Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Massive Entertainment
Release: August 30, 2024

In Star Wars Outlaws, protagonists Kay Vess and Nix must navigate the criminal underworld by interacting with the various crime syndicates thriving in this period between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Kay's standing with these syndicates is primarily represented by the Reputation System, an ambitious mechanic that tracks her relationship with these criminal organizations. In the recently released story trailer, we hear the names of three of the syndicates present in Star Wars Outlaws: the Hutt Cartel, the Pyke Syndicate, and Crimson Dawn. During our trip to Massive Entertainment, I was able to learn more about the fourth syndicate with which Kay will have to balance her reputation: the Ashiga Clan. 

Massive created the Ashiga Clan in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, just like other original elements like Kay, Nix, their ship, the Trailblazer, and the new moon, Toshara. "Every week, we have several calls with them where we share what we'd like to do, the intentions, and they challenge us; we do a back and forth like that over several weeks to be able to get the shape language right, to get the lore right, to make sure it becomes part of Star Wars canon," creative director Julian Gerighty says. "The Ashiga Clan is part of Star Wars canon now. Toshara is part of Star Wars canon now. And that's super gratifying when you help design a creature that's as lovable and fierce as Nix and it becomes part of one of the most storied IPs in the world."

An Ashiga hive

The Ashiga Clan, which has a large presence on Kijimi (a planet most famous for its role in The Rise of Skywalker), finds itself at a crossroads as it pushes to expand beyond Kijimi. "They have a long tradition and certain events in the recent history put them at a fork in the road where there are different ways they could go forward, and they're not necessarily in agreement with what the best path forward is," associate narrative director John Björling says.

It operates as a hive of the Melitto species (first introduced in The Force Awakens with Sarco Plank) with an emphasis on function and survival. "You have these insectoid, humanoid, kind of very ant-like species and it's taking that principle of, 'What would a crime syndicate that is essentially operating like an anthill – what is that like?' Björling says. "It's a syndicate with a long tradition, they have a strong hierarchy, and there's a lot about putting the hive before yourself. I think those aspects make it stand out as a unique kind of crime syndicate."

To learn more about how you'll be interacting with the Ashiga Clan and its leader, Ashiga, head to our feature about how the Reputation System within the game works. Star Wars Outlaws comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on August 30. Be sure to visit our exclusive coverage hub through the banner below.

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The Fallout franchise is in the midst of a resurgence lately, thanks to the live-action series adaptation on Amazon Prime (which is good, by the way). Even though it's been almost a decade since its release, Fallout 4 has rocketed to the top of sales charts like a mushroom cloud into the atmosphere, which makes today's update perfectly timed: Fallout 4 is finally getting a proper next-gen update.

ICYMI: The Fallout 4 free next-gen update lands on consoles and PC April 25th! https://t.co/lFnD4X5Q3o

📺 Performance and Quality Mode
🛠️ Stability improvements and fixes
💻 PC widescreen support
🎮 Steam Deck Verified
🎁 Free Creation Club Content pic.twitter.com/JrJDqdn9tW

— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) April 19, 2024

The update brings major technical upgrades to console players. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S now get their own native versions of the game rather than relying on running applications made for older consoles. These new apps come with a Performance Mode, which targets 60 fps with 4k resolution and standard graphics settings, as well as a Quality Mode, which plays at 30 fps with a 4k resolution and graphics set to ultra. The notes also clarify that, when connected to a 120 Hz display, Quality Mode will target 40 fps, and when connected to a 1440p display, the game will run at 60 fps with a 1440p resolution regardless of rendering mode.

PC players aren't left out, either. In addition to launching on the Epic Store, the game will also support widescreen and ultra-widescreen for those who have them. Steam players will also be happy to hear that the game is now officially Steam Deck Verified, so you can take it on the go. That said, the update is not yet available on GOG, but will be sometime soon. "We will let you know as soon as we can," the patch notes read.

In addition to a number of bug fixes across PC and console, the update provides all players with nine free Creation Club items. You can read the patch notes in their entirety here. For more Fallout, check out the trailer for the (now delayed) Fallout 4 London mod, get ready for season 2 of the TV series, and read our review of Fallout 4, which we called "one of the most rewarding (and time-consuming) experiences in gaming."

This week on The Game Informer Show podcast, it's all about reviews. We had three big reviews drop this week (on the same day [around the same time]), as well as a TV show review. Join host Kyle Hilliard as Matt Miller discusses Stellar Blade, Wesley LeBlanc chats about Another Crab's Treasure, and Brian Shea tells us what he thinks of the Knuckles TV show. Kyle also talks about his time with Sand Land and Brian shares preview impressions of the first original Monkey Ball game in years as well as the new TopSpin tennis game.

Episode 704 – Stellar Blade, Sand Land, Monkey Ball, Crabs, And Knuckles:

Follow us on social media: Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard), Brian Shea (@BrianPShea), Wesley LeBlanc (@LeBlancWes)

The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join host Alex Van Aken every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Matt Storm, the freelance audio editor for The Game Informer Show, edited this episode. Matt is an experienced podcast host and producer who's been speaking into a microphone for over a decade. You should listen to Matt's shows like the "Fun" And Games Podcast and Reignite, a BioWare-focused podcast.  The Game Informer Show – Podcast Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:57 - Stellar Blade Review
00:25:13 - Sand Land Review
00:38:59 - Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble Preview
00:49:23 - Another Crab's Treasure Review
01:01:23 - Knuckles TV Series Review
01:21:43 - TopSpin 2K25
01:27:00 - Housekeeping

Dragon's Dogma 2 launched a little over a month ago and has already managed to sell 2.5 million copies, but Capcom is still releasing updates to patch minor issues with the game. While a large volume of complaints have been about the lack of a performance mode, this update (like the last update) does not address that issue. However, it does aim to clean up a number of irritating errors involving the behavior of pawns, the player's AI companions.

An update for Dragon's Dogma 2 is now live on all platforms!

It includes adjustments to the dragonsplague, Pawn behavior and fixes to various issues.

See details on the official website:https://t.co/waEdG0ntSv

We will keep you posted for future updates.

— Dragon's Dogma (@DragonsDogma) April 25, 2024

For starters, this update makes it easier to detect dragonsplague, an affliction that, if untreated, can lead to devastating consequences for your pawns and your world. It's also contagious, so it's a good idea to nip it in the bud as soon as you first encounter it. When afflicted, pawns' eyes will glow red – after this update, they'll glow more noticeably. The update also causes the disease to infect pawns less frequently.

Pawns should also be a lot less annoying now, thanks to a whole slate of minor refinements to their behavior. They'll jump off cliffs less often (which is hilarious but a wild inconvenience), say some lines less often, say other lines at more appropriate times and become less likely to offer to be hired while passing by on the street. They're one of the highlights of the game, so anything done to make their constant presence more consistent is always welcome.

There are also smaller adjustments, like adding the ability to zoom in on a character's face in shops, preventing monster attacks in town from leading to the player's arrest, and other miscellaneous bug fixes. You can read the full list of updates, as well as all past updates, here.

Developer Trialforge Studio and publisher Tate Multimedia revealed Deathbound, a new Soulslike with a unique class-based twist, last August. At the time, PC was its only platform but now, Game Informer can exclusively reveal Deathbound will also come to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S day-in-date with PC later this year. 

As we learned with Deathbound's reveal last year, the game wears its Soulslike inspiration on its sleeve. However, it aims to differentiate itself within the ever-growing genre with what Trialforge calls a single-player party-based system. Players will control a single vessel that channels various heroes known as the fallen. These are individual characters, each with unique skill sets, combat styles, and lore, that share the player-controlled vessel. As such, players can switch between different characters, but they'll need to do so with caution as they aren't all necessarily in alliance with each other. 

