Enter Sand Land

Sand Land is an odd situation. Announced during the Summer Game Fest 2023 live show, Sand Land is an interesting pick for an ILCA-developed, Bandai Namco-pub??lished action-RPG adaptation.

While many in the west are familiar with Akira Toriyama's work, Sand Land isn't quite as popular as, say, Dragon Ball. But that relative disparity is what made Sand Land interesting to me. I've seen tons of Dragon Ball. I don't know much about Sand Land. And after playing a little bit of the latter at Summer Game Fest 2023, I'm curious to see even more of its Mad Max-like arid wastes.

For those unfamiliar, Sand Land is a single-volume manga from Toriyama set in a world with little water. After years of disasters and war have ravaged the land, a single king lords over the water supply. The elderly Rao partners with Beelzebub, the prince of the demons and playable character in Bandai Namco's Sand Land, to find a new water supply.

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

Follow me into the desert

My demo kicked off with a bit o??f action, as I was driving the crew's car and dodging attacks from a sand beast. They were a bit hard to discern, but it was an interesting little introduction to the chaos and danger of the world.

What also immediately popped out at me was the art. Akira Toriyama's work is quite recognizable, and it's been adapted well in the slice I played of Sand Land. Character models looked great, and? the designs had a visually distinct look t?hat represented Toriyama's work well, especially the vehicles.

[caption id="attachment_388753" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bandai Namco[/caption]

After effectively fleeing, we made it to a town; ??I couldn't go in to check the area out, but it did at least seem like a hub of sorts. The producer, who was shepherding me through the demo, directed me towards the next area. And to get there, I'd be making use of a special vehicle: the tank.

3, 2, 1, let's jam

While there was some on-foot fighting to??wards the end of the demo, that section? felt mostly as-expected. Beelzebub can beat people up, stun enemies with a charged attack, and unleash various powers from a radial wheel. It's not bad, it's just what I thought I would find in a 3D action-RPG. It's solid!

But what caught my eye, what I kept thinking about after the demo, was the tank. You get to hop into a tank with your whole crew at one point, battling a giant dinosaur in the process. First off, it's a gorgeous tank. Toriyama's design looks great in-game, and it gave me some vague 3D Metal Slug vibes. Any time I get Metal Slug vibes, that's a good thing.

[caption id="attachment_388755" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bandai Namco[/caption]

Actually driving the tank feels mechanical, in a good way. There's rolling forward or backwar??d, as well as turning. It straddles a good line between mobility and the tactile sense of operating a vehicle on treads. The weap??ons themselves are divided into two slots that you swap between for firing; one can reload while the other is operational, too.

The whole tank fight section felt very different, and that's why I enjoyed it. I like a good action-RPG as much as the next guy, but it was the little breaks from the formula that made Sand Land stick out. I'm curious about the promise of pathways and?? areas to find, as there ?were breakable walls sprinkled around the demo area.

Overall, Sand Land feels like it could be a solid action-RPG with some interesting twists. And those twists are what will make or break the game for me, in the end. We'll see if the sand and tanks hold up when Sand Land arrives.

The post Preview: Sand Land shines when you’re in the tank appeared first on Destructoid.

Spirit of the radio

Oxenfree might be a scary game, but to me, it's also a summer game. It's about the in-between parts of your life, as you move from one major milestone to the next, and all the regrets and emotions that kick up in that time. So if Oxenfree was a summer vacation ghost story, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a haunted summer gig.

Set five years after the first game, Oxenfree II follows Riley Poverly's return h?ome to the coastal town of Camena. From the outset, it has a lot of summer gig vibes; you're tasked with heading to designated locations in Camena to ?set up radio transmitters, so that scientists can gather data about the strange radio signals happening around the area.

Obviously, this doesn't go so well. And wha?t starts out as a chill job starts to feel uneasy and tense, until something paranormal and wrong ensues. Phenomena occur. Portals open in the sky. Is leaving even possible?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqXKb3BGVWE

Walk and talk

These are the spooky, supernatural, yet emotional and relatable feelings that drive Oxenfree, and seem?? to return for the sequel. While characters deal with strange occurrences, they also seem to be wrestling with their own ghosts, and navi??gating the former often means confronting the latter.

A big feature of Night School's work has been its walk-an??d-talk gameplay. You navigate around Camena and its various locales, but all the while, characters still chat and respond to each other. Chat bubbles can pop up, and offer you opportunities to learn and develop as you move through the space.

[caption id="attachment_387219" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Night School[/caption]

Oxenfree II amps up the walk-and-talk with one of its new features: a walkie talkie. This clever addition isn't just for wordplay, but for communicating with other characters at any time. In the demo I played at Summer Game Fest 2023, I was able to flip between channels and chat about my surroundings with Evelyn, my point-of-contact back at base. It was a nice way to encourage me to explore a bit more, finding new objects or points of inter??est I could chat? with Evelyn about.

It's a smart system that opens up extra dialogue, makes walking around and taking in the sights more interesting, and keeps the tangible feel of Oxenfree's tech front-and-center. A lot of Oxenfree II deals in the same tangible, analogue tech as the first game. Turning radio dials, keying into different channels, and activating your walkie has an intent behind it. You push a button, or turn a knob, and something happens. It's that feeling of continuing to turn and press, despite the strangeness of what's happening in front of you, that sells Oxenfree's tension and horror so well.

[caption id="attachment_387217" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Night School[/caption]

Night terrors

Of course, I might be overselling the scares of Oxenfree II. I wouldn't say it's a horror game in the sense of jump-scares or anything. Though, there are certain?ly moments where sudden cuts or shifts happen in rapid succes??sion.

Oxenfree II has more of a surreal, creepy, supernatural vibe. It's the kind that makes you wonder if something's wrong with your TV. The style of horror that slowly seeps in and starts to make you question shadows, or wonder what's lurking ju?st behind the purview of the scree?n boundaries.

[caption id="attachment_387220" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Night School[/caption]

There's still downtime wit?hout the scares, where Riley and her new coworker Jacob can get to know each other. I ran into a heap of wonderful little moments of sincerity?? and social awkwardness. If you've ever been working on a job and had a coworker you barely know suddenly ask if you believe in ghosts, this will strike a chord.

As you'd expect, the great mystery is why the radio portals are back. And of course, the looming question mark of Edwards Island, what effect the events of Oxenfree had, and how they carry over into Oxenfree II. There are some moments when you chat with people about something that happened there, but otherwis??e, all we have is speculation... for now.

Left of the dial

I only got to play the first 30 minutes or so of Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, but it was easily more than enough. I've enjoyed Night School's take on the narrative adventure genre, and the way the team there tackles both gameplay and writing around interesting topics. Oxenfree II, in its f??irst 30, didn't disappoint on that front.

I've got a lot of questions about what awaits in Camena, and even Edwards Island. But thankfully, it's not a long wait. Oxenfree II: Lost Signals arrives on July 12 for PC, Switch, PlayStation, and the Netflix platform.

The post Oxenfree ??II: Lost Signals gets?? spookier and chattier appeared first on Destructoid.

Running left to right

There's a certain feeling a good 2D Sonic game can elicit. The sense of zipping through levels at a pace that seems way too fast, as even the scrolling screen struggles to keep up with how fast the blue blur is moving, is a core memory for those who grew up around a Sega Genesis. And it's a feeling I got when I was playing the newest Sonic entry, Sonic Superstars.

Sonic Superstars is, to put it frankly, a classic Sonic game. It's 3D in models but 2D in design, though there are plenty of twists to change that up. The base foundation is familiar: you run, left to right??, across the screen to hit the goal. Every so often, Dr. Robotnik / Eggman will roll in with an incre??asingly complicated machine you'll need to bonk your head against a few times.

The basics of a classic Sonic game are here. It's the ways in which Sonic Superstars twists them just a hair t??hat I enjoy, and think this might find a home on co-op players' systems.

//??www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvdUzSrP8Nw&ab_channel=Destructoid

It's a party now

In the demo I played, as part of Summer Game Fest 2023, there were two level options and four characters. The first one I rolled up was a classic set-up, with lots of ramps and ledges to spin-ball over as my chosen hero, Sonic. If you're going to demo a Sonic game, you rea??lly have to start with th?e basics, right?

But for other options, there are also Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. It's a set-up that instantly reminded me of a personal favorite, Sonic Advance. Immediately, I started to?? notice how certain levels might feel different playing as another character. Sonic might speed through the area, while Tails takes a higher route and floats along. Cliffside jumping puzzles were easily circumvented by Knuckles. ?Amy? She's got a hammer.

[caption id="attachment_386967" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega[/caption]

This becomes more noticeable as the levels' mechanics get more complex. Multiple avenues of progression felt available at any time, letting me carve a path through all the obstacles laid out in front o?f me. Some areas let me jump in and out of the foreground and background courses, creating a neat 3D effect to the side-scrolling action. In a?nother, I was hopping from vine to vine across a chasm, and navigating the fog of a dense jungle biome.

