Poor Max Caulfield—the original protagonist of Life Is Strange has hardly ever been able to catch a break. Now, the time-rewinding heroine is about to face her ultimate challenge in Life Is Strange: Reunion, and after a brief hands-on preview, it’s clear that she at least won’t be facing it without her oldest ally.

When we last saw Max in 2024’s Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, she had settled into a new position as an artist-in-residence at Caledon University in Lakeport, Vermont. When tragedy befell her new best friend, Safi, Max discovered a new ability which allowed her to “shift” into an alternate timeline where Safi was still alive, and discover the truth behind her would-be killer. The game ended on some unresolved business, which Reunion will apparently seek to close off, but another layer of paradoxical problems will plague Max along the way.

As yet another mysterious disaster threatens to take away the things Max holds dear, a blast from the past will appear in her new life at Caledon: Chloe Price.

Depending on the choices you made (or consider canon) from previous games, Chloe might be alive but estranged by Max. Or, the events of Life Is Strange: Double Exposure may have shunted an alternate version of Chloe into Max’s reality, with memories of the destruction of Arcadia Bay and their time on the road together… and nightmares of dying on the bathroom floor at Blackwell Academy from the original game. Either way, players will have to control both characters and utilize their particular skills to solve the mystery that’s threatening Caledon.

“Fans will be delighted to see that rewind works much the same in Life Is Strange: Reunion as it always has.”

Life Is Strange: Reunion essentially offers four possible backgrounds, based on two different choices: if Max and Chloe romanced or were just close friends, and if Chloe lived or died. During a hands-on preview with the game ahead of its release next month, I was able to hop into the game with my personal choice from the first game—romanced, and Chloe died—and see how these factors affect the story.

In a segment that feels like the end of the first chapter, I explored the familiar Snapping Turtle bar from Double Exposure, first as Chloe and later as Max. This included interacting with familiar Caledon faces—some welcome (Amanda) and others unwelcome (Lucas)—and using both protagonists’ powers.

Max’s rewind ability from the first game is back in full form, allowing her to rewind conversations while retaining knowledge and items. Fans will be delighted to see that rewind works much the same in Life Is Strange: Reunion as it always has, right down to the familiar spiral gauge that shows your position on the timeline. There were at least two great opportunities to use it to Max’s advantage at the Turtle, and zipping back in time with a pocket full of secret information still feels like a conversational cheat code.

Later in the preview, a life-or-death timed segment put the mechanic and Life Is Strange‘s mystery-solving through its paces. While Double Exposure used the “shift” power to great effect, it is satisfying to get Max through a dire situation with good old-fashioned time tampering.

Chloe’s featured mechanic (calling it a “power” is a bit aggrandizing) for Backtalk came into play later. She may be about ten years older, but even as an adult Chloe still has her rebellious side, and arguing with a security guard is a tantalizing target for her. As before, the key is to use what you’ve noticed in the environment or about the target of your Backtalk beforehand, and bring it to bear.

Admittedly, as the first part of the exchange was shown in the trailer, it was like starting with the answer key in front of me, but nonetheless, I felt a pang of nostalgia for the days of hurling barbs at Chloe’s stepdad, David, in the previous games. This ability is much more restricted than Max’s rewind, which can essentially be used at will, so it will be interesting to see how else it comes up in the full game.

Dialogue and choices are the core of the franchise, but for the first time, Life Is Strange: Reunion will feature two simultaneous protagonists, and naturally, Max and Chloe have a lot to talk about. Instead of keeping players firmly rooted in one of the two, such pivotal conversations between the two leads shift between them, depending on the choices being made. There’s a visible cue showing the focus shifting to either Max or Chloe, and while dialogue options are on screen, the game highlights which character is making the choice.

I was impressed with how this setup allowed me to make decisions on behalf of both characters in a way that felt authentic to their story. Devoted players have shaped their own take on the characters’ relationships over three games’ worth of choices by this point; bringing Chloe back into the picture but denying her any chance at player agency would’ve made the whole exercise moot. Thankfully, judging by the key conversation following their reunion (which was also teased during the reveal livestream), Deck Nine has put a lot of thought into how it would handle having two heroines.

My short hands-on time with Life Is Strange: Reunion flew by, and even with a small cross-section of the full experience, my mind was left buzzing, pondering the possibilities. It remains to be seen if other choices made during Double Exposure, like having Max romance or flirt with Amanda or Vinh, will be eligible to carry forward, but the implications of each of the four main situations between Max and Chloe alone have me itching to see the same conversations from another side.

