Like many Assassin's Creed fans, I've always felt that feudal Japan was simply a natural period for the series. I remember an early discussion by developer and publisher Ubisoft almost two decades ago about future entries into the franchise exploring unique periods, including Egypt—which ended up being a big change for the series with Assassin's Creed Origins—and Japan.

I recently got some hands-on time with the early parts of Assassin's Creed Shadows, including the prologue that introduces both playable characters Naoe and Yasuke, and one of the early sequences of missions in the open world.

My biggest takeaway from the preview was just how immersive Shadows felt in its setting, from the world in which it takes place to the story it's telling. After roughly three and a half hours with Shadows, I can happily say it exceeded my expectations in almost every way, and I'm excited to play more.

Starting off with the prologue, Shadows starts by introducing our two playable characters: Naoe and Yasuke. For Yasuke, the prologue explores how Yasuke came to Japan as well as the start of his journey to become a samurai. Naoe, on the other hand, has her own adventure that leads to her discovering the way of the assassin. From the prologue into the actual open-world sequence of missions I was able to play after, one thing became immediately clear: Ubisoft is telling a story with Assassin's Creed Shadows. It was a much more cinematic experience than previous entries in the series, featuring a plethora of cutscenes which I was told will play a big part throughout the whole game. It felt like the recently released Shogun TV series in playable form, and I'm eager to see where the story goes.

Between the prologue and the open-world segment I got to play, Naoe and Yasuke team up. It's evident that the two uniting is a bigger plot point, and I'm curious to see how it plays out in the time our preview skipped over. Once the two are together, however, you have the option of playing as either one. In the open world, you can switch between the two at any time. During actual quests, you'll have several points in which you can choose which character to play that sequence as.

Before playing, I had assumed the difference between the two would be mostly story-related. But the actual gameplay between the two is drastically different, which makes sense. Yasuke is a massive brute with the ability to take on many foes at once with sheer strength and combat prowess. Naoe, on the other hand, plays more like a traditional assassin in the series. The strengths and weaknesses between the two are very noticeable, and in the questline, I got to play through, the choice of who to use for certain segments felt like an impactful one.

Know you're going to be fighting through a group of enemies? Probably best to use Yasuke. Trying to keep quiet and sneak into somewhere you shouldn't be? Advised to use Naoe. You're not prevented from using either character, it's just that their skillsets make each situation very different based on who you are playing.

Yasuke, for example, doesn't have access to a lot of the staple assassin capabilities like performing the Leap of Faith or utilizing Eagle Vision. You can attempt to be stealthy as Yasuke, but more often than not you're going to have to fight your way through.

Naoe, on the other hand, has no limits to her verticality, able to easily climb up the side of buildings and even make use of a grappling hook to quickly scale onto high-up rooftops. Of course, she has her weaknesses as well. Even though she can hold her own in combat, it's important to make use of her ability to dodge and parry attacks. While Yasuke can take quite a beating, a single heavy attack landing on Naoe can be devastating.

Something I noticed throughout my preview that I wholeheartedly didn't expect, is that your choices seem to actually matter, even if Assassin's Creed Shadows doesn't immediately highlight that. Early on in the questline I played through, I had chased down someone who I believed may have had the information I was looking for. I had essentially two dialogue options: demanding he spill the beans or bring up the fact that his wife, who I had spoken to earlier, was worried about and looking for him.

I chose the first choice, which led to him getting angry and inevitably attacking me. This was one of my earlier combat segments as Naoe and, well, didn't go too well. I then reloaded to the beginning of the dialogue with this character and figured there was no better time to rewrite history, and chose to instead tell him for his wife. This ended up being a purely peaceful route, leading to him giving me the information I was looking for, followed by hurrying off to go see his wife.

The early parts of Assassin's Creed Shadows are a ton of fun, and after a few hours of hands-on time, I'm anxious for more. If Ubisoft can keep the story engaging throughout, I could easily see Assassin's Creed Shadows standing out as another landmark addition to the series. We'll know soon enough as Assassin's Creed Shadows is set to release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on March 20, 2025.

The post Hands-on Preview: Assassin’s Creed Shadows appeared first on Destructoid.

I love a good survival city builder, and what could be better than one that combines that beloved foundation with climate anxiety? All Will Fall is a deceptively not-depressing builder that puts that chocolate and peanut butter together. It’s like 1995’s Waterworld with Kevin Costner. Maybe! I haven’t seen it.

It’s also a bit like Timberborn with its emphasis on vertical engineering, but while Timberborn centered around clans of beavers because humans suck, All Will Fall thrives on humans because humans suck. It’s a weird mix, and you’re either going to need to try out the playtest yourself or just hear me out.

All Will Fall sees a scrappy group of humans getting shipwrecked on an artificial atoll consisting of islands of humanity’s garbage. The tops of old highrises jut up from the waves like so many unwanted erections. With not much to go on, it’s up to you to wrangle these hapless jerks and guide them to building a new home.

Resources are obviously scarce, so a lot of emphasis is on trying to collect and store water and food, as well as finding resources floating around in the waters to build new structures with. Because long after humanity is gone, our crap will still be everywhere.

Complicating things are these random events. They are sometimes beneficial, like when another ship of jackanapes floats by and you can either recruit their humans or just rob them. Others are somewhat deceptive, as you may make a choice in one just to have it backfire a little later on. You need to manage your influence and keep your folks happy, otherwise your little rubbage utopia could collapse under the weight of the human ego.

Tying this together is a rather forgiving physics system. All Will Fall is no Bridge Constructor, but structures and walkways are affected by gravity, and you have to constantly keep in mind what is getting stressed out. However, if you want to experiment, or if you just have poor judgment, you’ll merely be shown how things are about to break, and then you can either fix things or delete what you were building entirely and take it back to the drawing board. It’s not very strict, and you’re given a lot of leeway in creating some ambitious designs.

And it all feels pretty great. The tide will come in and out and storms will bring up the water level. Occasionally you get a permanent drop in the sea level, and that allows you to extend your settlement to shorter buildings, as well as whatever was beneath the ones you’ve already built on. Some of your structures, like docks and cranes, work better when they’re closer to the water, so you frequently have to reconfigure things.

But what really feels great is how much optimizing you can do. There are three groups of settlers: workers, sailors, and engineers. A lot of the time, their uses are interchangeable, but there are certain tasks that only one group can perform. Sailors, for example, are the only ones who can work at the dock. And because you can set who is allowed to live at a specific house, you’re encouraged to make districts so that the sailors don’t have to walk as far to their tasks when they wake up in the morning. This means that, even as the water level rises and falls, you’re constantly moving around your buildings to try and optimize your settlement.

There’s always something to do, so long as you have the resources for it, which isn’t always a given. Once you’ve cleaned up all the junk within your reach, you have to wait for the tide to move to expose more. Often, you have to rely on the boats you have in your collection to pick up stuff that’s further out. Even then, you’re often left deciding whether you should prioritize food or wood.

The playtest gives a great slice of the tasty All Will Fall pie, but it’s pretty clear that some things need to be rebalanced. Right now, your main goal is reaching a tower on the opposite end of the atoll. It’s set up in a way that you’ll probably reach it at the point when the water hits its lowest level. Once it does, a lot of the dynamism falls off. I imagine that’s not going to happen in the full release – at least, I hope it doesn’t.

But what’s on display is a good time. In particular, I love how surly the writing is during all the events that crop up. There will be occasions where the settlers tell you that the water rationing is too strict and you have the option to just tell them something to the effect of, “We’re fucking surrounded by water.” Another let me reply, “Are you blind or just stupid?” But one of the funniest was when a worker was injured, and one of the options was, “Shut the door. Okay, here’s a plan,” which resulted in -1 citizen and +120 food, if you catch my drift. It’s an unexpected injection of some pretty effective humor.

The events are often pretty interesting. A lot of options require you to have a certain amount of resources, including influence, which is built up by keeping your settlers happy. And you’re only given a certain amount of time to make a decision. So, at one point, it was reported that a strange fungus was growing on my buildings. There were options to ignore it or harvest the mushrooms, but I wasn’t convinced that would turn out well (I think there’s a random element in how some events play out). The only one that sounded safe was to dump all the building material affected and replace it, so I saved up 200 wood just to make sure my colony remained safe. While random events are nothing new in settlement builders, the ones in All Will Fall feel rather meaningful and your decisions impactful.

It’s hard not to see the similarities to Timberborn with its vertical-focused construction and engineering, as well as the changing states of the game world (Timberborn has drought seasons, while All Will Fall has high and low tides). However, the two games play out a lot differently. All Will Fall has a lot more to do with survival and resource collection, and that, combined with the random chance of the events, makes for something that feels more like “survival” compared to Timberborn’s optimization focus.

Building a colony out in the middle of the ocean is a lot more relaxing than it sounds. While there is the constant pressure of time, there’s a lot of space to just poke around with making new structures to try and please your people. It helps that the soundtrack is low-intensity, and so much of your vision will always be taken up in waves.

A lot still needs to be balanced and polished, however. I never felt that the social systems were all that meaningful. You can change things like rationing on a group level, for example, but I rarely needed to do that outside of specific events. I did have trouble telling whether or not happiness and loyalty were the same thing, and their effects weren’t very pronounced outside of gaining more influence. But as things stand, All Will Fall is a fun and enjoyable survival builder with a unique hook. It takes lessons from the best and adds its own spin that gives it distinction, and if everything comes together right, it might come close to reaching that high water mark.

If you want to try out All Will Fall, there's an open playtest on Steam that runs until January 31st. It's planning a launch sometime in 2025.

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All Civilization enjoyers know one rule is absolute when it comes to playing the popular 4X strategy series: games will always last longer than you anticipate. If I got a nickel every time some friends and I would plan to "play a game of Civ tonight" and end up playing the same game over the next few days...well, I'd have a lot of nickels.

With Sid Meier's Civilization VII, developer Firaxis has created a solution to this problem in the form of three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. On standard speed and Age lengths, each of these three ages will last between 150-200 turns, equivalent to about three or four hours of playtime. For those seeking a long grand campaign that progresses through all three Ages, you can do so.

Those looking for a shorter game can opt to start at the beginning of any of the three Ages, and doing so in the Exploration or Modern Age will give you an Advanced Start to the Age, so it's as if you have played the previous ones.

Back in August 2024, I got some hands-on time with Civilization VII's first Age, the Age of Antiquity. Now, for the first time, I got to dive into the second one: the Exploration Age. As the game describes it, the Antiquity Age is all about settling the immediate lands around you and planning out your civilization. With the Exploration Age, your new goal is to, well, explore. And expand. Reaching the Exploration Age will let you change your Civilization, and therefore change the focus of your empire. This means you can focus on expansion or economy in the Antiquity Age and then switch towards a militaristic or science-focused approach in the Exploration Age.

I will say, when I first jumped in, I immediately wanted to check out the Exploration Age, so I opted to utilize the Advanced Start to do so. With how much new there is in the series' latest entry, and having not played Civilization since the preview event back in August 2024, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the new systems. After about an hour, I decided to restart from the Antiquity Age, where that was not an issue. Obviously, after playing more and getting a real grasp of all the new additions to Civilization VII, this won't be an issue. But until you have that experience and knowledge, you're probably better off starting in the Antiquity Age, which gradually introduces the new systems to you over time.

The Exploration Age is where you really start to reap the benefits of the fruits of your labor from the previous Age. And with the ability to change your civilization and shift your empire's focus, it fixes a long-time problem of the series. You don't feel penalized for changing things up, and it adds a lot more flexibility for less-experienced players who might not be min-maxing things from the start. That being said, I imagine it will also create some crazy "build potential" for veteran players who do try and min-max the best civilizations to change to in each Age for each Leader.

After my all-day play session through the first two Ages, I backed out to the Main Menu and found the newly announced meta progression in Civilization VII, and I have to admit: it's pretty awesome. As someone who enjoys chasing achievements and trophies in games, this new system rewards players for doing so. Regardless of your skill level with Civ 7 and how you choose to play—whether you focus on one specific Leader or experiment with many of them—you'll complete challenges and unlock rewards along the way.

Every Leader in Civilization 7 has their own Leader Path to progress through, starting at Level 1 and going up to Level 10. Your account as a whole has a Foundation Path, also starting at Level 1 and progressing all the way up to Level 50, earning XP towards the path regardless of which leader you play as. Both Paths have various challenges you can complete to earn X,P such as completing quests, reaching Legacy Path Milestones, and more.

Leveling up these Paths earns you a variety of rewards from cosmetic Badges, Banners, Borders, and Titles for your Player Card, as well as actual game-changing rewards called Mementos. These Mementos are essentially special items that you can equip on your leader at the start of a game, giving you a little extra bonus as well as giving you the ability to further specialize your play style. And while Mementos can be used in multiplayer, lobby hosts also have the option of disabling them. The added meta progression helps to fix one of the longstanding issues with the Civilization series, which is the feeling of "What now?" after ending a many-hours-long session by rewarding players over time for their achievements.

I'm excited to check out the third and final Modern Age and see what the late game of Civ 7 feels like. Once I've done so, keep an eye out for my full Sid Meier's Civilization VII review as we get closer to its February 11, 2025 release date!

The post Preview: Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is perfect for shorter micro-games or grand campaigns with its new Ages system appeared first on Destructoid.

For as much as I enjoyed The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak, I really did miss some of the minigames from the Trails of Cold Steel series like Snowboarding, Fishing, and even the card game Vantage Masters.

If you're a minigame aficionado like myself, it looks like The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II will have a lot for you to enjoy. Last week developer Nihon Falcom and Publisher NIS America showed me a glimpse of the fun to be had when the sequel releases next month.

Like any good JRPG, the story is a big part of the appeal, so not much was shared in that regard other than the sequel takes place three months after the events from the original Trailts Through Daybreak, and a Crimson-colored Grendel, the special armored form of the main character Van, has been terrorizing the capital city of Edith. I was also assured that the full roster of characters from the original would be returning in the sequel as well as some new faces.

Next, my day was made, with the reveal that minigames would be returning in Trails Through Daybreak II, including fishing in its most refined form yet. Look, Fishing wasn't the best in its various forms throughout Cold Steel, but it was still a welcome minigame to dive into, and I'm happy to see it return.

Various other minigames will make an appearance throughout the RPG including Hacking, where you guide an avatar through a maze with a time limit while avoiding various obstacles, a 1-on-1 simple shooting and defending basketball minigame, and Seven Hearts, a new Card Game making its debut in Trails Through Daybreak II.

While not necessarily a minigame, the Nihon also showcased a new optional area in Trails Through Daybreak II called the Marchen Garten. In a nutshell, the Marchen Garten is a virtual world that exists outside of the main game world and allows players to obtain equipment, level up, and earn other bonuses that can be used in the main game. Players can build their own dream party from over 15 characters before ascending a randomized multi-floor dungeon. The Marchen Garten is also tied to Trails Through Daybreak II's post-game content with post-game-specific floors, story content, and two characters that are not playable in the main game.

As I said, the story is the driving factor for me when it comes to any Trails game, but it sounds like Nihon is adding a lot of varied gameplay to the RPG.

For players interested in trying out Trails Through Daybreak II, two demos are scheduled to be released exclusively on PS5 and PS4 on January 24, 2025. The first is a Story Demo, taking place at the start of the game and running through the beginning of Chapter 1. Save data from this demo will carry over to the main game. The second is a Gameplay Demo that allows players to fight through two floors of the Marchen Garten with pre-selected parties.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II is set to release on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2025, on PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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I've always been relatively hesitant when it comes to the RPG world. It could be because of my indulgence in the simple pleasures of cozy games or linear-heavy storylines. Or maybe I get too overwhelmed whenever my inventory gets overloaded with all the useless things I've picked up.

This uncertainty arose once again when I first began the adventures of Avowed, a first-person RPG in the same universe as Obsidian Entertainment's hit title, Pillars of Eternity. Even though I've never quite mastered the art of roleplaying games, nor have I ever played PoE, it didn't take long for me to get fully immersed in Avowed's world. It makes you feel like you're stepping into a classic fairytale book where you wield a myriad of powers in the palm of your hands.

As an envoy sent by the Aedyran emperor, you're tasked with stopping the deadly Dreamscourge plague that's taking over the Living Lands. Its corruption spreads throughout the realm, causing people and animals to turn into Dreamthralls, a destructive state in which their souls are no longer theirs. Fortunately, you have the powers of a Godlike at your side, giving you divine abilities that can halt the Dreamscrourge.

Initially, I was worried that I wouldn't understand Avowed's lore, as it has some correlation to Pillars of Eternity. But from what I gather, Avowed is a standalone title, so there's no need to jam-pack yourself with PoE knowledge. What's more, there's a handy Dialogue History & Lore feature that explains any vague terms the game throws at you.

Gameplay-wise, Avowed opens with a standard character creation that works like any other RPG. You can change general stuff like body type, hair, and background. However, the Godlike facial features set it apart from other roleplaying games. You'll be able to use its unique visuals to give your character a traditional fantasy look. It'll typically appear as a colorful fungi, creating distinct designs on your face. I know something like fungi doesn't sound the most visually pleasing, especially if you've seen The Last of Us' Clickers, but it's actually quite pretty to look at with its vibrant colors.

There isn't much to Avowed's character creation besides the Godlike facial features. It's pretty limited to various origins and races, restricting you to human and elf races. Nevertheless, your choices here are still crucial, specifically with Backgrounds and Attributes, as they can determine your dialogue selection later. For instance, I took on the Arcane Scholar Background, which gave me a bunch of knowledgeable and witty talking points. The Attributes, including Might, Dexterity, and Intellect, can also influence your conversations with other characters.

Since it's still a preview build, the choices weren't too abundant this time around. But I have a feeling decisions and character creation will be much more apparent with Avowed's full release. On the contrary, what does feel pretty fleshed out is the game's combat and exploration. Combat, especially, was the first thing that drew me in. I love diversity when it comes to weaponry and other tools, and luckily, Avowed excelled in this aspect.

You're not subjected to a single artillery; you have the freedom to wield any type of weapon at any given time. On one hand, you can have a grimoire, while the other holds a mighty spear. Most RPGs I've played would have restricted something like this, where they typically limit you to one playstyle. Yet, Avowed blends any two elements you desire for a more personalized experience. I particularly enjoyed having both magic and sword fighting at my disposal, a concept I always wished for to inflict both long and close-range strikes. Plenty of other options exist as well, such as bows and arrows, swords, hammers, and many more.

You'll also get help from your companions, who will assist you with various tasks on and off the battlefield. Sometimes, companions aren't the most compliant when it comes to games, but Avowed's characters prove their worth more than enough times. They can take down enemies and clear any obstructions throughout your journey. Plus, they are entertaining to hang around with, given that they will make snarky remarks to those who wrong you and commend your efforts in battle.

In a visual sense, Avowed's combat just looks fantastic. The first-person view puts you in the front seat, upping the thrill of eliminating the most fearsome creatures. I had fun using the pyro magic ability, spouting a beam of fire that made me feel like I was some Dragon Ball Z character unleashing an attack. However, considering that it is an early playthrough of the game, some parts appeared fuzzy and blurry, making some objects hard to see. The graphics primarily took a hit with its background, often showing low-quality structures.

The cutscenes, on the other hand, were the most detailed and aesthetically pleasing. I can tell a lot of time went into these scenes, featuring some of the most realistic pieces of work I've seen in a game. I'm excited to see it grow with Avowed's official release, which hopefully polishes up the fuzziness of its background.

All in all, Avowed has the potential to be the standout RPG of 2025. Its accessible mechanics make it a welcoming experience for newcomers to the genre, while its diverse combat tactics provide a satisfying challenge. In just a few hours, I found myself lost in its expansive world, filled with a variety of activities. I was left feeling empty inside by the end of the preview, just because I wanted to play more.

Avowed gave me the same sense of wonder and excitement that I felt when I first played the 2023 Game Awards winner, Baldur's Gate 3. Both titles have that classic RPG charm that truly immerses you in their stories and worlds, inspiring me to want to try out others in this genre. So, if you've been searching for a game that can fill the void left by BG3, I can confidently recommend Avowed.

Get ready for the launch of Avowed on Feb. 18, 2025. It will be available on PC and Xbox Series X|S platforms. Those with the Xbox Game Pass can dive into the game on Day One through the Ultimate or PC GP. Pre-orders are already open for all platforms, offering a Standard Edition for $69.99 or a Premium version for $89.99. The anticipation for this game is palpable, and I can't wait to see how it unfolds.

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Windblown is an action-heavy rogue-lite coming from the makers of the indie darling Dead Cells. For many fans of the genre, that line alone should be enough to garner high interest. But for those who need a bit more of a nudge, don't worry: Windblown is pretty dang fun.

The game comes to us from Motion Twin, which, until recently, has been supporting the 2018 breakout hit Dead Cells. Fans of rogue-lites should know the 2D action game well, as it's been propped up as one of the very best in the genre. And it is. Windblown has one hell of an act to follow.

Getting into the motion

So far, Motion Twin seems more than up to the task. While Windblown may not end up redefining the genre, my seven hours with the demo have convinced me it may have the potential to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its predecessor.

