The Maw - 22nd-27th April 2024

This week’s least outwardly offputting game releases, plus our weekly newsblog

Ugh, I do not have the energy to feed the Maw this week. Sometimes the creature manifests as a proper monstrosity, with B-movie prosthetics and sound effects, and sometimes, it’s more of an… unfathomable annoyance, like a nose that won’t stop running, or a single player game that requires an internet connection. In either case, the Maw must be sated, and fortunately, there are quite a few appetising video-or-computer games out in the next seven days, with at least one behemoth landing on Friday.

Here they are: fantasy medieval survival town-builderBellwright(23rd April); shamanic metroidvaniaTales of Kenzera: Zau(23rd April); gangland horror FPSJawbreaker(23rd April); cosmic horny simulatorSucker for Love: Date to Die For(23rd April); Pikminish factory RTSOddsparks: An Automation Adventure(24th April); anime mech brawlerMegaton Mushashi W: Wired(25th April);Dragon BallXMad Maxtank ‘em upSand Land(25th April); not-a-Total-War-killerManor Lords(26th April).

As ever, this list of releases is but the product of our pitiful brains. Your, vastly more developed intellect may have identified other games that are equally deserving of a mention. It’s just as well, then, that the MawTron 5000 comes equipped with a Comments-O-Matic feature - please let us know what we’ve missed, and have a good week.

Our live coverage of this event has finished.

IT’S MONDAY AGAIN

Why do they keep doing this to us. FEED THE MAW.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Like a Minecraft slime but not as cuddly, Embracer Groupare splitting into three separate companies– Asmodee Group, Coffee Stain & Friends and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Uncapped Games boss and former StarCraft 2 multiplayer lead David Kim is teasing a new RTS, which will be revealed during Summer Game Fest in June. Catch word of it in the below documentary.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

–Nic Reuben

An English Haunting has a release date, and it’s soon! May 15th. I’m stoked for this one - I wroteabout the demo as a supporter postand whacked it onour most anticipated list. It’s a spooky point and click adventure set in Edwardian England, where you play a professor who has to prove the existence of ghosts. I dunno what else I can say to sell it to you, but here’s a new trailer the devs put on Xitter.

Save the date!🗓️An English Haunting will be available on May 15th!Here’s the new trailer and don’t forget to hit the wishlist button!⬇️👻https://t.co/Q91vpfkYn0pic.twitter.com/R6Afa9vfaH

–Alice Bell

I spent a fair bit of Friday trying to pin down a story about cold fusion in Fallout. This being RPS, I suspect there are actual cold fusion experts lurking in the comments - any thoughts on the show’s portrayal of it?

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

ViaVGC, an EA Japan exec has complained about the country’s ratings board banning Dead Space despite recently approving Stellar Blade, which has a similar level of violence. I don’t think this is much of a story, but I keep wanting to write it up because it has me picturing Isaac Clarke with the Stellar Blade lady’s bottom, which is making me feel a bit hysterical.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Uncover the Smoking Gun has you solve a murder by interrogating ChatGPT-speaking suspects, with AI’s habit of just making stuff up apparently just adding to the mystery.

–Matt Jarvis

The co-creators of WipEout and Skate are teasing a sci-fi sports game and roguelike strategy simfrom their new studio Starlight Games.

–Matt Jarvis

The Fallout TV show’s popularity has blown up popular mod site Nexus Mods as everyone rushes to play Fallout 4 again(and then remembers they need mods to make it worth playing).

–Matt Jarvis

As Edwin shared earlier,StarCraft 2’s former lead multiplayer designer David Kim is teasing a new RTShe feels is a “paradigm shift” for the genre. We’ll hear more this summer.

–Matt Jarvis

TUESDAY REGNANT

To the barricades, nooze gatherers! We have nothing to lose but our ears, index fingers, select portions of our kidneys and staff discounts with official merch partners! FEED THE MAW.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Tarnation! The Xbox people aredoing another indie showcasenext week. They’ve partnered with Ian of the Games Network, and we can expect new stuff about Vampire Survivors, Dungeons of Hinterberg, 33 Immortals and Lost Records Bloom & Rage, amongst others.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Epic haveadded a settingthat lets you hide “confrontational” emotes from other players in Fortnite - instead, you’ll see a standing still emote with no sound effect, which surely makes Standing Still the most aggressive emote of all. The setting affects four emotes at the time of writing: Laugh It Up, Take the L, Whipcrack, Make It Plantain. Why is plantain-making considered hostile? I like plantain!

