This week’s most magnetic game releases, plus our weekly newsblog
New week, new videogames! When will it end, etc. There aren’t many obvious headliners out in the next few days, but there are a lot of tantalisingly bleak games. Let’s see here, we’ve got a survival shooter that’s essentially set inBlack Mesa, a sardonical adventure about questing Russian Orthodox nuns, a game about running the company that starts the zombie apocalypse, and a cosy village grower with an atypical emphasis on disease and death. Lovely!
As ever, this week’s videogames are sponsored by that gluttonous Old One we call the Maw, which we must try eternally to satisfy with helpings of videogame news to stop it breaking into our reality like a chestburster. Will the Maw be happy with the above releases? I’m dubious - the Maw generally prefers sequels and things we can liken to The Witcher. But thankfully, I think it still has its mouth full with last week’sManor Lords, which was explosively popular over the weekend. Anyway, you can follow and, if you must, contribute to our weekly newsgatherings by means of the liveblog below, with its unsightly comments thread appendage.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
AARGH MONDAY
Why do they vex us so? Oh well, time to hand-crank the power armour again and buff that chainsword. FEED THE MAW.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Here’s a newHelldivers 2 patch. It makes some sweeping changes to the weapons and Stratagems, plus “minor level generation improvements to how we distribute locations throughout the mission map” and what’s this, “shots that ricochet from heavy armored enemies will now properly hit the Helldiver who fired them”? Savage!
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Greg the Manor Lords dev is working on the game’s first proper patches.
Main points for the planned next patch:-Fix all the weird homeless bugs-Tune the archer damage-Tune the trade oversupply mechanics (it’s too harsh and punishes regional specialization)-Slow down the rate of the AI claiming territories
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Brendan Caldwell
Hold the phone, Returnal developers Housemarque are teasing something. I really liked Returnal. Pls let it not be a f2p mobile port.
pic.twitter.com/F4R6TYFyZ1
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Thomas Mahler of No Rest For The Wicked devs Moon Game Studios says they’ll be working on the new ARPG for another 5-10 years - as such, don’t expect an Ori 3 “anytime soon”.
Judging by the questions I’m getting, it looks like some people think that we’ll release 1.0 and then we’re done? 🤔Folks, we’re nowhere near done with No Rest for the Wicked. There is so much that we’ve already built that none of you even know about and we want to deliver this…
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Baldur’s Gate 3 companions are being modded into Stardew Valley, so you can romance Astarion all over again.
–Matt Jarvis
As Edwin shared earlier, Moon Studios have said not to expect Ori 3 anytime soon, as the devs reckon they’ll be working on No Rest for the Wicked - “our Lord of the Rings” -for up to a decade.
–Matt Jarvis
Game of Thrones reportedly has an MMO in the works, nearly a decade after the last one was cancelled. Its story will apparently take place around the fourth and fifth seasons of the show; or, Before It Got Bad.
–Matt Jarvis
Dungeons of Hinterberg, Zelda meets Persona in the Alps, willrun a playtest next month ahead of its fresh July release date.
–Matt Jarvis
IT IS TUESDAY
Sunny blue skies in London today - we stand on the cusp of spring. The Maw gains +5 Photosynthesis and +10 Nostalgia. FEED IT.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Starfield’s Shattered Space expansion launches in the fall, as reported byKinda FunnyviaVGC. According to Todd Howard, there’s also a free update coming “really soon” that will have new city maps and ship-building features.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Promise Mascot Agencyis the new game from the Paradise Killer crew, Kaizen Game Works, who are calling it the “world’s first (and best) open-world mascot management crime drama”.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Vampire Survivors has a new Laborratory update, featuring such “industry-defining innovations” as “fully rendered running animations, mind-blowing train physics, go-cart racing, and… doors that open??” Read more onSteam.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
New Pals for the Palgods! They’re coming in Palworld’s summer update.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
The demo isstill up on Steamif anyone’s curious.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
As reported by the dogmatic dragons ofVG247, Dragon’s Dogma 2 has an unfinished path-tracing renderer hidden away in the graphics settings, unearthed bymodders. James? James! What the hell is path-tracing? What are graphics?
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Arrowhead have not-very-subtly taken the piss out of Escape From Tarkov’s$250 Unheard edition exclusive PvE mode controversyon ye socials.
Be sure to check out the deals in the Acquisition Center today, with prices so low, they’re practically Unheard of.True Believers can grab the CM-21 Trench Paramedic for only 250 SC, featuring increased pocket size and extra stims!(Not available for free to Super Citizens.)pic.twitter.com/9JmJbLSmaB
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Nic Reuben
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Big fan of the demon catphone in the just-trailered Centum.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Beyond Galaxylandis a lavishly pixel-arted sci-fi RPG. One of your party members is a hamster. Here’s a tray-tray (trying out ‘tray-tray’ for trailers lmk if you like it.)
