The release date for Unknown 9: Awakening has been announced.
During Gamescom Opening Night Live, developer Reflector Entertainment along with publisher Bandai Namco revealed Unknown 9: Awakening will release on 18th October. It will be available across PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC (Steam).
You can check out the live action trailer for Unknown 9: Awakening, which stars The Witcher's Anya Chalotra as the game's protagonist Haroona, below.
Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024 is done and dusted for another year, but it's certainly kicked off this year's Gamescom with a bang - and we've got all the news, trailers and announcements right here in one handy summary. Whether you missed the show itself or just want a handy reminder of everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live this year, read on below.
Of course, alongside the main show, this year's ONL also had a 30-minute pre-show that was stuffed with announcements as well, which we'll quickly run through here before getting into the detail of the main show announcements below. Here, we got new trailers for Dave the Diver's latest crossovers, spooky co-op adventure Begone Beast and construction sim Roadcraft, alongside Italian Soulslike Enotria: The Last Song, Cairn (that shouty, but lovely looking climbing game from Summer Game Fest), life sim Inzoi from PUBG publishers Krafton, as well as a Terry showcase for Street Fighter 6.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - the Microsoft-owned-Bethesda-release set to arrive on Xbox and PC this year - is also coming to PlayStation 5.
At this evening's Gamescom Opening Night Live event, host Geoff Keighley revealed that everyone's favourite fedora sporting professor will be cracking his whip on Sony's platform as well.
In addition to this news, Bethesda announced a release date for the game. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will release across Xbox Series X/S and PC on 9th December. Its PS5 release will then follow a few months later, during the spring of 2025.
To this day, I still hold Indy responsible for my penchant for hats. I have been enthralled by Indiana Jones ever since I was a little girl - but despite this deep affection, coming away from a hands-off preview of MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, I just can't let myself get overly excited about the upcoming release just yet.
While I'm still looking forward to playing another narrative-driven adventure game, with that fun 'afternoon popcorn flick' energy Great Circle undoubtedly has, my immediate reaction from this first extended demo is to worry this is all it will be, leaning just a little too heavily on fan nostalgia and a tried and tested formula, but without the innovation to truly set it apart from the rest. (And, given the game is currently set to release this year, I really hoped to see more gameplay than I did.)
The demo, which is also being shown at this year's Gamescom, begins with Indy entering a large room within the Sunsparker Chamber, a mysterious underground temple and one of "several well guarded secrets and hidden ruins" you can expect to discover. With the camera in first-person, our archaeologist - gamely brought to life by a still-recognisable Troy Baker - looks around the ancient room before gameplay switches to a cutscene. Indy approaches a statue set upon a plinth at the back of the room, in a scene immediately reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark - which is fitting, given the Great Circle is set between the events of this film and The Last Crusade.
Just when Geoff Keighley had started to fade from your memory, he comes rubber-banding back with a vengeance - snap! It's Gamescom week and it kicks off with Opening Night Live this evening from 7pm UK time (other Opening Night Live timings here). A pre-show with additional announcements will begin at 6.30pm UK. We'll be watching and reporting on it live, as always, right here, so you can either keep abreast of announcements while you do something else, or you can join in with your thoughtful and amusing comments. Please keep us company. Please.
MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will reportedly launch for PlayStation 5 in the early half of 2025, following an Xbox Series X/S and PC release at the end of this year.
That's according to industry insider Nate the Hate (one of the first people to break the news of Microsoft's multi-platform plans at the start of this year) who made the claim on social media. "MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will release on Xbox & PC this holiday (Dec) as a timed console exclusive," they wrote. "After this timed-exclusive window expires, Indiana Jones & the Great Circle is planned to come to PlayStation 5 in the first half of 2025."
Nate the Hate's claim tallies with a report by The Verge back in February, which said Microsoft was planning to go beyond its initial slate of comparatively low-key multi-platform releases by launching some of its flagship games on competing consoles. These were said to include Starfield and MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, with the latter supposedly due to arrive on PS5 "some months" after its Xbox and PC release.
Oh, and new Indiana Jones And The Great Circle trailer! Great. I’ve been looking forward to a nice, juicy chunk of extended gameplay. You know, something to really convey the flow of the game, rather than the admittedly impressive but nonetheless very fragmented snippets we’ve gotten so far. Now to sit back and…oh, wait. Hang on. It’s just actor Troy Baker telling me about all the great acting he’ll be doing. It is great, by the way. He’s doing a fantastic job. Maybe just, you know, a crumb of acknowledgement or elucidation over the whole ‘interactivity’ part?