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Cereballersis a brief, free football parody that had me cackling like a witch when I played it in bed last night.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

The Book Of Clarence’s LaKeith Stanfield is in talks to star in and produce a film based on El Paso, Elsewhere, according toDeadline. WritNelson’s conquest of pop culture continues apace.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

The No Rest For The Wicked devs have been steadily hotfixing the game since release. Thelatest, biggest patchappears to target performance in particular while adding a few new settings.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

We missed this last week - I may have been flathunting? - but it’s still worth a poke: Arkane Lyon’s co-creative director Dinga Bakaba has thoughts on whether multiplayer immersive sims are the genre’s next “evolutionary step”.

It isn’t my nindo, but after experimenting with MP in “DEATHLOOP” I feel there is indeed some potential there. I wouldn’t call it an evolutionary step, more like a viable hybridation. The key being making MP systems diegetic enough to create a believable shared narrative/world.https://t.co/vLmtmHd2m1

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Building Relationshipslets you play as a house exploring an island and shacking up (hah!) with other houses. Seems very jolly, “secret hellhound” aside.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

–Nic Reuben

A devlog trailer for zombo-penguin tactics game South Pole Bebop, explaining how it takes inspiration from Into The Breach.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

–Nic Reuben

How has it taken me this long to notice Sweet Transit? The game hit 1.0 yesterday and is as busy with moving parts as Factorio, its developer’s previous joint, but much, much less desolate.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Rain-slick townbuilderAgainst The Storm’s 1.3 update is out now, adding a little new content and a lot of quality-of-life updates. Most excitingly, it lets you zoom the camera out further.

–Graham Smith

Handsome strategy-RPGSongs Of Conquest will leave Early Access on May 20thwith the addition of a fourth and final campaign. There will be post-release updates, however.

–Graham Smith

Retro first-person shooter Phantom Fury is out nowon Steam. It’s a sorta sequel to 3D Realms boomer shooter Ion Fury, with a new engine, a new developer and seemingly mixed results.

–Graham Smith

–Nic Reuben

Safe but cosy Suikoden spiritual successor Eiyuden Chronicles launched yesterday. It’s currently sitting at a ‘mostly positive’ on Steam, and our Eddersenjoyed it plenty.Speaking to XBOX Wire, leads at Rabbit & Bear have given more insight into the late Murayama’s design philosophies:

“Murayama always talked about the makunouchi bento when explaining RPGs. He would say that “RPGs had a variety of side dishes, and every one of them is delicious”.

–Nic Reuben

IT’S WEDNESDAY

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

–Nic Reuben

As Nic shared earlier, the head of Moon Studios - developers behind Dark Souls-like early access game No Rest For The Wicked - hasmade the fairly bold claim that Dark Souls would’ve been a better game in early access. Hmm.

–Matt Jarvis

GTA5 nearly had story DLC that made Trevor a 007-style spy - and even got as far as recording -until it was cancelled and turned into a GTA Online heist, according to new details from the chaotic criminal’s actor.

–Matt Jarvis

Former Fable devs over at Fowling Fowl Studioshave revealed a new co-op RPG… only to announce at the same time that its development is on hold amid layoffs and a struggle to find funding.

–Matt Jarvis

THURSDAY ONCE MORE

The Maw’s current height is 1000 lightyears. Its current width is that of an espresso served on a Friday in Paris in the year 1965. FEED IT.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

In aReddit AMA, Assassin’s Creed Mirage creative director Stephane Boudon has said that there are no major updates planned for the game but they do have ideas for “how we could extend the story of Basim”.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Here’sthe “phase 1” demo for dev_hell, a roguelike deckbuilder about working in software development.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

–Nic Reuben

The Last Spell’s Dwarves of Runenberg DLC and accompanying free update are out now - read more onSteam.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Manky submarine sim Barotrauma has abig updatetoo, which adds “two new monsters, a medical system mini-overhaul, extra difficulty settings for campaign mode, and new wrecks and beacons for you to explore”.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

ViaVGC, Blizzard are staffing up for an unannounced game - they’re looking for a creative director and narrative director, amongst other roles.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

The unsettling NPC-killing disease known as Dragonsplague in Dragon’s Dogma 2 has now been nerfed in an update across all platforms, according toan update post from Capcom. This was somethingthey announced as planned just last week.

–Brendan Caldwell

–Nic Reuben

At last, some decent food:Dr. Robotnik’s Ring Racers is out, and free to download. It’s a fangame from the Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart team, built using Doom Legacy, and it looks terrific.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

–Nic Reuben

–Graham Smith

Korean MMOArcheAge is closing down its servers in Europe and North Americaafter ten years. ArcheAge 2 is currently in development.