It still carries the typical marks of the genre: You enter a dangerous, randomly generated series of biomes; kill enemies while collecting cash; die, and return to the hub world to unlock upgrades that will hopefully get you a little bit further with every run.

Windblown isn't Dead Cells' successor, however. Unlike its cousin, Windblown is fully 3D, dropping the pixel art to embrace polygons and a gorgeous, hand-painted world. The isometric camera gives you a fuller view of each region and battle arena, allowing you to zip around multiple foes or ascend/descend with ease. The game prioritizes speed with its dash move, which you'll end up using with reckless abandon.

Upgrades, people

But Windblown is still very much a Motion Twin game. At the start, I was dropped into the middle of the game's first biome with nothing more than a Fish Knife sword to my name. I dashed through the first biome, tackling enemy robots and smashing pots for golden Shells. Treasure chests and some enemies dropped crimson-colored Cogs, the currency you take back to the hub to exchange for new upgrades.

I was feeling good, and maybe a bit too cocky. Soon enough, as many are wont to do, I bit off more than I could chew. A mini-boss sent my anthropomorphic axolotl ass back to base camp where I respawned and promptly threw up in front of some strangers. It could have gone a little better.

This is where you get introduced to The Ark, a series of floating islands where you can practice your combos, purchase upgrades, and chat up the locals. Cogs are spent on upgrades such as one that unlocks a Health Flask or another that gives you a starting weapon for each new run.

Windblown during its first few hours feels like running into a brick wall. But you become stronger as you finish more and more runs, and soon enough you may just be ready to face off against the tougher challenges. Memories of fallen warriors you come across during runs give you access to things like special abilities and new weapons, which you can start unlocking after completing a quest to fix a robot friend on The Ark. By the end of the demo, I began every new run with a second starting weapon, a starting Trinket (such as bombs), and a level-three Health Flask. There was a lot more left to unlock.

Getting into the groove

Much like it did in Dead Cells, the climb feels daunting in Windblown, but still just as worth it. At first, I wasn't sure what I thought about the game's combat. It felt, for the lack of a better description, a bit lukewarm. But soon enough, it "clicked."

You know the moment; it's when you slowly fall into a rhythm and the game starts getting exciting. For me, that was after I began mastering a move called the Alterattack, which you unlock early. Pressing a button at the end of a combo when the Alterattack icon appears above your head lets you unleash a powerful special attack. The kind of attack depends on your secondary weapon type. One attack may fling you into the air in a devastating spin slash, whereas another adds a bleed effect to your primary weapon.

After a while, I was able to find weapon combos that synergized well with my playstyle — and I was having a blast. Windblown leans hard on quick reflexes and knowing when to strike or give your foe some distance. The action is fun and frantic, with plenty of skin-of-your-teeth moments where you barely avoid a devasting blow with a well-timed dash. You can also delay your Alterattack by activating it the split second after a dash, letting you evade an attack and follow up or get into a better position.

Eye candy

My enjoyment of the combat was buoyed by Windblown's wonderful visuals. The game's environments are rich in color, featuring thick blades of grass that dance with the breeze. I have a particular fondness for the water in the first biome. As a child, I always felt in awe of aquariums you can look into from above. The rivers and ponds of the first biome remind me of those, complete with gently waving underwater grass and floating lily pads. I didn't notice any fish, though.

Of course, it's sometimes hard to soak in the visuals due to how fast you can move through the biomes. The sense of movement in Windblown is fantastic. Using the dash, you're able to zip across gaps and move from floating platform to platform with blistering speed. It's thrilling to tap the dash button and watch your character scream across the level like a bullet. There was more than one moment where I lamented not having a turbo button, but that's not an issue that lasts for long (wink).

But it's also wise to slow down at times. The two levels contained secrets with hidden chests offering up a bounty of Shells to exchange for new weapons, items, or things like Gifts that offer passive upgrades such as health or damage increases. Looking for treasure hidden behind waterfalls is a classic gaming trope, but it's one that Windblown is happy to keep in the zeitgeist.

It's dangerous to go alone

Windblown can be played solo or with a group of friends. Up to three people can play together to clear worlds and take on bosses. Sadly, I wasn't able to experience the game with an ally. If you do, be sure to unlock the ability to change your appearance at The Ark (a cheap upgrade is required). Surely not everyone needs to be an axolotl, no matter how tempting it may be. I ended up swapping between the lizard and hamster, myself.

The demo I played was completed after I beat the second stage boss, which was an absolute monster compared to the first one. But I enjoyed what I experienced in the end. Windblown has some big shoes to fill, but so far it seems to be up to the task. You can try the game yourself later this month when a Steam demo containing the first biome launches on October 14, 2024. The game enters Steam Early Access on October 24, 2024.

The post Hands-on: Windblown is an action-packed rogue-lite that leans on speed and fast reactions appeared first on Destructoid.

For a series that featured super-powered teens punching their way through enemy hordes, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was bereft of brawlers during its glory days of the '90s. Developer Digital Eclipse is set to fix that with Rita's Rewind, and so far, it seems up to the task.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers featured many brawls between teen drama and visits to the Angel Grove Youth Center, but beyond this, there was only one beat 'em up video game I can recall. In the '90s? I know, it's completely absurd! There were many fighting games, naturally. The brawler in question launched only for the Super Nintendo in 1995. I was a Sega kid, which meant I was out of luck.

You know what time it is

As a rabid fan of the show in my youth, I could only dream of something like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind. Sure, I did enjoy the fighter on the Sega Genesis, in which I mostly won by spamming the Black Ranger's OP axe combo. But, as someone who would play Streets of Rage in the morning and later watch the cheesy, spark-heavy show, I wanted the same for the Rangers. After playing the demo, I'm confident that Rita's Rewind could end up being the game I always wanted.

It stars the titular teenagers with attitude who must punch and kick their way through waves of Putties on their way to dispatch one of Rita's nasty beasts. But the game isn't some anachronistic continuation of the show; it's a celebration of the golden age of the Power Rangers.

Rita's Rewind focuses on the original team from the first two seasons. Billy, Zach, Jason, Trini, and Kimberly face off against Rita Repulsa, but the scream queen isn't alone. Rita pairs up with Robo-Rita, a robotic variant of herself who successfully uses a time portal to return to the past. The game's story is inspired heavily by the plot of the 2023 Netflix special Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. I'll avoid any spoilers, but it's an inspired idea.

Taking the beats to the Angel Grove streets

Rita's Rewind is a beat 'em up in the strictest sense. You hit the streets and then hit everything that moves until you're the last one standing. Watch for the Go! sign and keep heading right. Combat is broken into light and heavy combos, complete with dash attacks, uppercuts, and dive moves. Anyone who has played a brawler in the last few decades will feel at home. The game also includes a move to get behind an enemy with an option for a follow-up attack, something that TMNT: Shredder's Revenge players should warmly embrace.

Rita's Rewind certainly feels like it's taking some cues from the Shredder's Revenge playbook, at least in the short demo I experienced. But it pulls off the action exceptionally well, much better than other games attempting to mix nostalgia and 2D brawler action. Up to five players can team up on the couch or in online co-op for some Putty-punching fun. And punch Putties you will.

The game isn't shy about filling the screen with the brainless gray foes. Busting combos as your Ranger of choice will send dozens of Putties spiraling across the screen with satisfying thwack noises. Enemy types include your regular Putties but also ones with spikes for hands and the flying, crow-like Tengas. A meter charges up as you punch and slash your way through the game, allowing you to let rip a super move that clears the screen.

The gameplay is crisp and smooth, leaving me little doubt that Rita's Rewind won't disappoint any of us old fogies when it arrives later this year. There was also plenty I didn't experience in the demo, including shooting and vehicle segments showcased in the game's trailer.

I do have a few quibbles, but nothing too major. The super moves are merely serviceable and mostly exist as one-button screen wipes. They differ based on which Ranger fires it off, either by killing or freezing enemies. I didn't see them all, but I hope there's more variation. It felt like the team and I were competing with who could hold it and kill the most enemies simultaneously, leading to multiple supers going off at the same time. The window of time to pull off the downward attack also felt too short, and many of my successful attempts seemed like luck.

We played a level that felt early in the game, which saw my team and I throwing fists in Angel Grove. The city looks fantastic in its pixelated form, from its grungy street to its rooftop cafes. Billboards for recognizable places from the show dotted the background. The battle was fierce as we reached the final roof, where Rita's iconic henchman, Goldar, was waiting for an old-timey scrap. We duked it out, and I was surprised by how tough the golden boy was.

Make this monster grow

We eventually won the battle, but the demo ended just as Rita hurled her wand to Earth for the classic kaiju-esque fight. Man, now that I think about it, I'm surprised no professional team ever offered her a contract. Rita's got a cannon for an arm if she's tossing that staff from the moon.

During the demo, I got to chat about the game with Digital Eclipse's content editor and industry vet Dan Amrich. He showed me the ropes and ultimately teased what happens after Rita makes her monster grow. I expected a sequence like in the show where the Rangers hop into their Dinozords to combine to form the Megazord for a titanic dust-up. That's true, but Amrich explained there's often more to it than that. You often get to pilot the Dinozords and fend off attacks, fighting your way with the team before a co-op fight using the Megazord. It all sounds so damn cool.

He also mentioned that many of those who came to try the demo hit him with a similar question: "Where's the White Ranger?" In August, Digital Eclipse revealed that players can unlock Tommy the Green Ranger after completing the campaign. It's only natural that fans would desire to play as him in his clean, Season 2 drip.

Mostly, though, we reminisced about the show and how much it influenced us in our youth. When speaking with Dan, it was clear that Rita's Rewind is a passion project for him and the team. I can definitely feel it. If the small slice of the game is any representation, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind will be one for the fans and lovers of beat 'em up games. Before we parted, I couldn't resist asking Amrich if we should expect the White Ranger to arrive. He laughed and quickly made his escape. I'll take that as a soft maybe.

The post Hands-on: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is an exciting blend of action and campy ’90s nostalgia appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a general rule of thumb with open-world RPGs that if you run across a man yelling in the street, he may have an important quest. That's how I met with Meister Menhard, who swept me into a narrative tale of swords and noble thievery in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.

The Kingdom Come: Deliverance II demo I played at PAX West wasn't geared toward the expected combat and exploration aspects of the massive RPG. There was some swordplay, mind. But mostly my short time with the game introduced me to the choices I can make and their consequences, good or ill.

Choices matter

The demo was roughly 50 to 60 hours into the 80-to-100-hour campaign. At least, that's what Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, the international PR manager at developer Warhorse Studios told me. But before I hit the dusty streets of 15-century Kuttenberg in Bohemia, I was told something else. Stolz-Zwilling directed me to speak with Menhard to start his quest but, in a cryptic tone, asked me to choose any dialogue option except to stay silent. He would explain why after the demo had finished.

With a cloud of foreboding hanging just above my head, I struck up a conversation with Menhard.

He was upset. Based on our conversation, Meister Menhard von Frankfurt, a boisterous German man, was invited by King Wenceslas to start a sword-fighting school in Kuttenberg. Unfortunately, some internal politics have kept him out of class and in the street where he stood issuing challenges. I took him up on his request.

Learning the ropes

As an admission of guilt, I never played the first Kingdom Come game — it's on my backlog! After a gentle razzing by Stolz-Zwilling, he explained that people who didn't experience the original could still enjoy the sequel without needing to play it. You again step into the dirty boots of the former blacksmith Henry, who is on a new adventure. The sequel also won't gloss over the mechanics for new players. In this case, it was sword-fighting.

I took up the blade against Menhard, who promised to teach me the ways with a solid thrashing. This was good news for me because I had no idea what I was doing.

Combat is more intuitive in Deliverance II, but the aspects are the same: You use the mouse or controller to angle your attack; watch your opponent's weapon; strike where their weapon isn't, and guard in the direction of their swing. A rosette in the center shows the direction of your attack via a red arrow.

Menhard and I fought, but I was on the back foot most of the battle. In my defense, this was my first sword fight in the series, and it's not quite as rudimentary as something from, say, The Elder Scrolls. But I somehow managed to turn the fight around, and with a few lucky ripostes, the Meister was on the defense. Before I could claim victory, our fight got interrupted by the guild leaders of the established sword-fighting school. And they weren't happy about the public display.

This was the conversation hinted at earlier. I had the option of saying nothing, but I dutifully defended Menhard against the agitators. There are multiple persuasion techniques you can employ in the game. You can tackle things using a Speech skill, or woo people to your side with Charisma. With Henry's own blood splashed across his face, I somehow managed to convince them to back off — after exchanging some choice words and a bit of coin. But things weren't settled yet.

Backroom schemes

I soon ended up in a tavern with Menhard, who was hatching a plan. To get his training school established, he needed to challenge the current guild and win. But that can only happen if the guild is seeking duels. Naturally, they weren't. And that's where Henry comes in.

I agreed to take a covert mission to sneak into the sword-fighting hall and steal the guild sword. It felt logical at the time. Once the sword was mine, I would put it on display on the walls of the Kuttenberg town hall, indicating they were open for challengers. Easy.

The streets of Kuttenberg were bustling during the day, as townsfolk moved through the streets with supposed purpose. I traveled toward the quest marker, pointing the way to the guild. The trip across the city took longer than expected based on the hand-drawn map. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a bigger game than its predecessor, boasting a 25% larger world. Kuttenberg is one of the key locations in the game, and it's certainly no hamlet.

At last, I managed to make my way to the guild. The rectangular building looked unassuming, but the shields decorating the front and the two armed guards were dead giveaways. I staked the place out, looking for methods of ingress. The locked door in the back looked like my ticket in.

Sneaking in the dark

Like with many open-world RPGs, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II lets you wait a set amount of time. I waited for the cover of night. Henry must automatically equip a torch because I had one in hand after the timer ended. I tried putting it away, but Stolz-Zwilling told me it was a bad idea. If a guard happened to be walking by, they would get suspicious of a man meandering in the streets at night without a torch. But what about when I'm inside the guild? Well, that's okay, he said. But how would I see anything? Fair point.

I wandered over to the locked door in the back, where I was introduced to my next challenge: lockpicking. Like with many RPGs, you can pick locked doors. To do so in Kingdome Come II, you drag the cursor around the lock until you see it glow. Next, you need to select it (in my case, holding down the left mouse button), hold right (or the D key), and move the cursor in a circular pattern while staying within the glowing spot. I'm not sure how much the lock difficulty mattered in the demo I was playing, but I managed to clear two locks on my first try.

Regardless, I was in. I ignored the paranoia my still-equipped torch was providing and crouched down to stay quiet. I heard snoring, but that didn't mean I was in the clear. Sneaking through the guild, I managed to find the sword hanging from a wall upstairs. I shoved it into my woolen pantaloons and headed back down.

I was right to be worried; someone was awake. A guard must have heard me because he was stalking the pantry while muttering that he knew I was there. I waited for him to wander into another room before darting to the exit.

Challenge accepted

I hung the sword on the town hall and returned to the tavern, where I waited for Menhard. After giving him the good news, and promising I pulled off the heist without killing anyone, we went to the town hall. Sure enough, the opposing guild showed up, and they were pissed. But the scheme worked, and they agreed to a duel.

Before the demo ended, Menhard said he wanted me to join his motley school as its first student. With blood still caked on Henry's face, I agreed.

Mine was just one tale, and many players may not experience it the exact same way. For example, if I lost the battle against Menhard earlier in the quest, he would have required me to pass a test before joining his school. I guess stealing a sword from under the opposing guild's nose wasn't enough. Instead, I was initiated after pointing out that I narrowly handed him his ass.

Many branching paths await

Wait, what about that warning about staying silent? According to Stolz-Zwilling, refusing to defend Menhard and his crew would result in them getting kicked out of the city. You can still do the quest, but that requires looking for them stewing outside the city walls.

In the roughly 40-minute demo, I experienced multiple situations in which Henry's path could change. I managed to sneak out with the sword. But what if I got caught? What if someone was killed? I can only imagine just how many different ways Henry's story will change based on the consequences of my actions, from swordplay to conversation choices.

The game will feature more than 2.2 million words in its script, which may just eclipse the current world-record holder, Baldur's Gate 3. This suggests that, no matter what choices you make, Warhorse Studios may have thought of an answer. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II could end up providing many water cooler conversations, and I don't plan on missing out when the game launches on February 11, 2025.

The post Hands-on: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a game where every choice matters, even when you stay silent appeared first on Destructoid.

Square Enix and Mistwalker's 2021 RPG Fantasian is finally escaping the confines of mobile and making it to new platforms as Fantasian Neo Dimension. Having played the game on PlayStation 5, I feel RPG fans have something to be excited about — but a ghost of handhelds past may end up haunting it.

Those who know me best will agree that I'm not the biggest JRPG player in the world. It's not that I dislike the genre — far from it. I know what these are about. You start by rolling out of bed at your parents' house, fast-forward about 100 hours, and you're body-slamming god through a fold-out table. Trust me, I get it.

Dance to my beat

To be clear, my enjoyment of JRPGs mostly hinges on how well they "vibe" with me. There are many games in the genre I played for some dozen or so hours and dropped. But in comparison, there are others I've completely devoured. For every unfinished Dark Cloud, there's Skies of Arcadia, which I've heaped praises on for decades. I couldn't get through Ni no Kuni, but you better believe I did everything in Tales of Vesperia and fulfilled my destiny by, yes, piledriving its god through a fold-out table.

My time with Fantasian was brutally short, but I'm thrilled to say that, save for one glaring issue, by the end of the demo I was rocking out to its rhythm. And I can sum up the primary reason with one confounding word: Bowling. Yes, bowling, which I'll explain shortly.

Playing the classics

For those who don't know, Fantasian is a turn-based RPG that launched in 2021 for mobile via Apple Arcade. A Mistwalker game, it involved two legends of the genre. The game's writer is none other than Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy. He's paired with composer Nobuo Uematsu, who was behind the music of Final Fantasy for more than a decade. If you, ever in your life, have listened to "One-Winged Angel" on repeat, you can thank Uematsu. It should come as no surprise that Fantasian feels like an echo of the past.

The game's story revolves around Leo, a young man who was viciously bludgeoned by an RPG trope. Suffering from amnesia, he's led by a lingering memory to find himself and save the world from a mechanical virus. Naturally, he's joined by fellow warriors of all types, whom he gathers as you make your way through the game.

The demo I played included such a chance encounter. It was early in the game, and I found Leo paired with the white magician Kina and Cheryl, a spellcaster with mastery over ice magic. I walked through the world for a short while before finding a man under attack by someone with two wolf-like enemies called Wolzas by his side.

I've seen this one before

Pleasantries be damned, we decided to help the man being attacked. The game split the party, allowing me to use the stranger against the Wolzas. His kit was certainly interesting. Partnered with a spirit beast, his most powerful abilities drained not mana, but his own life bar.

Fantasian boasts traditional turn-based combat with weapon attacks and magic. I used Leo to slice away at foes, while Kina supported him and the stranger with healing and holy magic. There were only two enemies, allowing me to focus on one at a time. We easily won the fight, as it wasn't meant to be any kind of boss battle. The man took off, and so did Leo and friends.

Taking it all in

The post-battle respite gave me some time to soak in the game's environments. I wasn't acknowledging it before the fight, but the visuals of Fantasian Neo Dimension struck me during this moment. I thought things looked a bit odd at first. The characters were typical polygonal models, but the environment had a surreal, dream-like quality. It was as if I was manipulating toys in a miniature movie set. I wasn't far off.

Fantasian Neo Dimension utilizes hand-made dioramas blended with polygons and CG to showcase its world. I'm not sure how well it worked on a mobile device, but the effect was stunning on the larger monitor I used. The tan trail, looking like it was comprised of sawdust, was fenced off with blue and magenta bushes. Large boulders dusted by green paint appeared to be made of clay. I could see places where they were scraped by tools.

As an upgrade, Fantasian Neo Dimension supports up to 4K on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam. I don't believe I experienced it during my preview, but I can only imagine just how much more impressive the game can look at that aspect ratio. Fantasian Neo Dimension may end up having one of the most beautiful visuals I've experienced in games. It's quite breathtaking in motion.

Despite the 4K support, Fantasian Neo Dimension still bears the marks of mobile gaming. The characters are tiny on the screen, and the icons in the UI are large. That's not a huge issue, of course.

Out of control

But there is one lingering remnant that is. Since you're meant to use a controller, you manipulate characters via a thumbstick instead of tapping a location on a screen. Moving characters using the latter method means that the camera has to relocate to support new perspectives, showing you more of the environment. But the thumbstick doesn't match the sudden swing the camera makes.

The effect made moving around feel like I was stuck in a pinball machine. I even got lost a few times after my viewpoint suddenly shifted. It frustratingly broke any immersion, and I ended up feeling a bit sick to my stomach. I hope it gets improved ahead of launch.

Despite bouncing around like a metal ball in a can of spray paint, I was still able to progress more in the demo. As per the norm, you can fight enemies in random encounters. But since I always feel a tad rushed when playing demos at events, I ended up running past a lot of fights. Well, that decision eventually caught up with me.

It's a dungeon dimension, get it?