Check out the newest Deathbound trailer for yourself below: 

"The relationships between characters also must be taken into effect as it greatly impacts gameplay," a press release reads. "The Church of Death and Cult of Life are at odds with one another. Aligning opposing factions close to one another in the vessel will cause conflict, resulting in consequential combat effects. Alternatively, strong synergies with shared beliefs may offer combat buffs that can spell disaster for the ruthless boss awaiting steel and magic. No matter the creed, the fallen must fight as one." 

Trialforge says in combat, players will charge something called a sync meter that's shared across the fallen within the vessel. When the right opportunity shows itself, players can dispel the sync meter to unleash a devastating "Morphstrike, with the combined power of the party." 

 

Deathbound will hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store sometime this year. If you're curious how it plays, there's a demo available right now on Steam. 

For more, read Game Informer's write-up about Deathbound's reveal from last year. After that, check out our list of the top 10 best Soulslike games. 

Are you excited for Deathbound? Let us know in the comments below!

Stellar Blade is out this week and our review, which you can read right here, is positive. We liked the game and were impressed by the depth of its action and world-building. Ahead of its release, but after spending some time with the game, we had a chance to reconnect with Shift Up CEO and Stellar Blade director Hyung-Tae Kim after speaking with him earlier this year. This time we spoke to him (through a translator) about inspirations for the game beyond Nier Automata (like the Bible and The Matrix), the approach to costumes and how they fit in the lore, and why having no minimaps in the game was a purposeful decision.

Game Informer: There are multiple endings?

Hyung-Tae Kim: There are multiple endings and actually, if you complete certain quests, there is a post-credits clip, as well.

Is there an ending you prefer?

This all depends on what choices and decisions the player makes throughout the game. There is no particular ending that I prefer. But then there is this hidden stage so I hope that players discover this and play that. If you want, I guess, a little happier ending then you will have to discover that post-credits clip.

There's no gameplay reward for unlocking costumes, but they are an important incentive for the player. Why are the costumes so important?

I do definitely believe that it is very charming for an iconic character to have this one iconic costume. But my strength is in character concept design. There was so much that I wanted to show to the world and to be able to convey that to the players. I decided that it would be a good idea to include different costumes, that was a good way to show what I wanted to show. And I also wanted the players to be able to go on a journey with the character in a style that they prefer. That's why.

What is the process of choosing and creating a costume?

It's not one method that is decided when creating the costumes. For example, the body suit – I designed it myself and then the 3D modeler; when they are done with the modeling of the costume, I will come back to it and then add more details and texture and typography and finish it for the game. Or for other costumes, we buy the actual clothes in real life, and then scan them, take the scan data, modify it so it looks more futuristic, and then complete it that way. So, it's very different. This way, you get to meet very diverse costumes in the game.

And on top of that, sometimes, when you play the game, you will see some costumes that look like swimming suits. And for those costumes, it's very important to depict the skin texture like how it changes because of pressure and how it's pushed up, or how it folds, how it bends like the body and the flesh and the skin. That's very important when we're trying to detail. So, for this, we actually cast a real-life model and then had the model wear the costumes and scan the model to use the data.

Is there a lore reason why Eve wears so many costumes? Is she interested in fashion?

There was some kind of lore behind Eve showing a lot of interest in the costumes that were left behind on the surface of Earth. We did have that concept, and it was part of her character, but then we later decided that this doesn't really have to be shown in the game. We don't have to really make it known in the game, so that got taken out, but that lore still exists.

Did you ever consider tying costumes to character upgrades?

When making games in the past, I took it very seriously that I didn't connect the stats of the character and the costumes. It was important to me not to make it like that because if that happens, then only certain costumes will be picked by the users because they have better stats than the other outfits. I didn't want that to happen. I just wanted everyone to enjoy all kinds of different costumes that are provided in the game, regardless of the stats.

But of course, if you don't wear anything at all, then it would be dangerous on the surface of a desolate Earth. So we did put a little bit of a disadvantage there if you're not wearing anything.

Does the team see Eve as a Bayonetta-type figure who embraces her sexuality and uses it as a weapon?

I don't think Eve is aware of those charms that she possesses, so she's not that kind of character. So, she won't be able to combine that central attractiveness that the Bayonetta character has and to be able to combine that with their battles. But then it's not fully decided how Eve will evolve in the future, and what kind of realization she'll be met with in the future, so I guess it would depend on the users and what they like and what kind of interest they show towards the game. Maybe Eve will go through some kind of… being more socialized and adjusted, and maybe she will get to have new realizations and become someone different.

Cans are an important collectible. Why cans?

That may be a personal taste. I personally like different can designs. And also, I thought it'd be more realistic to use cans where the Earth is ruined. As one of the preserved goods, cans would make more sense than other elements.

Are they based on real Korean brands?

We tried to, but no can brands would partner with us to have a collaboration, so we had to create them all originally in-house. We also consulted someone who is an expert in designing can packaging. We hired that person to come up with designs that would make them look real. In the future, hopefully we'll be able to have a collaboration with a real-life brand. Especially Pepsi, which we are very interested in.

Was a minimap ever considered? I would really like one in Xion.

If you slide up on the touchpad, you have access to the map in Xion.

Oh, but I want a little map that’s always available on the bottom corner of the screen.

I wanted to show as little UI design on the screen as possible. That's why I didn't include the minimap on the screen. But then yes, it is pretty necessary in an open-world area. When it's a linear area, of course, there are other hidden paths, but if you use the map, then maybe it'll become too easy in this linear part of the game. That's why I wanted to avoid having the map there for the players to constantly use. But then yes, of course, in Xion, you will want to consult the map more because as things constantly change, you'll be given new quests constantly, so the map does become handy. I do actually recommend using the map there.

In the movie The Matrix, there is the haven city of Zion. In Stellar Blade there is the haven city of Xion. In Stellar Blade there is a location called Matrix 11. The Matrix was co-directed by Lilly Wachowski. In Stellar Blade there is a character named Lily. Are these all coincidences, or is The Matrix a big inspiration for Stellar Blade?

The Matrix is, of course, one of the movies that I love, but then rather than any direct inspiration or references that we got from the movie, you should see the Bible as more of a source of those inspirations. But then that doesn't mean this whole story was based on the Bible, heavily. It is more like they share similar lores.

That makes sense because The Matrix looks to the Christian Bible, as well. And of course, Adam and Eve are both characters in in Stellar Blade. Is the Bible a primary source of inspiration?

In terms of materials that we got for the plot, yes, the Bible, and yes it does have to do with the themes of the plot as well, but then ultimately, at the end of the day, this is an action-adventure game so when the players play this game, they can just take this lightly and just enjoy the game.

When people think, “Oh, this was based on the Bible,” then they tend to take it more seriously and expect maybe a heavier, more serious story there. And of course, we're very thankful for that interpretation, but what we wanted to focus on was more the gameplay itself.

Why is there a setting to change the length of Eve’s ponytail?

I actually personally like the long ponytail that Eve has because it adds more to the movement and the action and I see that as an important element, but then I also realized that this wouldn't be for everyone. Some people might find it annoying, or maybe it obstructs a certain outfit or the screen when moving around, and I thought that could be interrupting or disturbing to some people, so I also wanted to include the shorter ponytail. But then after that, there have been demands about middle-length ponytails or the option to be able to control the length of the ponytail and so on.

Stellar Blade is out this year. There's another big game from a South Korean developer, The First Descendent coming out later this year. Does Shift Up feel it is a big year for Korean representation in video games?

We do have a hope that, starting with Stellar Blade this year, it will be an outbreak year for South Korean developers. In the past, up until recently, actually, Korean games have been rather isolated from the world because the gaming market in Korea is mostly mobile-centric. For console games, it was hard for them to gain any attention and there wasn't that much of a point where other global users were getting to access these games. There haven't been that many overlapping elements there.

But then, starting with Stellar Blade, hopefully, many global users will get to discover more Korean games and actually realize, “Oh, these are actually really good games!” And I'm starting with that; hopefully, other Korean developers will be more well-known. This year will be that year. And in that way, we even have a certain sense of duty there.

