Prime Video has launched a new trailer for its upcoming series Secret Level. Secret Level is an anthology series from the creators of Love, Death + Robots?. The animated ?series will consist of 15 episodes, each featuring a story set in the world of one or more popular video games.

The series, slated for a December launch, includes episodes based on notable games like the now-defunct Concord; The Outer Worlds 2 (due its own gaming sequel); Sifu, which has recently been added to Xbox Game Pass; and Warhammer 40,000, which saw Space Marines 2 enjoy a successful launch in September. The latest trailer from Prime showcases the Unreal Tournament episode.

Unreal Tournament was developed in the 1990s by Epic Games. It was one of the first titles to use the Unreal Engine, developed by Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney in 1995. Now in its fifth iteration, Unreal Engine went on to become the most successful video game platform of all time. Unreal Tournament launched in 1999 and was the second title in the Unreal Series after 1998’s Unreal. The game saw players take on a series of arena battles against bots in the single-player campaign or online against human opponents. The trai?l??er recreates the intro to the game and introduces the premise of government-sanctioned kill tournaments.

As well as Unreal Tournament, Amazon’s ad also teases some of the other games set to? feature in the anthology s?eries.

The Outer Worlds launched in 2019 an??d enjoyed generally very positive reviews. The Obsidian Entertainment action role-playing game has amassed quite a following and players are expecting a sequel to land sometime soon. Obsidian announced they were working on a sequel in 2021, but there has?? been no definitive news of a launch date yet.

Sifu is another game to get its own Secret Level episode. Launched in 2022 on PC and consoles, the game is billed as a third-person brawler and is available to play on Xbox Game Pass. The game boasts non-stop martial arts action as the title character seeks revenge on those who killed his master. Viewers can likely expect a similarly action-packed Sifu episode.

Warhammer 40,000 launched as a tabletop skirmish game in the 1980s and remains popular today. The tabletop experience has been converted to video games several times in its history, most recently with the launch of Space Marine 2. Space Marine 2 launched on consoles and PC in September and has enjoyed positive reviews since. Prime Video will launch a Warhammer 40,000 series with Superman and The Witcher actor Henry Cavill starring?? and executive producing the show.

A little surprisingly, the episode Concord is still set to air. Firewalk Studios launched Concord in August 2024 but announced they were closing down servers two weeks later. Only 25,000 copies of the game sold with buyers being promised refunds. Amazon will undoubtedly be hoping the episode of Secret Level ?fares better than the game’s disastro?us performance.   

15 episodes of the animated show have been confirmed:

• Pac-Man
• Warhammer 40,000
• Concord
• Mega Man
• Unreal Tournament
• New World: Aeterneum
• Armored Core
• Spelunky
• Honor of Kings
• Sifu
• Dungeons & Dragons
• The Outer Worlds
• Crossfire
• Exodus
• PlayStation

Secret Level will be exclusive to Prime Video. It launches on December 20 and has been created by Blur Studios. Blur Studios was founded by Tim Miller in 1995 and has contributed to various video games and animated titles. Blur Studios is also the team responsible for the massively popular Love, Death + Robots series on Netflix.

The post New?? trailer for?? Prime Video’s Secret Level shows off Unreal Tournament appeared first on Destructoid.

Bring it back, Nintendo

With a full suite of Super Mario Game Boy Advance titles hitting the Nintendo Switch, it's really easy to perk up and go "but what about that [X] other GBA thing I liked?" That system had so many bangers it's nearly impossible to keep track of them all, but one that really wormed its way into my heart forevermore is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords: emphasis on the Four Swords bit.

This little sub-franchise ended up having a relatively long (albeit niche) lifespan, as it was brought back in anniversary form on the DS and the 3DS for a limited time. But what about the still-trapped-on-GameCube classic Zelda: Four Swords Adventures? ?Well, we might be waiting a bit longer for that one, which is a shame.

Watch our video on why Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is so special

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=so5uRnRrS4Q

So what's the impetus for all this Four Swords talk (besides, I don't know, a massive Zelda release)?

Well, the Destructoid video team has cooked up a wonderful little retrospective on Four Swords Adventures, and it's definitely worth a watch. I have a lot of personal experience with this oddball project, complete with the full setup of the GameCube hub + Game Boy Advance controllers. At launch, I spent the entire weekend at my friend's house playing it, hosting various other people who dropped in and dropped out as we continued to forge onward. Years later we reunited for Four Swords Anniversary on the DS, and it felt so good.

Given that Four Swords Adventures came out in 2004 and has never seen the light of day on another system; it makes sense that a lot of people likely wouldn't have played it, or only heard its name in whispers. If you can't get a copy of it, at l?east?? you can relive those glory days by proxy with the video above!

The post Have you ever played Zelda: Four Swords A??dventures? Well, you should! appeared first on Destructoid.

'Forced Poking' some fun at video game marketing

I have nothing but respect and empathy for the poor souls who were tasked with creating the now infamous Forspoken "Talking to a cuff!" trailer.

The whole thing stinks of producer tampering. I imagine the original script might have had lead character Frey say "And oh yeah, I'm talking TO MY SLEEVE!", which would work fine in a cutesy, family Sci-Fi wort of way. But then the "Business Strategy and Branding Lead" came in and said "Oh no you can't say 'my' because those magic talking sleeves are going to be sold as NFTs to players across the wo?rld in 2024. We want everyone to feel like they can own one, not just Frey. And you can't call them 'sleeves' either because we're going to call the NFTs 'Tough Cuffs'. The S?EO on that shit is pure dynamite."