Sonic Superstars doesn't feel wildly different in the way, say, Sonic Frontiers did. I don't really think that's the goal. Superstars feels like it's trying to create a pick-up-and-play Sonic with some co-op appeal.

Because, yes, you can play this co-op. I didn't get a chance to try that part of the game out myself, but it seems like a great way to get a group together, like a New Super Mario Bros. for Sonic.

[caption id="attachment_386969" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega[/caption]

Embrace the power

Sonic and pals can also wield a wealth of powers, through the Chaos Emeralds. By f??inding special locations in each level, I could enter a 3D space where my?? character had to swing between grab points in order to catch a Chaos Emerald.

Once I nabbed it, I could use a special power. Two of them were available to me during my demo; the first let me turn into water and scale waterfalls, while the second summoned a swarm of clones to attack everything on screen. These powers had limited uses, but it was an interesting little wrinkle to toy aro?und with in this setting. These new tricks are neat, and I'm curious to see how much replayability or player expression they bring to running these levels. Even just finding a slightly different way to tackle an area, through use of my powers, was intriguing enough.

[caption id="attachment_386971" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega[/caption]

The Robotnik battles were fairly straightforward too, offering the right amount of puzzle-challenge and platforming skill. The? ?second one, in a jungle area, really had me working to figure out how to bonk it most efficiently.

It's hard to write too much more because, well, this is some classic Sonic. Sonic Superstars isn't really trying to radically reinvent Sonic. While playing it, I was just reminded of how good a 2D Sonic can feel. And I had a pretty enjoyable time working my way through it, even passing the controller off to friends who interrupt my appointments wanting to play. That last part really sold me on Superstars being a fun co-op game, and having that same couch vibe that a good Sonic can have.

Sonic Superstars is set for fall 2023.

The post Sonic Superstars feels like some classic Sonic?? with a few new tricks appeared first on Destructoid.

Welcome to the new era

NetherRealm Studios is rebooting the Mortal Kombat universe again with Mortal Kombat 1. The slightly confusingly named MK takes everything back to its origins, and then twists it. The characters and combat that have become enshrined in ?pop culture history are still here, but with a??djustments both big and small.

This feeling of old nostalgia blending into new ideas kept coming to my mind while playing Mortal Kombat 1. I got a chance to play some matches of MK1 as part of Summer Game Fest 2023, climbing the classic towers with each of the characters available. And while MK is looking ??ahead to a new future, there's still a piece of it that loves to honor the past?.

[caption id="attachment_386534" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Here comes a Kameo

The biggest, most obvious addition to Mortal Kombat 1 is its Kameo Fighters. Rather than duking it out one-on-one, each player selects a main fighter—the one they'll primarily play as—and a tag-in Kameo Fi?ghter. These characters can be called in to perform special attack every so often, with a cooldown in-between uses.

To be clear, Mortal Kombat 1 is not becoming a tag fighter. These fighters don't have health bars, and can't be fully subbed in. In my playtime, I had Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Kenshi, and Kitana available as main charac??ters. For Kameos, I could choose Kano, Sonya, or Jax.

[caption id="attachment_386535" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Calling in?? Kameos is easy enough. Hit R1, and they'll hop in to do an assist move. Additionally, different directions and inputs can change things up, like holding R1 to have Sonya charge up her energy projectile. Some can even have effects on both players, like Jax slamming the ground.

These Kameo fighters offer an interesting twist to the usual cadence of Kombat. Picking a certain fighter can help shore up another's weaknesses. Or, you can lean heavy into their strengths. A pairing like Sub-Zero and Sonya can get cooking fast, or a Kitana / Kano duo? can be a real pain to approach.

Differences like these help, as Mortal Kombat 1 is still an MK game at its core. I don't pretend to be particularly talented at Mortal Kombat; its story and characters are the draw for me, but I don't really dive deep into the competitive side of things. From that perspective, Mortal Kombat 1 feels a bit odd at first. It's? a familiar-feeli??ng game with sudden jolts of difference, thanks to its Kameos.

[caption id="attachment_386538" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Fire god walk with me

This strange sense feels thematically appropriate for Mortal Kombat 1, which takes place in Liu Kang's new era. If you didn't check out Mortal Kombat 11 or its DLC Aftermath (you really should), the story of? NetherRealm's time-travel shenanigans sees Liu Kang become a new god and reboot the universe.

It is the same universe, so many familiar faces return. But because of the shift, some things have changed. The most notable is the shift in dynamics between characters;?? Liu Kang is a Raiden-like figure, who seems to be maintaining order in his new world.

The recent SGF trailer hints at other changes. Kitana seems to be attendant to Mileena, and Kung Lao is filling Liu Kang's shoes as Earthrealm's fighter. And R??aiden is... just some dude with lightning powers, I ??guess? I'm curious to see where all of this goes.

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

Aside from shifting those roles, though, my gameplay at SGF showed that Mortal Kombat 1 still has some nostalgia for its roots. Sonya, Kano, and Jax all appear in throwback outfits, in what feels like an homage to the actual first Mortal Kombat. It's also worth mention that MK1 ?is absolutely gorgeous. E?verything, from the character models and backgrounds to the brutal Fatalities (and the one Brutality I got by accident) look fantastic.

I will say, the Fatalities I saw didn't do too much for me. The almost-cartoonish, Itchy and Scratchy ones are more my style, and the one?s I saw didn't quite hit that mark, o??utside of maybe Liu Kang's. There is, apparently, one where Jax grows to massive proportions and stomps on someone. So that's pretty neat.

[caption id="attachment_386536" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

More-tal Kombat

My gameplay session largely consisted of seeing how the new Kameo fighters played. And for intense, competitive fans of MK, it does seem like the assist options could open up some interesting combo routes and options. It certainly felt great when everything clicked for me, and? I got a smooth combo with both my main and Kameo fighter rolling.

For "kasual" fans, I think the appeal will be where it's been for those who like to dip in and out of NetherRealm's titles: the world of Mortal Kombat. The studio is starting from an interesting position, trying to play aro?und with the established canon while building a new one. And that could be a pretty interesting universe to explore in gruesome, gory deta?il.

Mortal Kombat 1 will hit PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switc?h on September 19.

The post Mortal Kombat 1 is a new? era, but still loves its legacy appeared first on Destructoid.

Strange worlds still await

The first Remnant: From the Ashes felt like a surprise. Its strange mix of Souls-like framing, Eldritch horrors, and third-person action-shooter made for something a bit different that kept players going back for more. Gunfire Games is trying to do more of the same with Remnant 2, and from what I've played, it's working.

If you've played the first Remnant, then Remnant 2 will feel very familiar. It's still a third-person shooter set in strange worlds, inhabited by aggressive horrors. You can run it solo or with a friend, and randomization keeps things fresh. In my demo at Summer Game Fest 2023, I got a little cocky; some of the early areas felt easy, compared to what I'd played of the first Remnant. As a solo runner, I blasted through them. Boy, did I get treated to a h?earty helping of hubris.

Remnant 2 maintains the gradual tick-up of difficulty, rewarding smart use of abilities and resources, and punishing over-confident players (I'm the problem, it's me). It's still the punishing survival-horror experience I remember. But there are some nice things built up and over that framework that will make Remnant 2 worth digging into.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2_Ha4BHdJQ

Archetypal hero

Archetypes are here again in Remnant 2, and they felt a bit more emphasized than I remember from the first. In my demo, I had a few options to choose from, but obviously chose the pet class called the Handler. As a Handler, I got a little dog pal that follows me around, barking t??o warn when enemies are near and assisting me in fights. It can even pick downed people back up, if that player still has a healing item on them. A truly good pup.

[caption id="attachment_387141" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Gunfire Games[/caption]

Other fighters included the Hunter, Challenger, and Gunslinger, who bring some more standard gunplay to the mix?. There are more archetypes planned, Gunfire tells me, that you'll be able to unlock in the ??story. All of them seem neat, but they did not have a puppy pal, so my choice was clear.

As for the actual archetypes themselves, builds can diversify as you acquire new abilities. According to others who got to check out the game, char??acters will also apparently be able?? to multi-class archetypes, which sounds rad.

Move and shoot

As I got into the actual areas I was set to fight through in the demo, I was really impressed by how Remnant 2 looks. It's a gorgeous game, and Gunfire sets the tone early. Gnarled branches and alien flora made me feel like I was in some surreal, dangerous world. Creatures of the void?? hounded me. It was clearly a place that did not want me there.

[caption id="attachment_387138" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Gunfire Games[/caption]

That's not to say there aren't fun things ?to find in the horrors of other worlds, though. A highlight was finding a tree where an ancient fae-like entity asked me a series of hypotheticals. After answering all of them, and there were quite a few, the entity determined I had answered correctly enough for a boon. The writing was clever, and it was a fun side di?version with a valuable reward.