–Graham Smith

Cosy survival hamletbuilderDiluvian Winds has released from Early Access. It’s about building a home for anthropomorphic animals around the foot of a lighthouse and attempting to survive periodic tsunamis. Cute.

–Graham Smith

Wonderful third-person climb ‘em upJusant is now available via GOG.

–Graham Smith

TopSpin 2k25, the first in the tennis series in over ten years, is currently outvia Steamfor those who purchase its £90 Deluxe Edition. It’ll be out for those who buy its meagre £50 edition at midnight PST tonight. It’s the latest in 2K Games’ broader franchise of sports-derived microtransaction-delivery platforms.

–Graham Smith

–Nic Reuben

FRIDAY EMBRUED

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Fallout 4’s much-anticipated big update is out - here arethe full patchnotes.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

–Nic Reuben

Here’s a new trailer for Karma: The Dark World - “a first-person cinematic psychological thriller” and also, a game of Dystopian Future bingo. It’s set in East Germany in 1984 and casts you as an employee of the Leviathan Corporation’s Thought Police. “What is time?” asksthe Steam page. “A measurement of fleeting events we perceive as they pass, where terrible and joyous experiences fade into memory, obscured by a desire to leave our sadness in the past as we struggle to hold on to our fondest moments as they drift toward nostalgia.” I think I’m getting a migraine. The trailer seems swish though.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

This doeslook nice. It’s got a lighthouse in it and everything.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

–Nic Reuben

A new Counter-Strike 2 updatewhich adds the option to put the gun in your character’s left hand, amongst other things.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

–Nic Reuben

By apparent popular request, Stray Fawn Studiohave added the option to feed villagers to the monster your village is built on in The Wandering Village. The survivors may be terrified into forming a cult. The monster can also get parasites now. I’m pretty sure this started out as a Wholesome Game. It seems to be slowly turning into The Shrouded Isle.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

–Nic Reuben

Famed Viewtiful Joe creator Shinji Mikami (think he worked on some zombie games too), apparently wanted to leave Tango Gameworks 8 years before he actually did. If you missed it, Mikami left the Evil Within, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and Hi-Fi Rush studio last year.

“I think a lot of people were under the impression that I was the representative,” said Mikami,via IGN, “but I was very close to a rank-and-file employee. I had ‘producer’ attached to my name, but I wasn’t an executive or anything of the sort.” Mikami started a new studio earlier this year.

–Nic Reuben

A new trailer for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Arrowhead want you to choose the next Stratagem for Helldivers 2, by picking which planet to liberate. Rocket launcher or anti-tank mines? The eternal conundrum.

MAJOR ORDER: Helldivers, it’s time to choose between liberating Choohe or Penta. Depending on your choice, you will receive either the MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines or the RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher.(And you’ll save the citizens. Don’t forget the citizens.)pic.twitter.com/YXSlgTiRuv

–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Celeste’s slick movement meets Zelda’s hookshot in Oyster Wars, an “intense” platformer by an actual oyster farmer about revenge against Big Oyster - and built on some of Celeste’s own player code.

–Matt Jarvis

The Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection - bundling five Phoenix Wright games - is about to disappear from Steam,so grab it while you can(and cheap, for the next week).

–Matt Jarvis

Escape From Tarkov’s developers havedoubled down in their belief that their new game mode is not DLC, but say that paying players will get access to it whenever the game is finished.

–Graham Smith

Abanned WWE 2k24 modder has been reinstated following player backlash. WhatsTheStatus’ mods will seemingly return soon, minus certain creations that impacted the stability and performance of the wrestling game.

–Graham Smith

Rusty’s Retirement isan idle-farming simulator designed to sit at the bottom of your screen while you do other things. It launched on Steam this week. It’s like the Petz of crop gathering?

–Graham Smith

Shinji Mikami, the director of Resident Evil 4 and The Evil Within, left Tango Gameworks - a studio he founded - because he wanted to move away from the survival horror genre. Mikami explained the decision in an interview with Famitsu,now translated by Automaton Media. Mikami has founded a new studio called Kamuy.

–Graham Smith

Early access citybuilderManor Lordshas seemingly had a successful launch, sitting at number one in Steam’s top sellers chart. It reached a peak of170,000 concurrent players today. If you’re tempted, read ourManor Lords reviewfirst.

–Graham Smith

Stardew Valley’s 1.6.6 patch is out now. Thefull patch notesdetail several tweaks and fixes.

–Graham Smith