Anyway, don’t mind me. I’m just an old fool who likes to press buttons. And, to be fair, it's not like Machinegames don't have a great track record. Anyway, here’s some good news: The game releases December 9th this year. Have a release date trailer.
MachineGames have made a decent living as the creators of satirical alternate histories in which you messily murder Nazis using mighty double-handfuls of shotgun. There are Nazis to fight in Indiana Jones And The Great Circle - a globe-trotting, tomb-robbing adventure featuring a Lost Ark-era Harrison Ford - but as you'd expect from a Lucasfilm adaptation, there's rather less of the bloodshed.
Oh, and new Indiana Jones And The Great Circle trailer! Great. I’ve been looking forward to a nice, juicy chunk of extended gameplay. You know, something to really convey the flow of the game, rather than the admittedly impressive but nonetheless very fragmented snippets we’ve gotten so far. Now to sit back and…oh, wait. Hang on. It’s just actor Troy Baker telling me about all the great acting he’ll be doing. It is great, by the way. He’s doing a fantastic job. Maybe just, you know, a crumb of acknowledgement or elucidation over the whole ‘interactivity’ part?
Anyway, don’t mind me. I’m just an old fool who likes to press buttons. And, to be fair, it's not like Machinegames don't have a great track record. Anyway, here’s some good news: The game releases December 9th this year. Have a release date trailer.
MachineGames have made a decent living as the creators of satirical alternate histories in which you messily murder Nazis using mighty double-handfuls of shotgun. There are Nazis to fight in Indiana Jones And The Great Circle - a globe-trotting, tomb-robbing adventure featuring a Lost Ark-era Harrison Ford - but as you'd expect from a Lucasfilm adaptation, rather less of the bloodshed.
Title: The Walking Dead Type of Game: Narrative Adventure Developer: Telltale Games Publisher: Telltale Games Released: April 24, 2012 Platforms Available: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC Game, Xbox (360, One) Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 4 Level of Maturity: Mature (M) Reading Time: 6 minutes
Combining an interactive movie and an adventure game is not a new idea, but it wasn’t until Telltale Games perfected the concept. The Walking Dead is an immersive experience that takes storytelling to a new level. Unless you don’t mind completely sacrificing your gaming freedom… The protagonist is Lee, a former university professor at the time convicted of murder. At the start of the game, he’s just being escorted to prison, but the arrival of zombies ensures he can start living again, regardless of his past. It doesn’t take long before he meets seven-year-old Clementine, whom he pledges to protect and help find her parents.
The Walking Dead arguably has one of the best scripts in the narrative video game genre, and it still manages to make the most out of such a familiar and much-used setting, which zombies are without question these days. The story is inspired by Robert Kirkman’s comic novels and the HBO series of the same name. Really just inspired, the game tells a completely separate story, and the only connection to the books is a couple of side characters that only make a brief appearance a few times in the game. So you don’t have to worry about being limited by your ignorance of the source material. I got the comic myself after finishing the game. Unlike other zombie-themed games, The Walking Dead doesn’t just focus on fighting the undead brain-eaters, but on long-term survival.
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Situations
The main characters are ordinary people who are put in extreme situations that they have to deal with, the zombies themselves are actually the second in line. Throughout your journey, you meet a lot of different people that you have to take an attitude towards. In the harsh environment of a destroyed world, no one can last long on their own, and so a disparate group of individuals gradually builds up around Lee, who have only the desire to survive in common. Everyone is pursuing their own interests and getting along well with everyone is simply not possible. It’s up to you what approach you take to them.
Example: a starving group stumbles upon several cans of food that are by no means enough for everyone. Do you feed the women and children, or the adult men who protect them? You also don’t have to tell anyone about the find and keep everything to yourself. Or you divide everything equally so that no one is fed at all but is fair. You’ll face many similar dilemmas as you play, but often much more serious and under time pressure. The game doesn’t offer clearly good and bad options, you have to decide everything according to your own conscience, and thanks to the automatic saving you can’t change your mind. Even though the game is tightly scripted from the start and there are only two endings, but there are different ways to get there.