Based on this slice of Max’s tumultuous life, it seems like Life Is Strange: Reunion is poised to make good on all the things Double Exposure set up and left on the table, while also doing right by the events of the first games. It’s been hard to bite my tongue and not give anything away through the course of this article, either regarding the new mystery or the implications from previous games.

One particular allusion, regarding David, gave me hope that this game could truly bridge the eras… but we’ll have to wait just a bit longer to dive into the game and see what other ancient history gets dug up along the way, as Max and Chloe’s fight to secure their future’s saga comes to an end.

Life Is Strange: Reunion launches March 26 on PlayStation 5, Steam, and Xbox Series X|S.

Yes, we’ve got news from a Star Wars Galaxies emulator that isn’t SWGL for you all today. This time we’re highlighting Star Wars Galaxies Restoration III, the mashup CU/NGE variant that had a 1.0 release in 2022, which is preparing to launch its new Shatterpoint major content update for the classsic sandbox. “Shatterpoint introduces unique content and mechanics, turning […]

This year is promising some great PlayStation 5 games – our Most Wanted Games of Early 2026 is easy proof of that. But we’re only just getting started. There’s so much more on the way, and with PS5 not only home to the biggest releases but also an exciting hotbed of super cool indie titles, it’s only fair to give you an enticing glimpse at why we’re so hyped for the coming months.

Coffee Talk Tokyo | May 21 | PS5

If you’ve ever wanted to safely talk to yokai about their lives (or afterlives) over a cup of joe, then pull up a seat at the Tokyo cafe Chorus Worldwide has set up. If you’re not familiar with the lovely Coffee Talk series, this iteration continues its calming narrative, where you prepare and serve drinks to supernatural customers seeking chilled conversation and warm contemplation.

Fishbowl | April TBD | PS5

As odd as its title might sound, Fishbowl carries a depth that’s already caught the eyes and tugged at the hearts of those who’ve played it. Exploring a journey of grief and self-discovery, the two-person studio of imissmyfriends promises a thoughtful and emotional visual novel. A coming-of-age tale set over a month, Fishbowl features sorting-and-matching puzzle gameplay elements, but, most importantly, it aims to teach players that taking things one day at a time is sometimes the only way to move forward.

Hela | TBD 2026 | PS5

It’s entirely possible that when you first heard the title of this 3D co-op adventure, images of Nordic fire and brimstone came to mind. But never fear, Hela is pretty much the opposite. In fact, the only Scandinavian landscapes that have inspired this wholesome journey are those that have you reaching for the Create button for a revisit. Windup’s beautiful-looking escapade of puzzles and teamwork – via either local split-screen or online if you want to bring a buddy – lets you become a sickly witch’s mousey familiar, brewing healing potions and helping the local village with acts of kindness.

Inkonbini: One Store. Many Stories | April TBD | PS5

Need space for a cosy gaming experience? Nagai Industries has you covered with this nostalgic slice-of-life narrative, where human connections created by everyday events are entirely the point. Inspired by early 1990s Japan, Inkobini sets you in a small-town convenience store where you not only go through the meditative routine of preparing the shop for customers, but also hear their tales and forge relationships. The branching narrative shapes your conversations as you help the neighbourhood grow and thrive.

Mina the Hollower | Spring 2026 | PS5, PS4

One of the most anticipated titles of 2026, Yacht Club Games’ action-adventure blends an 8-bit aesthetic with modern design sensibilities, a combination that helped Shovel Knight become such a beloved indie darling. Genius inventor Mina isn’t just a dab hand with weapons like her Nightstar whip and daggers, but can also use her hollowing ability to burrow underground – perfect for mixing up combat and traversal in the many dungeons of the cursed Tenebrous Isle. Fan favourite musicians Jake Kaufman (the Shantae series) and Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage/Shinobi series) are also along for the adventure’s infectiously slick soundtrack.

Mortal Shell II | TBD 2026 | PS5

Let’s step away from the cosy side for a spell, and get our hands a little dirty with the sequel to Cold Symmetry’s original action-RPG. While standalone from its predecessor, Mortal Shell II continues to deliver the unflinching fights, nightmarish enemies, and haunting open world that fans previously enjoyed. The corpses of departed warriors are yours to awaken and possess to utilize their many abilities. Finishers have been upgraded, and the stamina gauge has been removed to speed up combat. Oh, and there are firearms, too, so your bloody quest to reclaim the Undermether’s stolen eggs gives you a chance to introduce the likes of shotguns and rapid-fire crossbows to your foes.