Over time, I built up in power and loadout. I eventually went back to the ward, where I could chat with NPCs and shopkeepers to upgrade my equipment and prepare for the next leg of my journey. A Gunfire rep told me? they tried to smooth out the process of returning to town and getting back to your run, and it was noticeable.

[caption id="attachment_387142" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Gunfire Games[/caption]

Falling, flailing

This is where I have to admit: I didn't get to the end of my demo. My headfirst brazen-ness meant I kept running into battles I shouldn't, and?? I ran out of time to keep beating my head against the proverbial wall. Even my very good pup couldn't keep me on my feet, as I constantly bit off more enemies in an encounter than I c?ould chew. I like chaos, alright?

That said, what I saw was very impressive. I've got fond memories of playing the first Remnant in co-op with friends, exploring?? the horrors together. And while I only played solo for my demo, I can easily see this becoming another go-to co-op pick-up.

[caption id="attachment_387140" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Gunfire Games[/caption]

It's not just that there isn't much else like Remnant out there. It's that Remnant 2 feels like it's making very smart, calculated choices about what it fine-tunes and what it keeps familiar. Like the old saying, Remnant 2 doesn't fix what isn'??t broken about its original pitch, and instead just builds and refines. And that could make for quite a good experience, for fans of the randomized horror-action experience.

Remnant 2 arrives on July 25 fo??r PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

The post Rem??nant 2 bui?lds on its strengths, and adds a very good dog appeared first on Destructoid.

Running to the edge

Since its release, it's been hard to talk about Cyberpunk 2077 without discussing its launch. It's one of the more notable examples of a rough start in recent memory. With every update since, fixing bugs and adding features as well as versions for newer generation consoles, the question of whether Cyberpunk 2077 is going to realize its original vision gets brought up. And after playing some of its expansion Phantom Liberty, I think it's finally there.

Phantom Liberty is Cyberpunk 2077's first, and only, expansion. CD Projekt Red has a good reputation for its expansions, after two phenomenal additions to The Witcher 3. From just a small slice, Phantom Liberty already feels like it's living up to that legacy. The story and setting are excellent, and it delves into some rich narrative potential for Cyberpunk 2077.

[caption id="attachment_386905" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via CD Projekt Red[/caption]

More than that, though, is the absolutely massive amount of updates arriving alongside Phantom Liberty's launch. Every part of this game feels like it's?? getting fine-tuned in some way. Updates, big and small, feel like they're realizing the vision of Night City set out years ago. It's even got me thinking about rolling a new character?.

What's new in Night City

As interviews with the team have rolled out, CD Projekt Red is saying it is overhauling Cyberpunk for Phantom Liberty. All the "core main systems" are being updated or redone, CDPR told VGC; this means perks??, skill trees, AI, progression, tiers and loot drops, and more.

There's a new police system and vehicular combat, which apparently includes car chases. In a conversation with Kotaku, the team says there are new conversations with romance characters around Phantom Liberty. And yes, there is a new ending that's arriving as part of the expansion, too.

[caption id="attachment_386904" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via CD Projekt Red[/caption]

It's a massive update, and the nice part is, you won't have to spend cash for all of it. While Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty will be a $30 expansion with its own specific updates, many systemic changes are coming to Cyberpunk 2077 at its base level.

Suffice to say, Cyberpunk 2077 will be a very different game when Phantom Liberty launches on September 26 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. (It's not coming to PS4 or Xbox One.) But that's the foundation. The exciting part is that, even in a vacuum, Phantom Liberty seems like it's goin??g to be quite a good expansion too.

Space Force One

On top of adding Dogtown, a new region to explore, Phantom Liberty also brings a Cyberpunk faction into the Night City sprawl: the NUSA. The New United States of America is mentioned a fair bit in the world an?d lore, but after President Myers' plane is brought down in Do??gtown and her netrunner Songbird recruits V for the rescue operation, the NUSA is much more involved.

At the top level, this brings a new kind of tension to Cyberpunk 2077's story. Songbird says she can help V deal with the Relic in their head if they help Myers out of this mess. It's quite a debacle. And the spy thriller tone, which CD Projekt has been emphasizing, def?initely plays out.

[caption id="attachment_386901" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via CD Projekt Red[/caption]

During my time playing, there were casual walk-and-talks wi??th Songbird as she spoke to V through their Relic. There was simmering tension that spilled over when Space Force One??, Myers' transport, falls in Dogtown and V has to rush over to save her. And it's amplified even more as the pair hole up in a Dogtown hideaway, trying to keep the lights on and avoid drawing attention.

I got to share a bee?r with the NUSA president while talking about wh?o could possibly be behind this plot. All the while, Johnny Silverhand is chattering in my ear, encouraging me not to trust anything or anyone.

Fortunate son

Going into Phantom Liberty, I was a bit curious about where Johnny Silverhand would fit into all of this. The expansion already has another star lined up in Idris Elba, and Keanu Reeves is a pretty big name; I assumed Reeves would be coming back to put together some lines and maintain Johnny's presence in the story, while other characters took up the companion ro?le for V.

[caption id="attachment_386900" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via CD Projekt Red[/caption]

Imagine my surprise, then, when my Phantom Liberty demo segued into a long conversation with Johnny about his past. Those who are familiar with the tabletop world of Cyberpunk may know a good deal of this already, but Silverhand is a military deserter. ??And Johnny has quite a bit to say as?? V's destiny entwines with the future of the NUSA.

Cyberpunk 2077 already held some poignant character moments, both with its main companion characters and Johnny. But seeing Reeves appear again and get even more to do with his portrayal of Silverhand is a welcome surprise. There's a lo??t of potential avenues here, and I'm pretty psyched to see how V and Johnny's relationship plays ?out in this new light.

For ages, it feels like we've been talking about the Cyberpunk 2077 success story. Other games with notoriously rocky launches have had one already. Whether or not Cyberpunk has hit that point yet, or could, is one thing. But Phantom Liberty feels like it's realizing a vision of Cyberpunk 2077 that CD Projekt Red has been chasing for some time. And that's a very exc??iting prospect.

The post Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty sees a vision of Night City realize??d appeared first on Destructoid.

Wake the dog up

It's been quite a while since the last Armored Core. FromSoftware has been steadily working on successful Souls and Souls-like games, but the first Armored Core is one of its oldest titles. And now, years later, FromSoftware is returning to mech action with Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. And the series is certainly back.

We were invited to view a hands-off demo of a stage in Armored Core VI, where the player's mercenary needs to infiltrate and take command of a catapult held by a hostile faction. This means flying in and doing a whole lot of blasting. The progression still looks to be very Armored Core: it opens with a bri??efing, with lots of intel and screens, and then you're into the thick of it.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlSfr6Wa5sc

Bridging the gap

It's going to be very easy to draw comparisons between Armored Core and Souls. As I noted above, it's been a long time since the last Armored Core game—a decade, to be exact—and the Souls series has reached astronomical heights in its absence. While there are plenty of AC fanatics familiar with the form factor of this series, I imagine there will also be people coming into Armored Core VI with a different set of expectations.

The reassuring thing is, even with that split in mind, Armored Core VI looks like it could bridge the gap. Sure, you're piloting a mech rather than guiding a wandering swordsman or robed mage. But the weight and heft, the ballet of movement,?? is still here.

[caption id="attachment_386756" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bandai Namco[/caption]

It was driven home when I saw just how Armored Core's mechs move. Boost options have been retained, including a blazing forward boost that feels like a charge maneuver. Small jets lining the mech can fire to create omnidirectional movement options, something the studio emphasized in our briefing. Bu?t when those rockets fire, there's a moment of thrust and take-off; when the mech lands, there's a thud and skid, especially if it came in at high speeds. There is a feeling that, even if your mech feels normally sized on-screen, it is hulking and heavy in the world.

Taking up arms

Weapons ca?rry a similar tangibility. Missiles fire in big plumes of smoke and detonate with resonance. Guns spray e??mpty shell casings out the side, and you can see your ammo count start to dwindle as the mission carries on.

Yet there's also a definite speed to the action. Our demo driver was boosting around, dodging to the side, and then blasting headfirst into the enemy with a sword attack. At one point, they slammed an enemy off an edge and let gravity do the work for them. There is a stagger meter th?at can build up over time, leading to big damage opportunities against enemies vulnerable to this style.

[caption id="attachment_386754" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bandai Namco[/caption]

The mission layout will feel familiar to Armored Core fans, as the mech dives deeper and deeper into the complex. A voice over the radio taunts along the way, commenting that it seems like no ordinary merc has shown up t??oday. This ends in a big boss battle with a cleaner unit, which I feel needs to be described as a Roomba-like tank with massive arms. It rules and is a kind of spectacle I can really get into. We didn't get?? to see much of it, but "armored Doom-Roomba with grinder arms" is intriguing enough as-is.

