7/9/2023 0 Comments Lineage w app“The malware used here shows that as macOS grows in market share, attackers realize that a number of victims will be immune if their tooling is not updated to include the Apple ecosystem. This trojan performs system reconnaissance commands to collect basic system data such as the current time, process listing, and whether it runs in a virtual machine. Once this malicious file is loaded, the program initiates stage three of the attack, which is the execution of an 11.2-megabyte trojan, also signed ad-hoc and written in Rust. The PDF file is a bogus nine-page document about venture capital firms looking to invest in tech startups. ![]() Loading any other PDF file gives the following message: See More: New Report Blows the Lid on Another iPhone Spyware For the malware to take the next step and communicate with the attacker, the correct PDF must be loaded,” Jamf added. “Upon execution, the application does not perform any malicious actions yet. Successful exploitation of the target requires the correct PDF file, which, when opened, begins the execution of the attack. However, the PDF viewer app is only one piece of the puzzle. As such, both stage-one and stage-two components of RustBucket malware were undetected on VirusTotal at the time of Jamf’s disclosure.Īs of today, stage one of RustBucket is detected by eight security vendors, while nine vendors detect stage two. “By breaking up the malware into several components or stages, the malware author makes analysis more difficult, especially if the C2 goes offline,” Jamf explained. The new macOS malware, RustBucket, is disguised as a legitimate PDF viewer (Internal PDF Viewer) app that actually works.Īs the stage-one executable, Internal PDF Viewer is an unsigned app that, when executed, downloads the stage-two malware from the command and control (C2) server.Īlso named Internal PDF Viewer, stage-two malware is a signed application disguised as a legitimate Apple bundle identifier () with an ad-hoc signature. The mobile device management company attributed the malware and its usage to the advanced persistent threat group BlueNoroff, a sub-group of Lazarus.īlueNoroff is the same APT group that targeted Windows machines late last year through malware that evaded Mark-of-the-Web security implementations. Researchers at Jamf have discovered a new macOS malware being used to target Apple devices.
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![]() ![]() Copy messages locally: Select messages and, from the Message > Copy To menu, choose the desired On My Mac mailbox.You can also Control-click a selection to access the Move To menu or drag the messages from a server-based mailbox to a mailbox under On My Mac. Move messages locally: Select messages and, from the Message > Move To menu, choose the desired On My Mac mailbox.Choose Mailbox > New Mailbox and then choose On My Mac from the Location pop-up menu when naming it. The first step is to create a local mailbox. How you do this varies slightly by app, but let’s look at Apple’s Mail-other apps will be similar. Copy messages if you want a local backup of important messages or mailboxes but also want to keep them available online. Copy: When you copy a message, the original message stays on the server, and a copy appears in the local mailbox.Move messages when you want to clear space on the server. Move: When you move a message from the server to a local mailbox, you’re deleting it from the server.The main thing to keep in mind here is the difference between moving and copying. It’s also easier to move archived data between Macs or even keep it available on a server for access on multiple machines.įor simple archiving, it’s easy to create local copies of messages or mailboxes you want to preserve locally. Archive email in a dedicated app: You’ll have to pay for an archiving app, but these apps work with multiple email apps, may provide more powerful searching capabilities, and often integrate email with other archived data. ![]() Plus, it may require some effort to keep an archive up to date. It’s free and keeps your mail together, but it makes switching to another email app more complicated, and it’s fussy to move local mailboxes to other Macs. Store email in a local mailbox: The most straightforward approach is to store email in a local mailbox on your Mac using your existing email app.So how should you archive your email? There are two general approaches: Archiving email locally-perhaps on an annual basis-ensures the long-term preservation of your email communications. Local backup: Although most email providers and businesses back up their servers (and probably better than most users), it’s not inconceivable that you could lose mail stored remotely.Preserving a former employee’s business communications: From the opposite perspective, if an employee of yours leaves, you might want to archive their work email account so you have an easily searched record of what they said to clients or suppliers.Leaving a job or graduating from school: If you have a work or school email account that will be shut down