Mouse P.I. For Hire | March 19 | PS5

Evoking the hand-drawn aesthetic of classic 1930s cartoons, Fumi Games’s first-person shooter blends detective noir storytelling with all-action blasting. If you like jazz, machine guns, grizzled narration, and oversized white gloves, then Mouseburg will be your home away from home. But be warned – just like the animation it apes, this is a game where almost anything can happen.

Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse | March 5 | PS5, PS4

There’s something special about a game that knows how endearing it is, and this vibrant 2D search action roguelike truly owns its charm – or should that be ‘curse’? Simply put, you control a magical hat with the power to possess your foes and use their abilities to venture through ruins, botanical gardens, and more, to help rebuild your ruined village. And what’s better than one cursed hat? Well, bring three friends along for the multiplayer mode and find out.

Ontos | TBD 2026 | PS5

When Frictional Games announced it would be unleashing the spiritual successor to 2015 sci-fi horror Soma, any eager anticipation was rewarded with the first glimpses of Ontos. Swapping underwater chills for a desolate moon base, this disturbing narrative-driven adventure challenges you to scavenge materials, operate machinery, and make moral choices that could result in grave consequences as you delve deeper into the mystery of a failed mining colony.

Out of Words | TBD 2026 | PS5

Easily one of the most unique-looking games in this list due to its eye-catching stop-motion and handcrafted visuals, Out of Words lives up to its title with two protagonists without mouths. In a quest to restore their voices, you and a friend take control of Kurt and Karla in a co-op platform adventure packed with puzzles and environmental challenges, testing your communication and coordination. And beneath the giant fish, tense set pieces, and physics-defying traversals, beats a tender story of connection and love, too.

Over the Hill | TBD 2026 | PS5

It couldn’t have been easy to follow the stylish racing game art of rally, but developers Funselektor Labs and Strelka Games have made something decidedly different, albeit still on four wheels. Over the Hill focuses on exploration and discovery, with a deliberately paced drive through a wilderness of dynamic weather, day/night cycles, and terrain deformation. It’s not a race – it’s all about the journey, upgrading and customizing your vehicle, taking in the scenery, and even joining up to three friends to see what awaits past the sunset.   

We might be buzzing to get our hands on these games (and many more, coming), but what about you? Which indie titles are you looking forward to playing in 2026?

The price of an obscure PS4 game is skyrocketing on the second-hand market, thanks to its necessity in a new PS5 jailbreak. This game, of which 1,000 or less physical copies were produced, has suddenly become a hot commodity among jailbreak enthusiasts and resellers alike.

Read more

pieceArcades are awesome. I know this, you know this, we all know this. Something about the lights and sounds of the cabinets, the physicality involved with tapping those oh-so-satisfying oversized buttons to play each game, speaks to a primal gaming urge. Unfortunately, arcades have become less and less common over the years, which means the ones that are left tend to be overcrowded, expensive, and sometimes falling apart. In response to this, a booming market has emerged of at-home controllers that emulate the feel of an arcade cabinet, to varying degrees of success. The good people at Junkfood were kind enough to ship me their take on the arcade controller - the Sworl.

The Sworl comes in two variations: The Sworl Basic for $175, and the Sworl Multiconsole for $225. The Basic works with the PC and the Switch, while the Multiconsole works for all modern platforms. The Sworl is entirely customizable, with everything from the button layout and profile to the colors and animations for the LEDs, to the deadzone of the sticks; you can make the Sworl into the controller that best suits your needs. It takes a little bit of setup within your browser to get working, but once that's finished, it's easy to change any settings you want and save them to separate profiles. I highly recommend doing this, as it can save the headache of having to remap every single game you play to your preferred settings. Choice is king with the Sworl, and it allows for an extremely tailored experience if you go looking for it. So that's the basic setup, but what's the product itself like?

The packaging for the Sworl is immaculate. I'm a sucker for good, clean presentation when it comes to my gaming peripherals, and the Sworl delivers immediately. The box is a sleek and minimalist orange design, emblazoned with the controller's branding. Upon opening it, you are greeted with a high-quality, black, solid-shell nylon carrying case, evoking an immediate sense of quality. The solid shell case zips open to reveal the Sworl itself, along with a sturdy braided C-class connection cable and a QR code that explains everything the Sworl can do.