[caption id="attachment_386755" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bandai Namco[/caption]

Building for war

Of course, the really good stuff was found in the menus. Part of Armored Core's appeal is its almost Gran Turismo-like approach to customization and design. As o??ur demo player opened the? menu, we could see tons of options, ranging from parts and weapons to aesthetics. The mech garage is accessible, too. In our demo, the player was able to head back to the assembly, reconfigure, and then start back from a checkpoint after death.

The draw for this, and what I think will rope many new players in, is all the options they can use here. Both the build-crafting of Souls and the recent inventiveness of Tears of the Kingdom players h??ave me thinking that the general game-playing populace is ?ready for this level of customization.

And as someone who played a good deal of Armored Core in its PS2 era, I'm quite happy too. It's hard to get a definite gauge on just how it all feels from a hands-off demo, but seeing Armored Core VI in action,?? it felt like seeing a polished and modernized version of the mech battles I'd envisioned as a kid. The garage full of parts and customization options?, for fine-tuning the perfect mech for every situation, feels like it will be a Lego bucket of possibilities.

Suffice it to say, I'm very into Armored Core VI, and think this is the perfect chance for FromSoftware to parlay all of its Souls success into a classic, dormant franchise. But even if this just ends up being a labor of love for the Armored Core faithf??ul, I'm still very glad we're seeing i??t come together and come together well at that.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon arrives on August 25, 2023 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, ??Xbox Series X|S, ??and PC.

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Only a whole year to wait

Summer Game Fest 2023 is about ready to wrap up, but Geoff Keighley is already preparing people for next year's event. If you managed to check out, and enjoy, the showcases that have been broadcasting recently, you may well be excited for SGF's return in 2024. Actually, the event is even technically over yet, as Annapurna's showcase is still to come.

Not only is Keighley eager to announce that Summer Game Fest will be back in June of next year, he goes on to say that this year's event was "record-setting." Not quite certain what? that means, but it likely refers to the amount of people who attended the event, both in person and online. Given the dry spell from gaming conventions over the past two or three years, it wouldn't be sur?prising to see the likes of SGF see an uptick in attendees.

//twitter.com/geoffkeighley/status/1668638357??60862822??5

Currently, there ??are no details about the 2024 showcases, other than it will obviously be hosted by Keighley himself. There will also be the return of Play Days from studio iam8bit, b??ut again, details won't be announced until further down the line.

Summer Game Fest 2023 saw a lot of content from a variety of studios, publishers, and industry experts. Trailers from the likes of Alan Wake 2, Mortal Kombat 1, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and lots more ??were on display. There was also the D??ay of the Dev event, hosted by iam8bit and Double Fine, which gave indie studios the opportunity to showcase what they've been working on.

With E3 being cancelled this year �perhaps never to return �that leaves the space open for SGF and other expos to continue their dominance of t?he summer period. See you all for Gamescom 2023.

The post Summer Game Fest will return in ?2024, Keighley confirms appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm Blue

Ubisoft Forward 2023 is underway, and the show kicked off with a new cinematic trailer for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which s??ees the Na'vi once again under threat from the machinations of capitalism and man. Pre-orders are now live on PC and console, ahead of a December 7 release date.

//youtu.be/RDzw1EKnaIA

No less than director James Ca??meron himself popped his head through the door to explain the process behind transfe?rring his cinematic universe to the gaming realm. Cameron spoke of the team's aims to "Push boundaries" of creating living open worlds, powered by an original story that will take place alongside that of the two blockbuster movies. This message was then followed by a gameplay video, spotlighting the activities of the Pandora universe and the Na'vi civilization.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=difL_diHo2o&?;ab_channel=Ubisoft

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora la??unches December 7 on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X?.

The post Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora launches December 7 appeared first on Destructoid.

Dance with the Dead

During the weekend's PC Gaming Show presentation, publisher Freedom Games raised the curtain on an intriguing new release, Mariachi Legends, which is currently in development for PC at Mexican developer Halberd Studios, the studio behind 9 Years of Shadow.

Mariachi Legends tells a tale of highly-skilled private detective Pablo Cruz, who is chosen by no less than Lady Death herself to retrieve an anci??ent amulet that has th??e capability of undermining her rule over the afterlife and bring about an end to Dia de los Muertos, The Day of the Dead. Tasked with this otherworldy case, Cruz must journey through the dark underbelly of the town of Santa Mascota, en route to a showdown with its criminally corrupt mayor, Don Emilio Obregon.

While his enemies will be both plentiful and deadly, Lady Death has imbued Cruz with the powers of La Sombra, which will enhance the hero's natural swordsmanship, while affording him additional supernatural abilities to help him navigate the environment and get the drop on those who would do him harm. You can check out the very first teaser trailer below, as featured in the PC Gaming Show.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TJcdoi4xG8&t

"We’ve put ?a piece of our Mexican culture, and therefore our very souls, within Mariachi Legends," said Miguel Hasson, Creative Director of Halberd Studios. "Infusing our love of video games w?ith our beautiful history, culture, and ethnology is a dream come true. We learned countless lessons as a studio when putting the finishing touches on 9 Years of Shadows, so our fans can fully expect the bar to be raised with our ?next ga?me!"

While this early trailer is unfortunately very light on gameplay, we can see the makings of something very cool in Mariachi Legends. While the Symphony of the Night aesthetic will be lost on nobody, the implementation of timeless Spanish culture �from the locales and general atmosphere to the art design and use of Mariachi itself �is incredibly compelling. Halberd Studios is promising deep and precise combat, diverse and intriguing charact?ers, and an adventure dripping in proud Mexican culture and, even more curiously, cuisine.

I really like what we're seeing here, and Mariachi Legends is already one of my favorite reveals of Summer Game Fest. The game looks positively dripping in cool style, culture, and personality. We could still be a long, long way from taking our first steps into Santa Mascota, given the teasing nature of this trailer, but we do know that Freedom Games aims to launch Mariachi Legends on PC at some point in 2024...

I hope so, as I do not want to keep the fair lady waiting...

The post Mari?achi L?egends is one of my favorite reveals this week appeared first on Destructoid.

Burn my Hype

Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the biggest and most exciting announcements of Summer Game Fest has been Atlus' reveal of Persona 3 Reload, a full remake of the classic 2006 PS2 RPG and a title for which fans have been pleading for the longest time �Unfortunately, however, the reveal came with some caveats that ha?ve left some in the community a tad disappointed.

First and foremost, Persona 3 Reload is a remake of the vanilla Persona 3 release. As such, it will not contain any of the updated edition content �such as story expansion The Answer, or the additional difficulty options. Reload will also not feature the content of Persona 3 Portable, which means no playable female protagonist, lovingly referred to by the community as "FemC". In addition, Persona 3 Reload will also have a re-recorded English voice t??rack, featuring some very notable and talented VAs such as Allegra Clark, Aleks Le, Heather Gonzalez, and Zeno Robinson.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIIPXA2A6cM

Producer Ryota Niitsuma and Director Kazuhisa Wada confirmed the above in comments to IGN.

"First I'd like to mention that since the basic concept of the Persona 3 remake was to remake the Persona 3, we don't have the FES and Portable contents included," said Niitsuma. "We wanted to really genuinely work on recreating the Persona 3 experience [...] So we have newly recorded voices, we have new ??scenes and events. We also have both new and arranged music. We'll be kind of releasing that information, following everything. So please look forward to that."

The news has put a damper on the project for some fans in the community, who took to social media to express their displeasure. The general consensus for aggrieved parties runs along the lines of "If it's not The Definitive Edition, then what's the point even remaking it?" �A stance that is, quite honestly, difficult to oppose. The loss of the epilogue, a much-loved pla??yer protagonist, and the voices that the player has become accustomed to somewhat undercut the initial excitement that greeted the original reveal.

Added to this is the fact that people are assuming Atlus is preparing to simply release a Persona 3 re-remake somewhere down the line, with the original content added. A Re-Reload, so to speak. It should be noted that this is pure guesswork on the players' part, but Atlus has never been shy about courting the big bucks of expanded editions, DLC content, and other post-release add-ons. Ultimately, Persona 3 Reload does look like a great remak??e, and remains an exciting release, but these revelations have, undeniably, cast a bit of a shadow over one of the summer's biggest announcements.

Persona 3 Reload launches early 2024 on Xbox and PC. More platf??orm announcements are expected.

The post P????ersona 3 Reload has new voice cast, no FES content, no FemC appeared first on Destructoid.

The writer is writing again

Remedy has been on a bit of a journey since the first Alan Wake. The team went from the Microsoft-published horror experience into the realms of Quantum Break and Control, and all the while, the writer has been waiting. With Alan Wake 2, it feels like Remedy is returning to the series with both new concepts and ideas built over the years since Wake's firs??t v??enture.

In a hands-off demo of Alan Wake 2 at Summer Game Fest 2023, I got to see an extended look at just how that adventure will play out. The first big note is that Alan Wake 2 will feature two protagonists, with different viewpoints and sets of missions. Alan Wake r??eturns, but in the session we saw, we followed Saga Anderson—an FBI agent and profiler who's looking into a series of ritualistic murders in Bright Falls.