Fantasian Neo Dimension includes a unique system called a Dimengeon, which is a portmanteau of "dungeon" and "dimension." Every time you avoid a random battle, the enemies are placed into the Dimengeon. If it reaches maximum occupancy, you're unceremoniously pulled into the dark world where you must fight all the baddies you ignored. The arena fills up with enemies with a counter on the top-right of the UI showing how many you need to fight to survive. It sounds oppressive. But you know what? I loved it.

This is where I return to my needlessly befuddling mention of bowling from earlier. Scrolling through the list of spells, you can see icons of which spell hits one enemy and which will pierce multiple. On mobile, using powers like magic spells required you to drag your finger to create a path toward enemies. With piercing shots, you can manipulate the spell's trajectory to blast through as many baddies as possible. The system works wonderfully on the controller. You pick a spell, move the thumbstick to create a straight or curved line, and let it fly!

In my first Dimengeon fight, I happily abused my piercing abilities at every chance. Gimmicks, shown as glowing icons, also appear in the Dimengeon and are often placed on the ground between your party and enemies. Hitting them with an ability grants a special power-up like increased damage.

I got into a groove. Enemies would plop onto the field en masse and I'd arc a blast of magic through a Gimmick before hitting up to five foes at once, killing several while injuring the others. It's just so much fun! I didn't even mind how much time I spent tearing through Mecha Jellyfish. The game also allows you to see many upcoming turns (up to 12 by my count) at once, allowing you to plan far ahead.

It's incredibly easy and intuitive and, yes, does kinda feel like bowling. The way enemies cluster together on the screen is not too unlike pins you can knock down with a heavy strike. Every time I fired off a spell that devastated a line of helpless foes, I wanted to let out a small cheer. It's incredibly satisfying.

The battle wore on, but eventually, the enemy spawns slowed to a stop, allowing me to continue the demo. There wasn't much left to do, sadly.

Don't touch the merchandise

We soon stumbled on what I assumed was the reason we were here in the first place. My party located an old, injured man, who immediately warned us not to touch the nearby "golem" lest it wake up and beat everyone to a pulp. Leo, clearly understanding the assignment, waltzed over and touched the golem after trying to pull an item out from under it. The golem woke up and completely dusted my party in about three moves. Thanks, Leo.

The party wipe heralded the end of my time with Fantasian Neo Dimension. Despite my concerns over the controls, the demo left a strong impression. The game is beautiful and runs smoothly, and while standard combat feels rudimentary, the Dimengeon system adds a strong gust of fresh air.

Fantasian Neo Dimension doesn't have a release date yet, but it is scheduled to arrive in the winter of 2024. If the movement controls get smoothed out, I may happily add another to my shortlist of beloved (and finished) turn-based RPGs.

The post Hands-on: Fantasian Neo Dimension brings a refreshing twist on dungeon battles, but its awkward controls are distracting appeared first on Destructoid.

I always had mixed feelings about the original New World. I first played it when it launched in 2021 and got to experience the full mix of genuinely enjoyable gameplay, questionable server issues, and quests that repeated the same few objectives throughout most of my playthrough. Even with all that said, I still dedicated over 400 hours to it, and I enjoyed the pace change from more traditional MMOs.

Fast forward to 2024, Amazon Games announced a rerelease for this moderately successful MMO named New World: Aeternum. Since I'd been away from the community for a while, I had no idea what to expect going into it, and I'll admit to feeling some slight pessimism initially. Nonetheless, I looked forward to accepting and hopping into the Open Beta's early access weekend.

Fortunately, while it had a couple of mishaps here and there, New World: Aeternum did a great job at adding refreshing and interesting changes without turning it into a messy mish-mash of random features. I'll admit it: I'm hooked again, even if this revamped version has its ups and downs.

I was even more pleasantly surprised when I learned that this is a free, fresh-start rerelease for anyone who already owns New World. While it seems mostly intended for those with the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion, anyone with the base game will also see a good chunk of Aeternum's changes. At the very least, I was happy to hear that, outside of losing our original characters and servers, we would all get the chance to experience New World: Aeternum regardless of whether we had the expansion. Despite some pessimism at first, this was a positive thought I kept in mind as I was playing the open beta.

A rough start

I won't harp on my first few minutes of tackling New World: Aeternum's servers too much, especially since this was a beta test, but I still felt it was worth mentioning as someone who has firsthand experience with New World 1.0's launch. While I didn't encounter long queues or crashes like in the latter, minor error hiccups occurred, with a real possibility of them resurfacing later. Admittedly, this much is par for the course for live-service game launches and is ultimately up to personal discretion, but the parallels it drew to New World's 2021 launch lingered in my mind for some time.

That is until I finally entered the game and immediately experienced some new changes within the first few minutes. Any bad taste in my mouth at that point vanished instantly in favor of curiosity and intrigue. Wanting to see what other new features I'd discover, I dove in eagerly and forgot about my initial sour attitude going into this. Instead, it was replaced with fascination and optimism, albeit some skepticism that lingered even a couple of hours into my playthrough.

A few changes make all the difference

New World: Aeternum starts us off in a familiar setting, introducing us to Father Russo, Captain Thorpe, and crewmates on a pirate ship before diving into the game's character creator. Immediately, I recognize two massive changes: the polish of New World's new cutscenes and the revamped character menu. Rather than just designing your appearance and figuring out your weapons later, the game introduces you to archetypes, which are basically traditional character classes that impact your starting stats, weapons, and armor. Afterwards, you go into appearance and name-changing as usual.

I've always liked having a character class in games, especially MMOs, even if New World's original open-ended approach was more interesting to start. Since archetypes affect both your weapons and trade skills, giving you a 50-level boost to various skills, I'm left feeling curious about how it'll impact early and mid-game skilling, particularly once the trading post gets involved.

From this point onward, my optimism grew, and I suddenly felt genuinely eager to keep playing to see what other changes there were. By this moment, I had the game open for about ten minutes, and five of those were figuring out a weird server bug. Since I used a sword and shield during my first playthrough of New World, I entered New World: Aeternum as a ranger, giving my character a bow and spear to spice things up. There's a musketeer option, too, but I never really liked the feel of guns in the original and wanted to stick to something more familiar.

My unexpected feelings of intrigue and curiosity continued as I witnessed more of the game's cutscenes and, later, the tutorial. Although my memories of the original New World's tutorial were a little foggy due to how long it's been since I've seen this, I immediately recognized the stark contrast in the setup, our protagonist's background, and the sequence of events that happen in it. We're no longer just a random person who stumbled into a corrupted plane of existence and were forced to fight random enemies for reasons we'd barely pay attention to.

Instead, New World: Aeternum lays everything out through fascinating storytelling, a plot that actually makes sense, and surprisingly entertaining cutscenes that I enjoyed from beginning to end. We are a pirate who was part of the ship's crew, with Father Russo and Captain Thorpe's situations laid out in detail in front of us. I won't spoil what happens, but let's just say it makes more sense than whatever happened in the original New World. Even the tutorial and your usual ol' learning of the game's controls make sense now as you actively fight against the now-corrupted crew and have to fight your way out of the mess before your character dies.

Every change that New World: Aeternum introduces builds itself up to be a worthwhile successor to its original form even within its first few minutes. These feelings flourished as I played the game and noticed major and subtle quality-of-life changes, character interaction changes, and quest tweaks that made New World feel alive and refreshing. As time went on, though, I noticed that while there were plenty of differences, there were just as many similarities that were difficult to miss.

Something feels a little familiar

After leaving the vastly improved tutorial that shocked me beyond belief, I finally entered New World's main map. From the get-go, I was expecting a completely different game from what I experienced over two years ago. Instead, there were numerous similarities, and I noticed this almost immediately. Sure, the quest themselves are different, and there's enough changes that I wouldn't call New World: Aeternum identical to its original. Nonetheless, I wouldn't quite call it a day-and-night difference between the two versions.

One of the first places I checked was my weapons and skills. After all, I eventually got pretty involved in fine-tuning my builds so I could get more involved in expeditions in the original. Although I didn't expect a complete revamp, I wasn't anticipating the skills and buffs to be almost identical. I don't mind this, as that means I won't have to use too much brain power to come up with completely new builds from scratch, but I was hoping there'd be a few noteworthy changes.

The map and area names are also quite similar, with some level differences and quest-specific changes, as is the general mission structure. I've always enjoyed New World's quests despite most of them telling you to kill enemies and find items, and New World: Aeternum is no different. There's just something about seeing how your actions directly impact the world around you and the liveliness of the character's interactions with you that make generic quests feel worthwhile. You may not get vastly different mission structures in Aeternum, but you will get more interesting versions of what already existed.

The last main similarity I noticed immediately is the combat. While New World: Aeternum's feels much more polished and fluid than in its predecessor, it's still the same at its core. Trust me, I'm happy that I won't have to learn a completely new fighting style, but there are certainly opportunities to add some flair to combat, enemy types, and even basic movement that you won't see in this new version. The enemies themselves are also mostly the same, aside from some quest-related bosses.

Unfortunately, I didn't quite find an opportunity to try out PvP during this part of the open beta, but I'm definitely looking forward to it in the future. I had a whole basket of issues with it in the original version of New World, but with how much smoother combat feels now, I'm optimistic that there's been some noticeable improvement.

Despite these similarities, there are a bunch of changes that make New World: Aeternum interesting. NPC dialogue was completely reworked, several new quests feature some pretty fun objectives and boss battles, and most of the characters actually serve a purpose beyond just spouting exposition and dialogue that goes in one ear and out the other. There are enough changes in Aeternum to make the experience feel fresh and exciting while still staying familiar enough that someone who hasn't played for a while can get back into the swing of things without getting overwhelmed.

The world is old, but the experience is new

Although this might sound like I got bored or disinterested in Aeternum quickly, I still managed to fly through a good chunk of the open beta's content without even thinking about the time. If New World: Aeternum is so similar to the original, why was I able to play so much of it again without feeling bored?

Surprise. This feeling of surprise over witnessing how different yet familiar New World: Aeternum feels and how these changes are enough to revitalize my desire to replay it all over again. The original New World served as a valuable lesson for Amazon Games, and Aeternum's changes reflect this in every way.

New World: Aeternum also seems to be geared towards a few specific audiences. If you were on the fence about the original, Aeternum might be just what you need to try this game out. If you already enjoyed New World but just got a little tired of it, there's enough new content to enjoy that'll make the experience feel fresh. For anyone looking for a direct sequel, though, you won't find that here, and that's completely okay. If you're me, you'll feel overall content with the direction Aeternum is moving toward but still step forward cautiously in case the late-game experience goes awry or any drastic changes occur later down the line.

New World: Aeternum's open beta will run from September 13 to 16 on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC via Steam. Its full release is planned for October 15, 2024.

The post New World: Aeternum preview: A familiar world with a refreshed coat of paint appeared first on Destructoid.

Despite its status as a spin-off, Mario Party has become a well-established franchise of its own over the course of many years. Since 1998, the series has delighted and, often, enraged many fans. Super Mario Party Jamboree is next in line, bringing new ways to play and yell.

To be fair, most of the venting is due to the series of party games being surprisingly competitive, despite its delightfully spirited aesthetic. I've often joked that if you're looking to ruin friendships, few things work better than discussing religion, politics, or playing Mario Party. The games are a lot of fun for large gatherings, featuring exciting minigames to compete in as one of many dozens of Mario characters.

Party up in here

There are more than 20 Mario Party games across an assortment of consoles, handhelds, and arcades playing host to hundreds upon hundreds of minigames. It's impressive that the series continues to grow and add even more ways to play. Super Mario Party Jamboree will be no exception when it arrives on Nintendo Switch. It's a massive Mario Party game, featuring seven game boards, 22 playable characters, and more than 110 minigames. It also sports some cool new modes — two of which I got to try while at PAX West.

Sitting down at the event, I hopped into a traditional Party Mode with three others. We picked our chosen character, one going with Ninji, who makes their Mario Party debut. Pauline comes to Jamboree as the second of the two new characters to the roster. I went with my boy Wario, because, let's just face it, he's the best. Accept no substitute.

Wigglin' on by

We played on one of the new boards, Mega Wiggler's Tree Party. Super Mario Party Jamboree has five new boards for fans to try out, along with two from the series' past. Mario's Rainbow Castle from the original game is getting gussied up for Jamboree, as is Western Land from Mario Party 2.

Mega Wiggler's Tree Party is pretty much as you'd imagine. It's a board dressed up with bright, green grass, trees, and mushrooms. Piranha Plants are strategically placed around the board, napping away until a player got close enough for a bite. A gigantic Wiggler is holed up in the center — in a literal hole — with spaces on its back on which players could use to progress. Bells dotted around the map can be rung, causing the Wiggler to move and potentially ruin someone's grand plans.

The map may be new, but the goal remains the same as it has for the last 26 years: Hit the dice, move around the board, grab coins, win minigames, and collect those Stars! The one with the most Stars is the winner and the target of scorn.

Our match also started as expected. We took turns punching a rolling die, and the person with the highest number went first. For us, that was the newcomer Ninji, who managed to grab the game's first Star within a span of about two minutes. The tension was already rising.

We hopped into a few minigames while traveling around the board. One had us sliding around an icy platform while giant heads blew a gust of wind that threatened to push us into the cold water. Another had us ground-pound a button that sent out a ring of light; get hit by the light three times and you're out. Most of the games we played were were a blast, offering a blend of challenge and humor. Jamboree lets you practice the minigame and learn its rules before starting, which is typical.

We didn't manage to get too far. The Nintendo reps quickly moved us to the first of the game's new online modes before Ninji claimed another Star. I put down my chair.

A race to the top

Next was Koopathalon, a new, online multiplayer mode for up to 20 people. Our match was mostly filled with bots, but that didn't leave things any less competitive. In Koopathlon, you choose a character and dash laps around a large race track. Winning minigames allows you to advance on the course, while losing sets you back.

Of course, this means that the stakes are so much higher for winning those minigames. The last player standing gets a massive boost forward, while the stragglers end up eating dust. Things certainly felt more heated in Koopathlon, and I found myself nearing closer to the edge of my seat as we hopped from minigame to minigame. Being a somewhat competitive person in multiplayer games, Koopathlon kept me focused. I caught myself holding my breath a few times as my vision tunneled around the screen.

I found myself closely behind the player in first place. We raced on, using minigames as fuel to propel our characters forward. I discovered I'm quite good at a racing minigame where you press left or right to switch tracks while avoiding obstacles and collecting coins. I'll count my years grinding rails in Sonic games for that skill. There was another minigame that stood out in which you had to pull bread out of an oven at the right time. As someone who spent years working in professional kitchens, this one stressed me out more than taxes.

I ended up really enjoying Koopathlon. While I have nothing against the traditional Party Mode, Koopathlon presents a more high-octane approach to getting you into minigames. There was no rolling of the dice to move, nor store to buy items, or Stars declaring the winner — from what I could tell. You move, play minigames, and move again. So far, it feels like a fantastic alternative for those who want to ditch the Stars and chase the checkered flag.

Cooperative kaiju battles

The last mode we tried was another one new to the series. Bowser Kaboom Squad is an online multiplayer mode that's co-op, where you work together with a crew to take down a massive, city-stomping Bowser. The round-based mode tasked us with running around a board, busting through crates to collect bombs to toss into a cannon. When 20 bombs were loaded, it would fire at Bowser, chunking away at his health bar.

There were still minigames to play in Bowser Kaboom Squad. But afterward, you could collect items to help your team win. You could pick a banana peel and place it on Bowser's path, causing him to slip and fall on his scaly butt. Grabbing the mallet lets you break through the wooden boxes containing bombs faster. But my favorite is the pads that give you and your allies a brief burst of speed. Think of them like those Boost Pads in Mario Kart.

Bowser becomes more dangerous the longer the match goes. At low life, he belches fireballs into the air that land and continue to burn on the ground. The fire would block off certain paths, making it harder to get bombs to the cannon. Items like the boost pads could also be destroyed by the fire, slowing your progress.

We managed to win in the end. The final salvo of bombs was hand-delivered by your truly, and Bowser was beaten. (For now.) Bowser Kaboom Squad feels like a good addition to the roster of modes coming to the game. It was exciting to team up with the crew to take down a single big bad, as opposed to trying to one-up each other. The mode should prove to be a great for folks not wanting the high competition the other modes bring. It might also be a welcome palate-cleanser for those long party sessions.

Just around the corner

Super Mario Party Jamboree is shaping up to be a fantastic addition to the long-standing franchise. While fans of the traditional mode should be happy with the game, I'm glad to say that it has plenty of options to prevent things from getting stale.

I'd love to play more Koopathlon shortly, but I'm also looking forward to its co-op additions. Things should hopefully stay less stressful that way. Super Mario Party Jamboree is heading to the Nintendo Switch on October 17.

The post Hands-on: Super Mario Party Jamboree sparks fresh excitement (and a bit of road rage) with its new Koopathlon mode appeared first on Destructoid.

In these uncertain days of live service fumbles and AAAA pitfalls, there is comfort in the familiar. Akimbot is certainly that, harking back to the golden days of the PlayStation 2. It apes Ratchet & Clank's over-the-shoulder platforming and charm, no question. But its take on shooting action has me sold.

My demo of the game during PAX West was my first experience with Akimbot, having barely heard of it until last weekend. In short, the third-person action game, coming from developer Evil Raptor, stars a dynamic duo set to defeat an egomaniacal villain and rescue the galaxy, all the while blowing up a shitload of enemies using a variety of loud and colorful weaponry.

No school like old school

As I began the demo, I was pleased with how quickly my old, pre-arthritic digits got into the motion. I slid right into the gameplay loop, running and blasting away enemy bots like I'd been playing the game for years. You can jump, double jump, wall-run... the works. It performs just like those old PS2 shooter/platformers of yore and is just as much of a blast.

Akimbot stars a pair of bots on a quest to defeat the villain Evilware. You play as Exe, who takes on legions of robotic foes with a small arsenal of weapons. Floating behind him is Shipset, a sarcastic and witty bot who acts as a foil to Exe's cooler personality. Akimbot certainly makes no qualms about what kind of game it's trying to be, but that's okay. Ratchet & Clank's ageless style is exciting and fun. There's no need to hoard it.

But I don't want to focus too hard on its similarities when the differences are what left the stronger impression.

The classics still work

I've played quite a few Ratchet & Clank games, even drumming up a list of every release in existence. They're fantastic; the franchise wouldn't be still going for more than two decades otherwise. But there is one gameplay quirk about the gunplay that low-key bothered me. Shooting using the series' array of fantastic sci-fi weapons always felt good, but I had a hard time finding any rhythm. I would pick a favorite weapon, use it until I ran out of ammo, swap to my second favorite, and so on. Not so with Akimbot.

Unlike the aforementioned example, the Akimbot demo showcased a lineup of more traditional weapons. I had a machine gun, a sniper rifle, and a rocket launcher as my default picks, easily swappable via the right and left controller bumpers or d-pad. You may be irked at the idea of a Ratchet-like not having a weapon that launches clowns with sharp teeth or something, but Akimbot celebrates its time-tested weaponry.

Roshambot

Akimbot embraces a kind of rock-paper-scissors element to its weapon combat. Enemies will normally go down under machine gun fire, but foes with shields shrug off the bullets. When that happens, a quick swap to a rocket launcher is what you need to shatter their bubble (and confidence). Other enemies are comfortable shooting at you from long range, but less happy when you can slap back with a sniper rifle. On many occasions, I had to deal with all types of enemies at once.

Many of the battles consisted of me not favoring one weapon, but everything: Shoot the two robots nearby; swap and crack the shields of two others; swap to the sniper and headshot the guy in the background; clean up the remainder. As my health got chipped away in the fight, I quickly sniped the floating healing droid in the background to nearly instantly replenish some of my HP and went back to combat.

Once I got into the rhythm, the game flowed beautifully. Ratchet & Clank focuses on guns that can be silly, fun, and certainly useful in the right situations, and that might be the most ideal if it's your thing. But if you'd like to experience that classic gameplay with more tried-and-true guns, Akimbot weaves that action into its gameplay with confidence.

Adding some color

That's not to say there aren't any far-flung guns or situations to be had in Akimbot. You can switch to powerful super weapons like the dual-wieldable Akimbos or the Acid Melter. Plus, there are things I didn't experience in the demo that I wish I had. Like the robotic dinosaur. Yeah, that's a bummer. There are also drivable vehicles like a tank and a spaceship. The demo I played featured a driving section with a car that could mow down enemies with rockets.

Akimbot certainly feels like a celebration of those PS2-era games, and if that's in line with your interests, then you're in luck. The game is officially out now for a pretty reasonable $19.99. If what I experienced is any indication, Akimbot is probably good for it.

The post Hands on: Akimbot showcases smart weapon tactics with a PS2 charm appeared first on Destructoid.

As I previewed The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, there was a moment where the first line ever spoken in the series came back to me. The famous quote from an old man in a cave takes on a strange reflection in Zelda's solo outing.

"It's dangerous to go alone," the old man began. We know it well. Those iconic words led to our hero of legend taking up the imparted sword to save the land of Hyrule and its princess, Zelda. The roles are reversed in Echoes of Wisdom, with Zelda taking on the mantle of hero for the first time (let's just say, officially). And as with the first game, she's not going at it alone.