after you leave, you might want to archive all that email beforehand.Switching email providers: If you choose to stop using a particular email account, you might want to download all the mail in it first.Poor email client performance: Although good email apps should be able to handle hundreds of thousands of messages, it’s possible that reducing the amount of email in your account would help if you’re experiencing slowdowns.Reduce clutter: Even if you have sufficient server space, archiving mail-particularly mail from ancient completed projects-might reduce the mental load of having it in your email app.Insufficient server space: Institutional email accounts sometimes have inflexible mail quotas, and although you can pay for more storage on many large email providers, you might prefer instead to clear out old mail that you don’t refer to anymore.However, there are situations where you might want to archive email, by which we mean download it from the server and store it for posterity on your Mac, possibly outside your email app. Email doesn’t take up any physical space and not even that much digital space in the scheme of things. Before you know it, you have years of email stored away-potentially tens or even hundreds of thousands of messages. Email is a major part of all our lives, both personally and professionally, and as such, it can add up. ![]() If I remove the padding and background from the text fields, then the shadow goes away. Is there something I am missing here that is causing this to happen? I tried adding shadow(radius: 0) on the text fields, but it doesn't change anything. However, the shadow is also being applied to the two text fields inside the VStack. SwiftUI can incorporate a number of these elements, such as text fields, pickers, buttons, toggle, sliders, and more.I have added a shadow around the VStack that holds my two text fields and a submit button. The controls that are used for data input are wrapped inside the Form element. This tutorial demonstrates how to design and use forms in SwiftUI by guiding you through building a form with basic UI settings. SwiftUI refreshes interface elements altered by an external event or user inputįor the most part, this framework removes the need to create view controller code and makes it easy to sync app data with a single source.View composition creates data dependencies.Views inside VStack are placed in vertical direction in the same order as. Let’s understand the basic components of SwiftUI: SwiftUI VStack: a closer look VStack is a container view which is used to arrange its child views in vertical order. This is a great advantage for all iOS developers, making it easier to adapt to the new shift. Now that we know a bit about VStack, let’s put an app screen together. shadow(color: Color. We can see that by drawing a simple border around VStack: struct VStackExample3. But I am trying to give border to only container.background(Color.white // any non-transparent background. Moreover, the Apple ecosystem allows you to use SwiftUI and UIKit alongside each other. I am trying to give shadow to my VStack (only at top) but when I do like below shadow is visible to all sides like button, Text. The properties alignment and spacing help us to go one step further and customize our screens depending on our needs. In short, I’ve found it to be a very useful tool in my experience! Stacks in SwiftUI are ideal for arranging a collection of views in different directions and can be combined to create complex screens. Developers can spend more time writing code efficiently, making platform-specific features, and focusing on the UI because of the time saved using SwiftUI. SwiftUI is accessible on all Apple platforms, including macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. With a much simpler and faster UI pattern, you can employ features like dynamic types, dark mode, localization, and accessibility right away when you use SwiftUI. The Use SwiftUI option must be selected at the bottom. Over 200k developers use LogRocket to create better digital experiences Learn more It’s time to name and describe your app. In the end, you should be able to add any background to your view comfortably. Setting up an Xcode project with SwiftUI To begin, open Xcode and choose Create a new Xcode project from the menu. In this article, I will go through all of the behaviors of background (:alignment:) that you should know. App building through declarative code of the same complexity - with a lot less code - enables developers to rapidly develop apps in iOS. In SwiftUI, you can add a view as a background wtih the background (:alignment:) view modifier. ![]() SwiftUI is an innovative shift in Apple’s ecosystem. Let’s waste no time and get started! Introduction to SwiftUI Setting up an Xcode project with SwiftUI.By calling Image ('swiftui').frame (width: 80, height: 80), SwiftUI creates a new invisible container view with the specified size and positions the image view inside it. Frame in SwiftUI is just another view which you can think of like a picture frame. In this article, we will be building