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–Nic Reuben
Manor Lords can be played in VR now. Cower before me, peasants!
Manor Lords VR Mod Available Now!7 years in development, Manor Lords was the most wish-listed Steam game & released in EA this past week. It has the highest concurrent user counts ever on a city builder. Thankfully, it works perfectly in 6DOF VR with Praydog’s UEVR!Currently…pic.twitter.com/6WxIGWxwiQ
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Yesterday’s Returnal teaser was for a three-year anniversary artbook and graphic novel, the first part of which has been animated. The books are handsome creations, but I’m sure most of us were hungry for something a bit… gamier, or at least DLCier.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Nic Reuben
Deliver Us Mars developers Keoken Interactive have laid off the majority of their staff, as reported byGamesIndustry.biz.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Dread Delusion - King’s Field: Morrowind, sort of - is out of early access on 14th May. The 1.0 build includes a new realm, the Underlands, together with new towns, dungeons, quests and endgame stuff. Here’s a trailer.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
There arefive new games headed to Game Pass in the first batch of May, including Little Kitty, Big City.
–Graham Smith
As Edwin mentioned this afternoon, KeokeN, the developers of Deliver Us Mars, havelaid off their entire teamafter failing to secure funding for a new project. Its founders vow to rebuild the company.
–Graham Smith
Square Enix have announced£112 million in “content abandonment losses”, as the publisher seeks to be more selective and focused in how they deploy development resources. It is unknown what if any in-development projects might have been impacted by this change.
–Graham Smith
A Difficult Game About Climbingis like Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy, but without Bennett Foddy, and you use your arms rather than climbing using a pickaxe. It launched last month but I’ve only just stumbled across it, and it’s good, infuriating fun.
–Graham Smith
–Nic Reuben
–Nic Reuben
–Nic Reuben
WEDNESDAY IS HERE
What fell deeds await? FEED THE MAW.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Cracking first-person climb ‘em up Lorn’s Lure is “very close” to launch,according to its developer. Things still to do: localisation, Easter eggs, various visual tune-ups, and Steam Deck testing.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Diggergun “is an atmospheric life-sim, platformer with a rich narrative featuring player choice and multiple endings”. I’ve had my eye on it mostly for the monochrome dungeony aesthetic. Here’s a dev postabout how it handles upgrades.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
A few of the people who worked on LEGO videogame adaptations for Traveller’s Tales are trying to repeat the feat with Funko Pops in the shape ofFunko Fusion. Trailer below. Were you expecting over-the-shoulder shooting? I was not expecting over-the-shoulder shooting.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
There’s a newFallout 76 update, weighing in at around 12GB and spanning balancing changes, quality of life updates and bugfixes.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Here’sa free prologue version of minimalist city-builder Mini Settlers.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
I’m not one of your filthy Smurf lovers but the just-announced The Smurfs - Dreams looks like a nice co-op game, a tiny bit reminiscent of Trine though I guess Super Mario 3D Land is the more obvious comparison?
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
A “spiritual successor to SSX”, you say.
Check out the sleek new HUD and enhanced post-processing in my SSX spiritual successor.#gamedev#indiegamedev#indiedev#indiegamepic.twitter.com/pM00zit7uS
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Take-Two appear to have made substantial layoffs at their Seattle offices, where Intercept Games are located. Asreported by Eurogamer, it’s possible that the latter’s Kerbal Space Program 2 has been cancelled.
Looks like they might have laid off the entire KSP 2 dev team. Intercept Games are the only team in the Take-Two offices in Seattle and they had around 70 employees. Lots of LinkedIn profiles saying looking for work. Kerbal Space Program 2 might be dead.pic.twitter.com/Q9SqBwEyeK
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
D&D (and Magic: The Gathering, and Monopoly, and GI Joe, and Transformers…) makers Hasbro arespending $1 billion on their own video games, ambitiously promising they’ll be ‘quality and authentic’ like Baldur’s Gate 3.
–Matt Jarvis
Funko Pop’s first video game, co-op shooter Funko Fusion, will let you blast the heads off dead-eyed dolls from Jurassic World, Battlestar Galactica and even the likes of characters from Nope, Megan and Hot Fuzzwhen it releases this September. As per the trailer shared earlier by Edwin, it looks… surprisingly fun?
–Matt Jarvis
Surprise! The next Batman: Arkham game after Kill the Justice League isa VR title exclusive to the Meta Quest, with a full reveal planned for Summer Games Fest.
–Matt Jarvis
Starfield’s biggest update yet fixes its rubbish maps, adds custom difficulty and expands ship decoration. It’s live via Steam beta now, with a full rollout on May 15th.