Into the void

Our look at Saga's section started with her and Alex Casey, a veteran agent, heading into the woods in search of a corpse ?that's come back to life. Though it starts out slow, the dread already starts to seep in. The woods aren't very inviting, and the further in they go, the more winding it all starts to feel.

[caption id="attachment_386012" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Remedy[/caption]

A big part of?? Saga's story is her ability to deduce and profile. At any point, Saga can enter her Mind Place, a safe haven for managing both her inventory and evidence. Using different clues found out in the world, Saga can corkboard her way through mysteries, unlocking new avenues for investigation. Profiling does something similar, as Saga dives deep into the psyche of different characters to find new leads.

It gives Saga's side of Alan Wake 2 a True Detective vibe, as ??the duo splits up, searches around, and pieces through the increasingly dark, shadowy, rainy Bright Falls. Th?e audio design really increases the tension, as every little bump feels like a quick ratcheting-up of tension.

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

Sprinkled throughout these areas are some fun references to Remedy's history. A poster in a cabin advertises "Ahti and the Janitors," a nod towards Control. And the thermos, an infamous collectible from the first Alan Wake, now serves a greater purpose: save point. Between gathering clues and solving puzzles like ??a missing fuse, there's a lot to look into.

[caption id="attachment_386009" align="alignright" width="640"] Image via Remedy[/caption]

Hit the lights

The earlier parts of Saga's story were a lot of that: tension and investigation. Then, as she gets closer to the more supernatural el?ements of the story, the action seeps in.

While I've played some amount of the first Alan Wake, it was all the way back when it first launched. But I do feel like this time around, it's a little bit more survival horror. The horrors of the woods start to emerge and attack Saga, and our demo driver had to start maneuvering, using the flashlight to stun foes, an??d land shots with a set pool of ammo.

Light is still a weapon of choice, and it can be dispersed in a few ways. Saga's flashlight is a handy option, but we also saw a floodlight act as a safety field while dealing with multiple entities. Everything was fast and hectic, in the way you'd? want from a survival horror experience.

Through the looking glass

It all culminated in an otherworldly, dreamlike journey into the Overlap. While winding through looping areas and ??hazy, layering visions, she eventually finds her walking corpse. This kicks off a boss battle. The chase through the circular dreamworld is just as fast and nerve-wracking, as the hulking man relentlessly pursues Saga through the Overlap.

Our showcase of Alan Wake 2 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. We saw more mysteries laid out, questions unanswered, and the writer himself make contact with Saga. There's even a fun reference to how long it's been since the first Alan Wake. Both characters will have their own sides of the story, which the player can swap back and forth on; I asked Remedy how often that would be possible and it sounds like that's still being fine-tuned, but the plan seems set to let players follow the lines of the narrative? that intrigue them.

[caption id="attachment_386010" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Remedy[/caption]

We didn't get a look at Alan's side of the story, which Remedy says will be shown off ahead of Alan Wake 2's release date on October 17, 2023. But from the slice I've seen, Alan Wake 2 has become one of my most anticipated games of the year. It's dark and intriguing, winding a supernatural horror tale around a moody detective story. And ??if it carries forward as well as it played out in our demo at SGF, it could really be one to watch for.

The post Alan Wake 2 looks like a frighteningly good time appeared first on Destructoid.

Evoking Hype

Look, let's all just look surprised, ok? It's no one's fault. As part of this afternoon's Xbox Games Showcase, Atlus revealed its long-requested remake of one of the most iconic and beloved RPGs of all-time, in the form of Persona 3 Reload, which you have never heard of before.

Persona 3 Reload is a full remake of the classic PS2 social-sim-cum-demon-catcher, which wowed western fans in 2006 and took the Shin Megami Tensei ?brand practically m??ainstream. The story concerns a party of school students who uncover a temporal anomaly known as "The Dark Hour". The students in question form the "Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad" (SEES), with the aim of getting to the root of the anomaly and the strange creatures that lay within.

//www.youtube.com/w?atch?v=QIIPXA2A6c??M&ab_channel=Xbox

Persona 3 was praised for its vivid visual style, attractive and likable cast of characters, and wild soundtrack. The marriage of dungeon-crawler with supah-anime social sim was a huge hit, and would lead to greater success in sequels Persona 4 and Persona 5, as well as an array of multi-genre spin-offs. Fans have been asking for a remake of P3 for many years??, and this news will be 100 Christmases for those folks.

Persona 3 Reload launches early 2?024. It will arrive on Xbox Game Pass day one.

The post Persona 3 Reload is coming to Burn Your Dread early 202?4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Try and look surprised

As Summer Game Fest continues, the black-and-green brand is preparing to take the stage, as Microsoft's Xbox brand prepares to regale us with all of the titles headed to Xbox Ser??ies X/S and Xbox Game Pass in the remainder of 2023 and beyond �The Xbox Games Showcase is set to kick off in about an hour from now, and we'll be on deck to bring you all of the hot news and updates from today's stream.

//youtu.be/qGtYn7DCIYo

Xbox has had something of an inauspicious year so far, with the very disappointing launch of Arkane Studios' Redfall and... well, not a whole lot else. As such, Xbox really has to sort of knock it out of the park tonight, showing its best hand to its dedicated customers and hoping to encourage them to fill up their MS store wishlists. This isn't to say that there aren't plenty of fine multiplatform titles headed to the platform, but it would neat to see Team Spencer drop a couple of "Killer Apps" today, as they say?.

You can also watch ?along with Destructoid's own Brett Medlock and?? Mary Stowe below!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsLS_0WI5kY&??;ab_channel=Destructoid

The Xbox Games Showcase starts at 10:00 PT / 13:00 ET / 18:00 BST and is expected to run around two hours... They always run around two hours. You can watch the stream in the embed below, and Team Destructoid will be on board to bring you the headlines. Oh, and if you're looking forward to Starfield, then stay tuned after the main show, as Bethesda will be presenting a special showcase of the sci-fi epic.

The post Come Burn? Your Dread with the Xbox Games Showcase ??live stream appeared first on Destructoid.

Bubbly fun

Foamstars feels a bit out of left field for Square Enix. A multiplayer shooter may not be all that strange; after all, the publisher did make a battle royale based on Final Fantasy VII. But this isn't a straightforward shooter. Foamstars features stylish fighte??rs rather th??an grizzled warriors and suds instead of bullets.

We had a chance to play Foamstars at Summer Game Fest 2023, getting in a decent number of matches. The easiest comparison point for the game is Splatoon, and not just due to the vicious, viscous warfare waged on each of? their battlefields. Both games look at territory as an important factor in winning the day and see the firepower you employ as both utility and knockout power. That said, some similarities are a little obvious.

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

Characters have primary weapons that can dispense foam in different methods. The foam builds up and spreads out across the empty arena, creating avenues of ingress for teams to move around in by holding the left trigger to "surf" on the bubbles. Surfing is how you KO enemies that have their health depleted and pick allies back up after they've been knocked down. And much like Nintendo's squid splatfest, you can move quick??ly across your own foam but get bogged down and sluggish in the enemy bubbles.

The knockout system is already an interesting twist on this style of shooter. By adding this Kill Confirmed-style method of taking out an enemy, it encourages risk. Foamstars wants you to push a bit farther,? err away from caution, and get yourself into scrambl??e situations.

House of suds

Where the foam diffe?rs from the ink is how it piles up.? The bubbles don't paint surfaces. They stick to them and build up. You can build walls and new avenues of attack, lending a Z-axis to the movement and action.

Characters' special skills emphasize these attacks. Some can quickly build lane??s for attacking or put up a wall for blocking the other team off. Having "hero characters" lets each of them operate a little differently and focus on certain goals. I had a blast playing the short-rang??e fighter who was mobile and wielded a bubble shotgun.

[caption id="attachment_385783" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

But other characters can launch shots over walls, or hit from long range, helping to deal with strategic foam emplacements. Finding ways to attack or escape feels rewarding, and even when the pile of suds can sometimes feel a little hard to read, Foamstars feels like it pu?shes players to move toward each other and fight.

These little moments of in?terplay, where teams are trying to strike and defend in equal measure, feel tense. Rather than holding down territory, KOs are the focus—the mode we played, Smash the Star, tasked each team with securing 7 knockouts, then knocking out the Star (best player) on the enemy team for the win. So while securing the battlefield wasn't required to win, it did make a big difference when my team was trying to defend our Star or attack the enemy's, or both at the same time.

[caption id="attachment_385782" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

Popping the bubble

While the makeshift foam arena feels interesting, the actual battlefield we played on was sparse. I'm unsure if that's on purpose, too. It definitely encourages Foamstars players to build up and out, but it makes the actual map less memorable. Outside of some elevation jut?ting out in some areas, our field was pretty much just a big, open ?circle.