a form in SwiftUI together, so feel free to follow along with this tutorial at your own pace. 1 Ive been having issues with the look of my macOS app that Im building using SwiftUI. Neither it is the current frame or bounds of the view. ![]() This tutorial requires Xcode 11 (or a later version) and we will be using Swift 5 throughout. SwiftUI currently supports only iOS 13 and newer. One of the most significant advances in dev tools in recent years has been the arrival of SwiftUI, a UI framework that allows developers to design and build user interfaces using declarative code. ![]() Building forms with SwiftUI: A comprehensive guide Co-host of the NinjaTalks podcast and community organizer at Google Developers Group. Sneh Pandya Follow Exploring the horizon with a knack for product management. Usually, you want to apply a modifier that changes the views layout or position before you fill it or wrap a border around it. 7/9/2023 0 Comments Mall playall![]() Morning: Breakfast is one meal you shouldn't skip! Bring the group to Egg Harbor Cafe where you can choose from breakfast to brunch options and the coffee is always piping hot. Enjoy a sumptuous medieval feast eaten in a typical medieval manner (hands only!) while delighting in the amazing performances of the stunning Andalusian horses and the jousting knights. After lunch, cruise on over to nearby IKEA, the largest in the U.S., with three gigantic floors of absolutely everything you may need for your home or office at very affordable prices.Įvening:Dinner is all part of the show at exciting Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament. Take a break for lunch at the 820-seat Dining Pavilion or one of several fine dining, casual, or quick eats restaurants in the mall. It will take all morning and afternoon to comb through the seemingly endless parade of treasures in massive Woodfield Mall. Shop and Play All Day Itinerary Day 1: Morning/Afternoon: ![]() ![]() Things To Do Attractions Things To Do With Kids Free Things To Do Water Parks LEGOLAND Discovery Center Chicago Medieval Times Museums Arts & Entertainment Performing Arts & Theater Art Galleries Shopping Farmers Markets Malls & Outlets Outdoors & Nature Parks & Nature Centers Busse Woods Biking Fishing Lakes Golf Wellness Salons Gyms & Fitness Centers Spas Nightlife Bars Breweries Wineries Beer & Wine Tastings Events Annual Events & Festivals Restaurant Week Chicago Northwest Family Day Concerts & Live Music This Weekend Restaurants Breweries Wineries Cuisine Types American & Burgers BBQ Breakfast & Brunch Chinese Greek Indian Italian Korean Japanese Mediterranean Mexican Pho Polish Pizza Seafood Steakhouses Sushi Thai Vegan / Vegetarian Outdoor Seating Fine Dining Kid Friendly Coffee Shops Ice Cream & Desserts Group Dining Hotels Resorts Pet Friendly Bed & Breakfasts With A Pool Hotels with Meeting Space Hotel Packages Plan Your Visit Deals Visitors Guide Trip Ideas & Itineraries Romantic Getaway Family Vacation Day Trips Transportation Airport Getting Around Services Directory Essential Visitor Info Maps Weather History Communities Arlington Heights Hotels Restaurants Things To Do Elk Grove Village Hotels Restaurants Things To Do Itasca Hotels Restaurants Things To Do Rolling Meadows Hotels Restaurants Things To Do Roselle Hotels Restaurants Things To Do Schaumburg Hotels Restaurants Things To Do Streamwood Restaurants Things To Do Wood Dale Hotels Restaurants Things To Do Visit Chicago Chicago Northwest Community Maps Menu Close 7/9/2023 0 Comments Aerofly rc 7 4shared![]() This will give you the best flying experience. ![]() It is STRONGLY recommended to use a joystick, gamepad or dedicated R/C controller with 4 axes. IMPORTANT NOTE ON USING THE RIGHT JOYSTICK, GAMEPAD OR R/C CONTROLLER DLC available: Upgrade aerofly RC 7 to the Professional Edition ( 170 models / 40 sceneries ) or Ultimate Edition ( 200 models / 50 sceneries ) both including additional features like freely scalable models, aircraft editor, helicopter hover trainer and torque-trainer.Fly with friends all over the world in Multiplayer Mode (Professional and Ultimate Edition).Suitable for many R/C transmitters and joysticks.Different model types: Quadrocopters, electric and gas powered airplanes, helicopters, gliders, jets, and scale models.Set wind and time of day for challenging training conditions.The models can be installed under Windows and OS-X and can be scaled from the RC7-Professional- or Ultimate-Editon. Right click on the RC7 executable and select 'run as administrator' - Run 'secpol.msc' and open 'Local Policies Security Options User Account Control: Admin Aproval Mode for the built in Administrator Account' and ENABLE that, then reboot. The models on this page were created by aeroflyRC7 users. Stunning dynamics simulation for a realistic flight feeling Download user models Download user models.Highly detailed aircraft with state of the art physics simulation.Awesome sceneries with full Retina Display support.Choose from over 30 models and 5 sceneries (Standard Edition).The Ultimate edition features more than 200 models and over 50 sceneries! FEATURES However you may upgrade your edition at any time by purchasing an upgrade to the Professional or Ultimate edition using Steam DLC. This edition is a good starting into radio controlled flying. When you buy this game you will have aerofly RC 7 Standard Edition with a choice of 30 different models and 5 different sceneries. Many features and game-like competitions will test your piloting abilities that put real fun into your virtual flying! THREE EDITIONS TO CHOOSE FROMĪerofly RC 7 is available in three different editions. You may choose from a wide variety of models, like aerobatic airplanes, helicopters, jets, gliders, scale models and quadrocopters.