Are you hoping to make a Stellar Blade sequel next, or does Shift Up want to do something different next?

Right now, we’re focusing more on Stellar Blade – the game itself. We're focusing more on what the users will like, what they'll want to see more of, and what kind of additional content we'll be coming up. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the game that's coming out soon.

For more on Stellar Blade you can read our previous feature on the game here, and read Game Informer's Stellar Blade review here.

Reviewed on: PC
Platform: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Aggro Crab
Developer: Aggro Crab
Release: April 25, 2024
Rating: Teen

Another Crab's Treasure, as the name suggests, is a humorous and pun-filled world where the sea is your Soulslike oyster. A fork acts as your defacto sword, while various other remnants from above, like shot glasses, soda cans, and more, serve as your shield. With fork in hand and can on back, Kril, a shy but easygoing hermit crab, sets out into the aquatic kingdom to find his favorite shell, stolen from him by a loan shark tax collector. What follows is an adventure that excels at being an amusing and bright reprieve from the otherwise dark and terror-filled Soulslike genre. However, the action doesn’t hit the same highs; while unique and expansive in some ways, it feels too floaty, too imprecise, and too annoying too often, polluting an otherwise fun 15-hour jaunt through a trash-filled ocean. 

Developer Aggro Crab smartly leans into the game's premise, and the results often had me chuckling. Whether it was in-world jokes, pokes at real-world and human-made problems with the ocean, or simple wordplay (words like shuck, carp, cod, and more replace similar-sounding real-world curse words), I was constantly smiling while interacting with the various creatures of the ocean. Solid voice acting and design also make each NPC and boss a treat. 

This lean into the premise extends to the game's action, too, but it's less successful. To Aggro Crab's credit, the combat progresses meaningfully with distinct, eccentric mechanics and abilities. Instead of a standard weapon-based parry, you must hide in your shell and pop out of it right before an enemy strikes to parry properly; defeating a large crustacean boss grants you a special hammer claw-like ability for large sweeping strikes; "Umami" magic within each shell manifests in interesting ways, like a shot glass that splits into shards when attacked, a bowling ball-like roll within a tennis ball shell, or homing carbonation bubbles that shoot out of a soda can. 

Most of my joy in combat came from seeing the "new" – the special Umami magic in a new shell, the new ability gained after defeating a major boss, or the new stowaway attachment that increases my vitality or defense, for example. There's no shortage of quirkiness in the combat, and there's a respectable amount of departure that works from what I typically expect in a Soulslike. 

 

That's why it's a shame the foundation of the combat is so shaky. It's floaty, likely on purpose, considering Kril's adventure largely takes place underwater, but the tradeoff for that feel is impreciseness that doesn't work with such challenging gameplay. The camera is finicky, too, leaving me to fight various enemies at once who cornered me against a wall giving me no real view of what's happening. Critically, when I died in combat, it usually felt less like something I could personally improve on – an important aspect of the genre – and more like the game had cheated me into death. 

All of this is exacerbated by a story that starts strong before meandering into a rushed finale, with my least favorite area and a slew of bosses that each felt like they could have been the final in the game. It doesn't help that various game crashes and bugs in the final hours slowed my progression forward here. 

Though the combat, which falls between serviceable and irritating, threatened my enjoyment, I still found delight in the currents of Another Crab's Treasure. Kril's reluctance to become a hero and his subsequent journey, messaging surrounding the dangers corporations pose to our oceans, and clever twists on the Soulslike formula deliver a satisfying, albeit uneven and flawed, wade through uncharted waters.

Encouraged by Aggro Crab to try the game out on Steam Deck, I was impressed with how well Another Crab’s Treasure performs on the handheld PC device. Its visuals popped on the smaller screen, and the performance rarely dipped below 30 FPS, often climbing higher, even to 60 FPS at some points. Locking the Steam Deck’s FPS to 40 ultimately made for the smoothest experience, and Steam’s cloud saving worked flawlessly, making Another Crab’s Treasure an easy game to play at a desktop or on the couch, Steam Deck in hand.

Score: 7

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Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Ilca
Release: April 26, 2024
Rating: Teen

Sand Land is experiencing an oddly timed resurgence. Its creator, Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball), recently passed away unexpectedly, effectively pointing a spotlight on his 24-year-old creation just as it was being adapted to film, anime, and video game. The video game has been my entry point into this world with characters, vehicles, and architecture that all resemble Dragon Ball beyond even just an art style, and I enjoyed the opportunity to live in a brand new Toriyama world and story. Other elements of the game, like its animation and performances, vacillate between high and low quality, but ultimately, Sand Land is the kind of experience I want from adaptation – the opportunity to spend time in a big, realized world with a story that pulls you all the way through.

The Sand Land video game functions as both a retelling and a sequel to the 2000 manga. For franchise newcomers like myself, this is a fantastic entry point, but there is a jarring line in the narrative between old and wholly new. Moving beyond the borders of the Sand Land region, on a basic level, doesn’t make sense considering the world built up to that point. But, overall, I like the plot and was locked in to see where it was going early on, even if the characters lack depth. Outside of the overt bad guys, no one learns much in Sand Land, and its characters are basically fully defined from their first line of dialogue. Rao, however, stands out as a smart and committed do-gooder who is quickly accepting of everyone despite their differences – a rare character trait for someone whose accurate, uncreative nickname is “old man.”

As Beelzebub, son of the demon king Lucifer, you decide to assist a human in bringing water back to a dehydrated world. This entails exploring large, open worlds with a collection of vehicles that you can call at any time. Swapping between a tank for skirmishes and a motorcycle to speed across the dunes is a quick process, but you do it so often that I admit getting frustrated with the slightly cumbersome swapping system. I also didn’t love that swapping between vehicles basically requires a full stop. It may sound like nitpicking, but every encounter in the game requires frequent vehicle swapping.

Fighting enemies using your collection of vehicles is a highlight and, understandably, the focus of the game. Despite the focus on vehicle combat, the action feels closer to a third-person shooter and does a good job painting control styles between disparate vehicles. I favored the tank with its powerful guns and strong armor, but the jumping tank used to leap up mountains and the mech used to punch other robots are fun in their own way. Upgrading and customizing them is a slow process, and I rarely felt I was making big, impactful improvements by leveling up or swapping out vehicle parts, but I was always eager to check the garage and see what I could do to inch up my stats.

 

The process of upgrading the town of Spino is similarly rewarding as completing sidequests (many featuring genuinely interesting little stories and characters) brings new people to the growing town. Saving a painter in the middle of the desert, for example, opens up a shop where you can paint and decal your vehicles. You can even decorate the town with furniture, but I admit little interest in that aspect since all of my resources went into improving my vehicles.

Sometimes, Beelzebub progresses without a vehicle, and these sections are generally annoying without ever being too difficult, thankfully. Beelzebub is a powerful demon with a literal garage of armored weapons in his back pocket but insists on occasionally sneaking around for interminable stealth sections. These parts of the game feel like they're from a different era of video games that we have left behind. The hand-to-hand combat scenarios aren’t as bad, but I was always eager to be back in a tank.

Sand Land has its shortcomings and feels a little overlong despite seeing credits around the reasonable 20-hour mark, but it maintains a charm throughout. Toriyama’s fun sense of humor is front and center with Beelzebub taking on the adventure primarily so his dad will give him an extra hour of video game time every day. I may not have had strong connections with most of the cast and was annoyed with a number of specific sections, but I liked spending time in Sand Land (and beyond) and seeing my garage upgrade and grow.

