide variety of genres.

DCF Studios do not lack scope and the lengths of their creativity is something I’m excited to see continue to flourish with each new release. A small independent developer with this level of ambition is exciting and looks set to offer an entertaining variety of games that are worth seeing through if for no other reason than to witness the DCFU as it unfolds and reveals itself.

To keep up to date with all things DCFU you can follow them on their socials at the following links:

Website: studiosdcf.com

Twitter: @dcfstudios

Facebook: DCF Studios

YouTube: DCF Studios

Games of DAYNE will continue to remain associated with the progress of the DCFU so stay tuned for more coverage of these updates and releases as they become available here and with DCF Studios.

Oh and Andre, I still need that shirt… #DCF4Life

The post Indie Spotlight “DCF Studios” first appeared on Games of DAYNE.

Remedy Entertainment are the studio behind two of my all-time favourite narrative driven video games, Alan Wake and Quantum Break. The former is an excellently well written psychological thriller, the latter, an intricately detailed tale of time manipulation and supernatural abilities. Their latest release, Control, is a masterful blend of both, putting you in the shoes of Jesse Faden as she explores the incredibly deep and complex setting known as The Oldest House, located inside the FBC, the Federal Bureau of Control. Due to an Altered World Event, an intrusion on reality triggered by an Object of Power, random objects entangled with supernatural power which can bind with those who interact with them. This AWE as they’re referred to has opened the floodgates for the Hiss, a sinister evil that has corrupted the agents and mutated them, giving them deadly supernatural abilities, while others are floating in the air in suspended animation. 

This third person supernatural action title wastes absolutely no time in placing you right into the mayhem, quickly introducing you to this unique and innovative world, giving you a taste of the insanity and action it will eventually bring to the table in droves. As you progress, you unlock new supernatural abilities which encourage you to mix up your combat and explore different tactical approaches to every enemy encounter. 2 of these abilities are unlocked during the 10 story chapters, Launch which allows you to hurl almost any object in the environment and Levitate which will allow you to temporarily float and hover. The other 2, Seize which allows you to corrupt an enemy to fight for you and Shield which summons rubble to protect you, will need to be earned by completing specific side missions, all 18 of which are completely optional. 

The various enemy types and their attacks require different approaches and your arsenal of abilities are perfectly capable of getting you through most without any trouble. As well as your abilities, you have a melee attack and what’s known as the Service Weapon. This weapon has 5 forms, 4 of which require unlocking but provide you with one of the coolest weapons I’ve ever wielded in a video game. It’s the only gun you use in the game but depending on the form you are using, it acts as a completely different weapon. The 5 forms are Grip (standard pistol), Shatter (shotgun), Spin (SMG), Charge and Pierce (barrier piercing, almost Sniper-like). 

You are able to upgrade, unlock, craft and equip various mods for your weapon and personal use such as additional damage against armoured enemies, extra health, less weapon recoil etc, as well as upgrade your abilities. You truly are able to tailor Jesse and the Service Weapon to your personal style of combat which is refreshingly different from your average action/shooter. This can all be done at any of the Control Points which you have captured, acting as a checkpoint system that you will respawn to upon death, or fast travel from to any others that you have captured. 

The materials required for crafting are found by defeating certain enemies, interacting with various containers and as rewards for completing Board Countermeasures and Bureau Alerts. Board Countermeasures can be activated 3 at a time at Control Points, tasking you with killing certain enemies with specific weapons, abilities or in the different Sectors. The Bureau Alerts are triggered randomly and task you with travelling to a certain sector and clearing out enemies, supporting other Bureau Agents and the likes within a time limit. You don’t have to participate in them, they are completely optional but the crafting rewards and upgrade points awarded are worth going out of your way for. 

Speaking of a non-linear approach to combat, Control offers an extremely non-linear world to explore. The Oldest House has a labyrinth of Sectors to explore, with each Sector containing dozens of areas within it. A lot of these areas require various Clearance Level codes to access, meaning some of them won’t be accessible until later in the story after you have acquired them. Rarely seen in your typical third person action title,  allows you to continue exploring even after the credits have rolled, meaning you can go back and check these previously inaccessible areas out and complete side missions etc. that you were unable to earlier. 

While talking about the credits rolling, without going into spoiler territory, the ending is cleverly produced in that it provides you with an extremely unexpected false finish. Right when you think it’s all over and the credits begin to roll… just like everything else in the experience you’ve just had, things aren’t what they seem… 

The story in Control is personal for Jesse. She’s at the FBC to uncover why they took her brother 17 years ago after they found an Object of Power that led to the destruction of their hometown. To go any further into the details of the plot would be riddled with spoilers but it will continue to grip, intrigue and ultimately enlighten you as to the true nature of what is happening. It’s a complex and multi-layered story that may take a minute to digest after you have completed the somewhat anti-climactic finale. The pacing is consistent throughout the 14 or so hours it took me to complete the story and explore just a few of the optional areas, so it’s a little disappointing that the finale fails to fully realise and capitalise on the events that lead up to it. That’s not to say it isn’t satisfying, it just lacked that little bit of an emotional punch and context that would have left you feeling more satisfied with Jesse’s journey. 

Remedy have gone to extraordinary lengths to bring the visuals of The Oldest House and those who inhabit it to life and make the environment extremely destructible. The reality bending alteration of the structure itself as well as the manifestation of the Hiss and their intrusions look incredible, complimented by an eerily appropriate score and sound effects. The distortion of reality is cleverly represented in the games audio and to play without sound would strip away a core part of the overall experience.  

Control will engage you, challenge your combat wits and enthral you with it’s incredibly unique world. There is a plethora of things to do outside of the story and the collectibles offer incredible insight into the bigger picture. On the Easter egg front, if you keep your eyes peeled on the various television sets throughout the world you may just recognise the actor from one of Remedy’s cult classics, a game that Control wouldn’t even be possible if it weren’t for it. Last time we saw him he was facing a different form of evil with a flashlight… 

The quality of this game is what we would expect from Remedy but even then, the surprises and innovation they have packed into Control continues to be unexpected. I highly recommend checking this out if you’re interested in a solid narrative driven but open world to play as a character whose customisation truly puts Control in your hands. 

+ Deep and engaging story 

+ Stunning visuals 

+ Fun gameplay 

+ Haunting sound design 

– Complexity of story may confuse casual players

Games of DAYNE Rating

Developed by: Remedy Entertainment 

Published by: 505 Games 

Release Date: August 27 2019 

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC 

– Additional Links –

For my review of Control – Expansion Pack 1 – The Foundation, click HERE.

For my review of Control – Expansion Pack 2 – AWE, click HERE.

For more of my reviews, click HERE.

The post Control Review first appeared on Games of DAYNE.