Īfter practicing on aerofly RC 7, you’ll fly confidently and instinctively at the field. Together with our superb model details and awesome scenery quality you will feel as if standing on a real flying field. Our state of the art physics simulation gives you a stunning level of realism. When it comes to learning and improving R/C flying skills, aerofly RC 7 is the number one choice for R/C pilots. Learn to fly radio controlled (R/C) models with aerofly RC 7. 7/9/2023 0 Comments Opera neon drawbacks![]() ![]() No matter which version you are currently using, you will find that you can enjoy the new design, which takes the web pages that you already view and makes them much more interesting. If you are currently using another web browser, it is definitely worth looking into the new Opera Neon. The result is that users can feel safe in accepting the new look of the new browser, which is sure to cause many people to upgrade to this new version of the browser. Pro Very fast Using the chromium engine, this browser is as fast as Chrome and Edge. Pro Built in dark mode system Pro Lots of Add-Ons Opera Store and Chrome Store is available for this browser with millions of add-ons. After all, web pages have been standardized on Windows for years, and there is little reason that a new browser couldn't make the same impression. Opera Neon innovates with its clean aesthetic pleasing interface. Opera Neon is trying to differentiate itself from other web browsers by focusing on what users really want out of a web browser. Even though Opera Widgets used to appear as little as possible, the new concept browser makes it very clear that there will be Opera Widgets, and all of them will be important to users. With Opera Neon's new design, users are given the option to simply ignore the pop-up if they so choose, which is a big departure from the old version of the browser where users had to click the "open" button in order to get to any website. ![]() Using a combination of JavaScript and WebKit technology, the blink layout engine works to determine whether you really want to open that page or not, and then offers a pop-up menu or a simple window to the user. One of the big features of the new design is a new feature called the "blink layout engine," which helps users take an inactive page and turn it into one that they are more interested in. The big change, however, is that Opera has disabled the toolbar that used to be present in all versions of the browser and instead relies on the desktop for making menus, which gives it a distinct advantage over its competitors. For instance, the layout has been designed such that the menu and address bar appear on the same vertical axis, a design that many people will feel is very similar to the background of a website. Like Chrome before it, Opera is trying to find a way to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack by presenting a new design that is different enough to stand out but not so different that it ends up being ignored by users. Opera, which was recently sold to a consortium of Chinese investors, is now doing what it can to shake things up in the field of web browsers by introducing Opera Neon. 7/9/2023 0 Comments Work font box![]() And do not fret, you’ll have the ability to change the format and colors later. ![]() There are a variety of styles and formatting to choose from, consisting of text boxes with borders, shading, font colors and other attributes. This opens a dropdown menu with a selection of predefined text box designs. ![]() Switch to the “Insert” tab on Word’s Ribbon, and after that click the “Text Box” button. Regardless of which way you create the text box, you can then format it to suit your needs. Word has a number of predefined text box styles you can utilize, or you can draw your own. They’re great for adding things like pull quotes, or perhaps for laying out text and images on things like flyers. You can pick from a range of preformatted text boxes, or draw and format your own. The keys indicated relate to the text box widgets in Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X similar if not identical keyboard bindings exist under the X Window System and other systems, and typically follow the same scheme as Windows.Text boxes let you highlight or bring focus to particular text in a Microsoft Word document. Undo / Redo changes with Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y (Windows) or command-Z / command-shift-Z (Mac OS) Edit the text using standard clipboard operations.Delete / Backspace keys remove one character right / left of current caret position, while pressing them together with the Ctrl or command key removes one word.Typing in a text while some part of the text already entered is selected will replace the selected text.In insert mode if there is a character to the right of the caret, the new character will be inserted before it, while in overwrite mode typing a new character will replace (overwrite) the character to the right of the caret position. Work in insert or overwrite mode, typically switched using Insert key.Pressing Control-A|Ctrl+A (Windows) selects all text.