Score: 7.75

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Platform: PlayStation 5
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: ShiftUp
Release: April 26, 2024

After a long absence, the Super Monkey Ball series returned in 2019 and 2021 with remasters and remakes of previous games, but it's been over a decade since fans received an all-new Super Monkey Ball title. That changes in June, as Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is poised to deliver the continuation longtime players pine for. But with some recent mixed results, massive changes in game design best practices in the time since the series' heyday, and likely a whole lot of cobwebs to shake off for developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, I was skeptical about the viability of a new Super Monkey Ball in 2024. Thankfully, after spending an hour playing Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, those fears have subsided almost entirely.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble brings a ton of content and changes to the series while still remaining definitively Monkey Ball. Banana Rumble apes its freshest new move from Sega's flagship franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog. In previous Super Monkey Ball games, you could jump, but that ability is replaced by a Spin Dash, a technique in Sonic's moveset since Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in 1992. At first, I was unsure of this change, but as soon as I got my hands on it through the tutorial, all my concerns were dashed away.

The Spin Dash fits incredibly well into the Super Monkey Ball formula, giving you a better flow through the levels but also letting you peel out and blast off ramps and lips to find shortcuts. During my hands-on session, my most thrilling moments came when I lined up and blasted through a level using the Spin Dash. It's useful for cutting corners in the stages, but it's essential for hitting the missions each level gives you, particularly when combined with the refreshed physics that make the series feel better than ever.

As you play through the 200 all-new levels in Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble's Adventure mode, you can simply make it your goal to reach the end of the stage. However, if you want to be a completionist, each level has three side missions: One for collecting a set number of bananas, one for grabbing the Golden Banana, and one for completing the stage in a set amount of time. You don't have to get all of them in one go, but I still strived to do so during my demo. It quickly became apparent that I could complete the banana-centric missions during a normal playthrough of the level, I'd have to get crafty to finish some of the levels under the time target. That's where the Spin Dash and creative thinking come into play.

On one level, I waited for a moving platform to lift up, giving me enough airtime if I Spin Dashed into it at the right time to send me flying over the other platforms and into the goal. On another, I had to drop down at just the right point in the stage to skip huge swaths of the level and reach the goal faster, harkening back to games like Super Mario 64 in the best possible way. I loved tackling these head-scratching stages, and having only played through the first two worlds, I can't wait to see how the challenges escalate in the levels still to come. If you end up stuck on any level, you can turn on various assist options, including ghosts that show you optimal routes and checkpoints that let you continue the level if you fall off the platforms. As you complete these worlds, you earn trophies to display on your island, as well as in-game currency to purchase cosmetics in the shop.

Outside of Adventure mode, I had a chance to participate in the Battle modes, which allow for up to 16 players online or 2 players locally. Since the game isn't out yet, I play against 15 bots, which will be an option in the final game if you want to fill out with up to 16 total competitors mixed in with your actual players.

The Battle modes give me a lot of hope for the multiplayer aspect of Banana Rumble. Whether it's the Mario Kart-style Race game, the collectathon Banana Hunt, or the fun risk/reward game of Goal Rush, where you players roll down a hill at high speeds to try and go through the highest scoring goals to contribute to your team's total, Banana Rumble delivers a diverse array of experiences within this suite. However, my two favorites are Ba-Boom, which is basically a game of tag where you need to pass off a bomb before the timer reaches zero and eliminates those with bombs, and Robot Smash, where you use momentum and the Spin Dash to blast into robots in the arena and rack up points for your team. I can't wait to actually get into these modes with real-world players, as they feel like they hold a surprising amount of depth for side modes.

And that was my main takeaway from my time with Banana Rumble in general: I came away impressed by how the game feels like far more than surface delights and lighthearted fun. The puzzle-solving fan inside of me can't wait to figure out the best paths through the various Adventure mode levels, while the party-game lover is itching to play more rounds of the Battle mode titles. 

I had an absolute blast during my time with Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, and what I played was just a sampling of the content that awaits players. Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble arrives exclusively on Switch on June 25.

Purchase

Nintendo has been slowly beefing up its library of games available to Nintendo Switch Online and Expansion Pack subscribers. 

What began as a library of just 20 NES games has grown to include dozens more. Plus, Nintendo has since introduced SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, and even Sega Genesis games, giving players a chance to play some fan-favorite classics and some deep cuts, too. It’s hard to predict when new games might arrive as the company has maintained a somewhat inconsistent cadence in doing so, but that’s okay because this list is all you need. 

As Nintendo adds new titles, we’ll be sure to update this list to include them. If you’re looking for something specific, use this story’s Table of Contents to jump to the different consoles quickly. Here’s every NES, SNES, Game Boy, N64, Genesis, and GBA game added to Nintendo Switch Online. 

Added September 19, 2018

• Balloon Fight
• Baseball
• Donkey Kong
• Double Dragon
• Dr. Mario
• Excitebike
• Ghosts ‘n Goblins
• Gradius
• Ice Climber
• Ice Hockey
• The Legend of Zelda
• Mario Bros.
• Pro Wrestling
• River City Ransom
• Soccer
• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• Tecmo Bowl
• Tennis
• Yoshi

Added October 10, 2018

• The Legend of Zelda SP
• NES Open Tournament Golf
• Solomon’s Key
• Super Dodge Ball

Added November 14, 2018

• Gradius SP (Stage 5)
• Metroid 
• Mighty Bomb Jack
• NES Open Tournament Golf SP (Japan only)
• TwinBee

Added December 12, 2018

• Adventures of Lolo
• Adventures of Lolo 2 (Japan only)
• Dr. Mario SP
• Metroid SP (Ridley Battle)
• Ninja Gaiden
• Wario’s Woods

Added January 16, 2019

• Blaster Master
• Ghosts ‘n Goblins SP
• Joy Mech Fight (Japan only)
• Ninja Gaiden SP
• Zelda II: Adventure of Link

Added February 13, 2019

• Blaster Master SP
• Kirby’s Adventure
• Metroid SP (Mother Brain Battle)
• Super Mario Bros. 2
• Tsuppari Oozumou (Japan only)

Added March 13, 2019

• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (Japan only)
• Kid Icarus
• Kirby’s Adventure SP
• StarTropics
• Yie Ar Kung-Fu (Japan only)
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link SP

Added April 10, 2019

• Kid Icarus SP
• Punch-Out!
• Star Soldier
• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

Added May 15, 2019

• Clu Clu Land
• Clu Clu Land: Welcome to New Cluclu Land (Japan only)
• Donkey Kong Jr.
• Star Soldier SP
• Vs. Excitebike

June 12, 2019

• City Connection
• Double Dragon II: The Revenge
• TwinBee SP
• Volleyball

Added July 17, 2019

• Donkey Kong 3
• Mighty Bomb Jack
• Wrecking Crew

Added August 21, 2019

• Downtown Nekketsu Koshinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundokai (Japan only)
• Gradius SP (Second Loop)
• Kung Fu Heroes
• Vice: Project Doom

Added December 12, 2019

• Crystallis
• Famicom Wars (Japan only)
• Journey to Silius
• Route-16 Turbo (Japan only)

Added February 29, 2020

• Atlantis no Nazo (Japan only)
• Eliminator Boat Duel
• Shadow of the Ninja

Added April 20, 2020

• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light SP (Medeus Battle) (Japan only)
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light SP (Triangle Attack) (Japan only)

Added May 20, 2020

• Rygar 

Added July 15, 2020

• The Immortal

Added September 23, 2020

• S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team

Added December 18, 2020

• Nightshade
• Smash Ping Pong (Japan only)

Added February 17, 2021

• Fire ‘n Ice

Added May 26, 2021

• Ninja JaJaMaru-kun

Added July 28, 2021

• Super Mario Bros. 3 SP

Added February 9, 2022

• EarthBound Beginnings

Added March 30, 2022

• Dig Dug II
• Mappy-Land

Added May 26, 2022

• Pinball

Added July 22, 2022

• Daiva Story 6 Imperial of Nirsartia

Added March 16, 2023

• Xevious 

Added June 6, 2023

• Mystery Tower

Added September 5, 2023

• Joy Mech Fight
• Downtown Nekketsu March Super-Awesome Field Day!