None of this would work without the perfect fleshing out of all the characters, which is crucial in the gaming world and especially in the story-driven games genre. Some individuals you will hate, others you will love, but none will be indifferent. The highlight then is the gradually deepening relationship between Lee and little Clementine. It has to be said that the writers definitely do not spare their heroes and are not afraid to kill them.
Not for Everyone, but Perfect for Some
Despite my enthusiasm, I have to admit that The Walking Dead is not for everyone. The story and the cinematic experience are subordinate to everything else, there’s not much left to the actual acting. Of course, dialogue plays a major role in the adventure part, where unlike in regular adventure games, what you say really matters. Logic problem-solving is then limited to using a few objects in the right places, which definitely won’t blow your mind. Besides, just in tense moments, you’re pressing the right buttons according to how they appear on the screen. Getting to the end is no problem even for absolute non-players. But the story has a good flow and there are no blind spots.
Each of the five episodes lasts roughly three hours, which adds up to 15 hours of intense entertainment. And that’s absolutely ideal these days of an enormous number of open worlds with hundreds of hours of genetic content, given the lower price of the game in both digital distribution and boxed versions.
Distinctive Art Style and Atmosphere
The technical workmanship surprises. The creators have resorted to the now very popular Cell-Shaded comic book graphics, which are at odds with the brutality and seriousness of the content depicted. However, the result is so distinctive and hilarious that one quickly gets used to it. The professional dubbing and music then just perfectly round off the unforgettable atmosphere.
Describing The Walking Dead further without giving away the story is no longer possible. More than a video game, this is a perfect experience. Finding mistakes is pointless: once the story draws you in, you’ll still wave your hand over any bugs or minor illogic. The Walking Dead is fundamentally flawless, and for me personally, one of the best games of its time and genre.
It barely feels like five minutes since the last one, but, somehow, Gamescom is almost upon us again. Which means publishers are starting to detail their plans for the show - and in Microsoft's case, we now know that'll include daily livestreams for those at home, plus over 50 playable games for anyone wandering the Koelnmesse's halls.
Attendees visiting Microsoft's Hall 7 Gamescom booth in person will find 50 games from Xbox Game Studios, Blizzard, Bethesda, and third-party partners, playable across 240 gaming stations. These include Age of Mythology: Retold, Ara: History Untold, Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, Fallout 76: Milepost Zero, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, and Towerborne.
Playable third-party games, meanwhile, include Star Wars Outlaws, Space Marine 2, and the long-awaited Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. A full list of games at the booth can be found here.
It barely feels like five minutes since the last one, but, somehow, Gamescom is almost upon us again. Which means publishers are starting to detail their plans for the show - and in Microsoft's case, we now know that'll include daily livestreams for those at home, plus over 50 playable games for anyone wandering the Koelnmesse's halls.
Attendees visiting Microsoft's Hall 7 Gamescom booth in person will find 50 games from Xbox Game Studios, Blizzard, Bethesda, and third-party partners, playable across 240 gaming stations. These include Age of Mythology: Retold, Ara: History Untold, Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, Fallout 76: Milepost Zero, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, and Towerborne.
Playable third-party games, meanwhile, include Star Wars Outlaws, Space Marine 2, and the long-awaited Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. A full list of games at the booth can be found here.
No Rest for the Wicked developer Moon Studios has released its first new content update for the early access release.
Known as The Crucible update, it brings a "whole new Crucible" (seems fitting), as well as a new fungal enemy faction known as the Gloam, a new Exalted item status, the promise of "more visceral" combat and more.
You can check out a little teaser for the update in the video below.
Grimdark hack-and-slasher No Rest For The Wicked has received its first major update - or the first that isn't focused on bug fixes and performance improvements, anyway. It focuses on revamping the Crucible, the endgame's repeatable roguelite, adding more randomisation to arenas and a new system of player buffs.
The immersive sim has seen a revival in recent years. Not only from larger studios like Arkane, keeping the faith alive with their time loops and space stations, but also from a bunch of smaller developers bravely exploring a typically ambitious genre. RPS has always had an affinity for these systemically luxuriant simulations, historically lauding the likes of the original Deus Ex as the best game ever made. But given everything that has come since, is that still the case? Only one way to find out: make a big list.