Įdit the text (enable changing the text already entered).Holding the shift key while changing the caret position with a mouse or keyboard selects the text between the caret position from when shift was first pressed and its current position.Holding the Command key while pressing up or down arrows (Mac OS) or Holding the Ctrl key while pressing home / end (Windows) moves the caret to the beginning or end of the document.Holding the Option key (Mac OS) while pressing arrows moves the caret whole words or paragraphs.words, paragraphs or beginning / end of document Holding the Ctrl key (Windows) while pressing arrow keys or Home / End keys makes the caret move at larger steps, e.g.Pressing Page Up / Down moves the caret a page (the number of lines that can be displayed in the text box at a time) backward / forward (Windows) or moves the scrollbar thumb a page backward / forward without changing the caret position (Mac OS).Pressing Home / End keys ( Microsoft's Windows OS) or Command-left arrow / Command-right arrow ( Apple's Mac OS) moves the caret to the beginning / end of the line.Pressing arrow keys changes caret position by one character or line (in multiline text boxes).Select a portion of text by pressing the main mouse button while pointing the cursor at one end of the desired part of the text and dragging the cursor to the other end while holding the button pressed.Change the caret position by clicking the desired point with a mouse cursor.Some very simple text boxes may not show a caret, which would suggest that new characters typed in will appear at the end of the current text. When keys are pressed, the text appears where the caret is.Typical implementations allow a user to do the following: ![]() This pack features 60 challenges in four brand-new environments. Combine weapons, Vigors, Gear, Tears, and Sky-Lines in ways you never thought possible as you square off against impossible odds. This first add-on pack puts an intense focus on BioShock Infinite combat. ![]() This pack is included in the BioShock Infinite Season Pass and will contain new Trophies. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode Two is the last of three BioShock Infinite add-on packs and it concludes the storyline of BioShock Infinite and Burial at Sea. Developed by Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BioShock and BioShock Infinite, this continuation of the Burial at Sea saga features parts of Rapture you’ve never seen before, incudes modified stealth-oriented gameplay that brings you new weapons and plasmids, and involves nearly every major character from the original BioShock and BioShock Infinite. Set immediately after the conclusion of Burial at Sea – Episode One, this final episode puts you in the role of Elizabeth as she journeys through Rapture in an effort to rescue the little sister she abandoned. See the world through Elizabeth’s eyes in BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode Two. This pack is included in the BioShock Infinite Season Pass and will contain new Achievements.īioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode Two Why are Booker and Elizabeth in Rapture? What was the city like before everything fell to pieces? The answers to these questions and more will be found in BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode 1. It includes a new weapon, an old favorite weapon from the original BioShock as well as the return of the weapon wheel, a new Plasmid, new Gear, and Tears.Įxplore the city when it was at the height of its beauty, meet some old “friends,” and make some new ones, all through the eyes of Booker DeWitt. The combat experience has been rebalanced and reworked with a greater emphasis on stealth and resource management to give the player an original BioShock combat experience that merges the best parts of BioShock and BioShock Infinite. Developed by Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BioShock and BioShock Infinite, this DLC features Rapture as you’ve never seen it before-a shining jewel at the bottom of the ocean, built almost entirely from scratch in the BioShock Infinite engine. The specific content is as follows: + The BioShock: Infinite base game.Inlcudes 4 items: Burial at Sea - Episode One and Episode Two, Clash In the Clouds, Early Bird Special PackīioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode OneĬome back to Rapture in a story that brings Booker and Elizabeth to the underwater city on the eve of its fall from grace. The Complete Edition includes the DLCs and the additional content to enjoy the definitive experience. ![]() Use both at the same time to perform devastating damage combos. Use all kinds of weapons and special powers that you will find all over columbia. Find young Elisabeth and take her back to the Earth world to settle your debt. Columbia is, on the surface, a religious utopia in the sky, led by Father Comstock, a messiah of sorts.