And that's how Forspoken "Talking t??o a cuff!" trailer was (probably) born.

It was with that nightmare in mind that I've started posting new re-recordings of that god forsaken Forspoken dialogue every day until the game is released on January 24, 2023. That's 165 days, folks! 11 days in and I haven't missed an ?upload yet, though doing most of the acting on?? the videos on my own may make my brain melt soon enough.

You can find a thread of them in progress on Twitter, and for your convivence, my co??llaborators and I have compiled the best of them (so far) in the video below. They aren't all keepers, but I'm semi-proud of my Sol?id Snake and Louie Armstrong impersonations. Just listing to them is sure to make your throat sore with empathetic laryngitis.

[embed]//www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uja?Vynx7xw[/embed]

The post The Forspoken “Talking to a cuff!” trailer, Solid Snake edition appeared first on Destructoid.

So much greenery

With Forza Horizon 5 absolutely sucking up all the attention from racing game fans as of late, it's easy to forget we're just a couple of months away from the release of the latest entry in Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo franchise. GT 7 is the first numbered entry in the series since 2013, and following the less-than-stellar reception of Gran Turismo Sport, I think a lot is riding on this game knocking all of our socks off and showcasing the power of the PlayStation 5. We've seen some trailers already for the racer, but this weekend PlayStation dropped a new look at the game with a lap around the Gran Turismo 7 Deep Forest Raceway.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsvYQd-axrw

Yeah, I can't wait to see that on my big screen in 4K. I remember driving the Deep Forest Raceway quite often back in college in Gran Turismo 4. It taught me everything I needed to know about cornering. If you're familiar with the track, you should have been able to see some of the changes in the trailer that have been made to the track's layout, including more barriers and a hairpin turn in the last half of the?? track. If my experience with hairpin turns in other racing games is any indication, I'm going to be slamming into other cars a lot in that spot.

Gran Turismo 7 will release on March 4, 2022, for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. As a reminder, if you purchase the PS4 version and wish to upgrade to the PS5 edition, there will be a $10 digital upgrade charge.

The post Gran Turismo 7’s Deep Forest Raceway looks fantastic on PS5 appeared first on Destructoid.

Platforming fun from 1990

Here's a delightful blast from the past. The retro fans over at Hamster has chosen Jaleco's sickening cute single-screen platformer Rod Land as this week's Arcade Archives release.

Released in arcades in 1990, before swiftly making the transition to a wide variety of home platforms, Rod Land is simple-but-fun platformer in the vein of titles such as Bubble Bobble, Tumble Pop!, and Snow Bros. In Rod Land, one or two players control magical kids Tam and Rit on a quest to rescue ??their m?om (the obligatory attractive anime damsel) from the summit of a monster-filled tower.

Tam and Rit pick their way through each screen, using their magical wands to subdue and/or slam the roaming enemies while gathering enough flowers to complete the stage. Like many games of this ilk, collecting various hidden items will increase Tam and Rit's skills, while gathering the letters "EXTRA" will see the duo awarded an extra life from a fairy goddess. Today, Rod Land still holds up as a fun, if ??simplistic ?arcade platformer, thanks mostly to its fun pixel art and charming sense of style.

Rod Land is available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, priced at around $8. You can check out the game in action below, courtesy of retro gaming YouTuber Janet.

The post Jaleco’s cute classic Rod Land is this week’s Arcade Archives release appeared first on Destructoid.

THE CHOPPER'S WAITIN'...

Screaming Villains - the indie outfit behind Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition, Double Switch: 20th Anniversary Edition, and Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition - has revealed that the next FMV classic to be blessed with a remaster is 1993 shooter Ground Zero: Texas.

Developed for Sega CD by Digital Pictures, Ground Zero: Texas tasks the player with rooting out an alien invasion currently infiltrating the sleepy border town of El Cadron. Blending the FMV shooter gameplay of the American Laser Games series with the camera-switching, puzzle-solving shenanigans of Night Trap and Double Switch, Ground Zero: Texas is, ultimately, a fairly clumsy and poorl??y-paced endeavor.

Still, nobody is buying these re-releases specifically for their stellar gameplay and Ground Zero: Texas retains the campy, nostalgic value expected from almost all games within the FMV genre. Screaming Villains is doing sound work by securing the history of this dubious era of gaming, when many studios would be quite happy to let these games vaporize into the ether. Ground Zero: Texas, in particular, looked utterly atrocious on Sega CD, so it will be fun to finally exper??ience the live-action footage in an "ac?tually viewable" format.

As with previous Screaming Villains titles, Ground Zero: Texas - Nuclear Edition will be receiving a PS4 physical release through boutique outlet Limited Run Games. Pre-orders will go live on-site January 22, although n??o official release date has been announced.

Ground Zero: Texas - Nuclear Edition is in development for PS4 and PC.

The post Ground Zero: Texas is the latest ’90s FMV classic to receive a remaster appeared first on Destructoid.

Running through my veins

NIS America has released a gameplay trailer for its incoming third-person shooter Poison Control. The psychedelic anime adventure will lau?nch on PS4 and Nintend??o Switch April 13, 2021.