The Hardware

The actual controller is, in my opinion, peak design for something like this. It's extremely sturdy, with a hard plastic design that feels high-quality without being too heavy or cumbersome. With these more arcade-style controllers, I tend to find myself either wanting more room on the face of the system or less, but the Sworl hits that balance perfectly.

The controller itself comes with four cardinal direction keys, set up in a WASD fashion, along with ten large black buttons, each of which sits on a dazzling rainbow LED. Along the top of the controller is a row of six rubber buttons, each of which is used to help customize the Sworl as well as pause games and navigate menus. What stands out the most to me for the Sworl is the two domes that lie suspiciously close to where your thumbs naturally fall when playing. These domes are actually full-fledged analogue sticks, with a cool hexagon design that allows for better grip.

Those analogue sticks are buttery smooth and just the right size for comfort. Their inclusion addresses a long-held problem with tabletop arcade controllers - the traditional joystick. These peripherals may be seminal in the dark halls of arcades, but when you're relegated to using a large, cumbersome, typically unresponsive ball on the end of a stick for more contemporary titles, the whole thing tends to fall apart. While the unfortunate reality may be that sacrifices are necessary to meet in the middle, the Sworl bridges that gap perfectly with the installation of its analogue sticks. The sticks are easily accessible, with big domed heads, plenty of grip, and an ease of placement that makes it so you never feel like you're reaching or stretching. You can also use their web app to customize dead zones and make the Sworl feel exactly how you would like. They're simply comfortable to use.

Comfort isn't the only thing the Sworl has going for it. Somehow, the people at Junkfood have been able to perfectly translate the satisfying click-clack of a mechanical gaming keyboard to buttons the size of USD 50-cent pieces. Obviously, the controller has to work well to be useful, but it goes a step beyond and becomes downright delightful to use.

Playing With Sworl

My initial journey with the Sworl was that of Street Fighter 6, Capcom's excellent (and frankly, underrated) latest installment in the iconic Street Fighter franchise. After getting the controller initially set up (which was as easy as changing the keybinding in the settings), I realized that I had picked the perfect game to test drive the Sworl. Street Fighter 6 has a fantastic RPG mode, where you can create your own fighter and take them around the world to train with different Street Fighter characters. A huge portion of this mode is running around an overworld, finding hidden items, and challenging citizens and other contestants to fights. To say the analogue sticks were a blessing in this mode would be an understatement. Running with the keys and using the right analogue stick for camera control was seamless, and I fully believe that without the Sworl, I wouldn't have played the mode half as much as I did. I've played Street Fighter 6 with a controller, and while it's a fantastic fighting game for beginners and veterans alike, playing it with the Sworl brought it to a whole new level.

On Junkfood's website, it shows the Sworl being used to play the massively popular Marvel Rivals, and that got me thinking: what else could the Sworl be used for beyond just fighting games? I decided to test this theory on a few different genres, with varying results. My favorite game to use the Sworl for – and honestly my preferred way of playing this game – is TMNT: Shredder's Revenge. I understand that a side-scrolling beat 'em up is a bit of a cop out, as Shredder's Revenge is essentially an arcade game in itself, but that doesn't detract from the fact that playing it on my PS5 with the Sworl brought new life to a game I've already played to death.

Next up was Batterystaple Games' criminally underrated 30XX, a rogue-like based on the classic Mega Man games. While I found the binding to be a little bit difficult at first, once I got used to the placement I had set up, the Sworl once again brought a unique arcade-like quality and challenge to the already wonderful game. The analogue sticks in particular were extremely useful for the more tricky platforming, and 30XX emphasized the wonderful ergonomics of the Sworl better than any other game I had experienced to that point.

Lastly, I hopped into Left 4 Dead 2, just to see how the Sworl would handle something like a fast-paced first-person shooter. Of the genres I tried out, I would say that this was the most difficult to get used to. Left 4 Dead 2 requires some quick reaction time, and I was really struggling to get my footing while using the Sworl. That being said, it could just be how ingrained that game is in my psyche from playing it for the last 15 years, rather than the Sworl itself. The controller did exactly what I told it to do, and the sticks worked just as well as they would on any standard controller. Despite having difficulties, I still found myself having a lot of fun trying to configure the controller to my specifics and trying out different configurations.