īut Booker soon begins to see that it is actually a rotten society of fanatics following a tyrannical leader and on the brink of civil war. WHAT IS BioShock Infinite XBOX ONE ABOUT?- One of the most recognized cult works of video games arrives in the "Infinite" episode, in which the main character Booker deWitt will travel to the floating city of Columbia to fulfill the mysterious task of finding the young Elisabeth. 2- Face the omnipresent Comstock and his society of fanatics.ģ- Use all kinds of weapons and powers to kill your enemies. REASONS TO BUY BioShock Infinite FOR XBOX1- Explore the floating city of Columbia in search of Elisabeth. This way you will always get the best offer at the best price. ![]() Based on my experience with the original in 2010, my favorite online mode was Most Wanted, which has one player trying to escape with a small team of other racers helping them – kind of like a VIP escort mission in other multiplayer games – while a team of cops try to take them out. There’s proper online multiplayer for up to 8-players too (which works with cross-play), but I didn’t have a chance to try that prior to this review. ![]() Nowadays racing games thread a lot of this data into races themselves, but Autolog still helps round things out here by funneling you towards activities your friends are also doing. The Autolog feature also returns here with its ‘Wall’ concept that shows a collection of times and accomplishments from all of your friends as a real-time representation of how much better (or worse) you are than everyone within your skill range. It’s not very deep customization, but the increased option is still a welcome tweak. I usually went with a gaudy neon blue, which is a very intimidating color as everyone knows. In the original game you could pick from just a few pre-selected colors before starting a match, but now there is a custom color palette wheel that lets you pick pretty much any color you could ever want. The paint options for every car in the roster have impressively expanded as well, even if other customization features aren’t available. You can now also take full advantage of all these shiny cars by pausing any race to access a robust photo mode (available in the garage as well), which even has an excellent feature that lets you toggle on or off mid-race damage. All of the original’s DLC is included in this single package, which is a nice bonus if not strictly new. So it’s nice to have another that encourages and rewards that behavior here.Īnd while there isn’t much in the way of brand new content, the main menu does have a nifty garage now where you can check out all the cars you’ve collected so far – and there are some absolute gems, including my personal favorite the BMW Z4, which looks like the kind of car you’d like to just go for a drive in on a lazy weekend (and crashing it is oddly therapeutic). Growing up on games like the original 1998 Hot Pursuit on the first PlayStation and the slew of racers it influenced, such as Burnout, trained me to enjoy recklessly ramming into cars in all racing games. One of the best parts of Hot Pursuit is all the little gadgets you get access to during events, like spike strips you can drop behind you to try and take out opponents or the road blocks you can call in as a cop to slow down your target. And if you just want to cruise around without stressing about the competition, every region includes a Freeride option as well. I particularly enjoyed stages near the coast with nice vistas or anything wet from rain since the lighting and reflections are great eye candy. I’m not a huge fan of the race “Preview” events, which generally boil down to having to do time trial runs through a course before you unlock its actual events, but it does help you get acclimated to that level’s turns. Those include straight up races, intercept events to chase down rogue vehicles, car chases, and more. ![]() Most events can be completed in under five minutes, and some far quicker than that. There’s something about Hot Pursuit's style and presentation that hearkens back to a simpler time when racing games were just about racing with no frills or filler – and without feeling like it’s missing features. Drifting around bends effortlessly, weaving in between opponents during a race, and just barely overtaking a cop car before the next curve is a special brand of intensity that’s unmatched elsewhere. Yes, you need to brake around corners and feather the gas a little bit to catch the right drift on turns, but it requires far less precision than something like Project CARS or Gran Turismo. It also nails that delicate balance between looking incredibly gorgeous and realistic (even at blistering 200 MPH+ speeds) while also being easy to control with its arcade-style physics. That’s it – there are no upgrades to worry about or complex customization features. As you complete challenges and increase your bounty, you slowly unlock new cars and new regions. ![]() There’s an overworld map with various locations that have you control either street racers or cops, acting as either the chased or the chaser, respectively, during any given event. Part of what keeps it so great is how it excels so well at the very specific thing it sets out to do: romanticize fantastical and over-the-top car chases. 