Described by NIS as a "darkly amusing tale of redemption" Poison Control will see the player step into the dual roles of the high-energy Poisonette and her "Soul Mate" – a custom character stepping in as the player avatar. Wielding the gun-toting skills of the latter and the toxin-absorbing abilities of the former, the player must free a selection of troubled individuals from their unhappine??ss, achieved by purging their very souls of Poison Mires and the deadly "Belle's Hells."

As our heroes push through the adventure, they will unlock new skills, weapons, and abilities, with the player boosting Poisonette's stats through conversation and dialogue choices. While we're yet to check out the action for ourselves, Poison Control has a pretty kooky premise, and offers a vibrant, almost lurid reality with its hyper-colorful visuals. With release day a mere two months away, we'll soon see whether the gameplay proves equally as int?oxicating.

The post Check out the colorful, intoxicating world ?of Poison Control appeared first on Destructoid.

Dropkick... and a beauty

Treyarch has announced that it will be releasing a mid-season update to its blockbuster title Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War next week. Arriving on all platforms January 14, the mini-update will be bringing several new additions to the rat-a-tat-tat uzi-loving shooter.

First up is the arrival of a new six-vs-six multiplayer mode, Dropkick, which will apparentl??y see players attempting to wrest control of nuclear codes from their opposition. Low stakes, then? In addition, the somewhat bewildering mode Fireteam will receive a new battleground in the form of Sanatorium, with players fighting it out in dirty-bomb-based mayhem.

Zombies fans can dive into the thick of the action with the new mode Cranked, which requires constant carnage in order to keep your avatar live and kicking. The Black Ops II map Raid will also be added to Onslaught mode, while ?more Dark Intel will be available for all of you lore fans. I ha?ven't even found the shiznit that's already in there right now!

The post Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War update bringing new Sanatorium map and Z??ombies modes appeared first on Destructoid.

Bad news for the Flower Division

2020 saw Sega hit the reset button on its long-running RPG franchise, Sakura Wars. The year saw the western launch of a pretty good PS4 reboot, alongside a new anime, a great-looking stage show, and a slew of new trademarks, with a clearly stated intent to revitalize the brand for the new decade.

Unfortunately, this plan might have hit a particularly brutal pitfall, as it is being reported that DelightWorks' brand new mobile release Sakura Revolution: Hanasaki Maidens has completely flopped at launch, with a Business Journal article (translated by Resetera user Joseki) stating that the free-to-play gacha title has raked in a paltry ¥73 million (roughly $703,000 USD) in its first month of release, debuting 215th in the mobile sa??les ranking charts.

While a six-figure sum is nothing to be sniffed at in isolation, in contrast it is stunningly low revenue for an Asian mobile game to achieve during its debut month, with the modest of titles generally expected to launch within the Top 50, at the very least. The real concern lies in the offset of Sakura Revolution's development and marketing budget, which industry analysts believe to be somewhere in the region of ¥3 billion - or a bewildering $30 million USD.

If all of the above proves to be correct, (this is mostly analyst chatter, as opposed to official figures from Sega), then the biggest worry is how Sakura Revolution might impact Sega's plans for the Sakura Wars re-launch. The franchise still has plenty of fans, (myself included), and has even pulled new players into the fold with its recent endeavors, but if Sakura Revolution is truly the financial disaster that is being spoken about in hush-hush terms, then Sega might decide that it is time this legendary series faces its final curtain, and given Sakura Wars' energy, character, and legacy, that would be a? terrible shame.

Sakura Wars mobile game revenue "a catastrophe" [Business Journal / Resetera]

The post Sakura Wars mobile game has re??portedly been an exp??ensive disaster appeared first on Destructoid.

Death to the Mind Flayer

I've died way too many embarrassing deaths to that one pain-in-the-ass Black Phantom Mind Flayer who guards the treacherous staircase leading up to the Maneaters, and ?it's time for some revenge.

This Demon's Souls clip – captured by Reddit user Menicent – will do just fine.

I hate this Mind Flayer the most, so this felt go?od from r/demonssouls

The player calmly strolls up while the Mind Flayer's back is turned, swoops in for a two-handed backstab before it can turn around to fire off a spell, and unceremoniously knocks the creep off the edge. I like to imagine that a pack of Man Centipedes picked its corpse apart. You know, Souls stuff.

Am I getting too much enjoyment out of a simple gameplay c?lip? Yeah. But I'm not alone. These guys are such a nuisance, especially in New Game+ runs. I'll cheer on their demise every chance I get.

Vicarious revenge is still revenge!

The post This clip of a Demon’s Souls player wrecking That One Black Phantom brings me joy appeared first on Destructoid.

For starters, you can drop a dangling man into a chasm

Getting up to no good as Agent 47 in Hitman 3's full-blown V?R mode will be entertaining as hell. I was already hopeful about the virtual-reality side of the game, but this gameplay preview seals it for me.

VR will be supported across not just Hitman 3 levels, but the "full trilogy," as IO Interactive puts it. You might've ma?stered locations like Paris and Miami by now, but the?? old stages should feel fresh again.

Even though PlayStation VR is in a less-than-ideal place (reminder: PS5 owners will still need the backward-compatible PS4 version of Hitman 3 to play in VR), it seems like t??he studio is really going for it here. This doesn't seem like the kind of half-step "bonus VR missions" we've seen elsewhere.