Grimdark hack-and-slasher No Rest For The Wicked has received its first major update - or the first that isn't focused on bug fixes and performance improvements, anyway. It focuses on revamping the Crucible, the endgame's repeatable roguelite, adding more randomisation to arenas and a new system of player buffs.
The immersive sim has seen a revival in recent years. Not only from larger studios like Arkane, keeping the faith alive with their time loops and space stations, but also from a bunch of smaller developers bravely exploring a typically ambitious genre. RPS has always had an affinity for these systemically luxuriant simulations, historically lauding the likes of the original Deus Ex as the best game ever made. But given everything that has come since, is that still the case? Only one way to find out: make a big list.
With Sony having surprised precisely no-one by announcing that, once again, PlayStation won't be at this year's Gamescom, Microsoft has seized the opportunity to let everyone know that, by Jove, Xbox will be at this year's show.
Microsoft shared the news over on social media, inviting attendees to visit its "biggest booth yet" when Gamescom returns to Cologne, Germany, in August this year.
Microsoft will, of course, be the only major console maker to have at presence at Gamescom 2024; Nintendo confirmed it wouldn't be coming along back in April, saying there would be opportunities for players to try Switch games at other events throughout the year, and PlayStation confirmed a no-show earlier this week. Sony's absence hardly warrants a raised eyebrow, however, given it hasn't showed up since 2019.
On the one hand, perhaps the trove of upcoming titles should be expected. After all, this is what you should get when you spend nearly $100bn buying up swathes of the games industry. On the other, well, Microsoft has seemed to perenially exist on promising that next year's crop of first-party games will finally be where its acquisition spree pays off, where Game Pass truly hits the big time, and where it at last starts clawing back some market share.
After watching the avalanche of announcements last night (Doom! Gears! Perfect Dark!) alongside everything else we knew was coming (Fable! Indy! More Diablo!) it's hard to see how the next 12 months couldn't make an impact - let alone the boost of launching Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 into Xbox Game Pass. Could Xbox finally feel like it's hitting its stride this console generation, after numerous misfires? Joining me this week are Eurogamer's Ed Nightingale and Victoria Kennedy to discuss.
The team shared a look at what it calls a "pivotal cinematic", in which Indy and his sidekick (for this game at least) Gina "make a startling discovery in the Himalayas". There is a kerfuffle over a stone, and of course, some explosions and bad guys getting thrown off cliffs.
The Summer Game Fest stampede continues today with a big one: the Xbox Game Showcase. The show starts at 6pm UK time and we'll be covering all the major talking points right here, in a blow-by-blow account. As ever, you can watch the stream right here and chat about everything in the comments with us below.
What do we expect to see? Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from Wolfenstein developer MachineGames, the Shattered Space expansion for Starfield, and possibly Flight Simulator 2024. I'm also holding out hope for a proper look at the Fable reboot, and there's a chance we may see the new Gears of War game that The Coalition has been working on. That's a pretty solid line-up, if it all comes to pass.
However, it's against the backdrop of studio closures and redundancies that Microsoft takes to the stage, so it'll be interesting to see if there's any reaction or reference to that. Microsoft has also made some bold moves in recent months to make previously Xbox-exclusive games available on PlayStation, so I wonder whether that initiative will continue with other games. It's an important moment for Microsoft; let's see what it's got.
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle, Indy’s upcoming FPSadventure game, has a new ‘Official Showcase Reveal’ trailer, officially showcasing and revealing basically nothing about the game except that it features some pretty and decently acted cutscenes, which we already knew from the previous reveal. It does have snow nazis in however, possibly the rarest flavour of Nazi after Cookies n’ Cream and Original. You’ll find the trailer below. Be careful: it’s official. Also, it’s mainly just one very long cutscene, so if you want to save that stuff for when the game’s out, maybe don’t bother.
Title: Lake Developer: Gamious Publisher: Whitethorn Games Released: September 1, 2021 Platforms Available: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 5
Meredith’s Escape
Have you ever considered leaving everything behind, going to the American countryside for a fortnight to try a different job and meet new people? That’s precisely what the main character of Lake, Meredith Weiss, did. A demanding job, an annoying boss, and an imminent burnout syndrome forced her to travel to her hometown of Providence Oaks in Oregon to take over the role of the local postmistress for her father, who had left to drink margaritas in sunny Florida.