The Adventure of Zelda

I got to play a couple of small sections in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom while at PAX West. I experienced the start of the game not long after Link and a chunk of Hyrule and its populous get swallowed by mysterious purple rifts. The preview also included the first dungeon, which showcased Echoes of Wisdom's distinct take on puzzle-solving and combat.

Echoes of Wisdom begins at the end of a Link-led adventure. Ganon is defeated once more, but the celebrations have to wait. The spear he wielded caused rifts to spread, taking Link who barely managed to break Zelda free of Ganon's magic. The demo I played took place soon after the intro, where, in a twist, Zelda is blamed for the rifts and is tossed into jail faster than a typical Elder Scrolls protagonist.

Tri this on for size

This is no A Link to the Past, and Zelda can't rely on Link to break her free from her cell. But help still arrives. It's here you're introduced to Zelda's new partner, a small yellow fairy named Tri, whom only the princess can see. Tri offers Zelda a magical tool called the Tri Rod, which can create copies — called echoes — of objects and creatures.

But there are catches, of course. You can't copy every object; the ones you can shimmer with a gold light. Creatures can only be collected after defeated. You can also only create so many echoes at once, indicated by the number of yellow triangles floating behind Tri. If you place one more than what's allowed, the first echoed object disappears.

I was given only a small handful of these triangles to start, but it was enough. The first object I added to my collection was a wooden table. Stacking three tables like a small staircase allowed me to break out of my cell and make for the exit.

On my way out I was stopped by Impa, who handed me Link's blue cloak for a disguise (which worked for all but three seconds) and a logbook with gameplay info and a map. Reading the logbook also clues you in on how to use echoes you've attained. Once you're equipped with the cloak, pressing the 'R' button makes you twirl. Doing so lets you shred grass as easily as Link could with a sword — and it's just as fun. You can also use it in the water for a short boost.

It became established that the king of Hyrule is a phony, hence Zelda's surprising incarceration. The meeting with Impa was short, and I left to continue my escape while she went off to ninja-kick some guards. No matter the timeline, Impa still rocks.

Puzzle smarter, not harder

The castle basement is the training ground for the Tri Rod. Rooms filled with guards and puzzle challenges stand between you and sweet, sweet freedom. Zelda is no warrior in Echoes of Wisdom (sorry, Sheik fans). Against platforming puzzles and deadly enemies, her success relies on not being strong, but clever. Stacking tables will only get you so far.

Tri is Zelda's constant companion in the game, offering thoughts and instructions. With Tri's help, you soon expand your list of objects from tables to beds, boulders, crates, and much more, giving you multiple options on how to approach puzzles and navigation challenges. Boulders and potted trees can grant a vertical boost, while wooden crates or beds help you cross bodies of water.

Sneak Queen

Tables give you a step up, but they can't exactly span over a lengthy gap. Horizontally stacking a few Old Beds, however, might give you just enough reach. The Old Bed does have an amusing second purpose. Hopping on top and pressing the 'A' button lets you sleep, which slowly heals you over time. I was told that, yes, you can heal to full, but it takes longer depending on how much health you've lost. Hearts can be found in the typical clay pots and tall grass, sure, but I love the idea of Zelda completely zonking out in the middle of a dungeon on a magic bed.

The castle also introduces the game's stealth mechanics. Patrolling guards wandered throughout the castle basement, where shelves lined with items or books created a maze-like path. I did have some trouble, sadly, and I ended up getting caught a few times. But using echoes of the Hyrule Castle Pot, I managed to get past by shattering said urns and hopping over shelves. Soon, freedom was mine.

Dungeon delving

Once I managed to escape, the Nintendo rep quickly whisked me off to the next section which takes place not long after the castle. I found myself actually inside a rift, called the Still World, which wasn't anything like the Dark World I expected. Chunks of land floated in a sea of swirling miasma, with captured Hylians trapped frozen in time.

Here was the location of the game's first dungeon: Suthorn Ruins. In the starting room was a waypoint marker, a strange-looking object that lets you fast-travel both in dungeons and in the overworld. Beyond the door, I learned Tri's other neat trick.

In a bit of a Bind

By sending Tri into objects and creatures, you can manipulate them to open up new paths or solve puzzles in a method called "Bind." If a massive stone is in the way, use Bind and then walk to move it. Binding makes an object match your vertical height. Jump and the object will mimic the movement. For those statues that Link would normally need to push onto a button, Bind lets you slide them over easily. Is a button on top of a raised platform? Using Bind and a few stacked tables may be the key.

You can also hold the 'R' button while bound to follow along with moving objects such as mobile platforms and enemies. Yes, this means you can create an echo of an enemy that can climb walls then Bind and "follow" it up vertical cliffs. Binding is a remarkable new tool for Zelda games, and I'm excited to see just how much it'll blow open world exploration.

New challenges await

The castle may have introduced the concepts, but the dungeon is where I was put to task. Puzzles were harder to figure out, demanding a bit more thinking power to complete them. Echoes of Wisdom certainly feels like a Zelda game for fans of the series' puzzles. More than once I had to stop and rub my chin for a moment before going at a puzzle from a different angle. Thankfully, with the Tri Rod and a stable of echoes, there is no one way to solve a problem.

There were harder, optional puzzles to face in the dungeon. I was assured that critical items such as keys could be attained with the right echoes and some time. The tougher challenges typically result in a chest containing some other reward, like a cache of Rupees.

Unlike the castle guards, the dungeon enemies weren't in any capturing mood. You must use echoes to defend yourself against foes. Summoning a Moblin echo to chuck spears is certainly a good play against smaller beasts like slimes and bats. But when I went against a heavily armored Darknut, I needed a different approach.

As mentioned, you must outthink not just puzzles but also Zelda's opponents. The Darknut is resistant to blunt weapons, but not against fire. By capturing an Ignizol, a fire enemy, I was able to distract and damage the brute. You can't directly control your echo warrior, but holding the 'ZL' button lets you target an enemy, sending your fighter their way. Using fire and some rocks I heroically hurled in its direction when its back was turned, the Darknut went down and a new echo was mine to claim. Just in time, too, as I was about to face a stronger, sadly familiar foe.

"Take this"

Imagine my shock when I entered a room to come face to face with an old friend... or so I thought. Shrouded in a purple mist and sporting red eyes, Dark Link, or maybe Rift Link, appeared as a mini-boss, wielding his sword and trademark shield.

Defeating the angry doppelganger wasn't a cakewalk for our weaponless Zelda. Even a Darknut echo seemed to have trouble dealing with the more nimble foe. But it served well as a shield and distraction. As the two warriors fought in mortal combat, I ran around the arena chucking pots and boulder echoes at the anti-Link. After I moved into the tall grass that lined a path between two rock platforms, Link lost track of me for a moment. But doing so gave me enough time to bring out another Darknut and continue the fight.

He went down eventually, leaving his sword planted in the ground. The "Mysterious Sword" did apparently belong to the real Link, as his name was carved into it — likely a nod to the opening act of Link's Awakening.

It was here that the quote flashed across my mind. "It's dangerous to go alone," the old man said. "Take this." Nearly 40 years after the original game, I found it strangely poetic for Link's sword to at last end up in the hands of the protagonist whose name is on every game in which he's starred.

Taking up the blade

The sword lets you activate Swordfighter form, during which Zelda glows blue while wearing Link's cap, tunic, and shield. Swordfighter allows you to fight enemies as Link, and also slash through slime-like obstructions blocking paths. It gives you all his basic abilities, such as the spin attack and defending with the shield.

But it's not permanent. The form uses energy, shown as a blue bar underneath your health. It drained rapidly after I activated it, giving me only a few moments before it burned out. You can press the activation button to cancel it and save energy. Filling the bar requires you to collect blue bits of energy in the Still World or dropped during battle. In the demo, the blue bar had "Lv. 1" written on the side, suggesting it can be upgraded.

The Swordfighter form came in handy later against the dungeon's boss, Seismic Talus. Pairing up with a Darknut echo running a distraction, I chipped away at the boss' glowing weak point with boulders and the Swordfighter's blade. Each phase dropped a healthy supply of energy as well, making the fight feel like a real brawler.

Out into the world

The boss' defeat announced the end of the demo, which was quickly turned off to prevent cutscene spoilers. Oh well. I was given a chance to briefly check out some of the overworld, though. Doing so also allowed me to really soak in the game's gorgeous visuals. Echoes of Wisdom uses the Link's Awakening remake engine, complete with its charming toybox-like visuals and depth-of-field blur when the camera moves to an isometric angle.

The game is just as beautiful as its top-down precursor. I also noticed it ran at a much more consistent framerate with slowdowns rarely occurring, noticeable only when I paused or unpaused the game. Zelda, with her determined face and blue cloak, is positively adorable, and I gleefully navigated her through the demo.

There are puzzle challenges and more to discover in the game's overworld. Treasure chests perched high on platforms gave off Breath of the Wild vibes. I managed to get one by stacking a couple of boxes and using a trampoline for the extra oomph. Various crates reveal Rupees and also fruit such as Refreshing Grapes. Also seemingly influenced by Breath of the Wild, you can gather and eat food for health or combine it into smoothies for greater effect.

Before I finished my time with the game, I found one last blast from the past in Echoes' growing list. While out and about, I was able to use a meat echo that baited Moblins — a humorous nod to the original game.

Sadly, I wasn't able to experience everything Echoes of Wisdom has to offer. I didn't discover a town, spend Rupees at a shop, or complete any possible quests. And that irks me! The time I spent with it wasn't nearly enough. I wanted to ask for a little more time. Just let me check out the Bind system some more... or make a smoothie! What happens when I stack two trampolines? Gah, I should have tried that.

I was excited already for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but the wait for its September 26 launch date is now much more difficult. So far, the Tri Rod is a brilliant idea for a Zelda-led odyssey. Using it to tactfully solve puzzles and fight enemies felt natural and engaging.

My time with Echoes of Wisdom was regretfully short. I came away feeling it could end up being not just a great Zelda adventure, but one of the year's most memorable. We only have a few short weeks to find out.

The post Hands-on: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom puts the princess in the spotlight while paying homage to the past appeared first on Destructoid.

Ubisoft has officially revealed our first look at Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Twin Shells. This is the third season for the game's ninth year, and somehow, the team is still finding ways to surprise me as a fan who has been playing since the game's initial launch.

I saw Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Twin Shells early, and what I was shown looks like it'll have a big impact on the game when it arrives on September 10, 2024. New Operator Skopós, hailing from Greece, is a wheelchair user whose mentor and friend you may recognize as a recent villain in the game's story. She's transformed her wheelchair into a base of operations through which she controls not one, but two robotic shells that stand in as her presence as an Operator in a match, and the way they work is really going to mix up how you play as an Attacker and Defender.

You in the shells

Skopós' shells are named Talos and Colossus, but their names don't matter as much as how you use them. Skopós' gadgets are split between the shells, and you'll pick which one you load up as at the start of the match. When in control of a shell, that machine becomes the active shell. For all intents and purposes, it's an Operator like any other, though it only packs one of the gadgets you picked, yet it has an advantage no one else does.

The second shell, the one you're not controlling, becomes your idle shell. The shell crouches down and deploys a shield in front of it, but it's not shut down. Instead, you can switch between all available cameras and that idle shell to gain more intel. The idle shell will alert you when it's being attacked, and you can switch control to it if an Operator's ability is about to fry it or destroy it for the match.

What I think most players will do is use their idle shell as a shield to hide behind while they attack or defend. It takes a while to move that shield, and your second shell is vulnerable while you do so, but if you can perfect moving and switching between them, these shells can make for one extremely deadly Operator.

The shells have been modified so they're EMP-proof but far from indestructible. To protect them, Skopós enters Rainbow Six Siege with the all-new PCX-33 assault rifle and a P229 as her secondary. She's a two-speed, two-health Operator, landing her right in the middle and a potent addition to both the Attacking and Defending sides.

Siege Cup Beta and onboarding

Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Twin Shells will introduce the Siege Cup Beta for PC. This is the ultimate form of competitive Siege gameplay, and if all goes well, the feature will be rolled out to all platforms with Y9S4. With each Siege Cup, teams of five players must sign up and clear their schedule to ensure they can play every match from start to finish until they're eliminated or win.

As you'd expect, the rewards for Siege Cup are going to be some of the most exclusive in the game. Additionally, matches played in both Siege Cup and Ranked Mode will now also earn players Competitive Coins. These can be spent on rare cosmetics, which gives you another reason to hop into the toughest modes in the game.

To keep you limbered up between matches, the shooting range will automatically load up, so you can keep shooting and moving around without getting still while everything is set up behind the scenes. All of this is great for experienced players wanting a top-tier experience, but Ubisoft is also working hard on the onboarding process and keeping the game as free from toxicity as possible.

For example, Versus AI 2.0 is being introduced with Operation Twin Shells, which finally allows players to get some practice as a Defender with an AI team of Attackers hitting them and getting them used to the traditional Bomb gameplay.

The reward and post-game experience are also being refined. Instead of having a few screens showing all the progress you've made and experience gained, everything is being simplified into one end screen. Your battle pass progress, profile level, and anything else that you can gain experience for at the time will all be recorded on a single screen. So it doesn't matter if there's a time-limited event or you're grinding for levels to hit Ranked Mode; you'll see it all and should be able to understand it without missing a thing.

Between Y9S2 and Operation Twin Shells, Ubisoft has reorganized its anti-cheat team to be broader and stand as one of the largest in the games industry. I was told that there are six anti-cheat systems in play at any one time in a Rainbow Six Siege match, and usually, there are more swapping in and out. This is something Ubisoft takes very seriously and is always looking to improve, so you should see less cheating in the game as time goes on.

The first Siege Cup will be somewhat of a Guinea Pig for what you can expect. Its anti-cheat system is akin to moving a book between shelves, bookcases, and floors in a library. Ubisoft believes it will help prevent cheaters from attacking the game or ruining the core experience.

Toxicity obviously hurts any game, and Ubisoft wanted to clarify that its anti-cheat systems are also hitting toxic players. 75% of bans now happen 12 hours sooner, and all toxicity is being taken into account when judging if a player needs to be banned. This includes team-kills, bad language, and general bad behavior. But the good thing is, you won't be punished if you're on the same team as a player deemed toxic by Ubisoft's processes.

Balance is key

Last but not least, I think it's important to discuss the balance updates being made with Operation Twin Shells. Solis, Dokkaebi, and Nokk are all having a few changes, and I'm pretty excited about Nokk's. First, Solis' ability will now only use the center of the screen while active, and can be overclocked to reveal all gadgets in the area with reworked visuals so you know what you're looking at. You'll need to wait for the overclock to charge before you can use it again.

Dokkaebi now begins the match with 0 chargers and gains one every 45 seconds for up to 2 per round. Ubisoft noticed she was a tad overpowered and needed to be taken down a smidge, which is what it hopes this tweak will achieve. I tend to ignore her ability for the most part, and it never really gets in my way, but I can understand why this needs to happen.

Nokk's ability is seeing the most impactful change, with a shift from a time-based limit to a movement-based one. So you can activate the HEL device to make her incredibly difficult to see, hide her from cameras, and dampen her footfalls, and just sit there. The ability will go on cooldown after you've moved a certain distance, made a number of shots, or a combination of actions.

These balance changes and Skopós make Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Twin Shells a season you don't want to miss. I'm intrigued to see how players make the most of the new Operator's shells, what these balance changes will do to the meta, and which Operators are the most played in the game.

The post Rainbow Six Siege Y9S3: Operation Twin Shells adds an incredible new Operator, improves anti-cheat systems & adds the Siege Cup Beta appeared first on Destructoid.

I recently got to play a preview of the free-to-play PvP shooter Splitgate 2. After six hours, it's clear to me that developer 1047 Games is trying things a bit differently than expected. The original shooter was celebrated as "Halo meets Portal," introducing portal gameplay to arena-style shooting. It worked, and Splitgate exploded in popularity.

Those eager to jump into its sequel for more of the same may be alarmed to learn that Splitgate 2 won't just be more of the same. Sure, there's still Halo-style shooting and Portal-esque, erm, portaling. But its gameplay feels supercharged, focusing on character abilities and high-octane combat in smaller arenas where unseen crowds cheer for their favorite bloodsport.

Team player

Splitgate 2 lets you represent factions and perform stunts for the folks at home. Earning points and completing feats causes invisible fans to cheer as a "coach" feeds you match info in a sprightly British accent.

There are three factions you can pick and customize in Splitgate 2. First, you have Aeros, which favors speed and agility. Meridian members dress up in sleek purple and black, looking more like the secret soldiers of a cyberpunk megacorp. Finally, you have Sabrask, a militaristic group that sports heavy orange armor.

You can customize each faction's loadout, all of which offer you the choice of three gun types that fall under long-range rifles, machine guns, and a shotgun. Aeros does swap out a shotgun for a bullet-spitting SMG, however. You also get one of two equipment options and a Team Trait that offers everyone on your team a small buff.

There's also a smattering of equipment and special abilities unique to every faction. Meridian lets you heal allies with a health grenade or to temporarily see through walls, for example. Sabrask gives you a shield you can place on the ground, allowing you to shoot through it while it blocks enemy bullets.

Swap meet

You can swap between and customize factions and weapon attachments between missions, giving you the option to change things to better suit your team composition. Often, during a losing match, I would quickly return as a Sabrask bruiser.

The Sabrask shotgun is ridiculous, capable of delivering a thunderous buckshot slap to the face that can bring someone down in one or two shots. Add an attachment to increase its range, and you will end up with something that should be illegal. But the gun's reload speed is so painfully slow that I often found it better to grab a discarded gun off the ground and jump back into the fight.

Meridian was my other favorite faction. I naturally gravitated to its three-shot burst rifle. It wasn't exactly like my beloved Battle Rifle from Halo, but picking off enemies at a distance with it still left me with the same self-satisfied smirk on my face.

Back to the arena

There were two modes to try in the preview. Team Deathmatch is, naturally, a fairly well-trodden mode for shooters, where two teams duke it out for the most kills. There is a small twist, however.

Team Deathmatch is round-based in Splitgate 2. Every 15 kills, the game would pause so you could take a breath, tinker with your build, or chat strats with your team. After eight seconds or so, you're sent back out to try and earn another 15 kills. The first team to win three rounds takes home the gold.

The other mode was Hotzone, Splitgate 2's take on King of the Hill. But, like with Team Deathmatch, it comes with an unexpected wrinkle. Zone control is shared between the two teams, and the last team member on the point when it reaches 100% claims the score. Naturally, this means that a team can claim a control point for the majority of the time, only to get wiped and lose the point within seconds. The team with two control captures wins the match.

Controlling chaos

There were two power weapons in the preview. The Fubar rocket launcher could shoot one rocket at a time or everything it has loaded by zooming in first. The other is the Splitstream rifle, which you can split into two weapons for dual-wielding action. Before the preview, we were in a brief meeting with Ian Proulx, the creative director of Splitgate. During the chat, Proulx compared the gun to Halo 2-style dual-wielding. And he's not mistaken. Nothing else I've used comes so close to the golden days of that pre-patch SMG/Pistol combo like the Splitstream.

The preview included a handful of maps to try. Maps in the Splitgate 2 preview felt tightly designed, made to funnel two teams of four toward the center where a lot of the action took place. Teams fought to hold sections that offered map control while smaller skirmishes lit up hallways and various rooms. Power weapons that spawned into the map could change the tides in moments.

Those familiar with classic Halo multiplayer may have felt their eyebrow rise a bit. As someone who played way too much Halo 3 in college, the Splitgate sequel still gladly evokes its spirit. Gunning for map control while watching for power weapon spawns is peak Halo, with the portal gun again presenting more tactical options. You can sprint, slide, and hover in the air. The pacing, along with the default abilities, means Splitgate 2 is less Halo 3 and more Halo 5 played fast-forward.

Picking up the pace

Knowing you can break a team's control with smart portal placement means Splitgate 2 moves fast as hell. Getting past a choke point is easier when you can just bust through a science fiction-hole in the wall. I was often surprised by how quickly a 15-kill round in Team Deathmatch would go.

This is the start of where I feel Splitgate 2 falters a bit. The game moves so fast that the sudden stops are jarring. I wonder if upping the kill score to 20 would make things feel a bit less bumpy, but the speed feels baked in. Team Deathmatch games can wrap up in less than ten minutes, and I felt burnt out by the time I played for about an hour.

Hold that thought

Hotzone was often just as swift but had its own issues. Respawns in Hotzone are not rigid and will increase by small amounts the longer the match lasts. Dying early in Hotzone means you get to respawn quickly; by default, you return to the fray after five seconds. Every eight seconds, the respawn time increases by one second until capping at 20.

Getting kills against enemy players knocks three seconds off your teammate's respawn timer. Smart or aggressive plays are incentivized, as playing it safe can mean allowing the opposing team to score nearly unopposed. Everyone who has played multiplayer team-based shooters knows the pressure of being the last alive on your team, eyeballs burning holes into the back of your head. That intensity is so much higher in Hotzone.

But it can be a bit aggravating for those stuck in respawn hell. Having to watch the control point tick along for nearly 20 seconds while the opposing team enjoys a picnic in the point is damn near unbearable. The high-risk, high-reward nature of the respawn timer may make for some exciting moments, but it's just as true that it can lead to waiting in frustration. Considering how expedient the gameplay is, the sudden stop and long pause between the blistering action feels off.

