Summary
- The Epic Games Store's weekly free games are beneficial to gamers who enjoy a variety of games, especially indie titles.
- The two free games available this week on the Epic Games Store, Dodo Peak and Black Book, are very different in genre and story, but both utilize color in their visuals effectively.
- Dodo Peak is a colorful arcade platformer that offers nostalgic gameplay, while Black Book is an RPG with card-based combat based on Slavic folktales that balances dark themes with hopeful moments.
While some of its offerings can be rather hit or miss, the Epic Games Store and its weekly free games are incredibly beneficial to gamers who enjoy a variety of games. As what's available changes every Thursday at 10 AM CT, some could match a theme or aim to please certain fans, and others tie-in with collaboration events like the one between Epic's own Fortnite and Bethesda's Elder Scrolls Online. Other selections could be complete wild cards.
The two free games being made available on the Epic Games Store for August 17 could be one of these unpredictable weeks, as the two titles have hardly anything in common at first glance. One of them is Dodo Peak, a classic arcade platformer about saving a dodo bird's babies across numerous maps. The other is Black Book, an RPG with card-based combat based on Slavic folktales. As different as they are, though, both of them use color to their benefit.
Epic Games Store Free Game Black Book Explained
In Black Book, players take control of Vasilisa, a woman destined to be a witch who defies fate to marry the man she loves. Unfortunately, her husband-to-be is taken from her due to mysterious circumstances, so Vasilisa seeks the Black Book, a dark artifact that will grant one wish to the person who finds all seven of its seals. Yet, despite this dark premise, the game holds plenty of hope as fans meet and help people throughout Vasilisa's journey, and these choices throughout Black Book affect many of the things that come after, even the game's ending.
As apt as it would be for a game titled Black Book to be dark and foreboding, Russian studio Morteshka decided to paint its video game dedicated to Slavic mythology in as many colors as it could. Houses of villagers are tinted orange with sunsets and sunrises, nights in scenic views like Gorodishensky Ravine are painted a relaxing blue, and all of it helps pull players into the story that they create as they battle monsters with cards.
Epic Games Store Free Game Dodo Peak Explained
Dodo Peak is a return to classic arcade platformers, so it's almost expected for the game to be colorful. Like the other titles that came before it, it offers cartoony action as fans play as a dodo who can't keep track of their eggs and needs to get them back home while using jump panels, avoiding lava, and climbing square mountain peaks. Reminiscent of the classic Sega Genesis title Flicky, Dodo Peak is great for players looking for something new yet nostalgic.
Fans will need to find a number of eggs across 60 levels that feature enemies that work in specific patterns with stage hazards such as rocks and coins to collect. Fans can use these coins in a shop to purchase skins that allow them to express themselves through their dodo as they see fit. There are also challenging missions to complete on each stage that make Dodo Peak a worthwhile game to sink hours into for free through the Epic Games Store.
Both Dodo Peak and Black Book are very different in their story and genre, but both make sure to color their world in a way that will keep players interested in looking at their screens. Both also take advantage of rather simplistic models in order to help the art and color direction stand out above all else. However, due to their differences, it's fair to say that many players will likely pick up one and not the other this week. Still, if gamers wish to take the plunge and try something new, they could easily find a new favorite indie game on the Epic Games Store come August 17.