Added October 31, 2023

• Devil World
• The Mysterious Murasame Castle

Added February 21, 2024

• R.C. Pro-Am
• Snake Rattle 'N' Roll

Added September 5, 2019

• Brawl Brothers
• Breath of Fire
• Demon’s Crest
• F-Zero
• Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics
• Kirby’s Dream Course
• Kirby’s Dream Land 3
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
• Pilotwings
• Smash Tennis
• Star Fox
• Stunt Race FX
• Super Earth Defense Force
• Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
• Super Mario Kart
• Super Mario World
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
• Super Metroid
• Super Puyo Puyo 2
• Super Soccer
• Super Tennis

Added December 12, 2019

• Breath of Fire II
• Kirby Super Star
• Star Fox 2
• Super Punch-Out!

Added February 19, 2020

• Pop’n TwinBee

Added May 20, 2020

• Operation Logic Bomb
• Panel de Pon
• Wild guns

Added July 15, 2020

• Donkey Kong Country
• Natsume Championship Wrestling
• Shin Megami Tensei (Japan only)

Added September 3, 2020

• Super Mario All-Stars

Added September 23, 2020

• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong’s Quest
• Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (Japan only)
• Mario’s Super Picross
• The Peace Keepers

Added December 18, 2020

• Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!
• The Ignition FActor
• Kunio-kun no Dodgeball da yo Zen’in Shugo (Japan only)
• Sugoi Hebereke (Japan only)
• Super Valis IV
• Tuff E Nuff

Added February 17, 2021

• Doomsday Warrior
• Prehistorik Man
• Psycho Dream
• Shin Megami Tensei II (Japan only)

Added May 26, 2021

• Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War (Japan only)
• Joe & Mac
• Magical Drop II
• Spanky’s Quest
• Super Baseball Simulator 1.000
• Super Mario Kart SP

Added July 28, 2021

• Bombuzal
• Claymates
• Jelly Boy
• Shin Megami Tensei If… (Japan only)

Added February 9, 2022

• EarthBound
• Super Metroid SP

Added March 30, 2022

• Earthworm Jim 2
• Harvest Moon
• Super Mario World SP
• Super Punch-Out! SP

Added May 26, 2022

• Congo’s Caper
• Rival Turf!
• Umihara Kawase (Japan only)

Added June 9, 2022

• Kirby Super Star SP
• Kirby’s Dream Course SP
• Kirby’s Dream Land 3 SP

Added July 22, 2022

• Fighter's History
• Kirby's Avalanche

Added March 16, 2023

• Side Pocket

Added June 6, 2023

• Harvest Moon

Added September 5, 2023

• Kirby's Star Stacker

Added February 21, 2024

• Battletoads in Battlemaniacs
• Killer Instinct

Added April 12, 2024

• Amazing Hebereke
• Super R-Type
• Wrecking Crew '98

Added February 8, 2023

• Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
• Game & Watch Gallery 3
• Gargoyle's Quest
• Kirby's Dream Land
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
• Metroid II: Return of Samus
• Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
• Tetris
• Wario Land 3

Added March 16, 2023

• Kirby's Dream Land 2
• BurgerTime Deluxe

Added June 6, 2023

• Kirby Tilt 'N' Tumble
• Blaster Master: Enemy Below

Added July 26, 2023

• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

Added August 8, 2023

• Pokémon Trading Card Game

Added September 5, 2023

• Quest for Camelot

Added October 31, 2023

• Castlevania Legends

Added March 12, 2024

• Dr. Mario
• Mario Golf
• Mario Tennis

Added October 25, 2021

• Dr. Mario 64
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• Mario Kart 64
• Mario Tennis
• Sin and Punishment
• Star Fox 64
• Super Mario 64
• WinBack
• Yoshi’s Story

Added December 10, 2021

• Paper Mario

Added January 20, 2022

• Banjo-Kazooie

Added February 25, 2022

• The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Added March 11, 2022

• F-Zero X

Added April 15, 2022

• Mario Golf

Added May 20, 2022

• Kirby 64, The Crystal Shards

Added June 24, 2022

• Pokémon Snap

Added July 15, 2022

• Pokémon Puzzle League

Added August 15, 2022

• Wave Racer 64

Added October 12, 2022

• Pilotwings 64

Added November 2, 2022

• Mario Party
• Mario Party 2

Added January 27, 2023

• GoldenEye 007

Added April 12, 2023

• Pokémon Stadium

Added August 8, 2023

• Pokémon Stadium 2

Added August 30, 2023

• Excitebike 64

Added October 27, 2023

• Mario Party 3

Added December 7, 2023

• 1080° Snowboarding
• Harvest Moon 64
• Jet Force Gemini

Added February 21, 2024

• Blast Corps

Added April 24, 2024

• Extreme G
• Iggy's Reckin' Balls

Added October 25, 2021

• Castlevania: Bloodlines
• Contra: Hard Corps
• Dro. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
• Ecco the Dolphin
• Golden Axe
• Gunstar Heroes
• MUSHA
• Phantasy Star IV
• Puyo Puyo (Japan only)
• Ristar
• Shining Force
• Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Streets of Rage 2
• Strider

Added December 16, 2021

• Altered Beast
• Dynamite Headdy
• Sword of Vermillion
• Thunder Force II
• ToeJam & Earl

Added March 16, 2022

• Alien Soldier 
• Light Crusader
• Super Fantasy Zone

Added April 21, 2022

• Shining Force II
• Sonic Spinball
• Space Harrier II

Added June 30, 2022

• Comix Zone
• Mega Man: The Wily Wars
• Target Earth
• Zero Wing

Added September 15, 2022

• Alisia Dragoon
• Beyond Oasis
• Earthworm Jim

Added December 12, 2022

• Alien Storm
• Columns
• Golden Axe II
• Virtua Fighter 2

Added April 19, 2023

• Flicky
• Kid Chameleon
• Pulseman
• Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition

Added June 27, 2023

• Ghouls 'n Ghosts
• Crusader of Centy
• Landstalker
• The Revenge of Shinobi

Added February 8, 2023

• Kuru Kuru Kururin
• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit
• Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
• Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames

Added March 8, 2023

• Metroid Fusion

Added May 26, 2023

• Super Mario Advance
• Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
• Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3

Added June 23, 2023

• Fire Emblem 

Added September 22, 2023

• Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

Added January 17, 2024

• Golden Sun
• Golden Sun: The Lost Age

Added March 29, 2024

• F-Zero Maximum Velocity

Be sure to check back monthly to see if Nintendo’s dropped any new games onto Nintendo Switch Online.

Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Massive Entertainment
Release: August 30, 2024

The June 2023 reveal of Star Wars Outlaws gave us our first glimpse of Kay Vess and Nix, the two protagonists of the game. From talking with Massive Entertainment during our recent trip out to Sweden to get our hands on Star Wars Outlaws, it sounds as though their bond will be special. However, they aren't on this journey alone, as they are joined by a trenchcoat-wearing BX-commando droid named ND-5. Though Kay and Nix were greater points of emphasis during our studio visit, we had to ask the developers about the internet-popular droid that joins the Star Wars Outlaws adventure.

ND-5 joins Kay Vess in her trip around the Outer Rim and beyond, but he has a long history in the Star Wars galaxy prior to meeting up with Kay. "He is a BX-commando droid – a veteran of the Clone Wars – and he works as an enforcer droid for a character named Jaylen," associate narrative director John Björling says. "ND-5 is there to make sure that Kay follows through with the heist job, but together, they're going to face some big challenges and really get to know one another."

The job that Björling refers to is referenced in the latest story trailer (see below). At the start of her adventure, Kay crosses Sliro, the leader of the Zerek Besh criminal syndicate, resulting in him putting a bounty on her head. Jaylen Vrax and ND-5 drop in on Kay to offer her a path forward. The only way she sees out of it is to pull off the ultimate heist to earn her freedom.