I can split these gates

I have learned that I am laughably shit at using portals in Splitgate 2. There were no large, vertical maps in the preview, meaning most portal options existed to get a drop on enemies or move to a point on the map a bit faster. Early on, enemy players often got the better of me. I was chasing one player down when they dropped a portal to their right and left. They entered the latter and suddenly were across the room.

I died like the idiot I was, but I started to learn. Before the end of my time with the game, I was able to move around the map for positioning. If an enemy player was dug in, I created a portal behind them and blasted through it from safety.

Thrills and spills

Despite the concerns, the Splitgate 2 preview still offered more than a fair share of excitement. Both the movement and shooting felt meticulously fine-tuned.

If you told me the game was ready to fully launch tomorrow, I'd believe you. The maps are fantastic and varied, with plenty of ramps and angles to use to your advantage. It can be thrilling to charge into a fight with an ally and use a portal to sandwich enemy members. Personally, I had a lot of fun with the game despite my limited time with it and the misgivings the changes brought.

Splitgate 2's blistering pace will be something to get used to, but the gunplay still feels damn good in the preview. It's too early to say if Splitgate 2 will reach the dizzying but temporary heights of its predecessor. But the game will be available to play in Alpha form on August 21, 2024, giving everyone a chance to try it out.

The post Splitgate 2 Preview appeared first on Destructoid.

Dead by Daylight initially launched in 2016 and quickly became one of the best and most beloved asymmetrical horror titles in the genre. The format of each Trial pits one Killer against four Survivors, and the power of those Killers balanced with the speed and skills of Survivors has always felt fair. But the game has remained the same for almost a decade, and now Behaviour Interactive believes it's time to mix things up.

I was invited to take a look at Dead by Daylight's 2v8 time-limited game mode in action ahead of its reveal and subsequent release in-game on July 25, 2024. The developer showed press some recorded footage of a party in the game mode, and it looks like frantic, frenzied fun.

As you might have guessed from the name, Dead by Daylight's 2v8 mode pits two Killers against eight Survivors, but there's much more to it than that. There are no Perks or Add-Ons. Instead, you've got Survivor classes and improved Killer abilities.

For example, The Trapper can give a speed boost to his fellow Killer, and The Wraith can obscure Killers from Survivors, even those with class abilities. Only five Killers are in this game mode with this first iteration, but Behaviour Interactive is excited to add more. The Clown is of particular interest because of the way he buffs Killers and debuffs Survivors.

We asked Behaviour Interactive if it would be looking to add any 2v8-specific Killers in the future, and all we got was, "Never say never." While it's extremely unlikely, the developer doesn't like to say no to anything if it's not completely certain.

For Survivors, there are four classes to pick from. The Guide is all about generators, and can see all Survivor auras once the last generator has been repaired. The Medic is, obviously, about healing other Survivors with improved speed, and players using this class can see the auras of injured Survivors.

The Escapist reveals the auras of pallets and windows for Survivors to use in a chase. They can even boost the speed of other Survivors when nearby. This is incredibly useful because I saw Survivors running away from one Killer and into another in the live footage we were shown. Being faster on your feet and knowing where the next window or pallet is could ruin the Killer duo's planned trap if you're quick enough.

Finally, there's The Stealth Survivor class. They remain silent when injured and can see Killer auras in certain circumstances. It's this class that highlights a big issue with Dead by Daylight 2v8: there's no in-game chat. Players must link up via Discord to chat together, which slows the experience right down if you're used to just matchmaking with others. It doesn't sound like this will change any time soon, but it's more of just a nice-to-have feature for this game mode specifically rather than essential.

When it comes to winning a Trial, Killers must still sacrifice as many Survivors as they can, while Survivors need to repair 8 out of 13 generators to open the gates and exit. The process of capturing Survivors is sped up here because Killers need only stomp on a downed Survivor to transport them to a cage. This is similar to Pyramid Head's ability.

As I mentioned, Killers can work together to trap Survivors instead of wasting too much time chasing them one-on-one. Killers can also keep an eye on caged Survivors better, splitting their efforts into hunting and guarding, maximizing the murder.

With Perks and Add-Ons removed, 2v8 looks like a natural fit for Dead by Daylight. Each map has been expanded to retain the essence of fairness in a Trial with more characters involved, but with so many players in a single game, the odds can quickly change in your favor.

One situation I can foresee unfolding is Survivors kiting Killers across the map while the rest of the group coordinates using The Guide class to find every generator and repair them. Killers are going to need to play smart to avoid being manipulated while balancing that with getting hits in and caging as many Survivors who won't budge as possible.

Behaviour Interactive has often listened to fans and implemented changes based on player feedback, whether that's with new Chapters containing new characters the fan base has been pining for or hitting the killswitch on a broken part of the game.

2v8 is a result of the developer wanting to give players more options when it comes to Trials. While Dead by Daylight is fun, the grind of playing a Survivor or Killer can get to you after a few Trials, especially if you're completing Tome challenges.

This game mode offers a way to break out of the monotony and see more of the chaotic elements of Dead by Daylight come to life. Even one skilled Killer in a team of two against eight Survivors is going to feel stressful to play against. But everyone, no matter which side you main, is going to need to re-learn how to play the game to a degree, and that's what I think will be the most interesting part of this time-limited game mode.

While this first iteration is time-limited, 2v8 is set to become a core part of the game at some point in the future. It just needs refining through more player feedback based on events like the one we'll get in July 2024. That's your excuse to jump in, play as much as possible, cause havoc, and tag the developer on your socials when you post the good, the bad, and the ugly experiences.

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Pax Dei was announced in March 2023 and officially enters early access on Steam on June 18, 2024. Ahead of the Founder's Packs going live and players flooding the servers, developer Mainframe Industries invited me to take a look at the game and get a sense of its vision.

Calling Pax Dei an MMO would be underselling it. Once players load into the game, they're able to choose their server, which is a chunk of the 400 square kilometer space available at launch. Each server or shard is a place where players can work together to build a settlement, but not in the traditional way you might think.

How Pax Dei is redefining the sandbox MMO

Mainframe Industries CEO Thor Gunnarsson explained how the game works based on its closed alpha tests. In those, content creators were given access and sets of codes to send to their communities. This drew in thousands of players, each forming a community on a server where they set about building a town, village, or city and creating the infrastructure that they needed.

For example, an architect was usually appointed to design the buildings. This is a pretty intense job because every single item in the construction menu is modular and can be tweaked to fit your needs. I was shown a guild hall with a goat head looking off into the distance and a colossal castle built into a mountain. A community with a vision can achieve anything in Pax Dei.

However, to build, you need resources. This isn't like Minecraft, where you can go into creative mode and grab what you need. Instead, players have to organize themselves into groups. Some will collect wood, others stone, and more still will raid dungeons in the dangerous Wilderness area where they can get gold and other rare materials.

A settlement comes together over time as long as everyone in the community helps out. It reminds me of medieval England, or at least the way it's often painted in books like Pillars of the Earth. Everyone has a role in a community because they want to help build something bigger. Peasants work farms and get food, hunters get meat for the tavern and skins for the tanners, miners get the precious building blocks for every home, and so on.

While being a wood or stone cutter might not sound like the most enthralling online experience, it's the fact that you're helping build something that should get you excited. On day one, you might be the only miner, but three years later, you could have a mining company that coordinates stone for trebuchets for the war effort. You never know where your journey will take you, and you're always able to swap for something else. I quite fancy being a traveling merchant myself, selling gossip on the side to nobles who have the coin to pay for it.

Pax Dei's grand experiment

From the start, Gunnarsson calls Pax Dei "a grand experiment," which sounds like the perfect description. When it's released in early access, the game won't be feature-complete because the developer wants to build it with the community that invests in and lives in its world. New features will be added based on a rough roadmap but also the desires of the community and the direction they take the game in.

If, for example, players delve more into PvP and create an economy from the loot around it, then that system will likely get updated before more building mechanics or PvE quests come to the game. In a way, players are free to choose where they want to push the game most because Mainframe Industries is eagerly watching, wanting to enable more dynamic, community-driven gameplay that can exist without constant supervision.

As a parent, this reminds me of setting out groups of toys as stations at which your kids can play. Much like Pax Dei's players, some kids will sit at a station and play before moving to another one, while others will bring chaos to the system and mix up the toys with a wider game. It's all playing, fun, and creating an engaging world for those involved, but everyone is free to choose how they want to play with the tools available to them.

But this world isn't all peace and prosperity. The Heartlands, areas where players build their settlements, are safe zones without combat. You can spend all your time in these areas if you don't want to engage in combat, PvE, or PvP and have no interest in dungeons.

Leaving the Heartlands will see you enter the Wilderness, areas where PvP is allowed and there are NPC enemies to engage with. This is how you'll gather meat from animals and loot from dungeons. In one alpha, players even collectively created a zone in the center of the map that was free-for-all PvP where you could test your builds and see how many players you could kill before dying.

Keeping all this optional is actually more realistic than you might think. Throughout history, there were, of course, bandits and thugs on the road, but people stuck to their roles for the most part. This even applied to nobles and knights, meaning we'll likely see in Pax Dei that PvP-focused players emerge to protect communities and do nothing else, offering their services so the rest of the group can go about their business safely.

The EVE of Pax Dei

If all this sounds a lot like EVE Online, that's intentional. Gunnarsson and some of the other developers at Mainframe Industries worked on that game for many years and admire the emergent storytelling it plays host to. At one point, it was impossible to talk about games and not mention EVE Online's incredible tales of corporate espionage. Mainframe Industries is hoping for something similar for Pax Dei.

While corporate takeovers are probably a long way off, Pax Dei's world is ripe for creative storytelling that occurs organically. You might venture into a dungeon and encounter a group of raiders from a neighboring settlement that you manage to kill and steal from. The next thing you know, there could be a bounty on your head, or you could equip better and better gear until you effectively own a dungeon, charging a fee for anyone who wants to attempt to loot it.

Gunnarsson gave me a great example of how something similar happened in one of the game's alphas. A glitch gave players the ability to build walls along paths, so naturally, each server set up checkpoints to charge travelers for passing through each section of the map. Gatehouses and entry fees were thought to evolve in the game's society over time, but this proved that players could and would do anything with the right tools when given half a chance.

A moment in time

To conclude my time speaking with Mainframe Industries, I was taken on a walkthrough of a server that had been preserved from its alpha state. The game will eventually feature regular server wipes, but this settlement has been saved for now as an example of the ingenuity shown by players in such a short space of time. A single architect, who happened to also be a professional architect, had designed the settlement and was effectively sucking up all the resources players brought them from around the world to put each structure together in a coherent way that would make for a nice flow through the area.

There were furnished houses, a fancy hall, a guild hall, and several smaller structures that might be used for storage or the various industries a settlement needs to thrive. As the sun went down, lights lit up the distance. In Pax Dei, you can see across servers, meaning every light in the distance is a real player's building plot or structure placed somewhere on the colossal world map.

Seeing this made me feel so incredibly tiny. Your character can spend hours chopping wood, but it'll never be enough to create the grand projects seen in similar games like Bellwright or Valheim. You are insignificant by yourself, but together with others, you form a whole that actually stands a chance of making an impact. You won't lose your precious city upon death because the overarching goal you share as a small community doesn't live or die on your shoulders alone. As long as you're motivated to keep building, others will join you, and you'll make something admirable, threatening, or awe-inspiring together, depending on how your intentions as a community evolve.

While there are no firm details planned at the time of writing, war is definitely something that's on Mainframe Industries' mind. Pax Dei is a game built for petty feuds to transform into continent-spanning conquests. It's just a matter of time before players get upset enough when someone destroys their settlement.

The post Preview: Pax Dei – A Grand Experiment appeared first on Destructoid.

The older I've gotten, the more I come to appreciate slow-paced games that encourage you to kick back for an hour or so at a time. Coffee Talk and Donut County are among my favorites in this "chill" genre. SCHiM may soon join them if its demo is any indication.

I gave the SCHiM demo a try when I spotted it while perusing the sea of survival crafting games in Steam Next Fest, egged on by the low-key visuals and the promise of a relaxing time. In this hectic life and industry, we can all benefit by giving ourselves an hour to unplug and unwind.

The premise of SCHiM sounds like something out of Studio Ghibli or maybe Pixar. Everything, from living beings to various objects, has a "spirit" called a schim. Losing it is akin to the loss of your soul.

Hop along

SCHiM starts you off teaching you how being a spirit works. Apparently, the rules on losing your schim are a bit fluid, since you can hop out of your host at will and enter other shadows so long as you eventually return. The protagonist schim in question is shown belonging to a young boy, whom you can briefly control while the schim operates in his shadow — as characterized by fantastic googly eyes.

Controlling the schim is a breeze. You can manipulate the spirit in various shadows as if swimming in a darkened pool. A single button tap allows you to leap from the shadow, and you make progress by entering another shadow nearby.

The schim can't survive on illuminated surfaces, but you are given a short "safety hop" to make it to a shadow that was just out of your reach. Don't worry about dying; you warp back to the nearest shadow if you mess up. You can swap the isometric camera's angle around when you need to find another shadow just outside of your vision.

A single button press lets you interact with some objects, usually as a fun way to see how they react. You can cause a tree to shake or a child to sneeze if you hit the button while in their shadow. The moment I learned you can make bicycle bells jingle, it was over. I had to voraciously jingle every bike chime and make each duck I found quack with reckless abandon. For those desperate to know, yes, you can make ducks quack to the "Shave and a Haircut" jingle. No doubt 90% of everyone who plays the game will try it.

Spirit hopping

As suggested, SCHiM does have a story to share. It's not as subtle as something like, say, Unpacking, where you connect the delicate threads via the environment and the objects you manipulate. The game begins with you paired with the young boy as you view his life in brief fragments. As a child, he plays without a care in the world. Time passes, and you watch him experience high school, heartache, college, and finally, early adulthood in his very own tiny cubicle in the corner of an office. Things quickly go sour for the young man and, at his lowest, he trips and gets separated from his googly-eyed spirit.

That is pretty much the crux of SCHiM: You've been separated from your human host, who is now meandering through the city oblivious to what was lost. Your goal is to give chase, navigating your way from shadow to shadow across levels with various hazards. It feels like an environmental puzzler, as you can find yourself needing to cross a street or get over a bridge by only using shadows to progress.

Most times, waiting for a few seconds will solve the issue with a passing human or animal. You can slip into the shadow of a cyclist or a car, which can speed you closer to your destination if you time it right. Shadows from cars can also grab you and carry you away if you're caught relaxing a bit too hard in the wrong spot.

But the game isn't tough with its challenges, which is the entire point. Its one-button approach to "solving" the navigational hazards makes moving your shadow frog from one end to another a rather cordial affair. At least, that's what I picked up from the demo. Based on the game's description on Steam, it doesn't sound like SCHiM will ultimately venture into the waters of frustration often, if at all.

Clean styles

It helps that the visuals are so crisp. Purposefully monotone, the game juxtaposes one color against a darker variant for texture, creating a look that's clean and pleasing to the eye. The calming greens of a neighborhood park give way to a busy street punctuated by rain and light-blue hues. It's all tied together with a soundtrack in which the tunes match the energy of each stage.

I have little criticism to lobby against SCHiM. The controls are tight, and the visuals and music melt together to create a little puzzler that puts me right in that Zen state I was searching for. SCHiM will launch next month on July 18.

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There seems to be a noticeable uptick in classic cartoons and TV shows getting adapted into pixelated beat 'em ups and, man, I'm here for it. GI Joe is hopping into the fray as well with Wrath of Cobra, but my time with the demo isn't as wrathful as I'd hoped.

Before we start, I have a confession to make: I never watched more than a single episode of GI Joe. Yes, I am what you can laboriously call a '90s kid, but I also grew up in the sticks where cable TV was a luxury. However, when I wasn't squinting at cartoons through static, I was playing a ton of beat 'em up games. I hope that's enough authority for some of you dyed-in-the-wool Joe fans. For the most part, I have enough experience in the genre to know that Wrath of Cobra is lacking at this stage.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. As mentioned, GI Joe: Wrath of Cobra, coming from the team at Maple Powered Games, is looking to join the very welcome trend of "old shows your uncle liked are video game brawlers now." TMNT: Shredder's Revenge brought the boys in green back to high praise, and the recently revealed Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is looking spicy. It makes perfect sense for Maple to want the same for the Joes.

Go, Joe!

The demo provides a nice vertical slice of the game, starring several characters of the series' main cast. You can play as Duke, Scarlett, or the ninja Snake Eyes. Naturally, I first dove in as Snake Eyes for the very scientific reason of "ninjas are cool." And Snake Eyes is cool, decked out in black gear and wielding a katana.

The game's combat is typical, consisting of light and strong attacks you can combo in a few ways. Three light attacks in a row is your bread-and-butter move, but you can swap the third out for a strong attack. You can hold a block button to negate seemingly all damage from fists to laser blasts, which is impressive. Tapping up or down while pressing block lets you hop in either direction. Jumping leaves you dangling in the air long enough to get a little weird, but at least it works for when you need to hop over a hole in the floor.

Damage is oddly inconsistent in Wrath of Cobra, with the floating numbers fluctuating without any clear reason. Both the combos seem to deal similar damage regardless, with the latter (light-light-strong) ending in a flourish. Snake Eyes flings a couple ninja stars, for example, while Duke follows up with a big boot. You can't combo if you're not hitting an enemy.

These beats are so fresh

But since they both combos dish out the same amount of pain, I didn't see much reason to not spam the bread-and-butter attack. You can charge the strong attack for an ultra-powerful move, but it takes so long that most enemies are able to smack you before you can pull it off. The same issue affects the light-strong combo, as the second half is a wind-up attack that leaves you open for just enough time for an enemy to bop you in the face. So, yeah, spam it is.

There is a dash to get you across the screen, and it can be followed up with a dash attack. It can do some decent damage, and Snake Eyes can attack again quickly with a slash that should make anime fans happy.

You also get a super move that charges up via a blue bar underneath your health. Snake Eyes sends out his wolf Timber to attack several enemies onscreen, while Duke drops a volley of explosive shells. Charging it up is fairly quick, as each defeated enemy adds to the bar. There's really no reason not to hold onto it for a boss fight. I do wish they were a bit more impressive, though. With Duke and Snake, you can either kill a handful of enemies or a handful of enemies but slower.

Combat is the core of beat 'em ups, as is indicative of the name, so I'm disappointed that Wrath of Cobra feels so rudimentary and stiff in the demo. Moving around an arena can be tiresome, and both Snake Eyes and Duke play almost the same. The game does give characters different stats like strength and speed, but I hardly noticed the difference. Weapons dropped from crates range from laser rifles to grenade launchers, and they can liven up the party a bit.

I did mention a third character, Scarlett. I played her after the guys and, thankfully, she does change things up. Her light-strong combo has her flip into the air with a vicious kick, and her air attack has her whip out a crossbow that fires an explosive bolt. Yes! Precious variety. We really had to work to get here.

Tackling the Cobra legion

Enemy types is also rather typical. You have your blue Cobra soldier fodder, sometimes wielding guns, and blue Cobra soldiers with leather straps who have the power to, uh, block for an irritating amount of time. There is also a soldier variant who tosses bombs at a rhythm that continues knocking you back to the ground before you can react — that's nice.

The game does fill the screen with plenty of enemies and it can be fun to combo multiple at once, but a lot of the time they merely crowd your character and spam attacks (so that's what it feels like). Having more players in co-op should, at least, help pare down the numbers. Mini-bosses are also present, but act more like a punching bag than anything close to a threat.

The actual bosses don't fair much better. There is a boss battle at the end of both stages, one where you infiltrate a flying Cobra fortress and another in which you storm a mountain base. The Baroness stands against you in the former, where she flips around and occasionally fires her gun. It was an easy fight, but nothing compared to Dr. Mindbender at the end of the mountain stage who meandered around and attacked maybe twice. I was playing on Normal, for those wondering.

Visually, Wrath of Cobra looks fine. The game's pixelated characters and enemies closely match its contemporaries, though the level backgrounds can use some brushing up. There's no parallax scrolling in the mountain level, making it look more like the backdrop of a stage play.

Stop all the downloadin'

In the end, I suppose my biggest gripe is that Wrath of Cobra feels like a run-of-the-mill brawler buoyed by a GI Joe veneer. The demo didn't include any dialogue sections, so fans of the '80s Joe cartoon may be disappointed with the lack of corny one-liners. Worse, though, is that the game is mostly a bit boring. Scarlett does liven things up, so I'm hopeful for the other characters I haven't tried yet. I also have no idea what the floppy disks enemies drop are supposed to do.

The game is still in development and is set to launch this year. There may still be time for Wrath of Cobra to become something Joe fans can be happy with. But let's admit it, the demo is probably already better than GI Joe: Operation Blackout.

GI Joe has certainly seen its fair share of video game adaptations since the halcyon days of the 1980s, back when the cartoon arrived and the franchise arguably hit its peak. Granted, a lot of those video games kinda sucked. Cobra Strike on the Atari 2600 was the only one I played while growing up, and I still have no idea what you were supposed to do.