It's wild to me that this isn't being sold as a separate game on top of the $60 asking price for Hitman 3. It's al?so wild that this is – at least for the time being – locked to the aging PlayStation VR headset.

The post Hitman 3 is going to have so many absurd only-in-VR moment??s of? mayhem appeared first on Destructoid.

I can hang out with Sindel now

While I doubt many of us would leap at the opportunity to step into the ring with Sub-Zero, Shao Kahn or, God forbid, Erron Black in real life, a new, fan-created mod for Mortal Kombat 11 offers the opportunity to get closer to the action than ever before, i?mplementing a weird first-person camera.

The MK11Hook – created by modder Ermaccer – lets you essentially step into the skull of your favorite fighter, mere minutes before it is separated from their shoulders. A video of the mod in action (which you can check out below) sees poster boy Scorpion going nose-to-nose with Noob Saibot, while an alternate third-person camera sees Spawn tackle Shokan queen Sheeva. The camera-offset options also offer interesting new perspectives on some of MK 11's stages.

Ok, let's face it, nobody is gonna be rocking these views for their MK 11 fix (he says right before someone probably wins EVO 2021 in first-person), but the MK11Hook mod also has other features, such as the option to alter gameplay speed. It goes without saying that modding MK 11 could la??nd you in hot water?? online, possibly resulting in a ban, so I should do my finger-wagging bit here.

Still, it's the closest you'd probably ever want to get to actually visiting the NetherRealm.

The post Check out thi?s wacky first-person mod for ?Mortal Kombat 11 appeared first on Destructoid.

A nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to work there

miHoYo has posted a lovely teaser trailer introducing us to the next hero headed to its ever-evolving RPG Genshin Impact, which is practically printing money at a phenomenal rate. The relaxing v?ideo takes us on a stroll with Ganyu, a charming young woman who w??orks as an emissary for the governing body, Liyue Qixing.

In the short teaser, Ganyu performs her role to a tee, showing us around the merchant village that is Liyue Harbor, stopping to gaze at its beautiful vistas and hypnotic, star-filled skies, segueing the seductive abilities of the surroundings and her own inviting nature to s??neak in a request that you work your ass off... Wait a minute? Is this a job interview?!

For those of you hoping to roll for the cryo-archer's ??arrival, Ganyu will be joining the pull-pipe sometime aroun??d mid-January, with the current Albedo banner expected to end on Tuesday, January 12.

"106,327 heartbearts... The time that has pa???ssed since I last knew rest..." You and me both, sister.

The post Meet Genshin Impact’s charming cryo-archer, Ganyu appeared first on Destructoid.

No writeable cartridge necessary

Fire Emblem Heroes is getting set for its next update, despite still being currently wallowing in festive heroes and its steampunky new story content. The latest update for Nintendo mobile battle title sees the coming of several characters from one of the series' rarest entries, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776.

The third and final Fire Emblem release for the Super Famicom, Thracia 776 was purchasable in Japan via the fabled "Nintendo Power" service, which offered subscribers various titles that could be downloaded onto special rewriteable Super Famicom carts. Pretty neat, huh? Thracia 776 would eventually find its way ont?o Ni??ntendo Wii via the eShop in the summer of 2008, but remains one of the lesser-played series entries.

Joining the Fire Emblem Heroes gacha sack are young hero mage Asbel, Fiana Freeblade hunter Ronan, Miranda, the hot-blooded princess of Ulster, and finally Sara, a mysterious you?ng girl with otherworldly powers and an extremely cloudy past. You can check out these old-school warriors in action in the trailer below. The new update will go live in-game on January 7 at 23:00 PT, and January 8 at 02:00 ET and 08:00 BST.

The post Fire Emblem Heroes welco?mes the warrio??rs of Super Famicom rarity Thracia 776 appeared first on Destructoid.

Unlocked shortcuts will carry over to future playthroughs

Hitman 3 is building on the fo??undation of the last two games in many big and small ways, but that's not to say there aren't plenty of new elements, too. IO Interactive is experimenting with shortcuts in levels that, once unlocked by the? player, will remain accessible from one sneaky session to the next.

You'll know them when you see them: there's even a "shortcut unlocked" ??pop??-up on the screen.

An early example of the shortcut feature was shown off in a PC clip captured by Game Informer. If you're wary of spoilers, note that the footage comes from Hitman 3's first level: the Dubai skyscraper.

IO Interactive told the outlet that persistent shortcuts are meant to "encourage exploration, reward curiosity, and incentivize replayability." In other words, they're partially for Hitman players who – bless their hearts – rush through levels and never come back to explore areas from every vantag??e point.

I like well-positioned shortcuts in other games, and in theory, I'll like them in Hitman 3. They might be the kind of change of pace that some fans?? will find iffy, but it's too early to call it one way or the other.

If you're curious to see a tad more, Game Informer also has footage of the first five minutes.

The post You’ll be able to open up lasting level shortcuts in Hitman 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Girl power

One of the trends I saw on social media in the lead-up to the new year was a pledge by people to be "better" in 2021. To be more kind, more thoughtful, more patient, and more forgiving. Basically, taking the negative energy 20?20 gave us and turning it into a force?? for good.