Since Kay meets ND-5 early on, he plays a crucial role in the story, as well as Kay's mission to pull off this heist. Because he has experience in the Clone Wars and the criminal underworld, he's a valuable asset to her. "He comes from the Clone Wars and he is wearing a lot of emotional kind of baggage from that," Björling says. "He's an enforcer droid and he's seen a lot and he has a lot of experience in the underworld. Matching him up with Kay, it feels like the perfect kind of combination because she's new to that world; she doesn't know the key syndicates and the major players, but ND-5 is there to guide her and support her as they are moving towards the mark."

The reveal of ND-5 inspired a lot of excitement, with much social media attention put on his design. "First of all, I was very excited to see the fans' reactions to ND-5's design; it was really great to have all these reactions, and I think it really added to his character," associate art director Marthe Jonkers says with a smile. "For his design, we really had a similar approach as we did to all the other characters in really trying to show his background story in his look. So, of course, he's a BX-commando droid. He was made by separatists during the Clone Wars. He's been through a lot; you see that – he has a scar on his chest, but he tries to hide that with his jacket. You will find out more about him in the game, so I'm not going to spoil too much, but you know, he's walking a bit [lumbering]. He's usually sitting hunched over. And, you know, we tried to put a lot of personality into this droid by using these kinds of elements. I'm really happy that people really picked up on them and he became very popular. I think he's a super interesting character and I'm looking forward to people playing the game and finding out more about him."

ND-5 graces the box and key art of Star Wars Outlaws, all but guaranteeing he's a major player in the game

Star Wars Outlaws arrives on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on August 30. For more exclusive information about Star Wars Outlaws, be sure to visit our exclusive coverage hub at the banner below.

Purchase

Taming a wolf in Minecraft is one of the game's simplest joys, and no matter how many times I start a new world, I always hoard bones in case I encounter one. But once you've adopted a canine companion, you probably hide them away in a house for safe-keeping, shielding them from the horrors of the game's hostile mobs. Today, Minecraft is adding a way to make them a little stronger – wolf armor.

Like leather armor, wolf armor can be colored using dyes in-game, so if you've got multiple adopted animals, it'll still be easy to tell them apart. This variation is separate from the collar colors as well, creating plenty of possibilities. Even better, the game is also adding wolf fur variants for the first time, bringing eight new patterns for a total of nine. Each variant (Pale, Woods, Ashen, Black, chestnut, Rusty, Spotted, Striped, and Snowy) spawns in a specific biome. You can take a look at all the new breeds in the gallery below.

 

Of course, players will need to be able to craft this wolf armor as well, which is where the new mob, the armadillo, comes in. These armored relatives of anteaters can be found in savannah or badland biomes, where they can be seen strolling around and curling into a defensive ball when certain enemies come near. Armadillos drop armadillo scutes, which are used to make the wolf armor, but the developers have reassured players that they can be brushed rather than defeated, so you won't have to go on an armadillo massacre to protect your pets. Armadillos can also be used to scare away spiders since they eat insects and arachnids in real life, and spider eyes can be used to breed them if you want to make your own armadillo farm.

You can read the rest of the notes for the 1.20.5 update right here.

Epic Games has revealed a new setting for Fortnite that allows players to hide emotes the company considers "confrontational." This doesn't outright ban these emotes from the game and those with them can still use them, but if someone has this new setting turned off, they won't see others use them. 

Called "See Confrontational Emotes," players can choose whether they want to see emotes like "Laugh It Up," "Take the L," "Whipcrack," and "Make It Plantain" from anyone, from friends in a party, or never. Epic says players who have these emotes hidden with this new setting will see a player using the emote standing still, with no emote sound. 

This new setting can be found under "Social Privacy" in the Fortnite settings and it defaults to only show these confrontational emotes from friends in your party. Epic stresses that this setting does not change a player's ability to use any emotes. It is now live in-game. 

For more about Fortnite, check out these Avatar: The Last Airbender skins now available in the game, and then read about how Fortnite's next Star Wars crossover will span Lego, Fortnite Festival, and Battle Royale. After that, read about how Billie Eilish is headlining Fortnite Festival Season 3. 

How do you feel about this new emote setting? Let us know in the comments below!

Publisher Atlus and developer Studio Zero have released a new trailer for the upcoming fantasy RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and it features plenty of new gameplay. It also reveals Metaphor: ReFantazio will hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 11. 

Dubbed "The King's Trial," this new trailer sets up a bit of the Metaphor: ReFantazio's world more, highlighting a tournament for the king's throne at the center of the narrative. It seems our protagonist and the friends and allies they encounter along the way are vying for a crown that others are also after. In order to claim it, players must complete trials across the lands, proving their worth. 

Check it out for yourself in the Metaphor: ReFantazio gameplay trailer below: 

As you can see, Metaphor: ReFantazio continues to look excellent, with its Persona inspirations on full display. That's not surprising, though, considering Studio Zero is composed of various leads from Atlus' popular Persona series, including the latest in the franchise, Persona 5. 

If you've played Persona 5 Royal, or even the recently released Persona 3 Reload, then you know we're likely in for a treat when it comes to a few things: combat, narrative, and art. And if this new look at the game's menu are any indication, the Persona team has been cooking something special for Metaphor: ReFantazio. 

The trailer also reveals Metaphor: ReFantazio will get a special Collector's Edition for $149.99. The game's standard release will cost $69.99.

Here's what the Collector's Edition looks like: 

Metaphor: ReFantazio hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 11, 2024. 

For more about the game, watch the Metaphor: ReFantazio reveal trailer. Read Game Informer's Persona 5 Royal review, and then read Game Informer's Persona 5 Tactica review after that. 

Are you picking up Metaphor: ReFantazio on day one? Let us know in the comments below!

With the introduction of Fortnite Festival, Epic's rhythm game within the chart-topping Battle Royale, there's more incentive than ever for musicians to have their likenesses added to the game. The latest of these artists is Billie Eilish, who announced her collaboration with the game on social media earlier today.

Fortnite Festival Main Stage: 4.23.24 pic.twitter.com/dxaQBsqD4A

— billie eilish (@billieeilish) April 22, 2024

Eilish is not just getting a skin added to the game (like Eminem, for example), she's the next headliner for Fortnite Festival's main stage event, which will start tomorrow, April 23. This includes a set of artist-specific rotating songs players can compete for high scores in, as well as unlockable skins, songs, instruments, and other cosmetics, though unlocking all of these requires the purchase of the pricey 1,800 V-Buck Festival Pass. Previous headliners were The Weeknd and Lady Gaga.

Eilish recently made headlines for winning a Grammy, Golden Globe, and Oscar for "What Was I Made For" from the Barbie movie, which is a task she's now accomplished twice. Even more recently, she announced her upcoming album Hit Me Hard And Soft, which is likely her main marketing incentive for appearing in the game. For more Fortnite, check out the current Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover and read about the upcoming Star Wars event.

Will you be buying Eilish's festival pass? Which artist do you want to see in Fortnite next? Let us know in the comments!

Developer Wētā Workshop and publisher Private Division have released the first trailer for Tales of the Shire, and it showcases what looks like a Middle-earth Animal Crossing game with hobbits and a cozy place to call home. This trailer arrives after the companies teased releasing the first Tales of the Shire trailer this month, following the game's reveal last year. 

In Tales of the Shire, players will create their own Hobbit before setting forth into Bywater, the shire setting of the game. Here, players can forage fruits and herbs, tend to gardens, fish, trade with townsfolk, and more, all while working to help Bywater, which has not yet been established as an official village in Hobbiton, flourish. 

"Greet comfort at the door as you deocrate your own Hobbit hole, tend to your garden, fish at the clear ponds, forage wild fruits and herbs, or trade with townsfolk, " a press release reads. "Prepare homemade meals to share with fellow Hobbits and foster relationships. With much to see and lots more to eat, enjoy days of splendor in the picturesque forests, lakes, and pastures."

Check out the first official Tales of the Shire trailer for yourself below: 

Tales of the Shire's Hobbit hole customization features grid-free placement, allowing players to put furniture and home decor anywhere they want, however they want. You can harvest seasonal crops and flowers as time passes in your homestead, and stock your Hobbit hole pantry afterward. Plus, you can cook using unique recipes, partake in second breakfast, and even host dinner parties with other Hobbits in Bywater. Sharing meals with guests will create new relationships to cultivate as the seasons go by. 