GI Joe: Wrath of Cobra is, so far, thankfully not gearing up to be as bad as its worst predecessors, and may ultimately stand above them all. There is still a journey ahead of it, though, so hopefully "better than the others" isn't the only praise the game will ultimately receive. But if you'd rather find out how the game feels, you should try the Steam demo and decide for yourself if it's worth the excitement.

After all, knowing is half the battle.

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In 2013, Intelligible Games released the Ace Attorney-inspired Socrates Jones: Pro Philosopher for web browsers, where instead of catching murderers in over-the-top courtroom dramas, you debated with real-world philosophers from throughout history to deduce the true nature of morality. It saw a full remake on Steam in 2023 but, 10 years after the original, the same team is back with a proper sequel; one that shifts its focus towards that oh so favoured of topics among gamers: politics.

Titled Pro Philosopher 2: Governments & Grievances, I was able to test out a short demo ahead of its release as part of Steam Next Fest (it should be available for download by the time you're reading this). And by short, I do mean short; you can easily clear it in 20 minutes. However, it does succinctly sum up what you can expect from the full game: interesting topics of debate, a fun sense of humour, and a lot of blatant similarities to Ace Attorney.

A part of me feels bad directly comparing Pro Philosopher 2 to Capcom's visual novel series, but one look at it and you'll see Pro Philosopher 2 doesn't just wear the Ace Attorney influences on its sleeves; it's dressed head to toe in them. Not only are its core gameplay mechanics functionally identical, but even aspects of its presentation borrow liberally from Ace Attorney. Characters have exaggerated reactions when taken by surprise, and they let out cries of "Nonsense!" during arguments, which have the same energy as Phoenix Wright's iconic "Objection!", right down to the word smacking into the screen in bold red letters. This may risk costing Pro Philosopher 2 any semblance of its own identity, but it's clear these similarities come out of reverence for Ace Attorney and not a cynical attempt at copying it in the hopes of recreating its popularity. Plus, as a die-hard Ace Attorney fan myself, I can't help but crack a smile at the ways Pro Philosopher 2 lifts elements from Capcom's work.

The thought of a game that requires you to engage in political debates and point out the flaws in each philosopher's way of thinking sounds like a daunting and difficult task, but it's easy to get to grips with if you've played even one Ace Attorney game. Instead of tangible evidence, you have an idea slate, which holds ideas and concepts you can use to challenge your opponent's statements, no different to spotting contradictions in an Ace Attorney testimony. Challenging incorrectly will reduce your Credibility, and if that runs out it's game over.

It's a very simple idea in practice and, much like how you can press for further testimony in Ace Attorney, you can ask for clarification if you think a specific statement is too vague, or ask your opponent to back up their claim with evidence. Doing these can result in new ideas for the idea slate or additional statements. There's no punishment for using the Clarification and Backing options on every statement, which is perfect for the most cautious of players (you'll also get some amusing dialogue out of it). And reaching the end of a statement earns you a slight hint on what to do should you be completely lost.

I got to grips with the demo incredibly easily, but I have to imagine the full game will prove far more challenging. One extra gameplay mechanic is alluded to but isn't featured in the demo, and given the very nature of the political debate and its complexities, there could be some real head-scratching puzzles that'll leave more than a fair share of players stumped. It's obviously too soon to tell how these will be handled, and whether the difficulty will be fairly balanced or not. At the very least, the Ace Attorney-esque presentation and fun banter between protagonist Ari and her fellow cast members should keep you engaged, and may even help you learn some new things about the history of politics.

Pro Philosopher 2's slightly goofy sense of humour won't be for everyone, but it definitely got some light chuckles out of me. Mostly from how it portrays actual philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli as this arrogant genius, regularly cracking a smug smile as he lords his superior intellect. Liberties are absolutely going to be taken with how these real-world figures are depicted, but it makes for an entertaining experience nonetheless. You also have the option during debates to just insult your opponent with a "You stink!," which is designed to never work and cost you credibility. Yet I can see players using it anyway if only to see how each philosopher reacts to being dragged into your average Twitter argument.

What will likely make or break Pro Philosopher 2, however, is exactly how it handles its choices of debate topics. Based on the demo, it fortunately doesn't feel as if it will try and pursue a neutral stance throughout. Machiavelli argues in favour of blatant totalitarianism, believing a stable state of government is only possible with a single ruler in charge; one untethered by pesky morals. I like to think we can all agree that's an awful idea, and it's one Ari (and by extension the game and the development team) completely refute, but will this same approach be taken with future debates? What if the game requires the player to make an argument they fundamentally don't agree with? Will Pro Philosopher 2 even broach the more controversial topics, or will it play things safe and stick to dismantling outdated or unpopular arguments that don't hold water in the 21st century? It's a tricky balancing act, though I'd rather see the game take at least some kind of stance instead of flaking out at the last minute and pulling some "all sides are equally valid" nonsense.

Regardless, Pro Philosopher 2 is one to watch for anyone with an interest in visual novels, logic puzzles, and/or political discourse that doesn't quickly devolve into hurling slurs at one another. It sounds like it'll be a pretty meaty experience too, with it promising more philosopher opponents than the five its predecessor had, though an exact number hasn't been confirmed. A couple of examples shown in trailers are 17th century Englishman John Locke (who looks delightfully foppish) and Chinese philosopher Confucius, so there's already some decent variety to the kind of views that players will need to engage with. Mechanically, Pro Philosopher 2 seems perfectly sound, and building a game all around political debate, especially in the current climate, is a gutsy decision I applaud Intelligible Games for making. I just hope it has actually interesting or insightful things to say about its various debate topics.

The post Preview: Pro Philosopher 2 is Ace Attorney crossed with a political debate club appeared first on Destructoid.

One of my most anticipated games coming this year is Hollywood Animal. It has you run an up-and-coming movie studio, submerges you into a pool of complicated and morally bereft staff, and allows you to deal with problems using underhanded methods. Just like real life (maybe).

The only thing that keeps me from claiming Hollywood Animal as my most anticipated game is that it seems like it might be attempting too much. There are so many variables at play and so much customization that it feels it would be complicated to ensure everything works together without a litany of bugs, cuts, and feature creep.

If the rather hefty demo shows anything; Weappy Wholesome has managed to do it.

Hollywood Animal starts off with you purchasing a bankrupt studio and making it your own. I won’t question how you came up with the funds. You select a logo and a name (I went with Middling Pictures) and you’re ready to learn the business.

The tutorial is interestingly structured. You inherit a mostly completed film that the previous studio was unable to release before they went bust. It’s a banger film (Hollywood Animals actually outlines its plot, which is a nice touch), and all you need to do is put the finishing touches on it and get it out the door. This introduces you to the post-production and distribution phases of the business. The former of which is relatively straightforward and the latter is one of the most mysterious parts of the game.

While that movie is performing in the box office, you’re then guided to hiring staff. This process is vast, so it runs the risk of being overwhelming. To ease that, you’re mostly just provided with your staff and given the option to rename them. Then you’re on to improving the studio lot, scriptwriting, planning, filming, decision making, and very slowly you’re let off the leash. It’s probably a good thing that you’re started off with a blockbuster already in hand because your movies are going to suck for a while until you get everything in shape.

Even though there is a tonne of room for your own creativity, the fact that Hollywood Animals is about repeating the same process over and over would normally bring the risk of going stale. This is especially true since the game starts in 1929 and slowly advances through time with events that mirror real-world history. However, there are so many things thrown at you that keep things interesting.

One of the first that I was hit with was that the previous studio ownership promised the lead actor of the movie a share of the profits. Even though that star had passed away, as the new owner, I was supposed to honor it for their family. Except the family never read the contract, so screw that. I had my lawyer bury it. It then went into my secrets pile, which is a collection of events that are at risk of being discovered.

Sure enough, this backfired. The family found out. Thankfully, I was able to settle out of court which didn’t cost me all that much more than just honoring the contract would have in the first place.

In another instance, security alerted me that a crazed and unpredictable man was waving a script around outside the studio. He wanted to sell it, but no one could know what was actually in it. It was cheap, so I took the chance and bought it.

It turned out to be an incredible script. 8 stars out of 10 is a great foundation for a production. However, the Mayor of LA came to me asking to have his daughter put in a movie. She wasn’t an actor, but having a favor from the mayor in my pocket would be useful.

So, I used this incredible script to prop up this talentless hack that was thrust upon me. It was going to severely torpedo the quality of the picture, but so what? It wasn’t my script. I’d probably never see the guy again. It wasn’t my staff I’d be pissing off, so I might as well just wipe my ass with the script just to keep the mayor happy.

I should probably note that there seems to always be an honest way to deal with problems, but honesty never built a successful business.

But it isn’t just random events that will be gluing your gears. Hollywood Animals wants to be sure that you know you’re working with humans. Simulated humans, sure, but they each come with their own egos, prejudices, and vices. Hell, I had a scriptwriter ask for time off to take care of their ailing mother, so they have families too.

You’re not just going to be handling HR. Sometimes casting will be complicated by preferences. Actors will occasionally refuse to take on a certain role that they feel is beneath them.

One major roadblock I had was trying to cast a woman in the lead role of a thriller. A surprising number of actors refused to act in a movie with a female lead. I wound up having to pay out the ass just to fill one particular role because no man would accept this.

Then, when I tried to release it in theaters, the critics tore it apart simply because of the woman in the lead role. Critics are scum. I strategized my advertising to target women and was still able to turn a sizeable profit. The 1930s can sup upon my ass. We’ll see who’s laughing when it gets re-evaluated in a few decades.

In another situation, an actor was offered a better contract by a competitor. Thankfully, we had dirt on him. I threatened to reveal that he slept with a 15-year-old and put a stop to that talk.

Your “security” office can be upgraded in a number of ways. The demo ends after roughly 2 hours, so I didn’t get to really get into some of the ways you can flex your poor moral fiber. However, the upgrade track escalates to straight-up assassination. Your opponents will try to get dirt on you and undermine your stars, so you can also use security to protect your secrets.

As I said, it’s a lot. There is just so much to Hollywood Animals. Considering it’s largely menu-based, there are a lot of things that could be abstracted. However, rather than just cover the basics, Weappy Wholesome went completely all out. From the way that you get to pick the movie poster and tagline for your movies or the weather and time of day changes on your lot, there’s just so much color that heightens the experience.

There is still the possibility that Hollywood Animals could fall apart later on in the game, but considering a release date hasn’t been announced and the demo is already polished to a mirror shine, I’m pretty convinced that isn’t going to be the case. It’s shaping up to be one of my favorite releases this year.

The post The Hollywood Animal demo looks like a blockbuster in the making appeared first on Destructoid.

A new era of Final Fantasy XIV is just on the horizon as our beloved Warrior of Light and their companions set sail for the New World, Tural, in Dawntrail. The MMO’s next expansion teases a refreshing, summer vacation-styled adventure; it's a moment of reprieve for the heroes who traveled to the edges of the universe and saved their star.

Though, as is the case with any beach episode, it’s all fun and games until God shows up to ruin the fun. While we don’t know the exact Dawntrail scenario, Final Fantasy XIV director and producer Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida has dropped a few sly teases indicating Version 7.0 won’t be a strictly fun-in-the-sun affair. Tural is full of adventure, and after spending a day in some of the expansion’s earliest zones, I’m more than ready to set sail.

During a recent press event hosted by Square Enix, I played an early build of Dawntrail — one that didn’t include some of the more recent benchmark graphic updates, mind you — and realized even a full day of playtime isn’t long enough to sample the entire slice. In a game like Final Fantasy XIV, I’m eager to chase the story behind every environmental detail, all while remembering there's a wealth of new combat and system changes to try out, too. 

The fabled golden cities of the New World

Since the Endwalker patches, Final Fantasy XIV's team has promised a sizeable graphics overhaul that includes everything from improved textures across models to more dramatic lighting and shadow effects. Seeing those changes in person, even after several livestreams and an updated benchmark, make the upgrades clearer than ever. Dawntrail is gorgeous, no doubt. It's perhaps the most visually stunning expansion yet, and there's a lot riding on 7.0's drastic makeover.

As I moseyed into the capital city, Tuliyollal, it's clear the zone benefits from these new processes and systems. For a Final Fantasy XIV city, there’s a noticeable jump in the number of items peppered across the landscape here. The expansion’s home point feels like a sizeable step up, and that’s with most of the bustling NPCs and flavor text removed from the build. According to Yoshida, those were cut to spare us from spoilers. Though in hindsight, I realize it was probably for the best, as my enchanted oh-what's-that reactions while perusing the lush greenery and elaborate architecture had me itching to stop and Gpose everywhere.

Tuliyollal reminds me a lot of another favorite destination, Radz-at-Han, mostly for its interesting uses of verticality and a skyline to die for. There's a neighboring forest that slopes into the coastline through a gradient of vegetation and colorful architecture. Then at night, the docks glow with posts and strings of warm lantern light, leading the way from Tuliyollal's beaches into the Aetheryte Plaza. Among my favorite stops were Brightploom Post and the Arch of the Dawn. The former, I'm assuming, serves as some sort of government stronghold within the city; it hosted a few tough military types. The latter was where I found the Alpacas.

The usual city staples we'll all become too familiar with make up the space in between. Again and again, I doubled back to investigate the nearby market, brimming with vibrant tapestries and tightly packed stalls managed by vendors all dressed in striking textiles. So striking, in fact, that I couldn't just pass any of them up once, and combed the details of their wares for new items on my Dawntrail furniture wishlist. Here's to hoping that Square Enix gives us at least a sliver of the new furnishings I spotted across Tuliyollal, I've got a place to bulldoze and redecorate.

Even of your little Eorzea, you know precious little

If I could've, inspecting the ins and outs of Tuliyollal's delightful first impressions would've taken up a whole day, but moving along paved the way for exploring its neighboring zones, Urqopacha and Kozama'uka. Neither of which I'd ruminated for long after their respective reveals prior, but it's these areas that have left me reeling in the days after. It's where I had that old familiar feeling; you know the one. It's the moment the expansion is real. It's when a bewildering decade's worth of storytelling kicks into high gear, leaving me to frantically scan my surroundings for anything and everything to indicate what happened, what's happening, and what's gonna happen.

And well, maybe it's a shocker, but I did not manage to find any of those grand details in the terrain that would lead me to a moment of mystery-solving genius. So no, I still don't know what on earth Dawntrail is about other than the big Festival of the Hunt inspirations it seems to invoke from Final Fantasy IX, but the wheels are turning. I mean, really turning, too. Every cog up there that sickly read and reread the Eorzean Encyclopedias and side stories is desperately trying to find meaning in every suspicious hillside and ominous blade of grass.

Also, it's just a lot to take in through your first pass. I realize there's a thoughtful use of unreachable objects in the distance and mountainous terrain splitting the zones, but both areas feel gigantic. Come launch, Dawntrail's Main Scenario and series of Aether Current quests will undoubtedly guide the way, but seeing it laid out in totality for the first time certainly gave me a bit of decision anxiety. With so many options ahead, I chose a few places to stop and sightsee in more detail than others.

What's the story behind Urqopacha's landscape?

My exploration left me with more questions than answers about anything waiting beyond the Indigo Deep. Some of my curiosity was rooted in previous Live Letter broadcasts, but Yok Tural no doubt has plenty of history to tell. In the Eorzea we're familiar with, the acceptance of the New World's actual existence seems more recent than anything, just within the last 80 years or so. It was Urqopacha's southern landscape, in particular, that spurred my desire to dig and learn more. The land is covered in crumbling ruins, some stretched along the mountains or tucked into valleys, all in different states of decay.

The map also revealed locale names, with places in the south like Proof, Shades of Grief, Sunken Stars, and the Indelible Passage. It's a sharp contrast from the land up north that leads back to Tuliyollal, where the terrain seemed more hospitable, and stops like Ciblu's Coffee Grounds, Miplu's Mate Garden, and The Family Ranch sure sound like places where Yok Tural's history was a little kinder.

That's when it dawned on me: Urqopacha's description in Yoshida's Fan Fest presentations described the area as the "proud heart of the giant's empire" that existed over 1,000 years ago. While that civilization is long gone, I'm assuming the modern-day's Yok Huy must, somehow, tie into those Gigant ancestors. There are traces of the giant civilization everywhere. Also, someone, or something, definitely smashed in the mountainsides all along the southern area, and it was certainly bigger than the neighboring Pelupelu.

The waterfalls and rainforests of Kozama'uka

Tuliyollal's nearby Kozama'uka is a little livelier, lined with endless rivers and smaller communities thriving in and around its rainforests. The regional climate seems forgiving in contrast to Urqopacha's rugged terrain, and the abundance of life is testament to that. Just in passing, I spotted several of the local Tribes already revealed as Yok Tural residents, like the newer PeluPelu, along with the distant relatives of the Vanu Vanu, the Hanuhanu, and finally the Goblin-like creatures, Moblins.

It's another sprawling zone, only made more impressive by the rocky crags erupting into the skyline. They're visible in some form from nearly all vantage points in Kozama'uka, and after several trips from one side to the other, I developed an appreciation for the varied biomes at every level. Sure, at a glance, it's mostly lush greens, but there's a thoughtful approach to life along the vast, stoney outcroppings at their highest peaks versus how the flora and fauna adapt to the rivers and runoff below.

Positioned along the southwest, just upon leaving Urqopacha, a portion of the zone is naturally higher. Following the twisting and turning rivers landed me somewhere a little more central, with one area aptly labeled the Breath Between. The Hanuhanu seem to favor the region, and they've built shops and boardwalks just above the raging rivers below. There's no Aetheryte here or striking fixtures denoting importance, but I loved running the stretch of bridges offering such a perfect view of the lowest and highest grounds in Kozama'uka.

There's a lot to see here, and if said Aetheryte placements are any reasonable indicator, Kozama'uka is the larger of the two preview zones, with three total. Ok'hanu and its familiar naming convention is the closest to Tuliyollal, in the north. I mostly point that out because, from the looks of it, the Level 91 dungeon — Ihuykatumu — easily serves as a journey to the other side, all the way south. The Duty begins along raging rapids, slowly guiding the party up, through the vast jungle and ending somewhere along the mountainside.

I'd hoped to spot an obvious purpose for Ihuykatumu's location and clear path there, but I'm still not sure if its position means we're taking a shortcut to see all, or most, of Kozama'uka's sprawling forests early on. Perhaps that's not it, and we'll go the long way through Urqopacha. Alternatively, the answer is both, and this is where Final Fantasy XIV's formulaic split between beginning zones happens in Dawntrail.

Expand your horizons

As for the dungeon itself, Ihuykatumu blends right into the beginnings of Dawntrail’s earliest moments in Tural. There’s no strange, otherworldly technology looming in the background and no fiery trails of Magitek-fueled wars, either. It was just me, the Warrior of Light, Erenville, and a leisurely boat cruise down the river.

Or at least, that was partially it — Alisaie, Wuk Lamat, Alphinaud, and Krile were along for the ride as well, and this must be where some of that fight for Tuliyollal's throne really comes into play. Just as we began, Alisaie warned of another boat ahead, with either Zoraal Ja or Bakool Ja Ja on board. Yoshida explained that most of this build’s dialogue was cut to avoid major spoilers, but there was enough information there to contextualize which Mamool Ja was the bastard that busted my boat.

Said sabotage was through FFXIV's usual groupings of trash mobs, and if you’ve ever spammed one or two buttons in a Final Fantasy XIV dungeon, then congratulations — you’ve done this one, too. For even moderately experienced players, lowly dungeon mobs are everything you expect them to be, and that’s fine. I ran Ihuykatumu twice as a Scholar: once with other players, then again with Duty Support. Neither struggled, and I used the breezy combat to test out new abilities.

Dawntrail's earliest dungeon encounter, Ihuykatumu

The real meat, of course, is in the boss fights. The first encounter was with Prime Punutiy, a darling manatee sporting an uncharacteristically bad temper, and then there was Drowsie, a sleepy troll with a green thumb. The former most certainly has a minion; it’s at the end of the Dawntrail benchmark. As for the latter, I’ve yet to spot the darling, dopey boy anywhere else. Fingers crossed, but I'm hoping similar existing models mean Drowsie gets the mount treatment.

Ihuykatumu wraps up with a fight against the less-adorable and drastically more killable, Apex Predator Apollyon. There’s little I hate more than the idea of complimenting a giant bug, but credit where credit is due, the creature put up a fun fight. Some of its mechanics, while all iterations on old FFXIV tricks, felt surprisingly busy for a dungeon encounter.

It was also Apollyon's arena that made a few of the duty's recurring design choices click. Bosses had, quite literally, spelled out a mechanic for me, but the warning was easy to ignore if you're the type to autopilot through dungeons. It’s nothing the game hasn’t done before; it’s just more apparent now. Even in A Realm Reborn, bosses inexplicably announced their secrets in cryptic monologues tucked away in the text chat, while more fights added extra on-screen text later.

In Dawntrail, bosses warned my party that mechanics were indeed happening with more enthusiasm than usual. Each with cautionary text, some white and red, smack-dab in the center of it all. Underneath, a bar signaled how much time I had left before the sequence began. I can't help but think the idea's new implementation leans into the controversial ways some players use third-party tools in the MMO's battle content. In this case, we aren't talking about world first races or extra early raid warnings, so it's less contentious. The design is a net positive in story-driven combat and a little relief in a game with chaotic screens and narrow text.