My big hesitancy isn't with the arenas, though, but with the model itself. I asked, but didn't get a clear answer, on whether Foamstars will be free-to-play or premium. During our presentation, there was a mention of single-player content, but Square Enix wasn't talking about that just yet. There are also modes ??we didn't get to see, aside from the Smash the Star option.

[caption id="attachment_385779" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

All that is to say, I think there's an interesting idea here. It doesn't feel like Square Enix is directly lifting the territory-control shooter model but putting its own spin on it with a building-and-battling twist. The characters are colorful and interesting, and there's a good variety of firing types and skills to make the combat feel varied in ea??ch encount?er.

It's the big picture I'm curious about. Foamstars could be something worth dipping into and adding to the slate of Weekend Games with a squad of friends, but I think a lot of that wil??l depend on what more the team has in store beyond the one mode and map I played at Summer Game Fest 2023.

The post Square Enix’s sudsy shooter Foamstars could be onto something appeared first on Destructoid.

A whole lotta wholesomeness

It's summertime, and that means a whole lot of video game news. But amid the big showcases and publisher spotlights, there are al???so streams like the Wholesome Direct 2023, which try to shed some light on other types of games.

As the name would imply, this Direct focuses on "wholesome" games. You won't find any carnage, or really much combat here. Puzzles, adventure games, life sims, and lots of gardening lay in store ahead. For those who like their virtual botany and digital romantic entanglements, though, ther?e are at least a few thin?gs to keep an eye on.

Whether you caught the sho??w live and need a refresher, or you're just looking for the highlights, here's everything we saw at today's Wholesome Direct 2023.

Everything shown at the Wholesome Direct 2023

• Chill life sim Mineko's Night Market is set for its Sept. 26 release date for PC and Switch, followed by Xbox One, PS4, and PS5 on October 26.
• Pekoe is a cat-populated tea shop game, arriving at the end of June.
• Spirit Swap: Lo-Fi Beats to Match-3 To has both lo-fi beats, and puzzles where one can match-3 alongside a vibrant cast of characters sometime in 2023.
• The characters of Button City return in Button City Soccer Days, a soccer game for all the animal pals.

[caption id="attachment_384649" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Subliminal Gaming[/caption]

• Frogsong is a froggy adventure game from Frogteam Games, and it's out today for Switch and PC.
• Explore a world of talking insects and contend with butterfly-based destiny in I Am A Caterpillar, headed to PC via Steam.
• Bubblegum Galaxy is a hexagonal tile-based building game, with a bit of corporate life drama mixed in. A demo for that is out on Steam now.
• Sticky Business also has a demo out on Steam, and sees you opening your own small sticker business, making and shipping out stickers.
• Collect creatures, brew potions, and make friends in this life-sim adventure Moonstone Island, set for sometime in 2023 and also coming to Steam Next Fest.
• Station to Station sees you connecting the world through the power of locomotives. It's got a demo out now on Steam.
• With a story of struggle, art, and romance, The Palace on the Hill looks like a compelling narrative. It's currently aiming for Q3 2023.

[caption id="attachment_384646" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Niku Games[/caption]

• Collect bunnies and arrange them for photos in Usagi Shima on September 1.
• KarmaZoo sees players work together with a myriad of animal abilities to reach the goal, eventually achieving victory through jolly animal cooperation.
• Flutter Away brings photography and chill nature vibes on August 3, for Switch and PC.
• Use even more of those photo skills, plus management and more, in Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge, a frog raising sim headed to PC.
• If you ever wanted a cross between Mario Party and Dungeons & Dragons, then Baladins is up your alley. Gather your party, pass stat checks, and complete quests in early 2024.

[caption id="attachment_384644" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Seed by Seed[/caption]

• A Little to the Left is getting some DLC in Cupboards and Drawers on June 27, with even more things to organize and arrange.
• Henry Halfhead is a clever puzzle game featuring a half-head that can possess real objects. It's currently aiming for a Steam launch.
• Build a little town of friendly villagers in Gourdlets from Aunty Games, which has some great pixel art.
• Lakeburg Legacies is a matchmaking management game with a demo that I enjoyed earlier this year. If you want to manage a world and legacy without the cutthroat nature of a CK3, Lakeburg Legacies should be one to watch for on July 20.
• Loftia is a community-building sim about working together and sustainable living. It's a cool direction for a community life sim.
• Wishes Unlimited, developers of Chicory and Wandersong, are showing their new game Beastieball, a creature-collecting sports RPG. It's a really rad idea that I'm very interested in.

[caption id="attachment_384464" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Wishes Unlimited[/caption]

• Smushi Come Home is a cute adventure game starring a little mushroom man. It has some Mail Time vibes, and it's out now on PC and Switch.
• Cooking story Venba has been one we've been waiting for, and it looks like it's almost ready to serve. Visai Games' food-driven narrative arrives on July 31
• Little Nemo and the Guardians of Slumberland sees the pajama-laden protagonist go on a new adventure, and looks like a cozy platforming adventure.
• Garden Witch Life is hosting a closed beta for its magical farming life.
• Or if you prefer farming without the magic, and a little more pixel art, Orange Season has some Stardew-like vibes currently in development.
• Surmount looks like a goofy, fun climbing co-op adventure set to hit Steam and consoles in 2023.

[caption id="attachment_384647" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Indiana-Jonas an?d Jasper Oprel[/cap??tion]

• Grimoire Groves brings a little more magic, and colorful creatures, to the farming life arena.
• Arriving soon on Switch and Steam is Garden Buddies, where you can build a garden with your little buddies.
• A Tiny Sticker Tale lets you use things in the world around you as stickers, which you can then place in the world to solve puzzles. A neat concept that looks like it could have some fun applications!
• Everdeep Aurora is a showcase stand-out for me. A cat is on the search for her missing mom, and you'll go on a 2D exploration adventure to find her. Everything, from the UI to the art itself and the gameplay, looks great here. It's set to arrive on Steam and Switch in 2024.
• Kibu sees you play as a little red panda and carve out your own living in a mysterious, magical land.
• Gather ingredients and cook dishes to fulfill customers' requests in Magical Delicacy, a charming pixelated cooking and delivery game.
• Do you often hope for the return of Nintendogs? Well, Little Friends: Puppy Island might be what you're looking for, as this island full of puppies look to have plenty of secrets and canine pals to find on June 27. (A demo is also out now.)
• The Guardian of Nature has Henry, a botanist and last guardian of nature, venturing to put nature back into order. He can also shrink and interact with some cool nature-electronics, which suit the unique art style.
• Fans of mercantilism might like Townseek, where you seem to fly around and do business with your airship. That's heading to PC in 2024.
• Feed All Monsters looks like the kind of game I'd put too many hours into on mobile. The line-drawing puzzle game is actually coming to PC, and pretty soon too, with a release date of June 22.
• Can dinosaurs cook? Well, they can try in Manitas Kitchen, which sees a T-Rex attempt to own and operate a Jurassic pizza shop. That's out on October 23, 2023.
• Emotional moving sim Unpacking is heading to mobile! Not much more to say, other than that it's very worth your time.

[caption id="attachment_271795" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

• Botany Manor looks like a mysterious adventure centered around a mansion and its various flora. Discover what these mysterious plants could hold later this year.
• Solarpunk is a gardening sim set on technologically advanced floating islands, set apart by automation and machines. It's arriving sometime next year.
• Learn to forge and make legendary equipment While the Iron's Hot, is a cleverly named smithing adventure arriving sometime in Q4 of 2023.
• Wylde Flowers is already out, but the team is showing off some updates to its romance, farming, and character customization options today.
• Inkle always manages to surprise with its games, and A Highland Song looks like another great entry in the studio's resume. A Scottish highland adventure with gorgeous art sounds great. That arrives sometime this year.

[caption id="attachment_384645" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Inkle[/caption]

• Sushi Ben appeals to the anime nerd in me. It's a VR game with manga panel cut-ins and big expressions, and it's planned to hit headsets sometime in Q3 2023.
• Snufkin: Melody of Moomin Valley brings the popular character and world to life in virtual form.
• Photography fans might be intrigued by The Star Named EOS, set to arrive in 2024 from Silver Lining Studio.
• Meanwhile, Night in the Woods fans may definitely have a lot to like in Fall of Porcupine, a fellow 2D adventure game starring animals that is coming out very, very soon on June 15.
• We get a glimpse of the remastered Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, which has some cool modern updates like pronoun options and quality-of-life updates. That's out June 27.
• Tiny Book Shop is a store management sim about a great idea: a mobile bookstore. I really dig this concept!