I am 100% down with directing my actions toward making 2021 a better year for myself and those around me. Even if those actions are small, as Alba: A Wildlife Adventure shows?? us, they can go a long way toward creating a world that's more hospitable place for a??ll.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (iOS [reviewed], PC, Switch)
Developer: ustwo games
Publisher: ustwo games
Released: December 11, 2020/TBA (Switch)
MSRP: Part of Apple Arcade ($4.99 a month)/$16.99

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is about the power one person has to create change in the world around them. The person, in this case, is Alba, a precocious youngster visiting her grandparents on the Mediterranean island of Pinar Del Mar. This sun-soaked slice of heaven is welcoming place where pride flags hang from buildings and a culturally diverse population lives in harmony. It's also home to 62 different species of wildlife and a nature reserve that used to be a popular tourist destina?tion.

But times have been tough on the island, and the reserve has fallen into disarray. There's no money to fix it up, so the mayor of Pinar Del Mar has decided to sell the land to a developer who plans to pave over the wetlands and turn the spot into a massive hotel. There’s debate on whether this is a good move for the island. Sure, it would drive up tourism, but at what cost? While many around town aren't sure about how they feel, Alba and her best friend Inés are staunchly against it. While they're too young to do anything drastic to stop construction, they can start a petition and convince residents to sign it by reminding them of everything Pinar Del Mar? has to offer.

Over th??e course of a week, players will guide Alba around the island doing good deeds ?and documenting its wildlife. Armed with a cellphone, she'll photograph the various birds and mammals that call Pinar Del Mar home, always on the lookout for the elusive lynx she once saw as a child. Some animals will freeze in place long enough for her to shoot an easy photo. Other, more elusive critters will need to be snapped as they move about. As she expands her database of the island fauna, residents will start requesting pictures of specific animals that'll net her more petition signatures.

When she's not cataloging the wildlife, Alba will do what she can to clean up the island. She starts small with nursing animals back to health and filling up bird feeders. By the end of the week, she'll be able to repair bridges, birdhouses, and signposts, and clean up the garbage that tends to ruin the picturesque look of the land. These are all small actions, but they go a long way. Fixing up a signpost and stocking it with new pictures of the nearby wildlife will bring birdwatchers ?back to the area. Cleaning up a beach will make it more inviting to the townsfolk. Every action has a positive effect on the people around her and moves her closer t??o enough signatures to stop the hotel.

While saving the nature reserve is the end goal of the narrative, the soul of Alba: A Wildlife Adventure lives in the small interactions with those you meet. When they? see the work you do and how these small feats improve the island they call home, it changes them, makes them more appreciative of what they have. It's the type of thinking we need more of in this world. Rather than sit back and complain about the way things are, we need to figure out how each of us can change things for the better.

That kind of positivity flows throughout Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, and it's accentuated with colorful art direction, a vibrant soundtrack, and utterly charming animation. Alba and Inés are both just kids and the developers at ustwo went the extra mile to showcase their young age in their movements. When they run, the girls will occasionally skip or hold their hands out like they're pretending to be airplanes. If you don't move Alba for a little while, she might bend down to tie her shoe. It's great when developers put a? little extra effort into creating people that move in believable ways. It breathes life into a character the way Lorena Álvarez's music breathes life into the island. What I wouldn't give for a music mode here.

If you do choose to experience Alba's adventure on mobile, you'll want to make note of the two different control options. If you're using a controller, the game will play in the landscape orientation. If you're opting for touch controls, your only option is portrait mode. Alba is moved by dragging your finger on the bottom half of the screen while the top half spins the camera around. When you want to take a photo in portrait mode, you'??ll move your device around as though it's a real camera. It's not th?e most fluid control system, but it works well enough that you can experience the entirety of her vacation without a gamepad.

Though her visit to this island paradise was over long before I wanted it to be, it was a trip I am happy I was able to take. It's the type of experience that can restore one's vigor and effect change in us long after we've watched the credits roll. Alba: A Wildlife Adventure reminds us all of how easy it can be to transform our world for the better, and after the ??year that was 2020, it's a reminder all of us can use.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game through an Apple Arcade subscription purchased by the reviewer.]}

The post Review: Alba: A Wildlife Adventure appeared first on Destructoid.

Two worlds, one family

It's nice to have one last gut-feeling look at The Medium before its January 28 launch.

Bloober Team released 14 minutes of gameplay footage today, and while I've seen the split-reality horror game on a bunch of occasions, in some ways, this is the first time I'm really seeing it as it truly is. That might sound like the setup for a backhanded compliment, but it's not – I knew the central split-screen hook, a??nd honestly, that's all that sunk in. Th??is footage paints a more comprehensive picture.

I won't go through the video beat by beat, but I had a few – okay, more than a few – takeaways:

• It's nice to see Bloober Team branch out with a more classic camera. If you're burned out from the studio's first-person adventures, this might recapture your attention.

• The framing of the real world and the spirit realm works for me a lot more in dynamic moments than it does in conversation-heavy scenes. I wonder if those will get old.

• When I see a creepy hotel map represented as a piece of scenery, I've gotta smile.

• The unnerving song (and whole vibe) surrounding the masked girl is a high point.

• I think The Medium is going to live or die by its exploration-based puzzles, and this footage shows off one such limited-time out-of-body scenario. The deteriorating effect on Marianne is neat, at least.

• Rotating items to inspect them, plugging them into their rightful place, and whipping out the all-important bolt cutters – this game sho?uld speak to survival-horror fans of a?? certain persuasion.