I get it, too. I nearly leapt over the moon when Endwalker offered a way to center recast timers and increase their size. Tweaks like this are the small, meaningful I appreciate in Final Fantasy XIV's steady evolutions. For all of the hemming and hawing I do over the minutiae, these elements are what I hope make entry-level content less intimidating to friends and other prospective players.

Go forth and seek discovery

For those eager to get further in the weeds, Dawntrail's preview build at least gave me a better idea of how some of my favorite Jobs should feel come launch. As context, I've spent most of my time in Eorzea playing Scholar, though my resume does include chaotic stents as an Astrologian, White Mage, Machinist, and impressively dead or dying Dragoon. I’m never matching the brilliance of the scene’s most talented players, but I’ve limped my way through (almost) every Savage tier and other battle content.

This is all to say I’m at least familiar with how every expansion’s combat felt, quite fond of how Scholar plays now, and happy with the Dawntrail makeover. If you’re a Job veteran longing for the days of Bane or Miasma II, an AoE DoT removed in Shadowbringers, then perhaps you’ll dig the changes to Chain Strategem.

Now, the Scholar Ability lasts a little longer, but it's not done after one use. Chain Strategem gives the Healer a 30-second window, Impact Imminent, where you hit the target and surrounding enemies with an AoE DoT, Baneful Impaction. It doesn’t spread Chain Strategem, so we can let go of that dream, but I’m eager to see how this works into Dawntrail’s harder content.

Taking a Job's most notable abilities one step further seems to be a recurring thing with Dawntrail. When I swapped to Astrologian, I noticed Divination became Oracle, a massive arena-wide hit only available under another limited window, and White Mage’s Temperance became Divine Caress. For now, I dig that change, but until I've had more fights to sample, I'm staying firmly optimistic about how our new kits shape encounters.

Try as I might, there was no way I was fulfilling so much of my curiosity around the patch in just one day's time, and that optimism is a theme through so much of my early Dawntrail experience. It's a bright-eyed shift in my outlook from here, one that's had no lack of ups and downs since 2013, but after saying goodbyes in Endwalker and brute forcing my way through the Pandaemonium Raid series, it's nice to be back here.

I'm finally feeling the expansion 'mood' again, with anxieties over the direction such a monumentous world will take quelled until it's time for the complete experience. After a full day of Dawntrail, I've got that expansion spirit again and all in for whatever waits in Tural. If this adventure is anything like the other four before it, then I figure it's enough to keep me around and waiting for whatever patch number takes us to Meracydia.

This article is based on play of an in-development build of FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail, and content in the final version is subject to change.[Travel and lodging for this event were provided by Square Enix.]

The post Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Preview: A promising new world awaits in Tural appeared first on Destructoid.

It’s tough being someone who, in the search for some sort of meaning in life, has arrived on video games as their foundation. I could have chosen a much worse passion, but I also could have probably picked one that would pass in normal conversation. Instead, no one I meet understands me. It’s lonely being better than everyone.

Elation for the WonderBox 6000 gets me. Unfortunately. It’s a bizarre game about loving one thing so much that it becomes the central source of your alienation.

I think. That’s as much as I could glean from the less-than-10-minutes of demo.

Elation for the WonderBox 6000 comes from Digital Tchotchkes, the creator of Go Fly a Kite, which I should probably play. They describe the demo as, “it's a costco free sample style demo.”

It starts off with a Doom-style text crawl telling you about the eponymous Elation for the WonderBox 6000, a game so transcendental that the protagonist suggests that it is the apogee of video games as an art. That if only more people played and understood it, then art wouldn’t have died. It is the protagonist’s goal to acquire this lost relic.

This opening exposition turns out to be something the protagonist is posting on the internet. The outpouring of distilled, potent opinions leads to them getting death threats, followed by a permanent ban from their chosen forum. We’ve all been there.

You’re then left to explore the wreckage of the protagonist’s life. You mouse around to see what’s interactive and then click on what you find to hear about it. Through this, you discover that society has continued its course toward refining the endorphin supply, which is part of why nobody remembers something as artful as Elation for the WonderBox 6000. Easier access to simpler stimulation has caused the masses to lose their way.

It’s difficult to tell if Elation for the WonderBox 6000 is making fun of, or trying to explain, the perpetually repeating discourse of how things were better in the before times. Or both. Why not take the high ground over every other perspective?

It represents a part of myself I’m unable to take too seriously. Some people have to travel abroad or get lost in the desert to “find themselves.” I’ve always known myself. I like video games. I might enjoy video games to an extent that other people find annoying. The whole reason I’m here (on this site, I mean) is that I want to support and spread the things I’m passionate about. It keeps me occupied until a bus finally decides to hit me.

But also, and I can’t stress this enough, the Elation for the WonderBox 6000 demo could be finished in less than 10 minutes. In that time, you look at stuff, talk to a person, and then walk to a place. That’s it. It could maybe be defined as the prologue. The game part of the game is beyond that demo wall.

It doesn’t really get me more excited to play Elation for the WonderBox 6000, but it also doesn’t make me less excited. I was just so disoriented when it ended.

On the other hand, it refers to the protagonist’s computer as “My portal to philistines,” which is what I will now call mine.

The post The shockingly brief Elation for the WonderBox 6000 demo really speaks to me appeared first on Destructoid.

Despite many protagonists lacking them entirely, there have been many great feet in first-person shooters. Duke Nukem 3D, Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, F.E.A.R.; when the kickers come out, it’s often a spectacle. Anger Foot attempts to outdo all previous feats of feet.

Anger Foot comes to us from Free Lives, a developer whose work has brought us a varied portfolio that includes games like Broforce, Genital Jousting, and Terra Nil. It’s coming sometime later this year, but I got to plant my feet in it today. Or, recently, I guess. What day is it?

Anger Foot takes place in Shit City, a location that makes me grateful that I work for a publication that lets me swear. In Shit City, crime is the law. You heard me. If a person isn’t committing a crime, that’s a red flag. At that point, police step in to ensure that the person gets the help they need to, at the very least, participate in petty larceny.

The city is ruled by four gangs, and you play as the one person who is willing to stand up to them. But only so they can steal some new shoes. However, before you get a single moment to admire your now complete sneaker collection, it’s stolen from under them. There are only two weapons powerful enough to get that footwear back, and their names are “Left” and “Right.”

Actually, there are also guns, but you’ll be getting a lot of mileage out of your two hooves.

Anger Foot is set up like a cross between Mullet MadJack’s corridor killing and Hotline Miami’s die-and-retry formula. Your goal is simply to reach the level’s exit point in the map, and any man, woman, or door that gets in your way needs to be kicked to splinters. One man. Two feet. All anger.

Anger Foot puts its best foot forward with its art style. Its grotesque stylings and use of bright comic-book colors are incredibly striking. The odd proportions and puppet people provide a helpful buffer to some of its gross-out humor. It’s like the Garbage Pail Kids have grown up with a fondness for toilets and swearing.

The music is similarly captivating. It maintains a near-constant, pulsing beat, but when there’s a break in the action, it takes on a reverberating sound, like it’s being played at maximum volume next door.

However, after emerging from the forest of its aesthetic, there’s much less impact. Kicking doors is great. It’s fun to watch them sail across the room before breaking on a thug’s face. And while the actual kicking will send foes flying, it strangely lacks force.

Melee combat is something that first-person shooter games often have trouble with. In Anger Foot you slide about, and when your foot is raised in anger, it doesn’t feel like it connects. There’s only the sensation that there’s a danger zone in front of your character. If you misjudge your timing, you might just pass by your target and glide around the floor to get ready for the next approach. There’s no weight or force in play. Even the drop kick doesn’t feel good to use. A door reacts to your toes in a fun way, but everything else just falls victim to the danger zone.

This is something that bothered me all throughout the sizeable chunk of gameplay I was served. I never felt powerful. It only takes a handful of shots to bring you down, and you’re not really given many options to avoid them in a crowded room. Keep moving, kite enemies, and keep kicking. You can pack yourself full of caffeine using cans of Thirst Fucker you find laying around, or get yourself drunk off of Brewforce if you feel like it, but it’s still just a couple of shots to bring you down.

The safest way to get through a level becomes kicking a door open, backing up, then kicking the enemies as they appear through the choke point. Even when you’re not cheesing, any time you need to be careful about your actions, the all-important momentum dies. Without the momentum, you don’t feel powerful, and that’s something that is crucial to Anger Foot and entirely lacking.

There are guns, but that’s just another problem. Their ammo is so limited, and movement is so important that in the chaos of a firefight, your feet seem more useful. That’s certainly on message, but it doesn’t give a reprieve from its problems.

On the other hand, optional objectives that provide stars give value to repeated playthroughs of levels (even if some are frustrating). More importantly, the stars are used to unlock new shoes, each of which comes with new buffs and abilities. I could see myself getting deeply into collecting new kicks if the gameplay was made more exciting.

Mullet MadJack feels so similar in intention to Anger Foot: Momentum, corridors, movement. However, through the use of systems like dashing and the glory kills of recent Doom games, MadJack feels much more satisfying. It has a series of mechanics that ensure that you never have to stop moving and you’re constantly killing.

Anger Foot is missing something. More accurately, it’s missing a few somethings. There are quite a few approaches that can be taken to alleviate its issues, but it’s probably going to require a few changes. As it stands, the whole experience is just too shallow.

I’m hoping that before launch, Free Lives can implement something to bring everything together. The level design, aesthetic, and even framework are all outstanding. Everything except the core gameplay is exceptional. I love looking at it, but Anger Foot is going to need to do more than just put one foot in front of the other to really nail the landing.

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Regardless of my cowardly tendencies, I occasionally enjoy jumping out of my comfort zone to get my heart pumping. It may keep me up at night, but for the most part, it always brings on a sense of thrill that other genres haven't quite hit. My nightmares as of late have now involved clowns, thanks to my horrific preview of Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game. And, I mean that in an entirely good way. 

I sat down with the team behind the game, IllFonic and Teravision Games, and played a few rounds through its online multiplayer. It didn't take too long for me to be immediately immersed in its vibrant, terror-filled world. Although I hadn't seen the '80s cult classic that inspired the game, I could sense its deep respect and homage to its origins. Elements like Crescent Cove, Balloon Dog, and Cocoons serve as powerful reminders of the game's roots. But fear not, whether you're a die-hard fan or a newcomer like me, the game is designed to cater to both parties.

A killer of a time

You'll take on the role of a Killer Klown or Human. The goal is simple: Kill everyone in your way as a Killer Klown, or discover a way out as a Human. It plays somewhat similarly to asymmetrical horror games such as Dead by Daylight and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, with a 3v7 face-off between Klowns and Humans. As someone who's played DbD, I could see a lot of similarities between the two, but Killer Klowns feels much more whimsical with its incredibly dark humor and carnival settings.

I got to take on the role of a Killer Klown the first time around. Never thought I would breathe a sigh of relief to be a murderous clown, but I was glad that I didn't have to stress of the Human side. It's also intriguing to experience it with two other players (who are also killers), which feels tremendously different from other horror games I've partaken in. The most I've seen was two killers at a time, so having three feels more like a party.

One standout feature was the method of locating targets. Instead of relying on a special ability, you must look for sound pings to detect nearby players. This adds a realistic touch, forcing me to rely on my virtual killer instincts. Fortunately, I didn't always have to rely on that since my teammates would often shout out Human locations via Discord chat. I'm curious to see if voice chat will be available with the official launch because that would definitely set it apart from Dead by Daylight, which doesn't have this feature.

Even if the Humans are more objective-oriented, Killer Klowns do have a sub-task of collecting Cocoons. They can be used on generators to get an early start to the Klownpocalypse, or to unlock more lackeys. However, since this is the only other objective you can do, aside from killing, it may get tedious over time. There's only so much you can do as a killer, but maybe a new update could provide more content for the Klowns.

Despite it potentially being tedious, the one thing that never gets old is the cinematic takedowns. These are just as brutal as any classic horror kill. They not only add to the game's visual appeal but also provide a satisfying sense of accomplishment as a player. Depending on the tool on hand, the eliminations differ, providing a variety of blood-curdling scenes. In true clown fashion, the weapons and items are just as wacky as the killers.

There's an abundance of objects to utilize, from a Mallet to a Popcorn Launcher to a Cotton Candy Raygun. Diversity in tools makes the game far richer, providing new ways to take down human trash. To give you an example, the Pizza Box allows you to disguise yourself as a, you guessed it, pizza box. Now, I don't think I'll ever look at pizza boxes the same.

It's unlike any weapons I've used in classic horror games, which have typically used traditional tools such as knives and chainsaws. Having these zany guns makes things much more exciting and new, adding a touch of humor to the game. I've had my fill with hacking and slashing in other games, so having a weapon like a Popcorn Launcher gives it some extra flair.

Killer Klowns also have the unique ability to jump almost anywhere on the map. I've never seen a fast-travel feature in a horror title, which is another thing that sets it apart from others in the genre.

Humans can be just as deadly as the Killer Klowns

When it was finally time to face my fears of clowns, I took on the Human role. Given that the Killer Klowns can use sound pings to find you, you'll need to keep track of that with the Noise Generation bar.

Jumping into a survival horror game can often be overwhelming. However, Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game eases the stress with the Meeting Point. Beginning a match this way, where players can meet with others and unlock escape points, feels much more collaborative and accessible. 

You can find a few tools here, amongst other areas, to fend against the Killer Klowns. I went with the most horror-stricken weapon: the frying pan. Who knew that kitchenware could be so deadly? I probably could have played the sneaky part better, but it's fun to give the Killer Klowns a taste of their own medicine. It felt like Killer Klowns catered to any type of player, whether you are as quiet as a mouse or the loudest noise-maker ever.

Taking down the Killer Klowns is incredibly satisfying as a Human, especially when you have the whole team joining in. Nevertheless, the fear of being hunted never truly goes away, considering that there are two more killers who can rain down on the group's parade.

Items can also be used as key ingredients for your great escape. The escape tactics are, by far, the best part about being a Human. It's much more than just starting up generators; it can involve various points of interest. For instance, if you use the boat to escape in one playthrough, you can switch things up by taking the bridge the next time.

Each escape route generally shares the same objective of finding specific objects around the map. I only got the chance to do the boat route, requiring a gas can and spark plug. The other escape paths have their own unique items to grab, including keys for a locked mechanical door or a keycard for the bridge. Given that the tasks share a similar object-finding mission, I could see it becoming tedious the more you play.

On the other hand, it's still exhilarating to search and locate these items with the threat of the Killer Klowns. Even if Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game plays into its humoristic tone, it's still very much a horror game. I found it utterly terrifying to look for one tiny object as the group of murderers kept taking my team down one-by-one. The opposing side can also mess up plans by clogging exits with their sticky cotton-candy substance.

When things start coming together, it does feel truly rewarding to find the necessary items for the escape. Yet, it can sometimes be a double-edged sword. During my time playing, I had just enough objects to leave with the boat, but unfortunately, my teammate couldn't reach it, on account of them being wrangled by a clown. It was there that I had to make the devastating decision to escape without them, leaving the team with a bittersweet victory.

Most of the escape routes have a time limit, including a countdown that shuts a door down for good. This forced me to question whether I'm a team player or someone who needs to fend for themselves. Given that you can leave teammates high and dry with escape routes, it makes it feel like there's a touch of PvP in its online co-op. Will you play it like everyone men for themselves? Or, will you get everyone to safety?

While I enjoyed my time being alive as a Human, I found it entertaining to be on the dying side. Dead Humans can take the spectator route and play a few minigames to give the living buffs. I'm a sucker for simple minigames, and Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game knows exactly how to keep you entertained. It even has traditional carnival games, like whacking Klown heads, to add more to the game's theme. 

Some horror games can sometimes be a bit tedious, but I believe Killer Klowns has enough variety to keep you on the edge of your seat. The developers have indicated that there will be much more to explore with loadouts and ranks. A level-up system will likely keep things more interesting, so I'll have to see what this will have in store. I also hope that more skins and weapons are planned for Killer Klowns From Outer Space The Game's roadmap. A Halloween event would be perfect, too, or maybe even crossover with other famous horror clowns. (Pennywise, anyone?)

Playing the preview has inspired me to watch the film. Fans of this cult classic will undoubtedly enjoy finding all the Easter Eggs, and trust me, there's plenty to go around. Even those who haven't watched the movie will still have some fun with its hide-and-seek or hack-and-slash playthroughs. It may just be your next weekend multiplayer horror go-to.

You can look forward to Killer Klowns From Outer Space The Game when it arrives on June 4, 2024 on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

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Supergiant Games had a titan of a task ahead of itself in making a sequel to Hades. 2020's rogue-lite adventure was arguably their largest game yet, and with Hades 2, Supergiant would be doing something they'd never done before: make a sequel.

After a promising Technical Test, I got some hands-on time with the Early Access build that's out now. Not only is it bigger and better than I could've expected, but it's the rare Early Access I'd actually encourage people to get in on the ground floor of, whether you're already a Hades fan or not. Even at this early stage, it's one of the best things I've played this year.

Death to Chronos

Let's start from the top. In Hades 2, you play Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld. If the attire, garb, and attitude weren't dead giveaways, she's brother to Hades 1 protagonist Zagreus, and daughter to Hades and Persephone. Her grandfather, the Titan Chronos, has returned and wrought revenge upon the House of Hades. Taken under the care of Hecate, Melinoë has been training, and your story starts with her setting out on the path of revenge; to dive back to where this all started, save your family, and kill time itself.

Her path is fraught with peril. You will hack and slash, defeating enemies and boss Guardians alike but you will, inevitably, die. Death's not the end, though. Each setback sees Melinoë return to shadow and reappear at the Crossroads, where she can recuperate, chat with her companions and comrades, then improve her equipment and abilities for the next run.

This rogue-lite loop has become a fairly standard framework these days, but again, Supergiant shows its talent for weaving themes and stories throughout the experience. Some runs might last half-an-hour, others die out in ten minutes, but each one feels like a step forward. You can collect reagents and resources to unlock more weapons or concoct new Incantations at your bubbling cauldron. (Hades 2 leans into its witchy vibes, and does so quite well.) Speaking to the Olympians who provide you aid through their boons can advance the plot, as can finding new locales with regions you might not have seen in prior runs.

Weaving a tale

Hades already laid the blueprint. What's impressed me with Hades 2 is the ways in which Supergiant expands and builds upon its foundations. There's still plenty of time spent talking to unusually attractive gods and legends, and many of them are new faces that didn't appear in the previous game. You can still pass out Nectar to win them over and acquire valuable Keepsakes to influence your run's rewards and stats.

Yet side areas of the Crossroads, like the Hot Springs, which can be built through the cauldron and used to have a nice soak with your pals, add additional opportunities for both character development and a surprising degree of character vulnerability. Some of the heaviest moments in the first Hades were when characters opened up about their circumstances or past. Hades 2 smartly adds even more opportunities for that, while also developing a steady, compelling roster of gods for your home base.

The themes of Hades 2 are also a bit different this time around. For Zagreus, his escape runs were attempts to cope with a broken home and familial trauma. In Melinoë's case, though, she's had to find a family at the Crossroads. An early flashback scene shows how she was raised by this assembled band of rebels, learning to fight from a young age. Themes of inheriting a legacy, coping with loss, and fighting an uncertain future - the unstoppable ravages of time - abound. While this is a tale of revenge, it's also about how one copes with the inevitable progress of time, and the changes time brings.

I promise, though, it's not all heavy. Many characters have made me laugh and smile. The Olympian gods are their usual selves, enhanced by the addition of newer faces like Hephaestus, Apollo, and Hestia. Dora, the little shade that hangs out in Melinoë's tent, is already a favorite character, aptly filling the role Dusa played in Hades. It's surprising that, even on story alone, Hades 2 feels massive.

In the air tonight

The scope extends to the rest of Hades 2, as well. The first Hades launched into Early Access with just Tartarus and Asphodel. Hades 2, meanwhile, doesn't just have a full "run" locked in, but a second one to unlock. Without going too far into details, Melinoë both gets to dive down, and venture into new territory for the denizens of the underworld, all in pursuit of the power to stop Chronos.

Once you start fighting through those areas, it might feel daunting to see how much there is to do in Hades 2 already. Five weapons are in the game right now, alongside many of the features you might expect if you had played the 1.0 launch of Hades. Aspects, helpers, plenty of boss fights, and more wait to be found. I learned about a gameplay feature the other day from another one of our writers who's been playing, and I've put tons of time in.

The weapons themselves, as I outlined in my Technical Test write-up, are pretty solid. I'm still figuring my way around some of them, but the Sister Blades and Argent Skull are already favorites. Each one also interacts with Melinoë's unique magic system, letting her charge up for Omega casts to add effects and power at a cost. It's made each run with each weapon feel unique, even before aspects start to get introduced.

Elemental options add a little extra reason to try new boons, offering benefits through Infusions. A reward may offer you a hefty chunk of health if you acquire at least four Water-aspect boons, for example, and different gods offer different variety of elements. There are a lot of reasons to break out of your comfort zone, and as someone who got very comfortable with specific builds and playstyles in Hades 1, I've enjoyed the newfound challenge in Hades 2.