[caption id="attachment_384648" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via neoludic games[/caption]

• Wood & Weather is a god-game set in a wooden toy city. Control the weather and make little friends along the way. There's a demo out now.
• For even more cat content, there's Campfire Cat Cafe, a mobile idle game that's out now about a little restaurant for cats in the forest.
• Sopa sees Miho pulled into a different world while making some soup with his grandmother. It's a dreamlike adventure with a really interesting premise. Developer Studio Bando is targeting Q2 2024.
• A little bit of card battles, and a little bit of social interaction, Tracks of Thought is a train-bound mystery with a unique style. It is targeting Q1 2024.
• Go-Go Town! sees you building and managing a town as the mayor of a rundown town. A sign-up for playtesting is live now here.
• It's montage time! Here are a few quick hits: CATO, Let's! Reovlution!, Diluvian Winds, Ducky's Delivery Service, Tall Trails, Petit Island, Quilts & Cats of Calico, Pizza Possum, The Last Alchemist, Mars First Logistics, Fishbowl, Mirth Island, Garden Life, Sanya, March of Shrooms, Toasterball, Townframe, Window Garden, Word Factori, Life After Magic, Athenian Rhapsody
• And one last game, Fields of Mistria, from NPC Studio and with guest music from Toby Fox. This is a farming, dating, and life sim, but the X-factor for me is the art. It reminds me a ton of the 80s and 90s era of anime, and with an added dash of magic, this does seem like a really promising framing for farming. It's set for sometime in 2024.

That's all?? for this year's Wholesome Direct 2023. ??Let us know what you thought of it and any standouts in the comments below!

The post Everything shown at today’s Wholesome Direct 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

I was barely curious, but now I'm wishlisting it

There was a lot to check out from yesterday's Summer Game Fest, and there's still a lot more to come. We'll be bringing details about what else has been showcased at this year's Geoff Keighley event, but there was definitely one thing of note for horror fans, and those who have been waiting for Alan Wake 2 will probably have already checked out the ne?w gameplay trai?ler.

If you haven't, the new footage follows protagonist Saga Anderson, an FBI agent sent to investigate a series of murders in Bright Falls. The sequel takes place some 13 years after 2010's Alan Wake, and the recent trailer shown at SGF gives a brief taste of what's to come. With a much cre?epier vibe than its predecessor, it's one that fans will probably be keeping an eye on. I now count myself among those people.

//youtu.be/2hm0AmdB9AM

The much darker atmosphere that it's got going for it immediately turned my head. I'll be honest with you. I was not a massive fan of Alan Wake. It was fine, but it just didn't pull me in the way it did with many other horror fans. Admittedly, it's been years since I played it, so maybe my memory of it is a bit hazy. I just remember it not leaving as big an impact on me as I'd hoped. The fact? is, I wasn't paying too much attention to the sequel until this gameplay footage emerged.

Perhaps it's obvious to say, but Alan Wake 2 looks like it's got a Resident Evil remake thing going for it. As a fan of this rejuvenation of Capcom's iconic series, AW2 definitely h?as a lot of appeal, even from this relatively short clip. It's too early to say, but I'm hoping the new installment will be somewhat broodier and atmospheric. It certainly looks a lot be??tter, but that's to be expected given the years that have elapsed since the first game. Where the OG release didn't really scare me, I'm hoping this follow-up will offer up much more of a "brown pants" scenario.

In short, I had little interest in AW2 before. Then I?? saw the Summer Game Fest trailer. Now I think it could be one of this year's most exciting survival horror games.

Alan Wake 2 launches October ?17 on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series? X.

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For the Empire

Among the many previews, updates, and release dates revealed during yesterday's Summer Game Fest presentation, Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive offered up new gameplay footage, as well as a release window, for its Games Workshop adaptation Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II, which is coming PC and Gen9 consoles this wint??er.

Set within the legendary Warhammer universe �which has been entertaining fantasy tabletop fans for generations �Space Marine II is another bombastic and action-packed episode, as the seemingly unkillable Lieutenant Titus leads the charge against the overwhelming forces ??of the Tyranid Horde. The trailer spotlights blistering melee combat, as well as an array of devastating Imperium firepower, as one-three players team up to take on the title's dramatic co-op campaign. For the Empire!

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II launches this winter on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X. A Collector's Edition �containing a copy of the game in SteelBook packaging, a 64-page artbook, and a limited edition statue of Lieutenant Titus in action �is now available to pre-order from the Focus Entertainment store, priced a?t ?around $250 USD, not including shipping or additional charges.

//youtu.be/oDXfraIHzHg

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A whole slew of indies to watch

Today, Double Fine and iam8bit aired another installment of Day of the Devs. It's a regular celebration?? of indie games, shining a spotlight on upcoming games and their creators.

The Day of the Devs selections usually don't disappoint, and this year's Day of the Devs held after the Summer Game Fest 2023 kick-off stream was solid. Alongside some games we knew of beforehand, there were some exciting new announ??cements, both from known creators and newer teams in the scene.

From the Chicory team's latest endeavor to a mind-bending world-moving puzzle game, there's a little something of everything. If you missed the stream, or are just looking to find that one game you have a foggy recollectio??n of, here's a recap of everything shown.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDXcGEo1TfU

Everything shown at today's Day of the Devs SGF 2023 showcase

• We start the show off with Beastieball, a new turn-based sports RPG from Wishes Unlimited, the team behind Wandersong and Destructoid's 2021 GOTY Chicory: A Colorful Tale. Rather than music or art, this time Wishes is tackling sports, with a monster trainer twist. Coach a team of Beasties and enhance their teamwork, helping them bond over the course of volleyball-style battles. It looks directly up my alley, and I can't wait to learn more.

[caption id="attachment_384464" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Wishes Unlimited[/caption]

• Heart Machine keeps things going with another look at Hyper Light Breaker, the 3D third-person roguish adventure set in the Hyper Light universe. It's set "decades" prior to Drifter, and will see the Breaker (you) tackling an open world and tough bosses. The co-op and roguelite elements do seem like they'll add quite a bit to do for Breakers around the world.
• Life's tough? Well, let's head to Simpler Times, a world-premiere reveal from Stoneskip. This story follows Taina, who's preparing to move out of her childhood home and start a new chapter. Much like Unpacking, it seems to be about the vibes and sentimentality of a home left behind and the changing of seasons in life.
• Viewfinder is one that's been on my radar for a while now, and Sad Owl Studios is showing some more footage of it here. For those unfamiliar, it's a puzzle game where pictures can become objects in the world by simply placing and changing your view. It's a little magical to watch it in motion. For fans of Portal or Superliminal, this one should be on your radar too.

[caption id="attachment_384466" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sad Owl Studios[/caption]

• For a bit of a surprise, here's Hauntii, a gorgeous top-down action-adventure from Moon Loop Games where players haunt objects and people to solve puzzles. It's a novel concept, made all the better by a wonderful art style.
• You might remember Cart Life from years ago. It was an indie darling and made quite a splash before disappearing from storefronts. Well, it's coming back. AdHoc is partnering with original creator Richard Hofmeier to make a new version of Cart Life for modern systems. It's nice to see a piece of history preserved like this.
• Helskate is a mixture of Tony Hawk skateboarding and action-RPG brawling. Toss in a dash of demonic influence, and that's pretty much what Phantom Coast is building. It looks like a lot to take in, but for those who want to fight and shred at the same time, it could be a potent combination.
• Ever wondered what you'd do if you were only half a head? Well, that's Henry Halfhead every day. This puzzle game from Lululu Entertainment sees you hopping into and moving things, like a self-driven Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey. It's got a fun look and some inventive puzzles, just from what we've seen today.

[caption id="attachment_384480" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Lululu Entertainment[/caption]

• I'll fully admit, it took me a second to vibe with COCOON. At first blush, it seems like a top-down action-adventure game. And while its base mechanics facilitate that particular style, it was the world manipulation that really drew me in. Each area is a world, contained within an orb, that can be manipulated and moved between other areas. It's a Matryoshka doll of worlds. It's really clever. And Geometric Interactive's COCOON is now something I'm really looking forward to later this year.
• Été, which is French for summer, is a relaxing game from Impossible about a painter traveling abroad for a summer. Paint the world around you, do commissions, and befriend the locals as you master your painterly ways. This seems like a really good way to chill out with some artsy vibes, and the way you can remember and recreate things around you is a really clever touch.
• We take a brief pause in the games news for some event news: Indie Megabooth is back! I'm very happy to see this after the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the events scene.
• Now we return to the showcase with Summerhill, from Land & Sea, which looks like a serene story-driven puzzle game about a shepherd, a dog, and a flock. This is from the team behind the Alto's Adventure series, and it's got a great look and neat idea driving it.

[caption id="attachment_384465" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Land & Sea[/caption]

• I am up-front about my personal biases, and yes, one of them is social links in games. So Eternights, an action-RPG with heavy dating sim elements from Sutdio Sai, is laser-targeted at my interests. It feels like between this and Loop8, we're getting a new wave of games exploring relationship mechanics in RPGs. And I just think that's swell.
• Retro Gadgets is an inventive-looking gadget creation station from Licorice EHF that's already in Steam Early Access. You can build, solder, and customize little trinkets to do all kinds of things, from the look of it. This seems ideal for people enamored with the idea of retro engineering, but don't feel ready to start soldering just yet.
• Have you played a ton of Tears of the Kingdom, but still need more physics-driven building in your life? Well, Mars First Logistics looks like it could deliver just that. Build rovers and transports to deal with all the issues of getting things across the planet Mars, and even engage in some co-op action. Shape Shop's Mars builder will hit Steam Early Access on June 22.

