The Hunter's Journals - Red Ripper will be released on Halloween 2020. In the meantime, you can visit the store page now to take a look at a preview of the hardest, grimiest adventure in the series to date.
A teaser trailer will be appearing sometime in the near future as well, so stay tuned for that! In the meantime, please take a look at the fantastic cover art for the game below.
Grindwheel Games Merchandise on Shark Robot!
We are all very excited to announce that the cover art for all three Grindwheel Games titles can now hang on your wall as glorious, framed prints available through Shark Robot!
This collection will hopefully expand as time goes on, most especially when the new cover for Red Ripper becomes available. But, there are also plenty of other striking and sinister pieces of page art which could end up hanging on your walls.
Visit Shark Robot today through the following link, and check out all of the Grindwheel Games prints available now!
As with the Halloween update, I have prepared a spooky story to go with the current sale. This has been split across three different chapters, which will be released through the day. In addition, these announcements will feature artwork by three talented artists. A friend of mine who has played the game has commissioned them to produce images of her hunter, Liliana, and this seems like the perfect place to show them off.
The first is by Ryn (@_Rynnu on Twitter).
I hope everyone is having a great holiday season. Please enjoy the artwork and story!
A Winter Tale Part 1 – The Good Doctor
“Please, take a seat,” Doctor Louis said quietly, guiding the poor waif towards a padded chair. His study was dark, but the servants had built up the fire before retiring for the night. It cast a flickering glow across the woman's pinched, pale features as the doctor helped her to settle by the crackling logs. He tossed a few more pieces of wood onto the blaze to help warm the room, and by extension, the stray he had chanced upon.
He had been returning from his nightly journey to the temple of the Urizen – for Doctor Lewis was a devout and pious man – when he had seen the woman stumble out of an alley. She was wearing little more than rags despite the flurries of snow in the air. He had immediately thrown his overcoat around her thin shoulders and guided her to his home.
For many people this would have looked deeply suspicious, even scandalous. But doctor Lewis was known to be a good man. He was said to have a pocket of half-pennies to hand to orphans he encountered on his walks, and worked with the poor and destitute for little more than their tearful gratitude. Despite this altruism his personal finances were substantial, allowing him to afford the modest house he had led the woman to. Indeed, when a constable had encountered him and the shivering lass, he helped to lead her to the doctor's front door, and left satisfied that she was in good hands.
Having finished banking the fire, the good doctor checked his unexpected patient. She was unresponsive to his probing questions, and her flesh was still cold to the touch. She was human, and free from mutation, which pleased him greatly. There were deep cuts on her feet, and signs that she had been recently bound at the wrists and ankles. He tutted under his breath and stepped back.
The woman gazed into the distance, barely blinking. He snapped his fingers by her ear, and she did not even flinch at the sudden noise.
“Quite a mystery, aren't you,” he muttered to himself. He patted the woman on the shoulder and left to gather his tools. He was hopeful that the fire would warm her up enough to wake her from the trance. He was also thankful that the gods had seen fit to put her in his way on the night his servants would not be home. These things reminded him that humble prayers and clean living led to such rewards.
Instead of heading to his treatment room, Lewis walked to his study. The lock opened with a click as he slipped inside. He checked the cabinet beside his desk, and found it securely closed. Even the small thread he placed in the hinges was still where it had been left, so nobody had accessed it in his absence. His hands trembled slightly as he unlocked the door and took out his instruments.
Doctor Lewis hated the term 'Broadsheet Killer'. It made it sound like his work was something base and tawdry. To him, it was similar to comparing his medical practice with some back-alley sawbones. No; he had a mission from the Urizen. A mission of dire importance. Hadn't He told him so, in dreams and waking visions? Hadn't he seen the face of the UIC's stern god in feverish opium dreams?
He would save this poor soul this night. A woman nobody knew of, who didn't react even to the pain of her lacerated feet. He would make her into a work of art, like all his other poor, poor girls. He felt the fever in his blood as he looked over the gleaming, silver-edged scalpels inside his secret case. Surely her appearance and behaviour showed this to be a miracle? Could anyone deny a hard-working man like himself these small pleasures?