Before I get into the review, I need to pass on the developers’ words and warn you that Lake is not the classic story-driven adventure game we know. The overwhelming story, the puzzles, the action… I wasn’t expecting any of that here, and I didn’t miss it. No murders, complex relationships, or life or death choices. The biggest problem with this small town is the construction of apartments at the expense of nature and the harmony of the surroundings. I would be lying if I said the game had no story. In fact, it does. So, if you come home from work every day angry and tired, make yourself comfortable, have a coffee, light a cigarette, transport yourself to the 1980s, and follow Meredith to a picturesque lake in the middle of the mountains. How her story unfolds over the next two weeks is up to you. The dialogue choices, which are the glitter on the diamond here, can change the storyline and allow you to reach a different ending. There are three of these in total.
But it’s not all about the conversations, which are brilliantly written, though admittedly a little chaotic at times. The main focus is delivering the mail. Your day always starts in the morning when you get in the van, turn on the local radio station, and hurrah to work to the sound of pop country. The number of deliveries, whether parcels or letters, increases over time. It doesn’t matter in what order or how long it takes to deliver your correspondence. The game offers complete freedom in this respect and the opportunity to explore the entire game map. It’s up to you how long the working day will take. I’ll admit that even I sometimes veered off the planned route just to check out the view from the dam or left my car at the edge of the forest and went to the beach to see the whole Lake in the palm of my hand. Unless it was raining. It’s a shame that the opportunity to explore the world is gone after all the deliveries are made.
Character Encounters and Dialogue Choices
If you accept an invitation for lunch or a walk during the morning delivery, there is usually an afternoon activity waiting for you on the same day. However, if you feel uncomfortable with someone offering you an afternoon activity, you’ll appreciate the option to decline the invitation. However, I would definitely not recommend this. Aside from the script and dubbing, all the characters are engaging in some way, though it may not seem so at first glance. Whether it’s the initially annoying cat woman Mildred or the odd hippie couple Mickey and June. At the end of the day, you usually have the choice of reading a book, watching TV, or working on your project. Well, start the van again in the morning. When I dropped my last letter in the mailbox on Friday, I was relieved to have my work week over. I was then unpleasantly surprised to learn that mail is delivered on Saturdays in America. In truth, I didn’t mind it so much and was even looking forward to chatting with old friends or people I had met only yesterday. The relationships I was able to make with all the characters in nearly seven hours of play took me back to the days of the first Life is Strange.
If you find the van ride tedious, you’ll appreciate the autopilot option. It will drive you to your desired location, but you must carry the heavy packages yourself. I’ve used this more than once. And that’s either because I wanted to enjoy the comic 3D graphics, which the authors did well. Despite the slightly outdated models, they managed to capture the environment of a quiet small town to the smallest detail. Or simply because I wanted to soak up the atmosphere of the eighties, which was always beaming at me. But if the autopilot doesn’t suit you, several fast travel points can be moved with a single click. Personally, though, I would recommend using both options sparingly. The vehicle controls are stiff, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the driving experience. Even if the character controls are of a good standard, I would only fault the sprinting. In fact, if you’re hoping that holding the shift key will put our protagonist into a run, you’d be mistaken. Her only response is a subtle increase in stride. You can’t blame the developers for that, though, as the intention is to emphasize to players that this is a calm, relaxing game.
What bothered me the most about the whole game were the stupid NPC characters that could stop in the middle of the road or block your door. Luckily, you only meet a few of them, though, as there’s not much activity in this quiet and sometimes dull town. And that’s the way it’s supposed to be. It doesn’t detract from the experience. The same goes for the graphics, where Xbox owners, in particular, complain about texture creep or flickering shadows. I only encountered the latter problem once on the PC version I reviewed. The great dubbing is worth mentioning, especially the character of Kay, our childhood best friend, played by Cassie Ewulu, known primarily to anime fans.
A Quiet Town’s Echo
If I ignore minor bugs like the fact that the brake lights don’t come on when braking, the dubious lip-sync (when the characters don’t open their mouths to the dub), or the repetitive soundtrack (which, by the way, you can complain to your local DJ about), I enjoyed everything. It must be taken into account that this is an indie title. Lake offers a rather unconventional experience that may only suit some. However, those who try the game will give me the benefit of the doubt that this is a good title.