7/8/2023 0 Comments Eldest souls rusted keyBut the real Eldest Souls starts with the preview’s third boss, Azikel, who suggests that the rest of the game will be a much tougher ride. This last aspect feels a little like Hades, minus the random factor, in terms of how you might customise each run by adding elemental boons to your repertoire.Īs for the bosses themselves, the first two – the watchdog and the guardian – are mercifully slow, plodding around their arenas with hefty blade swings and lumbering charges, although each pulls a few new tricks from their sleeves once you’ve carved off half their health bars. ![]() Dispatching gods earns upgrade points that can be placed in one of three skill trees, which favour speed, aggression or counterattacks, and sometimes crystals which bestow unique abilities – such as a hookshot type attack – or can be linked to specific moves, like your dash or bloodburst, to augment those. The preview build also hints at much greater depth to these systems later in the game, providing the tools to shift between contrasting play styles. With no means of instant healing, there’s something extra rewarding about building back from an early mistake to a full health bar with some patient offensive work. The life steal mechanic is the obvious standout here, against foes that can take you out with a few strikes. A charged attack thrusts you across the screen towards your foe, and fills a ‘bloodthirst’ bar if it connects, allowing you to move quicker and hit harder for a short time, ‘life steal’ lost health with further strikes, or trigger a damaging ‘bloodburst’ that exhausts the bar in one. The main character’s laboured walking speed is offset by a speedy dodge roll, which is tied to a slowly recharging stamina bar, unless that is you successfully roll through an enemy attack, which partially refills it instantly. Dark Souls veterans will relish the tension and the little risk-reward gambits in these encounters. The boss battles will make or break the game, in other words, and judging from the first three that appear in the preview, it’s got the balance right. But mostly Eldest Souls wants to ferry you from one god to the next, with a little sightseeing en route. Each of these characters – speaking in the vague riddles you’d expect from a Souls game – has their own optional questline, which can lead to rewards or different endings depending on how you interact with them, generally by choosing to hand over key items. Between epic confrontations, you’ll embark on brief stints of exploration around the ruins, absorb scraps of lore, collect the odd item and chat to a sprinkling of NPCs. Yet as in Titan Souls this is a compact, empty land where the only things to kill are the gods themselves. Indeed, while Death’s Door takes a much less serious path, Eldest Souls’ decaying citadel of imprisoned gods and buried rituals at times feels like a project to redraw Dark Souls in sumptuous pixel-art. And it’s a mantle that Fallen Flag seem to have assumed intentionally, rekindling that word ‘Souls’ in their debut title almost as a statement and a self-challenge to meet standards set not only by Titan Souls but the majesty of Dark Souls itself. In a way, then, it feels like we’re getting to see a fresh revival of that previous legacy and a new direction all at once. Fallen Flag Studio’s Eldest Souls feels like an expanded spiritual successor to 2015’s boss rush title Titan Souls, yet the developer of Titan Souls, Acid Nerve, is actually responsible for Death’s Door. There’s an added twist to this quirk of fate, too. ![]() READ MORE: Bob Burnquist on being Tony Hawk Pro Skater’s original ‘Player Two’: “It was crazy then, and it’s still crazy now”.By an accident of scheduling, they create a kind of yin-yang, light-dark complement to one another, which has only helped me like them even more. ![]() I’ve been alternating between preview builds of both for the last week, appreciating the base similarity of their measured dodge, slash rhythms – thankfully, they both share the same core controls – and also how they diverge from that foundation in highly different ways. The second half of July sees the release of Death’s Door and Eldest Souls, a couple of indies that have been showing promise since they were first unveiled. You wait ages for a new top-down hack and slash game then two come along at once. |