• The breath-holding stealth encounters seem like they could outstay their welcome, so I hope they aren't overused. Bloober Team had a habit of relying on the same spooky tricks in prior games. Here's the official blurb for the antagonist: "In the spirit world, The Maw is visible and can easily spot Marianne, while she can defend herself with the Spirit Blast. However, traveling to the material world makes The Maw invisible but also blind, so it relies solely on hearing to locate its prey there." Also, Troy Baker voices it.
  

What do you think so far? Are you even? in th??e mood for a horror game in January?

It's worth remembering that The Medium will be an Xbox Game Pass title, and if you're potentially thinking of buying it outright, it's launching at $50 (with a bonus $5 pre-order discount currently in effect). This game is going for it in ways that Layers of Fear and Blair Witch didn't, but it could ultimately collapse under its own weight.? I hope it turns out, though – I'll take all the new horror IPs I can get.

The post This gameplay video will tell you if ?The Medium is your ??sort of game or not appeared first on Destructoid.

'What Pikmin type digs the quickest?'

L?ast ye?ar, Nintendo rolled out a series of video quizzes.

In June, it showcased a "Can You Guess that Game" challenge, with fuzzy logos and characters slowly coming into focus: it's still the best one! Then it went game-centric, delivering a Mario Kart quiz. Now it's Pikmin 3's turn.

While it's only three questions strong, Pikmin is a pretty good choice for a quiz for multiple reasons. Chiefly, it's not exactly a blowout title in terms of popularity, so fringe fans aren't going to know all of its secrets. It's also fairly nuanced, as there's tons of obscure lore bits to pick from (like what the game labels each piece ?of fruit; a tidbit used here), as well as a degree of mechanical depth.

You can find all of the questions below!

Question 1:

Question 2:

Question 3:

The post Nintendo is bringing back their vi?deo quiz series with a Pikmin episode appeared first on Destructoid.

Yesterday's classics, now pocket-sized

The 2020 remaster of classic 3D platformer SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is getting set to make its debut on mobile platforms later this month. Publisher HandyGames has announced that Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated will arrive on iOS? and Android devices on January 21, priced at a modest $8.99 USD.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is Purple Lamp Studios' remaster of the 2003 PS2, Xbox, a?nd GameCu??be title, and sees SpongeBob, Patrick Star, and Sandy Cheeks embark on an epic adventure to save their quaint hometown from the evil schemes of the nefarious Plankton, who is up to he usual megalomaniacal tricks.

Not only does Rehydrated rebuild the original Battle for Bikini Bottom in its entirety - powered by a new, modern day engine - but the remaster also adds a selection of content cut from the original release due to developmental time c??onstraints. ??Also included is a brand new multiplayer mode, in which players face off hordes of attacking enemies.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated launches on iOS and Android January 21 and is available right now on PS??4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo ??Switch.

The post SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is headed to mobile this month appeared first on Destructoid.

Console version to follow at a later date

Nicalis has announced that Repentance, the long-awaited final expansion for miserable adventure The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, will be making its debut on the PC platform March 31, wi?th console editi?ons to follow some time later down the line.

It's been a wait, but Nicalis has assured fans that The Binding of Isaac: Repentance will be more than worth it. Described by the publisher as "Bigger than a sequel", Repentance wi??ll feature new story chapters, extra playable characters, new challenges and achievements, and over 100 new items and enemies - including 25 boss battles. In a press release, Nicalis equates this new content to a whopping 500 hours of gameplay.

The Binding of Isaac: Repentance will be the final update to Ed McMillen's darkly comic adventure, which first launched on PS4, PS Vita, and PC back in 2014, and has since been ported to numerous other platforms including Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. To date, The Binding of Isaac and its Rebirth expansion have sol?d over five million copies combined.

The post The ??Binding of Isaac: Repentance will ooze onto PC March 31 appeared first on Destructoid.

Now with added Hades

It's January, and you know wh?at that means, it's once again time for some of the savviest players i??n the business to gather together for a non-stop marathon of fantastic gaming action.

Awesome Games Done Quick is upon us once again, and will see players from across the globe congregate to showcase their skills on a great (and not-so-great) plethora of titles. While the world remains mired in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, AGDQ 2021 has shifted to an online capacity - much like SGDQ 2020 - but that doesn't mean you can't tune in and watch all of the action f??rom the comfort and safety of your own abode.

This year's schedule sees recent entries such as Hades, Carrion, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice rub shoulders with a bevy of AGDQ regulars from the Metroid, Castlevania, The Legend of Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog franchises. Entries from the Final Fantasy and Silent Hill series are in attendance, as are AGDQ mainstays such as Mirror's Edge, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon.

As the week progresses, viewers can donate to the event, with all proceeds once again going to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which continues its effort to research and develop groundbreaking advances in the curing of cancer. Last year's marathon raised a record-breaking $3.1 million USD, with the AGDQ event having cumulatively rai?sed over $15 million USD since its inception back in 2010.

As always, viewers can expect competitions, giveaways, interviews, and daily roundups. While the event might have shifted online, the GDQ team still work tirelessly to deliver an exciting and engaging week of festivities with all of the expected trimmings, despite limitations imposed by the current health crisis. Good luck to all of the presenters, crew members, and runners. Stay safe and have an aw?esome week!

AGDQ 2021 runs January 3 - January 10. Check out all of the action on the official GDQ Twitch channel.