Wētā Workshop says ever-changing weather will affect daily routines and bring seasonal surprises to Bywater. You can obtain rewards through story progression all while meeting familiar and iconic characters, too. You can trade with them for upgrades to skills, clothes, your home, and more, and joining clubs and completing missions and daily activities will further Bywater's status as an official village. 

Here are some screenshots from Tales of the Shire: 

 

For more about the game, head to Game Informer's Tales of the Shire hub. 

Are you excited for Tales of the Shire? Let us know in the comments below!

Summer Game Fest is just a few months away, but that's not stopping Xbox from hosting its own indie event next week. Partnering with IGN, the ID@Xbox Digital Showcase will air live next Monday, April 29, at 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET. The event will feature "epic trailers, fresh gameplay, and new reveals," according to the announcement blog.

This announcement is brought to you by great indie games 📣

Tune in to the ID@Xbox x IGN Showcase on April 29 at 10am PT: https://t.co/ODYWGtHqzB pic.twitter.com/KdkACE03Ri

— Xbox (@Xbox) April 22, 2024

They've also given a heads-up on some games we can expect to see. Vampire Survivors, which cracked our top ten games of the year back in 2022, has been on the platform for some time now, but recently announced a new expansion featuring weapons and characters from the Contra series. Dungeons of Hinterberg is an action-adventure title announced at SGF last year that we got a chance to preview. The showcase will also spotlight co-op roguelike 33 Immortals and Don't Nod's upcoming adventure title, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage.

For more context, last year's version of this event included over 20 games, including Sea of Stars, Karateka, and Vampire Survivors again, somehow. Regardless of whether or not it appears, you can bet the comment section will be flooded with Hollow Knight: Silksong fans clamoring for the game, which we haven't seen since the Xbox summer showcase in 2022 when it was announced the game would come to Game Pass on day one.

You can watch the showcase next week on IGN's YouTube channel. The showcase will also be available in American Sign Language.

What are you hoping to see from the showcase? Let us know in the comments!

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC
Publisher: EA Originals
Developer: Surgent Studios
Release: April 23, 2024
Rating: Everyone 10+

In Tales of Kenzera: Zau, the debut game from Surgent Studios, the use of the word "Tales" is more literal than it initially seems. To kick off the events of the game, protagonist Zuberi reads a book written by his late father about a place called Kenzera. He uses fiction to cope with his grief, just as the player might do with the plot of the game, and as the studio founder, who lost his father as well, did when creating the story to begin with. While combat and map design in Tales of Kenzera falters at times, this strong, emotional core was what pulled me through to the credits.

Zau is the protagonist of Zuberi's book, and he's who the player controls for the vast majority of the roughly eight-hour game. After his father's passing, he goes to Kalunga, the god of death, to perform a risky exchange: defeating three great spirits to bring his father back to life. Kalunga, who simply appears as an older human man, accompanies Zau throughout his journey, providing wisdom and guidance to level Zau's often reckless behavior. It is a stellar dynamic, and I enjoyed watching them butt heads as they struggled to deal with the other grieving characters of the game.

Zau battles his way through the world of Kenzera using the Masks of the Sun and Moon, relics gifted to him when his father passed. The Mask of the Moon has more ranged options with ice abilities, while the Mask of the Sun is melee-focused with fire abilities, and both are fun to use. Because you can flip between them at the drop of a hat, combat feels creative, giving the player the opportunity to flip to whichever stance fits them best at that moment. That said, later encounters with large crowds of enemies with regenerating health bars sometimes tested my love of the combat, with late-game combat encounters feeling like a chore purely based on how long they took.  

The game is also rife with platforming challenges that make use of all your abilities gained up until that point in the story, but since you start with a double jump and a mid-air dash, movement is a blast from the start. Many challenges involve instant-kill spikes, which can be irritating, but quick respawn times generally keep me from pulling my hair out. This is not the case in certain challenge sections and some chase sequences in story missions, which require you to make it all the way through with only a handful of checkpoints. They're not insurmountable, though, and allow the game to test player platforming skills as well as combat skills during boss sequences.

Tales of Kenzera's main flaw is its map and world designs, which turn a pretty good game into one that's uninteresting and unintuitive to explore. While most games obscure sections of the map until players explore them, Tales of Kenzera opens up an entire zone as soon as you enter a biome. It's a minor convenience for navigating through the main plot but a nightmare for figuring out where you have and haven't been. There's no way to mark the map or see where you've previously visited, save for icons that mark collected items, so in some cases, it's actually more difficult to backtrack to find secrets.

 

Even then, areas are pretty linear, thanks to objective markers making sure the player always knows where to go, so most secrets are just a quick little branch into a room to the left or an alternate path to the right. On top of that, most secrets only reward a small chunk of experience points, which is useful but not particularly exciting to discover and doesn't do much to incentivize further exploration. However, there are also meditation trees that increase your maximum health and platforming challenges to unlock stat-boosting trinkets, so it's still worth heading down the occasional side path.

However, the most frustrating element here is a specific set of secrets: Spirit Trials. Unlike most hidden elements, these combat challenges require the player to backtrack significantly and open an ability-gated area to proceed. I enjoy secrets, but there are only three Spirit Trials in the whole game, and they are the only way to upgrade your spirit bar and trinket slots, which are vital to Zau's abilities. It's a baffling choice to funnel both upgrades into one area and even more puzzling to hide them away like this, especially when their existence is not mentioned until you find one. If the map allowed you to mark certain areas to revisit or had a traditional un-fogging system to see where you haven't explored, it would be one thing, and if it were the norm for other secrets to require a little more work to find, it would be another. But when the player is neither implicitly nor explicitly incentivized to search for major upgrades, it creates a balance issue.

Despite my gripes with Spirit Trials and the map, I have a lot of respect for Tales of Kenzera: Zau, particularly in how it handles grief and self-reflection – it is one of the most thematically cohesive games I've ever played. Every element of gameplay and story is tied back into the dual struggle Zau and Zuberi face in coping with the loss of their respective fathers. Health upgrades come from points of meditation and the processing of emotion. Each character you encounter deals with loss in their own way, which grants perspective to Zau's situation. Even combat upgrades represent Zau's path to get closer to his father – if he can't spend time with the man himself, he'll spend time with the legacy his father left behind.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau conveys its somber themes with nuance and passion. It's just a shame the gameplay doesn't always match those highs, especially in a genre flooded with quality indies, because Zau's journey – and Zuberi's parallel journey – are stories I'll be thinking about for quite some time

Score: 7.5

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Embracer Group, the company that recently sold Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake developer Saber Interactive for $500 million, has announced its plans to split into three individual, publicly traded companies. As such, Embracer Group as we know it will be no more; instead, it will largely consist of Asmodee, Coffee Stain & Friends, and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends. 

Each of these companies will be run individually and traded publicly in the market, with IP and franchises under the Embracer Group umbrella spread across them. This separation follows a rocky period for Embracer Group, which is behind layoffs at companies like Black Forest Games and Eidos-Montréal after a planned $2 billion deal with Saudi Arabia-backed Savvy Games Group fell through in 2023. 

"During the past years, the Group has made significant investments in acquisitions and into a strategy of accelerated organic growth. To further realize the untapped potential in Embracer Group and better optimize the use of its resources, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program in June 2023 divided into different phases lasting until March 2024," the company writes in a press release. "Focus of the program has been cost savings, capital allocation, efficiency and consolidation, while also divesting selected studios.

Following a careful and thorough review, it is the assessment of the Board of Directors that the current Group structure does not create optimal conditions for future value creation both for Embracer Group's shareholders and other stakeholders. To continue the transformation of Embracer Group into the future for the benefit of all employees, gamers and shareholders, the Board of Directors and the executive management have therefore decided to propose a separation of Embracer Group, creating three separate publicly listed entities: 'Asmodee,' 'Coffee Stain & Friends,' and 'Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends.'"