1. Steam (PC): Available for $19.99. You can purchase the game directly from Steam.
2. Epic Games Store (PC): Also priced at $19.99. Find more details and purchase the game here on Epic Games Store.
3. PlayStation Store (PS4/PS5): The game is available for purchase at $19.99. You can buy it from the PlayStation Store.
4. Xbox Store: Lake is available for $19.99 on the Xbox platform. You can find it here on Xbox.
Moon Studios has outlined the changes coming to the first patch for its early access dark fantasy action RPG, No Rest for the Wicked.
"This patch brings significant CPU and GPU performance improvements (especially when it comes to traversal and “heavy” areas), keyboard control remapping, a new mouse/keyboard control scheme, increased inventory stacks, chest inventory access at vendors / crafting, bows using stamina, earlier housing access, Quality of Life and 45+ bug fixes," the team explained in the patch notes, saying the patch "celebrates" the game's two-week anniversary.
Given the long, long list of performance improvements and optimisations, Moon Studios has now revised its recommended PC specs for the RPG, the updated version of which is available below:
Moon Studios has outlined the changes coming to the first patch for its early access dark fantasy action RPG, No Rest for the Wicked.
"This patch brings significant CPU and GPU performance improvements (especially when it comes to traversal and “heavy” areas), keyboard control remapping, a new mouse/keyboard control scheme, increased inventory stacks, chest inventory access at vendors / crafting, bows using stamina, earlier housing access, Quality of Life and 45+ bug fixes," the team explained in the patch notes, saying the patch "celebrates" the game's two-week anniversary.
Given the long, long list of performance improvements and optimisations, Moon Studios has now revised its recommended PC specs for the RPG, the updated version of which is available below:
Moon Studios has outlined the changes coming to the first patch for its early access dark fantasy action RPG, No Rest for the Wicked.
"This patch brings significant CPU and GPU performance improvements (especially when it comes to traversal and “heavy” areas), keyboard control remapping, a new mouse/keyboard control scheme, increased inventory stacks, chest inventory access at vendors / crafting, bows using stamina, earlier housing access, Quality of Life and 45+ bug fixes," the team explained in the patch notes, saying the patch "celebrates" the game's two-week anniversary.
Given the long, long list of performance improvements and optimisations, Moon Studios has now revised its recommended PC specs for the RPG, the updated version of which is available below:
After a bit of a bumpy landing on PC, it looks like No Rest for the Wicked is finally finding its feet. The early access action-RPG launched with notable performance problems that developers Moon Studios promised they’d address, starting with several hotfixes over the last few weeks that managed to claw back some frames. The game’s first big patch goes a step further, seemingly boosting the game’s performance to a degree that its minimum and recommended hardware specs have been lowered as a result.
No Rest for the Wicked's first early access hotfix has been rolled out, and a second patch is "already in progress".
As Victoria summarised for us yesterday, the Diablo-like game from Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios released to mixed reviews on Steam, but already the team is on the case in a bid to address "balance, durability, stamina, loot, stability, and immediate Quality of Life".
In a lengthy update on the game's social media accounts, the team said: "Thank you again to all of you for making our Early Access launch so amazing. Today's hotfix is the first of many upcoming patches and updates to improve No Rest for the Wicked on the road to our 1.0 release.
No Rest For the Wicked launched in early access yesterday, but has unfortunately hit a few bumps on its debut.
The Diablo-like game from Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios currently holds a mixed review average on Steam, with the top comment stating that while there are definitely the bones of a good release here, its developer "still needs to cook".
"I want to like this, but the performance is just not in a good enough place for me to recommend it right now," one player wrote, while another adds: "Wait till further development/release if you have any self control."
No Rest for the Wicked is out now on early access, giving us our first glimpse at Moon Studios' latest project. The developer's prior offering - Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and The Will of the Wisps - turned the Metroidvania style of game on its head, offering a powerful, fresh experience that is difficult to forget. And now, four years later, Moon looks set to do the same for action RPGs with No Rest for the Wicked. Simply put, No Rest for the Wicked couples a stunning visual design with elements inspired by From Software's Souls titles, Blizzard's Diablo and even Animal Crossing - and yet the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
At its core, Wicked remains a game rooted in the Unity Engine but with a vast range of customisations transforming it into its own thing, hence the nickname - Moonity. This, however, is used only for the game's presentation layer - the graphics you see on-screen. Moon has also built a new simulation engine - built on top of Exit Games' Quantum Engine - to handle game logic, including a fully deterministic 3D physics system for networking, which No Rest for the Wicked will feature at a later date.