–Matt Jarvis
BEHOLD THURSDAY
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Following yesterday’s news of Take-Two layoffs in Seattle,Bloombergreport that both Kerbal Space Program 2 developers Intercept Games and London-based OlliOlli developers Roll7 are to be closed.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Rabbit & Steel “is a co-op action roguelike that recreates the essence of high-level MMO raiding in a randomized, simplified, bunny-sized package.” Quite keen on the concept, not least because I don’t really have the patience for full-blown MMOs these days.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Well well, it’s"the firsty meaty balance patch"for Balatro.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Bizarro-nun adventure Indika is out today. Here’s the launch trailer.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Here’s an overview trailer for new stuff coming in season 12 of piratical chillaxer Sea Of Thieves. You can read morein this Steam post.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Very good abstract actioner Death Of A Wish has aRandomizer updatethat scrambles enemy and item distributions.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Nic Reuben
Here’s a new trailer for the remaster of Commandos, the tactics game that taught juvenile me the extreme importance of lying down. There’s a closed beta coming this summer.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Nic Reuben
–Nic Reuben
As Nic mentioned earlier, nunventure Indika is out now - andhere’s a fuller post declaring so.
–Graham Smith
Helldivers 2’snext premium warbond features winter weather capes and armour, and several new weapons and grenadesincluding an incendiary impact grenade and a Purifier primary weapon you can charge-up for more powerful shots. It’s not enough to make me pay real money for it, mind.
–Graham Smith
Thirteen-year-old MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic was transferred last year from creators BioWare to MMO maintenance specialists Broadsword. The new operators have continued to add to the game, andupdate 7.5 is coming soonwith new story quests, a visual update, and cosy activities like pie-baking and seed collecting.
–Graham Smith
Announced last year with a cinematic trailer, co-op survival shooter The Forever Winter nowhas its first gameplay reveal. It’s about scavenging from the battlefields of a never-ending mech war with your stealthy squad, and death means losing all your gear.
–Graham Smith
FRIDAY AGAIN
Why is London giving off so much lens flare today? Ugh, somebody’s been making the Maw eat old Mass Effect games again. FEED IT.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Medieval colony sim Norland has been pushed back from May to June release, according to adev postwhich also details a lot of changes to such systems as crime, the world ecology and trading.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Ubisoft’s 6v6 tactical headpopper XDefiant has been given a release date - 21st May. Or at least, that’s when thepreseasonbegins, with 14 maps, five factions and five modes.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
If you’re playing Helldivers 2 on Steam, you’ll soon be required to link it to a PlayStation Network account for security purposes.
Helldivers! An important message from our partner Playstation about account linking for PC players and its significance in providing player safety features.Read the full message here:https://t.co/L1A9jv8yBfpic.twitter.com/q3eXKbtoNB
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
A big updatefor horror co-op streamer sim Content Warning, introducing a new map, monsters, items and progression elements such as MetaCoins for purchasing island upgrades and hats.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Smite 2 is having an alpha this weekend - here’s an overview trailer. People who signed up for the alpha test and purchasers of the Founder’s Edition will be able to play till May 5th.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Carceriis kind of a first-person Short Hike featuring a magic camera and imprisoned sentient computer programs. I quite like the looks of it.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
A deep dive trailer for Steamworld Heist 2, including an overview of its new job system.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
The highly Hadesy action-RPG Realms Of Inklaunches into early access on 17th Maywith the first playable character, four stages, eight boss battles and approximately 30% of the storyline.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Blizzard aregiving Overwatch 2’s tanks a reworkin response to feedback “that tanks can either feel like they get taken down too quickly in a fight or that they’re impossible to take down,” to quote game director Aaron Keller.
–Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Fortnite is now a Lego Star Wars game, with a whole new world for its survival mode in time for May the Fourth - along with plenty of other bits for Battle Royale, Rocket Racing and even Fortnite Festival (yes, that includes the Cantina Band song).
–Matt Jarvis
League of Legends’ anti-cheat won’t brick your PC, Riot have insisted, after adding Valorant’s controversial system to the MOBA - only to spark claims of crashes, file tampering and more.
–Matt Jarvis
Here’s a closer peek at SteamWorld Heist 2’s new job system, which looks to bring a whole scrapheap of customisation to the charming 2D XCOM-a-like, as shared by Edwin earlier.
–Matt Jarvis
–Matt Jarvis
Helldivers 2 hasreceived over 100,000 negative Steam reviews in two daysafter announcing that Steam players must link the game to a PSN account. Arrowhead’s CEO says the negative reviews are “warranted” and that Sony are the originator of the policy.
–Graham Smith
TheUK government has responded to a petitionasking them to regulate publishers who shut down games. The petition was prompted by the closure of The Crew, Ubisoft’s racing game, back in March.
–Graham Smith
Fall Guys is getting a bunch of Star Wars skins this week, alongsidemajor changes to bean physics. Perhaps it will stop being the most frustrating game ever made? I hope so; my keyboard has precious few uncracked keycaps left.
–Graham Smith