Embracer Group says each of these entities will have its own balance sheet, financial targets and structure, and allocation strategy. In short, each of these companies will be essentially independent of each other, even if they're formed from the same umbrella. 

Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends

After this new split, Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends is "intended to remain a creative powerhouse in AAA game development and publishing for PC/console," a press release reads. It will remain the stewards of The Lord of the Rings and Tomb Raider IPs, with its main focus being the former.

It will consist of studios like Crystal Dynamics, Dambuster Studios, Eidos-Montréal, Flying Wild Hog Studios, Tripwire, Vertigo Games, Warhorse Studios, 4A Games, and more, with IPs including Dead Island, Killing Floor, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, The Lord of the Rings, Metro, and Tomb Raider.

Coffee Stain & Friends

Embracer Group says this company "is intended to consist of leading publishers and developers focused on a variety of games for PC, console, and mobile, including community-driven free-to-play games, LiveOps games, and indie/AA games." It will operate under two segments, according to the company: Premium and Free-To-Play. 

Its "Premium" operations include studios like Coffee Stain, Ghost Ship, Tarsier, Tuxedo Labs, THQ Nordic, and Amplifier Game Invest. Its IPs include Deep Rock Galactic, Goat Simulator, Satisfactory, Wreckfest, Teardown, Valheim, and more than 200 others. 

Its "Free-To-Play" operations include studios like Easybrain, Deca, CrazyLabs, and Cryptic, with IPs in its wheelhouse including Soduku.com, Blockudoku, Jigsaw Puzzle, Star Trek Online, D&D Neverwinter Online, and more. 

Asmodee

Asmodee consists of 23 fully owned studios and more than 300 IPs and consists of the tabletop games section of Embracer Group. It will continue focusing on tabletop properties while collaborating in transmedia partnerships for IPs like The Lord of the Rings and others in the Embracer wheelhouse. "As a global leader in board and trading card games, with a proven track-record of profitable growth, Asmodee is well-positioned to build on its strategy and continue to prosper as a standalone entity." 

Its IPs include Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders, Azul, Catan, Dobble, Exploding Kittens, and other board games based on The Lord of the Rings, Marvel, Game of Thrones, Netflix, Lego, and Star Wars. 

"This transformation is an important step in unlocking shareholder value," chair of the Embracer Group board Kicki Wallje-Lund writes in a press release. "With this new structure, the three entities will be able to focus on executing their core strategies and leveraging their own strengths, providing more differentiated and distinct equity stories to both existing and new shareholders." 

Embracer Group co-founder and CEO Lars Wingefors adds, "This is the start of a new chapter, a chapter that I intend to remain part of as an active, committed, and supportive shareholder of all three new entities, with an evergreen horizon. This move toward three independent companies reinforces Embracer's vision of backing entrepreneurs and creators with a long-term mindset, allowing them to continue to deliver unforgettable experiences for gamers and fans across the globe." 

Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends will remain within the current publicly listed Embracer Group, which itself will eventually be renamed. Asmodee and Coffee Stain & Friends will hit the market as separate companies within 12 months, during the 2025 calendar year. 

How do you feel about this split in Embracer Group? Let us know in the comments below!

The live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie series that started in 2020 has delivered entertaining adventures starring everybody's favorite Blue Blur and his ever-growing stable of friends. One of the highlights of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba. The fish-out-of-water gags and his strict adherence to the echidna warrior code, which is in stark contrast to Sonic's fun-loving personality, made for an enjoyable dynamic within the cast of characters. Knuckles, the new six-episode streaming show on Paramount Plus, tries to carry forward that dynamic. However, thanks to low stakes, a palpable disconnect from the larger Sonic story, and too much emphasis on the human characters in the world, it falls short of the heights reached by the two theatrical films.

Warning: While I try to remain as spoiler-free as possible, some aspects of the narrative and characters are mentioned throughout this article.

This spin-off series follows Knuckles as he trains Wade Whipple (Adam Pally), the goofy police officer from the first two Sonic films, in the way of the echidna warrior. Though Wade is fine as comic relief in the films, I often struggled with placing so many of the emotional stakes at the feet of this character. This becomes particularly true once his family joins the show. The weakest parts of the Sonic movies are the scenes featuring the human characters. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 appeared to learn that lesson, as it sent many of the main humans away on a trip, but the inverse is true in Knuckles; on multiple occasions, I wondered why we were focusing so much on the family drama of Wade instead of what Knuckles was up to off-screen.

The family storyline that consumes much of the latter portions of the show can be compelling in bursts, but it almost feels like an entirely different show altogether. The show does very little to inform viewers why we should care about these characters aside from the fact that they're related to Wade. The mother character (Stockard Channing) is the most likable of the bunch, particularly when the other major players feel like cartoonish caricatures of sitcom archetypes – even more so than in the movies. Thankfully, when the titular character is on screen, it's another strong performance by Elba. I'm also happy that much of the CGI of the Knuckles character looks great, particularly when in fights.

The action sequences of Knuckles are the highlight. One scene, in particular, takes place in a kitchen and benefits from crafty camera work and a simulated single-take effect. The action scenes are well-paced throughout the six-episode season, but they do shine a light on one of the most significant shortcomings the Sonic franchise must overcome if it hopes to expand out in spin-off series such as this: Sonic's gallery of enemies just isn't that deep. Having the main antagonists of Knuckles be two rogue agents of GUN and a guy who used to work for Dr. Robotnik demonstrates this in irreconcilable ways. Sure, we're promised Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and we could still get the introduction of characters like Metal Sonic or Chaos in future media, but this series shows that the pool is pretty shallow.

Installing low-profile villains for the franchise's first streaming series could be forgiven if they made their mark, but they feel like retreads of what Dr. Robotnik was trying to accomplish in the first movie; their entire motivation is to capture Knuckles to steal his power. Ellie Taylor and Kid Cudi deliver fine performances as the rogue GUN agents, but the characters rarely serve as anything more than plot devices for the characters to progress on their personal journeys and foils in fight scenes. We do learn of their motivation later in the show, but at that point, I only cared about them because when they showed up, it usually meant an action scene was coming.

When you aren't watching a fight sequence play out, you're usually enduring a joke shotgun blast with a relatively low hit rate. The seasoned comedic delivery of actors like Adam Pally, Paul Scheer, and Cary Elwes do wonders for some of the jokes on offer in Knuckles, but it's often not enough to keep the momentum up and running. Instead, in the times when Knuckles wasn't on screen, I was more enthralled by the heartfelt moments, which, much like the humor, have a relatively low success ratio. Much of the family dynamics are framed around an absurd bowling tournament that apes the vibe and storyline of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story a little too closely, making it difficult to connect to the characters or the overarching narrative. Knuckles feels noncommittal when it comes to the tone it's going for. While it's not impossible to be an action-comedy series with sentimental moments, it's a trickier line to walk than Knuckles can accomplish.

And it would all be forgiven if the story felt essential – or even consequential – to the world of the Sonic series. But instead, having not yet seen Sonic the Hedgehog 3, I can't help but feel that Knuckles has that sitcom quality where everything ends up right where it started. Sure, there's a journey with some sentimentality, minor character development, funny gags, small Easter eggs, and enjoyable action scenes, but if someone asked if they needed to watch Knuckles before going to see Sonic the Hedgehog 3 when it arrives in theaters this December, I'd be hard pressed to find a narrative reason to answer them in the affirmative.

That's perhaps Knuckles' biggest flaw: Despite its sometimes fun and heartfelt moments, it feels entirely inessential. Video game adaptations have an outdated reputation for being bad. Knuckles isn't outright bad, but when compared to its contemporaries like Fallout, The Last of Us, Twisted Metal, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and even Sonic the Hedgehog 2, it feels like a video game adaptation from a bygone era.

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