The post Awesome Games Done Quick 2021 commenc?es this weekend appeared first on Destructoid.

'Which way did he go, which way did he go?

When there's a ?"bank ??error" in your favor in games, you take it!

AI glitches are an interesting phenomenon, as they can be silly or game-breaking at the drop of a hat. But in? this case, I'll allow it. It may even be thematic! Afte??r all, Guardians are just machines.

Redditor Rubyllite99 managed to elude death through a very simple strategy: the Bugs Bunny method. Move off camera just enough and it's like you disappeared?! They managed to survive with no real hearts or gear to speak of, pulling off this pro move.

I love how the Guardian just gives up, too. Most of the ??time they'll continue to aggro the player and s??eek them out. Nope! It's time to head home, their watch is done.

Stealth 100 from r/Breath_of_the_Wild

The post This Zeld??a: Breath of the Wild stealth video has a perfect Looney Tunes quality to it appeared first on Destructoid.

Are you his No.1 fan?

Arc System Works has seen in the new year by dropping a new trailer for fist-flying sequel Guilty Gear Strive, which launches on PS4, PS5 and PC this April. As teased several months back, tise hard-rockin?g clip sees the return of handsome fan-flinger Anji Mito.

Debuting in 2000's Guilty Gear X, Anji Mito is a man of somewhat divided loyalties, having found himself on both sides of the moral compass during his time in the GG franchise. Combining energet?ic dancing with speedy attacks from his ancient and mystical fans - The Zessen - Anji Mito is both unpredictable and tough to pin down in battle, presenting a threat to his opponent from anywhere on the battlefield.

You can check yer b?oy out in the new video below, trouble never looked so good.

The post Anji Mito and his tiny, tiny glass?es return in? Guilty Gear Strive appeared first on Destructoid.

It's like Small World

Super Nintendo World is re??ally starting to come together.

Earlier this month, we got a good look at the park, a quick tease of the Power-Up Band system, and a sneak p??review of the Mario Kart-themed ride. Now, thanks to fan footage, we know what the Yoshi ride (the companion for Mario Kart) entails.

In short? It's the "It's a Small World" of the park. Grainy and sometimes wonky footage is starting to pour out from Twitter and elsewhere, and it showcases ??the cute characters and atmosphere you can expect from "Yoshi's Adventure." Even characters like Baby Yoshi and Kamek show up.

While this might not excite a lot of p?eople out there, as someone who enjoys slow-moving chill rides with my wife and kid: I'm fine with it. Sometimes it's great to just hang out on a ride like this after a long day, and I'm sure tikes of all ages will love it. ??Yoshi (or Kirby) is the perfect steward for a ride like this.

[Thanks Nick!]

Quanta fofura! ðŸ˜

Yoshi's Adventure Ride no Super Nintendo Worldpic.twitter.com/UAIPT7mcyq

— Filipe (@BigNGamer) December 31, 2020

The post New video footage giv??es us an idea of what the elusive? Yoshi ride is at Super Nintendo World appeared first on Destructoid.

Bring a scarf, looks chilly out

Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has released the first in-engine video for its grim-looking adventure sequel S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, which ??is currently i??n development for Xbox Series X and PC.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the official sequel to the '00s story arc, which began with 2007's Shadow of Chernobyl and ended with 2009's Call of Pripyat. The games are loosely adapted from Boris and Arkady Strugatsky's 1972 sci-fi novel, Roadside Picnic, telling the story of a fictional second explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear facility and its effects on the surrounding cities. Cheery stuff, I'm sure you'll agree.

The new trailer - which you can check out below courtesy of IGN - doesn't give too much away, but fans can rest assured that they will be thrust once again into an irradiated world of misery and mutants, as they explore a dystopia of destruction, meet their fellow wastelanders, and do battle against the horrifying creatures that hav?e spawned out of this nuclear nightmar??e.

The post S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 offers an in-engine loo?k at its miserable wo??rld appeared first on Destructoid.

Here's another quick look

I'm trying to think of the last time I've been this excited for a Monster Hunter game.

Don't get me wrong! It was a blast waiting for World, to see how Capcom brought the series into the current generation. But Rise feels different. It feels like an evolution in some w??ays, especially with the varied terrain and the addition of the Palamute dog companion; but it's also the simplicity of it being on one platform (which makes it super easy to team up with people, since everyone is on the same page).

That feeling ??is probably best portrayed in this quick 30-second commercial clip. You get the gist of the expansive new setting (with hunters literally looking down on the world at the start of the video, as well as the thrill of grappling around and running up a mountain), the cuteness of the dogs, a brief tease of new formidable foes; it's all there.

Oh, it has amiibo too. That might help shoot it up on the list of my mo??st anticipated games of 2021 list! I can't escape the hold of ??those little things.

The post Monster Hunter Rise is going to rip, isn’t it? appeared first on Destructoid.

Lightning in a Bottle

When the discussion of beautiful video games is raised, very rarely does the conversation go long without someone mentioning Square Enix's iconic RPG franchise Final Fantasy. And with good cause, as?? the decades-long adventure franchise has offered fans some of the most beautiful and memorable characters and vistas in the artistic media of video games.