[caption id="attachment_384463" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Shape Shop[/caption]

• Die Gute Fabrik, the makers of games like Mutazione and Sportsfriends, bring a big end-of-show reveal for their new game, Saltsea Chronicles. You play as the crew of a ship in search of their captain, managing their needs and expeditions as they search the world over. The art's great, and I love the card game that has different regional rules. It looks like a story with a big focus on the world and its denizens and should be one to keep an eye on.
• Finally, we close out with a reminder that Double Fine and 2 Player Productions' PsychOdyssey, a docu-series following the making of Psychonauts 2, is out now. I'm still watching my way through it, but I'll say right now that it's an incredible, very real look at the development process of video games. Highly recommended.

That's all for this Day of the Devs SGF showcase. Let us k??now what you ?dug in the comments below!

The post Everything shown at the Day of the Devs ??S??GF 2023 showcase appeared first on Destructoid.

The expansive (dying) world

As part of 2023 Summer Game Fest, Square Enix has shown off a rather heaping helping of gameplay from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

//youtu.be/mskzZjJjQg0

It looks pretty great! It starts off showing the aftermath of the first game before showing off the world you'll be explor?ing. There are a number of re-imagined scenes that will be familiar to anyone who played the orig?inal title, as well as some new surprises. There's an especially big twist that I don't want to spoil in case you don't want to watch the trailer and prefer to go in blind. I respect that.

Perhaps the most exciting information here is that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is slated for early 2024. But most excitingly is that it's coming on two discs. In this economy? I can't remember the last time I saw a game come on two discs without it actually being two separate titles. Wow!

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Don't ever trust the fae

Previously announced during the September 2022 Nintendo Direct, Fae Farm is again in the spotlight at Summer Game Fest. On top of a September 8, 2023 release date, it's also been rev??ealed that it is coming to PC as well a?s the Switch.

//youtu.be/Ro-bft9PF9A

The trailer shows off not only the farming, but also the magical hijinks you'll get up to. It's looking pretty cute, and it certainly shows off more technical chops than, say, Stardew Valley. It looks pretty friendly, if Stardew Valley wasn't f??riendly enough already. It has 4-person multi-player, if y??ou need extra incentive.

Fae Farm is coming to PC and Switch on September 8, 2023.

The post Fae Farm is bringing the cozy farming to Switch and PC o??n September 8 appeared first on Destructoid.

That’s overt

As part of Summer Game Fest 2023, Pocketpair has shown off more of Palworld, a “multi-player, open world, survival, crafting game,�that is definitely looking just like �i>Pokemon with guns.�Just look at that art style. Beyond that, it??’s been revealed that it will be released into Early Access in January 2024.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXhfwoPJfm0

Along with this is a new trailer that hammers home how much Pokemon Palworld is going for. There’s fantasy, adventure, children, an??d then someone pulls out a minig?un. I really can’t say I don’t see the appeal, but it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow at its intentionally derivative nature.

Palworld will be comi?ng to PC via Early Access sometime in January 2024.

The post “Pokemon but with guns” Palworld is coming January 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

(And featuring a bad Bon Jovi cover)

During Summer Game Fest, Saber Interactive revealed brand new monster shooter Toxic Commando, which is headed to PC and Gen9 consoles in 2024.

The trailer sees a pack of bastards gunning the engine through a throng of terrifying mutants, using all manner of wild weaponry to cut a swathe through hordes of decaying flesh. While en masse zombie shooters are not exactly few and far between, Toxic Commando is being produced by director (and passionate video game fan) John Carpenter, who is behind such movies as Halloween, The Thing, and Prince of Darkness.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqY8YoOkmIo

It will be interesting to see how Carpenter's influence instills itself in the final product, and hopefully helps Toxic Commando to break away from the typical first-person chaos of the many previous co-op zombie shooters that have come before. We still have a while to wait, as Toxic Commando will not ?be with us until some point in 2024, but given its Gen9 exclusivity and pedigree producer, it's an exciting prospect, guar??anteeing a somewhat splatteriffic release.

Toxic Commando launches next year on PS5, PC, and Xbox Seri??es X.

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That's a lot of armor

As part of Summer Game Fest, Nexon has shown off a slice of their upcoming smashy medieval-fantasy multi-player game, Warhaven. They have also revealed that it will be free to try out as part of Stea??m Next Fest.

The trailer sure? is a lot. A guy gets clobbered and dies. Then he’s revived. Then things get all explodey, and a bunch of dudes get knocked around. Oh, man. It sure looks like a thing.

//youtu.be/hiJjooA4Vlc

I had to actually turn to its now-live Steam page to really figure out what I was supposed to be seeing. Warhaven touts 36-player battles and gives emphasis to its tactical side. It looks like a MOBA, and sure enough, in the steam tags, it says MOBA. Its art style reminds me of a less grim Souls game.

Warhaven wi?ll be free-to-play, and you’ll have a chance to try it out as part of Steam Next Fest (coming next week). The full release is planned for Fall.

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Capcom Collab 1

As part of the Summer Game Fest 2023, Capcom has revealed a crossover between their upcoming Exoprimal and already game Street Fighter 6. This is in the form of just, like, robo-Ryu and cybo-Guile. In other words, Exoprimal X Street Fighter 6.

//youtu.be/J4ULvSYsmYc

All right then.

I test-drove Exoprimal a while back and came away with stories of butts. I guess this is�more butts. But recogniza??ble butts. I guess it could work, I’m just not really seeing the value?

If you’re into piloting Ryu and Guile’s robot butts, then you’ll be able to do so this Fall in Street Fighter. In the meantime, Exoprimal itself is out on July 14, 2023.

The post R??yu a?nd Guile are bringing their butts to Exoprimal X Street Fighter 6 appeared first on Destructoid.

Welcome back to Keigh-3

It's that time of year again, and I couldn't be more exhausted excited for it! In just about an ??hour from now, Geoff Keighley will take to the stage of Hollywood Park's YouTube theater for the Summer Game Fest 2023 k??ick-off show �An evening of exciting game trailers and picking up after yourselves.

We can expect updates, previews, and reveals from some of the biggest names in the industry, as they prod and poke our hype engines with the games that they'll be expecting $70+ for the rest of 2023 and beyond. Games set to put in an appearance include Alan Wake 2 and Baldur's Gate 2, as well as the first-ever gameplay trailer for NetherRealm Studios' Mortal Kombat 1. There are whispers of a release date for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and we're still to see anything from Activision regarding the 2023 iteration of Call of Duty. And all this is just scratching the surface.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY-lMH0R3AA

A pre-show will kick off about 30 minutes from now, with the presentation going live at 12:00 PT / 15:00 ET / 20:00 BST / 21:00 CEST. As always, the show will be way too long two hours in length, but we will all be on deck to bring you all of the latest news and updates, hurriedly typed and confusingly written in an all-out bid to please the Google Gods. We'd love it if you could join us for the show by following the stream above, and having your say in the comments below.

And, all jesting aside, I hope that you see at least one awesome game tha??t gets the hype fires stoked.

The post Join us for the Sum?mer Game Fest 2023 live stream! appeared first on Destructoid.

What time do you need to tune in?

In just a matter of hours, Summer Games Fest 2023 will be kick??ing off. Hosted by Geoff Keighley, the event will span a number of days, giving you the chance to check out what some big names in the world of gaming have in store. But what specifically is happening today?

If you are interested in checking out the opening moments of this year's SGF, the show kickstarts today - June 8 - at the following times: 12:00 PT / 15:00 ET / 20:00 BST / 21:00 CEST. Obviously, depending on where you live in the world, you'll need to keep an eye on which time is relevant to you. If you're not in any of these ??time zones, you can do a quic??k search to convert to your own.

//youtu.be/1z3YwB8xnWk

But what's to be expected from today's event? Well, Keighely will officially introduce Summer Game Fest 2023, likely giving a brief overview of what to expect. That will commence at noon PT and will probably go on for a couple of hours. Immediately following this - at 15:00 PT - will be the Day of Devs event, a show by Double Fine, of Psychonauts and Psychonauts 2 fame, and iam8bit. The purpose of Day of the Dev is to give the spotlight to indie games and studios, s??howcasing their insi??ghts and upcoming titles.

Then at 18:00, you can check out The Return of the Volvy, an "annual gaming extravaganza" for developers starring the titular mascot from Devolver Digital. Volvy has been the star of a number of games in the past, including Hotline Miami and Cult of the Lamb.

We'll return later with even more details ?about what to expect from Summer Game Fest 2023, you can join us for all of the action right here o??n Destructoid.

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