As he snapped the clasp on the case shut, and reached for the stained leather apron at the back of the cabinet, he heard a crash from the living room. The screaming began a moment later.
Halloween Tale - The Jonah's Albatross
Jonah's Albatross
When sailors who ply the Sea of Rust put in to port, the first thing they usually do is purchase a fistful of lucky charms and trinkets. When the crew next gather to set sail, whether it be to haul cargo to the Coastal Kingdoms or simply go on an extended fishing trawl, they will present these objects to the captain. Those deemed most auspicious will be nailed to the mast and rails. The rest the sailors can keep for their own protection.
The reason for this strange custom is the Jonah's Albatross. Considered a beast by scholars, this four-winged bird of ill-omen is hated by all seafarers. They are, by some supernatural means, capable of stripping a man of balance and common sense, as well as affecting the laws of probability in an unusual manner. This can cause even an experienced captain to steer through a dangerous reef, or a veteran sailor to lose his sea-legs and go tumbling overboard. Ropes that were sound a moment ago will snap, the wind will gust in just such a way as to carry a man over the rail, and so forth.
Sailors believe that the birds are the spirits of men who have died at sea while neglecting their duties through drunkenness, idleness or foolishness. They seem not to eat fish, instead feeding exclusively on the carrion of those poor fools who die as a result of their influence. The superstition goes that someone who perishes this way will themselves return as an Albatross and haunt the ship they sailed on. This in turn has led to the practice of renaming and repainting a ship if there is a death on board, regardless of the cause.
The only proof against these cursed creatures is to find a way to drive them far enough away that they can no longer exert their baleful influence. Brandishing a genuinely lucky item at them is considered to be the easiest way to do this, as they cannot stand such things. Many a voyage which has been plagued by these beasts has ended with the captain returning to port and exacting vengeance on some poor pedlar when his charms have proven ineffective.
Extract from 'Odd Customs and Habits of the World' – Capital Press
Blissful Ignorance is here!
Happy Halloween!
The Hunter's Journals - Blissful Ignorance is now available for purchase. You can find it on the steam store and Google Play right now. Brave the terrifying peaks of the Skybreaker mountains to investigate another dark, Lovecraft-inspired tale of monsters and mayhem.
Also, stay tuned as later today I will be releasing an in-game page from Pale Harbour, along with a piece of fiction written specially for this spooky holiday. Have a safe and fun Halloween, and please check out our latest game today.
Grindwheel Games is proud to be part of our first Steam sale! Our games were sadly released too early to be included in the last promotion, but now, as we lead up to Halloween, you can enjoy a discount on the price of both Pale Harbour and Vile Philosophy. This is the perfect time to pick up the games and immerse yourself in the world of The Hunter's Journals before the release of Blissful Ignorance on the 31st.
Don't forget to check out Vile Philosophy at the link below, and put Blissful Ignorance in your wishlist.
Blissful Ignorance, the third in the Hunter's Journals series, will be launched on Halloween! The store page is now live, so you can wishlist the title in advance. In the meantime, check out the front cover below the store page link.
Grindwheel Games has partnered with Sanguine Productions to offer The Hunters Journals as a Kickstarter Reward on their new product - Horror Stories. This card based game allows you to craft delightfully macabre tales with friends or in solo play. One of the artists worked extensively with Grindwheel Games on our products, so we are proud to offer Steam keys as part of the backer pledges. Those who select the limited edition $19 backer reward will get BOTH games on Steam, as well as the other rewards listed at that level!
For more information, and to back the project, please follow the link below;
The Hunters Journals; Pale Harbour, is now back on the Google Play store!
Due to a policy change and an interaction between the store's back-end and some new Unity packages, Pale Harbour has been unavailable for a few weeks. The store page is now live again, and hopefully the current build will not be taken down. If you want to enjoy the game on your Android tablet or mobile device, check out the link below!
Pale Harbour, and Grindwheel Games as a whole, was mentioned in last week's Steampunk Digest on The Steampunk Explorer! This website covered everything steampunk, from upcoming games and events to music and news. If you have any interest in the steampunk genre, I suggest you take a look at their website,as they are sure to have something for you.
