New Blood Interactive had a strong showing at PAX East 2024 with Fallen Aces. Hundreds of people, including myself, waited in long lines to try this bloody, first-person, crime noir title and buy their awesome merch.
There’s a strong following for New Blood Interactive with previous games such as Faith: The Holy Trinity and Ultrakill, and their reputation continues to shine through the Fallen Aces demo.
Fallen Aces opens in an episodic manner. You play as a tough guy Mike shaking off a hangover in Switchblade City. Then, you receive a mysterious call to get out while you still can. From there, you kick, punch, and shoot your way past goons through various levels. You choose how to approach enemies–via stealth or brutal violence like a true gangster in the ’20s.
Of course, the true gangsters were the folks behind Fallen Aces. I first chatted with the lead QA who detailed various updates to the game since its showing at the E3 Indie Showcase in 2021. Updates included improved movement such as climbing, added firearms, rival gangs, and AI behavior. Challenges they faced including being “PAX ready” and geometry issues, but everything fell into place in time for this event!
I then got to chat with Trey Powell–who is dressed to the nines–about the art style. He was inspired by vintage comic books and pulp fiction. Enemies and objects are hand-drawn in this 2D style; however, you are seamlessly navigating through a 3D environment. I asked how he was able to accomplish this. Trey said that he painstakingly created 2D animation at several different angles to give the 3D effect. One of his favorite designs? The goon!
I was also lucky enough to get a little behind the scenes information on what it is like coordinating Fallen Aces with various platforms. The arrival of the Steam Deck has changed the way a game is packaged for Steam (e.g. font sizes, control support). There were pros and cons working with various platforms and associated dev kits. Check out the Boss Rush Podcast for continued discussion on an indie developers’ and publishers’ perspective on getting their games in various platforms.
In the meantime, there’s still time to check out Fallen Aces at PAX East. Head over to the New Blood Interactive booth and try the demo! You can also wish list Fallen Aces on Steam here.
Tell us what you think! Will you be playing Fallen Aces? Share your reactions in the comments below. You can also join in the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord, Twitter, and Facebook.
Bonus–Want to watch raw (and I mean raw) footage of me trying the Fallen Aces demo? Watch at your own risk!
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The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of The Boss Rush Network and Boss Rush Media. Each week, hosts Corey Dirrig, Stephanie Klimov, LeRon Dawkins, and Pat Klein come together with their friends, colleagues, and fellow creators to talk about their week in video games, discuss industry topics, conduct interviews, answer listener questions, and more. New episodes every Monday. Get each episode one week early and more perks over on the Boss Rush Network Patreon page.
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