What makes this setup work well is the division between rendering and simulation - basically, input responsiveness is separate from frame-rate so, if you're playing on a lower end platform, like a Steam Deck, at 30fps, the game will still feel as responsive as a game running at a higher frame-rate. The visuals, however, are striking. First and foremost, Wicked supports HDR on day one - this is important as we have largely considered Ori and the Will of the Wisps to stand out as one of the best examples of HDR in any game released to date. The HDR implementation is superb and just as intense and engaging as Ori. It makes a gigantic difference if you use an HDR display.
No Rest for the Wicked's first early access hotfix has been rolled out, and a second patch is "already in progress".
As Victoria summarised for us yesterday, the Diablo-like game from Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios released to mixed reviews on Steam, but already the team is on the case in a bid to address "balance, durability, stamina, loot, stability, and immediate Quality of Life".
In a lengthy update on the game's social media accounts, the team said: "Thank you again to all of you for making our Early Access launch so amazing. Today's hotfix is the first of many upcoming patches and updates to improve No Rest for the Wicked on the road to our 1.0 release.
No Rest For the Wicked launched in early access yesterday, but has unfortunately hit a few bumps on its debut.
The Diablo-like game from Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios currently holds a mixed review average on Steam, with the top comment stating that while there are definitely the bones of a good release here, its developer "still needs to cook".
"I want to like this, but the performance is just not in a good enough place for me to recommend it right now," one player wrote, while another adds: "Wait till further development/release if you have any self control."
No Rest for the Wicked is out now on early access, giving us our first glimpse at Moon Studios' latest project. The developer's prior offering - Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and The Will of the Wisps - turned the Metroidvania style of game on its head, offering a powerful, fresh experience that is difficult to forget. And now, four years later, Moon looks set to do the same for action RPGs with No Rest for the Wicked. Simply put, No Rest for the Wicked couples a stunning visual design with elements inspired by From Software's Souls titles, Blizzard's Diablo and even Animal Crossing - and yet the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
At its core, Wicked remains a game rooted in the Unity Engine but with a vast range of customisations transforming it into its own thing, hence the nickname - Moonity. This, however, is used only for the game's presentation layer - the graphics you see on-screen. Moon has also built a new simulation engine - built on top of Exit Games' Quantum Engine - to handle game logic, including a fully deterministic 3D physics system for networking, which No Rest for the Wicked will feature at a later date.
What makes this setup work well is the division between rendering and simulation - basically, input responsiveness is separate from frame-rate so, if you're playing on a lower end platform, like a Steam Deck, at 30fps, the game will still feel as responsive as a game running at a higher frame-rate. The visuals, however, are striking. First and foremost, Wicked supports HDR on day one - this is important as we have largely considered Ori and the Will of the Wisps to stand out as one of the best examples of HDR in any game released to date. The HDR implementation is superb and just as intense and engaging as Ori. It makes a gigantic difference if you use an HDR display.
No rest for No Rest For The Wicked's developers, it seems. The punishing action-RPG launched in Steam Early Access last week with performance issues, among other issues, and Moon Studios have now deployed their first hotfix.
Lured like an unsatisfied sailor by the siren song of alleged performance woes, I’ve been giving No Rest for the Wicked a cursory benchmarkin’, and yes! The isometric ARPGdoes suffer from all the early access wonkiness you’ve likely heard about already today.
No Rest For The Wicked, the top-down soulslike that released yesterday in Steam early access, is already seeing its fair share of performance and QOL issues, including instability, lack of keybinding options, and players losing their progress. In response, developer Moon Studios have put out a blog saying that, yes, they’re aware of the problems and, yes, they’re actively looking to address the most common hiccups.
Nowadays, I'm more than happy to sacrifice high frames and a big screen for the comforts of the Steam Deck. I like lounging on the couch, the light forearm workout, and heating my room in only a few minutes. So it's good news that Moon Studios' upcoming ARPGNo Rest For The Wicked will be playable on launch for Deck, the ROG Ally and other handhelds. Minimum PC specs also don't look too taxing, but those after the shiniest-looking game on recommended hardware may be in for a shock.