Among the many people responsible for these indelible heroes, villains, and worlds is artist Isamu Kamikokuryo, who plied his tried at Square Enix for almost 20 years. In this time, Kamikokuryo worked as a lead artist and artistic director in a slew of Final Fantasy titles, beginning with 2001's Final Fantasy X, through 2017's Final Fantasy XV. Kamikokuryo would then leave Square Enix in 2017 to go freelance, and has since worked with Nintendo on titles such as this year's Paper Mario: The Origami King.

Documentary producer Archipel Caravan has chosen to spotlight Kamikokuryo for the late??st episode of its ongoing video series, which focuses on some of the legendary artists, musicians, and designers that have used their skills to create some of the most wonderful and incredible experiences in gaming.

This new episode is the longest in the series to date - running nearly 45 minutes - but offers a contemplative look at Kamik??okuryo, his life, work, and inspirations. It's a really gorgeous piece too, featuring fascinating locations and a very personal atmosphere, as we step inside the mind of o??ne of the most complex and talented artists the industry has ever seen.

You can find the full series of Archipel's documentaries over on its official YouTube channel. Previous episodes feature profiles on Danganronpa's Kazutaka Kodaka, Resident Evil's Shinji Mikami, Yakuza's Toshihiro Nagoshi, and a live performance by Panzer Dragoon composer Saori Kobayashi.

The post Legendary ?Final Fantasy artist I?samu Kamikokuryo discusses his work in Archipel interview appeared first on Destructoid.

Dream Warriors

Not content with a slew of recent festive updates, the endless adventures of Nintendo's mobile battler Fire Emblem Heroes is getting set to ring changes, (and heads), with the arrival of its New Year's event. The new update offers a quartet of returning ??characters, bedecked?? in finery fitting the occasion.

The "New Year: Special Heroes" event sees the return of Fire Emblem Heroes' dream-master Plumeria, along with grumpy wolf-gal Velouria and narcissistic fox-boy Kaden from Fire Emblem Fates. Rounding out the quartet is a new Dual-Hero in the form of Ljósálfar Peony and Dökkál??far Triandra -? the latter of whom seems a little uncomfortable stripped of her typically Gothic attire.

Alongside these four new hero variants, the update includes a party-themed paralogue story, "Beyond Dreaming". In addition, last year's New Year's heroes have returned to the gacha sack for a limited time, offering players another opportunity to bag party variants of Anna, Selkie, Lethe, and Dual-Hero Alfonse & Shareena. The new update w?ill go live in-game tomorrow, December 31, at 23:00 PT and Friday, January 1, at 02:00 ET / ??08:00 BST.

At the start of 2020, Fire Emblem Heroes was Nintendo's most profitable mobile title by a country mile. Assuming that the free-to-play title has continued its winning ways in the past 12 months, it's very likely that Nintendo is set to continue pushing the pocket-sized adventure to ?further glory in 2021.

The post Fire Emblem Heroes gets into the party spirit with New Year’s update appeared first on Destructoid.

Nintendo rounded up 16 of the year's top-sellers

Nintendo highlighted the best-selling indie g?ames of 2020 on Nintendo Switch, and not to guilt-trip you or anything, but I'm curious: how many of these did you manage to play? Anything slip by? Any to-dos?

Here's the list of games, in order of appearance:

• Hades
• Streets of Rage 4
• Spiritfarer
• Moving Out
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Carrion
• What the Golf?
• Shantae and the Seven Sirens
• Super Mega Baseball 3
• Superliminal
• The Jackbox Party Pack 7
• Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
• CrossCode
• Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2
• Neon Abyss

We could get int??o which of these games are truly "indie" in spirit, but they're all keepers.

I left Spiritfarer hanging somewhere in the middle of the story, and I still feel bad about it. (Don't worry, I'm planning to return.) Of the stuff I haven't checked out yet but am open to playing, the mind-bending puzzles of Superliminal and the soothing ARPG vibes of CrossCode are speaking to me the most.

Otherwise, there's a little bit of everything on this list – Castlevania-style platforming, calm rice farming, party-game hijinks, a goofy sports game and a comparatively serious one, and the untouchable Hades.

I'm a little surprised to see A Short Hike and Manifold Garden miss the cutoff. Anything else?

The post How many of Nintendo Switch’s ‘best-selling indie games of 2020’ did you play? appeared first on Destructoid.

Nier Re[in]carnation to launch in February 2021

Three years on from its initial release, NieR: Automata is still shifting units. Publisher Square Enix announced that its emotional tale of robo-dystopia has successfully passed the milestone of a recorded five million shipments and digital sales since its launch back in Febru??ary 2017.

Available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, (though the latter did require a variety of fan fixes to achieve a stable state), NieR: Automata is a spin-off from the Drakengard series and tells the story of a miserable proxy war between alien forces and the dwindling army of human-created androids left defending what remains of the planet. NieR: Automata blends deep RPG mechanics with?? developer Platinum Games' trademark hack 'n' slash action.

The next NieR project to see the light of day will be mobile title NieR Re[in]carnation, which will launch on iOS and Android platforms in Japan in February. The "story heavy" free-to-play title will tell the story of a young amnesiac protagonist - "White Girl" - who is guided through a devastated city by a ghostly apparition known as "Mama." A new trailer, which you can check out below, promotes a crossover event that will see the heroes of Nier: Automata ?appear in ??the new mobile game. A worldwide release is also planned for 2021.

The post NieR: Automata celebrate??s continued sales after hitting five million m??ilestone appeared first on Destructoid.