The witching hour

There are some places where the Early Access nature of Hades 2 is still obvious. Certain characters don't have their portraits implemented yet, or only exist as a concept art sketch. (This was changing as recently as days before the EA launch though, so I wouldn't be surprised if that gets taken care of fairly fast.)

In a few cases, I felt like I was getting a story scene well after, and in one case before, I'd flagged it. And a few times, I had some odd funkiness with how Melinoë would hitch on some terrain, or how a hitbox appeared to me.

Despite all that, I can wholeheartedly recommend picking up Hades 2, and doing so now, rather than waiting for a 1.0. A lot of people, myself included, waited for the "full launch" of Hades to play it. I was concerned about getting invested in a story that wasn't finished, and wanting to get the full experience.

Hades 2 already feels like a hearty experience, even in the moments where I can tell it's not complete yet. Already, this is a stellar follow-up to Supergiant's tale of gods and families, and if the road only goes up from here, this feels like another hit in the making. That's without even getting into Darren Korb's work on the Hades 2 soundtrack, which is phenomenal; the use of familiar motifs and ideas from the first game, while incorporating eerie, spritely, ethereal concepts like synths and wailing saxophones works so well, building up the witchy vibes even further.

Every looped night, every sleek new combination and build I put together, every narrow victory over a tough boss, even every tree slammed into a wailer for a terrain kill, feels fantastic. And sure, you could wait it out just to get the whole package. But what's here now in the Early Access of Hades 2 is one of the best games I've played so far this year, and so far, it seems like it will only get better as the months go on. Killing Time has rarely been quite so enjoyable as it is in Hades 2.

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Supergiant Games is one of those rare studios, whose resume of stellar games has essentially ensured I will always be interested in their next project. Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and Hades were all excellent in their own ways. But going into Hades 2, I was curious just how this studio would tackle a sequel, a first for the team.

Turns out, I didn't really need to worry. I've hit the "end screen" of the Hades 2 Technical Test, and all I want to do is play more Hades 2.

Death to Chronos

The slice, available as the Hades 2 Technical Test, is essentially the opening of the game. And much like Supergiant's other games, it starts a bit in media res. You are Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld. Your mission is simple: Death to Chronos. The Titan of Time has, in some way, up-ended your happy home life. So rather than escaping up and out of hell, you're diving down towards it with vengeance in mind.

There are a few returning faces here. Some of the gods, like Demeter, Poseidon, and Aphrodite are back, decked out in new designs. There's more newcomers joining the lineup of recurring gods and deities, too. Headmistress Hecate plays the "Hades" role, running the base of operations back home. Odysseus and Nemesis hang out around the Crossroads, a spritely shade named Dora hangs out in Melinoë's room, and more gods to offer their boons. Apollo and Hestia are nice surprises, and Hephasteus is already a fan-favorite for his incredible design.

And the designs really are something else. Supergiant's always had excellent character designs, but Hades 2 sees them showing off with both newcomers and revisions of old characters. Put plainly, everyone is hot. The diversity of styles and types here is more than welcome, and really, the nigh-feral reaction from fans as they share the god designs online is more than merited. Even small touches, like Melinoë donning new attire when she gets a special dress from Arachne, give Hades 2 a familiar-but-fresh visual upgrade.

Hades 2 doesn't just shift in terms of verticality, though. Melinoë doesn't have the same weapons as Zagreus, and doesn't employ the same tactics either. One major area where the former differentiates themselves from the latter, maybe the biggest difference between Hades and Hades 2, is in its magic. Or rather, witchcraft.

Witches' brew

In the first Hades, Zagreus had a simple but effective set of tools: Dash, Attack, Special, Cast. For Hades 2, Melinoë has the same button layout, but expanded thanks to her magical abilities as a witch. Basically, the three offensive buttons — Attack, Special, Cast — can be held to charge up an empowered "Omega" version, which adds effect in exchange for some of Melinoë's magic bar.

The magic bar and how it expands Melinoë's actions, compared to Zag's, is probably my favorite part of Hades 2 so far. Just with the starting weapon, a staff, Melinoë can charge up the Attack to send out a column of magic power, striking enemies ahead of and behind her. Or the magic circle Cast can be used to bind and damage foes, if you can charge and position it properly.

There's a constant risk-and-reward of how much magic you can expend and when it's safe or dangerous to do so. Launching these "Omega" versions take time to charge up and launch, so it can leave you vulnerable to enemies while you're prepping them.

Melinoë's magic means that the Boons from the Olympians can have interesting new effects, too. I was curious how, with gods like Demeter and Poseidon returning, Supergiant would make them feel different from their original versions. But adding the ability to still use tools like Aphrodite's Weaken, within the toolset of these new attacks, works super well. Build-crafting on the fly feels really fun, and I didn't really disparage seeing the returning faces among new Boon options.

A deep dive

It should go without saying, but I do need to write it at least once: Darren Korb is killing it again on the Hades 2 soundtrack. There are a lot of familiar and noticeable motifs here, but with a witchy twist. It's hard to describe, but the music has a dark twist, like you're playing Hades during a full moon and see a black cat cross your path. I really dig it.

It only took me a few runs to blast through the opening level and make it to the first boss, which marks the "end" of the Technical Test. I can still hop back in and play right now, but I'm not allowed to advance further than that first stratum. Curiously, there seems to be other options for advancing in Hades 2; a conspicuous option to "Go Up?" lies across the aisle from the "Go Out" option that starts the run. It makes me wonder if Hades 2 has quite a bit more in store for us than we currently realize.

Either way, the Technical Test has mostly assured me that Hades 2 is looking extremely good. This alternate take on the pantheon, leaning into the witches-and-magic side of Greek mythology, works extremely well. Melinoë is already compelling, as is her headmistress Hecate and the gathering of characters assembled at the Crossroads. It really speaks for itself that even now, I'm eager to dive back into another run, to test out a new weapon or find some new Boons, even if I've only got access to a slice of the eventual whole.

The first Hades felt like an impressive new spin on the roguelite formula, while also combining the strengths of every Supergiant game before it for one big slam-dunk. Hades 2 sees Supergiant returning to the well, and still finding ways to make an even more impressive version of this kind of game. I can't wait to see more of what's in store for Melinoë.

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When the Lorelei and the Laser Eyes team reached out with an offer to try Simogo's latest game, they also sent over a little notebook. It was a neat inclusion that soon became a crucial part of my playthrough; it's hard to separate my time within Lorelei from my time outside it, noodling over puzzles even when the app isn't open. It's that kind of game.

The set-up of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is intentionally vague. You arrive on the outskirts of a hotel, invited by a letter you don't really have context for yet, to participate in... something. A game? An exhibit? A reunion? Who's to say. Certainly not me, as I'm still discovering pieces of that in my playthrough now.

Solve a few puzzles, and you'll get inside and start getting pointed in various directions. The crux of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is exploring this manor, trying to learn and recover memories, and solving puzzles so you can keep moving forward.

Myst-heads will likely eat this up, or for a more current reference, it's reminiscent of games like The Witness or Braid or Fez. Lorelei is puzzle-driven, story-driven, and filled with mystery; the fixed camera angles and manor setting definitely bring to mind the first Resident Evil, too. It's an interesting, though not unnatural, leap for Simogo. Their previous game, Sayonara Wild Hearts, was a break-out hit. But this was a team that also produced other compelling, moody puzzlers like Device 6 and Year Walk. Gameplay-wise, Lorelei falls in line with the latter.

Some puzzles, early on at least, were fairly straightforward. A clue is laid out plainly, sometimes even underlined for the player's benefit, and a little deduction gets you to where you need to go. Knowing that a street address actually doubles as a code for a lockbox, for example. (That's a made-up scenario I just invented, as I really don't want to spoil any puzzle solutions in this writeup.)

They do, eventually, start to turn up the difficulty, and in a very interesting way. Dates, names, places, or anything can become a puzzle piece. Puzzles can require different kinds of solving, too. It's not just memorization or repeating the right number back. There are times where altering viewpoints and symbols meant just as much. I mean, I had to do actual math. That's a lot to ask after a hard day's work.

Part of what I really like about Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is how open everything feels. Once I was inside the manor, I was pretty free to walk around and follow my curiosity wherever it led me. I'd get sidetracked trying to simply map out the rooms, or discover all of a certain puzzle type. There are some helpful environmental hints to generally guide the player along a "story" path, which I do recommend; it was a bit embarrassing to realize that a clue I needed to solve one puzzle had been gated behind a story event. I was a little distracted staring at posters and letters.

Lorelei does give you every tool in the box to solve these problems, though. Your player character has a photographic memory, so any document or note you read is permanently saved to the menu for recollection later. I still recommend the pad and paper, though, as several puzzle solutions required math or geometry. I am, as my teachers would've put it, a "visual" and "hands-on" learner, so mapping things out on paper definitely helped.

I will say, for its various approachability options, I did have a few gripes with Lorelei and the Laser Eyes so far. It has a limited amount of buttons, so really you mostly just need to navigate around and hit "interact." Trouble is, opening your menu falls on the same button. So getting stuck on a puzzle and then trying to open up my menu to recollect some clues often just put me back in the puzzle. Similarly, there's not an easy "back out" option. If I've entered a screen where I need to punch in letters or numbers, I need to hit the "solve" button to get back out. And if I'm rotating a wheel with numbers on it, it can only rotate in one direction. Was the 1 actually a 0? Time to go all the way around.

Combine that with some hard puzzles and a general push towards discovery over rigid guidance, and I do think some people might bounce off Lorelei and the Laser Eyes early. To which I'll say, please don't.

Take it from me: my first session in Lorelei felt confusing and awkward. I stumbled around the mansion, just trying to get my bearings. I'd run into puzzle after puzzle that I felt like I had zero context for. Some of the environmental guidance felt like it led me in circles. I put it down. And when I came back for round two, I hit a story flag, and it felt like I could see the puzzle box so much more clearly for what it is.

Soon, I was feverishly taking notes and scribbling in my pad. I was beginning to form thoughts and ideas, theories, about what was going on. I found some items that really, truly blew my mind when I figured out how they interacted with others, and what sorts of discoveries and new experiences they opened up.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes feels like a layered, hand-crafted puzzle experience. When I got on a roll, it reminded me of the invitation scene from Glass Onion, where one revelation sent me running back to another part. For some people, that might get frustrating when they hit a mental wall they can't push through. For others, breaking out the pad and pencil, noodling away, thinking about a puzzle on your off-hours is part of the draw. And I think Lorelei and the Laser Eyes will have a lot in store for that crowd.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is out on May 16 for Nintendo Switch and PC.

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The thought of building a settlement in the medieval countryside while simultaneously being oppressed by the local lords fills me with anxiety, but that's the world Bellwright launches you into.

Developer Donkey Crew describes Bellwright's world as an idyllic medieval world, one imagined by a child with open fields, forests, wild animals, and a shining sun beating down on you. It's very beautiful and makes every NPC and building pop when you get up close to them. But there's a darker side to this world, and it isn't just the murky swamps. At first, you're building a settlement, but your overarching goal is to do much more: To rebel against the powers ruling over this land.

Survive, thrive, conquer

I was invited to a preview event for Bellwright, in which Donkey Crew showed off roughly 45 minutes of gameplay and talked me through the majority of the game's systems, at least those available when it launches in early access on April 23, 2024. After that, I and a few other journalists were able to ask some questions about what we'd seen, and I have to say, I came away pleasantly surprised.

The session started with a broad look at the game's world. It's a 25 kilometers-squared map pocketed with a variety of biomes. One of the game's key inspirations, according to Donkey Crew, Subnautica, can be seen here in that you begin your story in the peaceful grasslands biome and entire into more dangerous territory as the narrative progresses.

I use the term narrative loosely because while there is a story, you don't necessarily need to engage with it much. The goal of the game is to move about the map, freeing people from the tyranny of the occupying ruling force village by village until you've eradicated them. That sounds simple in principle, but it's much more complex when you dive into the details.

First, you've got to recruit people for your settlement. To do this, you'll need to visit nearby villages and gain the trust of key individuals before building a bell tower. This structure is a sign of rebellion and will trigger a fight you must win to gain the respect and loyalty of the village, which now serves you.

Priorities are the name of the game

With followers under your belt, it's time to build your settlement, which I think will be the part of the game most survival fans care about. It's a lot like Rimworld in that you set priorities for your followers, and they'll perform tasks in that order. If you'd rather they build instead of farm, they'll do that if you tweak the priorities list. Otherwise, Donkey Crew explained that they'll get on with things as they see fit.

Building isn't fast, with most structures taking multiple in-game days to be completed. This makes Bellwright a slow burner, but it's designed to make you carefully consider everything you have built. If a structure isn't essential, you'll need to leave it until later or push your progress back.

For example, you might want to build a blacksmith to start making weapons and armor, but if your people need a warehouse to store more food to survive the winter, you know what your priority is. Seasons impact the world around you, so you'll rely on stores in the winter, while building up a new one in the following spring and summer.

As your settlements grow, and you will have more than one as you play, you'll become the target of raids. Your followers will automatically defend what is theirs, but can also be taken into battle. Much in the same way as Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, you'll be directing soldiers to move or attack instead of controlling them while they fight. In fact, Donkey Crew told us that you could go through the whole game without swinging a sword at all if you want.

Combat is a natural part of progression in Bellwright because areas such as bandit camps and enemy-packed biomes hold resources essential for unlocking new structures and technology. Even raiding large towns is part of progression because huge benefits such as a wheat field for a much more reliable supply of food are locked behind your enemy's tremendous defenses.

Of course, none of this would be as satisfying without survival elements, and there are plenty to be considered in Bellwright. While your character and followers don't die if they fall in combat, you do lose some of your items when you respawn. Your followers will become injured if they drop in battle, and if you force them back out without healing, they'll disappear for good.

You'll also need to remember to bring food on a raid with you. Soldiers get hungry in a battle, and they don't recover quickly if you've got no supplies to feed them. It slows the pace of progress to the point where it almost feels historically accurate, pulling you into the world because you know you can't forget a single thing if you want to win.

What I've seen of Bellwright looks great so far, and Donkey Crew has plans for so much more. At early access launch, the game will have fast travel points you can build in settlements to set up your own network, but eventually, ridable horses are planned. Depending on what the community response to the game is, there could also be a peaceful and endless mode.

Regardless of what eventually is or isn't in the game, Donkey Crew has put a lot of work into getting it to run on widescreen monitors and as many PC builds as possible. It told us that good rigs should easily hit 60 FPS, while lower-spec PCs should still run the game with performance-based settings.

The one caveat to the mostly pleasant preview is the use of AI voiceover in the early access version of Bellwright. Donkey Crew gave this information up freely because it wants to be clear that its intention is to use paid human voice actors in the final version. However, AI voiceover is helpful during development because you don't need to rely on a voice actor's schedule of availability or have the increased cost of redoing so many lines repeatedly.

I see the developer's point here and appreciate it being so upfront with the information. However, there's no end date for the early access, and I can't help but think, especially in the current climate, that this one aspect might overshadow what are otherwise seemingly enjoyable gameplay systems.

Bellwright goes into early access for PC on April 23.

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Some RPGs sell themselves on epic, sweeping tales. Others on their complex, robust battle systems, or their unique approach to actual role-playing. Visions of Mana doesn't necessarily lack in these departments, but its draw for me after some time spent in its world is simply cozy, familiar comfort.

I was surprised that was the takeaway, after spending roughly 45 minutes or so blasting through a two-part demo at PAX East 2024. To be clear, I don't hold any particular nostalgia for the Mana series, as I never played it growing up. Any personal attachment I have is mostly for the Secret of Mana box art, an all-timer if ever there was one.

Yet the second I started swinging weapons and bashing monsters in the overworld of Visions of Mana, it felt familiar, like I'd done this before. Maybe it was the influence of the Mana series surfacing. Or maybe Visions of Mana is just a cozy adventure to mosey through.

There's always a hero, there's always a tree

Val, the hero of Visions of Mana, is a guard for his elemental alm and childhood friend Hinna. The two are off on a journey, a pilgrimage to the Tree of Mana, and countless perils and obstacles likely await.

I didn't get a great sense of what the story is about in Visions of Mana, aside from a trip to the Tree of Mana and dealing with a lot of elemental affinities along the way. I'll say that I didn't really need an infusion of story to sell me on this, either. Most of the setting and vibe is communicated through the world and its characters.

Visions of Mana is bright and cheerful, even in frigid areas like the snowy Mt. Gala I battled my way across. Characters like Morley and Careena, my two party members alongside Val, clearly stick out. The world incorporates much of the Mana iconography you'd expect, and that's on purpose, as Mana producer Masaru Oyamada explains to me in an interview after the demo.

"In terms of the world building, really, we started off with the visual of the Mana tree and kind of built things around that," said Oyamada. "Thinking again, about you know, how much of an expansive field we wanted to achieve with this game. We originally started by kind of assessing the technological elements, how feasible that would be, and through that, that was really how we built the game and the world within the game."

The open fields are fun to run around in, either on foot or on the back of the pikul, adorable dogs that act as the party's mounts. They are perfect, and I swear to protect them from all harm.

This also means a world full of quests to accomplish, whether on the main path or through side quests. Oyamada says there will be reason to back-track too, thanks to the traversal options that different elemental triggers in the world offer. For example, the vessel of Sylphid, the Wind elemental, can control air currents; and so when faced with a rocky outcropping without many places to platform across, an elemental trigger can open new paths across.

Scrappin' time

I also got a chance to dig into Visions of Mana's combat, which sees your team of three fight monsters and enemies in real-time, action-RPG combat. To put it simply, fighting feels good in Visions of Mana. Move sets are fairly simple, with two standard attacks and a small allotment of extra moves based on your class. It'll feel right at home for anyone who's played an action RPG in recent years.

The customization and skill application comes in when you start accounting for classes. Different elemental vessels open up new classes for each character, not only changing their arsenal of attacks, but incorporating elemental effects into their strikes. The Vessel of the Moon, for example, can create pockets of slowed time. I had Careena pick up the Luna Globe and she became a Moon Charterer, dropping tiny pockets of slowed time like Dio from JoJo's, freezing enemies for Val and Morley to beat up.

Each character feels distinct in their own way, though. Morley wields blades and knives, at times reminding me a bit of Vergil from the Devil May Cry series. Val, meanwhile, has big Protagonist energy, often taking up the vanguard and providing defensive options on the field. I didn't get a great feel for Careena, as her moves felt pretty varied between classes, but she definitely came off as both technical and able to really employ elemental effects. Oyamada says the team definitely wanted each character's actions to reflect their individual personality and characteristics, and that comes across.

There are plenty of options, but they rarely felt overbearing. Even the difficulty felt tuned just right; fights had some challenge, some push-back, but I still managed to cruise through without too much trouble. I did run into a pack of ultra-high level foes in a lower level area, which seems like either a reason to return or a challenge waiting, for those willing to dare it.

A new Mana after all these years

It might feel a bit superficial to simply say, "Visions of Mana is a comfort food RPG," but it really is. Characters wear their emotions on their sleeve, the world is bright, the combat is fast and enjoyable and rarely feels arduous. The music, something the team has talked about before in a recent Xbox showcase, ties it all together to feel like a grand journey.

On my end, I was curious why the team finally chose to pull the rip cord on a new Mana. While the series has seen some remakes and re-releases, this is the first fully new Mana game in over 15 years. As Oyamada puts it, the team had been working on remakes, but throughout the process he did think about what would be a good way to create a new installment.

"But at the time, you know, a lot of the original staff members who worked on the game, including [Koichi Ishii], had actually left the company," Oyamada told me. "So again, you know, I was very much focused on, what can I do? In terms of like, if I were to make a new installment, what would be a version of it that people would accept? What would be, sort of, a game that would be worthy of being called Mana?"

Trials of Mana, the 3D remake of Seiken Densetsu 3, is the "big turning point" that Oyamada identifies. It was ambitious and fairly well received, and it got the team thinking about what it could do for a new installment.

Series creator Ishii had his own philosophy for the Mana series where, according to Oyamada, he wanted to give himself a "challenge," in terms of making something new and in game systems. But Oyamada approaches it from the standpoint of "someone who just loves the series."

"And so whether that be you know, the monster designs that [Ishii] originally came up with, or whether that be the visuals of the Mana tree," said Oyamada. "Or whether that be, you know, like the way the system and the lore with which like, these elemental spirits reside in this world. I've always felt that those are some of the strongest parts of the past games, and so I wanted to be able to incorporate them into this newest game too."

Indeed, Visions of Mana feels like a passion project from a Mana fan. It's a sentiment that comes across even to me, someone not quite so well-read in his Mana. But I also think Oyamada and the Visions of Mana team are tackling something fresh here, too. The open zones and linear battle sections tying together, with elemental traversal and good, solid action, layered over with great art and music, all gives me the feeling of booting up an RPG classic on a Saturday morning. It's even pushing the established envelope a bit on the tech side. Oyamada says that scope of work from increased platforms, and what the team wants to achieve on the technical side, are why Visions is launching where it is; notably, not on Switch.

Maybe that's what Visions of Mana ends up being: a cozy Saturday morning RPG. If it does achieve that, I think it'll be something worth keeping an eye on. Visions of Mana is currently planned for summer 2024 on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

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