As a big fan of Ori And The Blind Forest, I am very excited for Moon Studios' new venture No Rest For The Wicked, an online ARPG which swaps the cutesyness of Ori and that ickle wickle forest for top-down fights against abominations slathered in muck and entrails. A new early access release trailer highlights said fights, alongside the devs saying that there's going to be no microtransactions, no always-online requirement, and no anti-cheat software bundled in. I don't want to speak too soon, but so far, it looks like we're onto something pretty darn good here.
Ori and the Blind Forest is well known for its tear-jerker of an intro cutscene so for developer Moon Studios, the dark and damp, gore-soaked world of its next game No Rest for the Wicked, seems like a radical change in direction.
But how well has the studio managed the switch from magical Metroidvania to a swords and sorcery Soulsborne-like? Well, I went in blind and you can join me in my journey of discovery as I learn the ropes in the gameplay video below, where I play through the first 90 minutes of the game.
In No Rest for the Wicked, you play as a Cerim, a holy warrior imbued with remarkable powers (that you have to earn back before you can use them it seems) and, after a tragic accident at sea, you wash up on the backwaters of a land called Isola Sacra which is awash with something called 'the Pestilence'.
What came first, the video game or the tie-in novel? Typically it's the former - and only after it's proven to be successful. But this isn't the case with Unknown 9: Awakening, a historical action adventure published by Bandai Namco originally announced back in 2020. Back then, it was due for launch the following year. Now, it will rather belatedly arrive this summer, long after a number of other Unknown 9 things have already debuted: a comic, the beginnings of a novel trilogy, a Spotify podcast. There's no Michael Fassbender movie in sight just yet, but the hope is that Unknown 9: Awakening will supercharge interest in all that, and act as an entry point into this fresh storytelling universe.
If you tuned in to last night's Xbox Partner Preview showcase, you'll have seen a bit of Unknown 9 in action. At first glance, it looks like a cross between Assassin's Creed and modern Tomb Raider, starring a character named Haroona played by Anya Chalotra (Yennefer in Netflix's version of The Witcher). But while last night's trailer was combat heavy, an extended look I was given offered plenty of moments for quieter, stealthier tactics, and smarter gameplay using a suite of special powers.
So, what's it all about? Well, you know how Assassin's Creed has an ancient civilisation and modern day clandestine societies vying to exploit its secret knowledge to promote rival causes centering on the nature of control or free will? It's very much like that.
Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios has announced its dark action-RPG No Rest for the Wicked will launch into Steam early access on 18th April.
No Rest for the Wicked, which was unveiled during last year's The Game Awards, is described by Moon Studios as an "expansive" and "visceral" action-RPG that's "set to reinvent the genre". It casts players as a Cerim - a holy warrior "imbued with remarkable powers" - who embarks on a journey across the harsh Isola Sacra to defeat an unholy plague.
Its campaign promises a "mature, dark" narrative, as well as "brutal, precision-based" combat, and a hand-crafted world, with players can take on No Rest for the Wicked's challenges, quests, and bosses either solo or with up to three friends by their side.
The two Ori games were gorgeous platformers that challenged your dexterity while tugging on your heartstrings. The next game from developers Moon Studios seems more likely to do the former than the latter. No Rest For The Wicked is a Souls-ish action RPG that apparently thinks you're extremely wicked.
It also got a release date today during a showcase stream: April 18th.
When Ori And The Blind Forest developers Moon Studios announced that their next game would be a top-down, online action RPG, my initial reaction was, 'Heck yes, sign me the hell up for this Souls-y, Diablo-y hack and slash.' Having now played the opening 90 minutes of the game ahead of tonight's Wicked Inside showcase, that initial excitement has settled into more of a 'Hoo boy, this thing is hard as nails. Folks who like Elden Ring and Dark Souls are going to go absolutely bananas for it.' It's definitely verging on the edge of being just a teensy bit too punishing for my personal taste, but even though my arse got thoroughly whomped time and time again during this initial prologue section, there's still something about No Rest For The Wicked that's left me quietly captivated.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Microsoft are bringing Maneater back to Game Pass. Yesterday they unveiled the next batches of Game Pass additions and two are returnees, with the delightful fighty platformer Indivisible accompanying brutal shark 'em up Maneater. What's more important is that it's adding the game with the cutest little Nurglings, grimdark retro-styled FPS Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. The rhetoric of 'purging xenos and heretics' surely doesn't apply to these darling babies. Read on for all the games coming to (and going from) Game Pass over the next few weeks.
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