---

Something else happened with the Sworl that I hadn't previously considered. It hasn't left my desk in the time I've had it, as I would always find myself hopping on, playing a few rounds of Street Fighter after I was done with work in my office. It was always on display, its brilliant LEDs coursing through the buttons at random intervals. As such, everyone I brought into my office has inquired about it. Just by looking as intriguing as it does, the Sworl effortlessly became a conversation piece.

My office doubles as a small recording studio, and without fail, anyone who had come in to help me with setup or play some music pointed at the Sworl and asked what it was. To my surprise, I was watching people who had very little interest in video games in general spend time gleefully button-mashing on Soulcalibur or Street Fighter. It invites the same level of accessibility and curiosity into the home that anyone can get by walking into an arcade. If you're a fan of these types of peripherals and you're looking for a modern version that ticks off all the boxes, I give my full recommendation to the Junkfood Sworl.

Physical copies of Star Wars Racer Revenge are being resold for insane prices after rumors of a new PS5 jailbreak method have gone viral. The new PS5 jailbreak method reportedly requires a physical copy of a PS4 re-release of the 2002 game, which is now selling for hundreds over its original retail price of $14.99, which […]

Source

I have no memory of playing Montezuma’s Revenge when it was released for various systems in 1984. I had access to two of those systems—the ColecoVision and Commodore 64—but I I didn’t have access to this game. Had I, I likely wouldn’t have taken on Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition.

Or, maybe I did play it and simply repressed the memories. That would make sense, as this 2.5D platformer is brutally difficult. Not in a “just one more try” kind of way, but more of a “throw your controller into the TV” fashion.

Nearly every step of Montezuma’s Revenge is there to kill you, and there’s little to help you on your way. The goal is for Pedro (or the newly added Rosita) to explore an ancient tomb screen by agonizing screen—nearly 100 of them—in an effort to raid its treasures. But there is a lot in there to prevent your success.

Almost immediately, you’ll be dodging snakes, skulls, firepits, trap doors, and more, mostly without any aids. There’s not even a map to indicate where you’ve been. You can pick up weapons, yes, but only use them once before they’re gone (and they’re used by simply running into an enemy). Your inventory is severely limited, so deciding whether to carry the weapons you need to survive or the items you need to progress becomes a larger decision than it should be.

It’s actually a bigger help that when an enemy kills you, it dies, too. You wouldn’t think this would be a sound way to play a game, but with the unlimited restarts afforded to you in the 40th Anniversary Edition, it may be the only way.

Except that it’s not. Although the enemies are annoying from start to finish, they’re not as annoying as death-by-falling. What wouldn’t turn the ankles of Indiana Jones or Lara Croft are death sentences for these adventurous siblings. This tomb doesn’t need spikes or lava to claim its victims (although it has them), it just needs a drop of about five feet or more. And it has a lot to make sure you’re constantly falling. Conveyor belts, for example. The aforementioned trap doors. Bad physics.

Let’s focus on those physics for a minute. Neither Pedro nor Rosita seem to have any weight to them. They don’t so much walk through the tomb as glide. Jumping is heavy and clunky. Nothing about the way you move feels like it belongs in the game. You can hold down a button to “walk” if you want to slow yourself down, but doing so is rarely useful for navigating a hazard.

It doesn’t help that the game’s not much fun to look at, either. Yes, the visuals have been enhanced, but from the ’80s to maybe the mid-’90s. It has a Macromedia Director look to it that we’re all happy to leave in the past. Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition somehow looks even more dated than the original.

I wouldn’t have thought that was possible, but it brings up an interesting conundrum. An 8-bit version of Montezuma’s Revenge is also available for the Switch. If you’re playing the game for nostalgic purposes, that’s the way to go. If, however, you’re playing because you never completed the game in any of its previous iterations, the 40th Anniversary Edition will actually give you the chance to do so. There’s some value to that, sure, but more effort with this version’s updates was needed to make that value worth it.

The post Review: Montezuma’s Revenge – 40th Anniversary Edition (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

If there were ever a dead horse that didn't need so much flogging, it might be the Life is Strange series. Undeniably beloved by many, it has fallen victim to that whole franchising thing, having received an entry only in 2024 via Life is Strange: Double Exposure, a sequel game that was perhaps a little bit too messy. And here we are, in 2026, with PEGI potentially spoiling the reveal of a new entry in the series subtitled Reunion. Spoilers ahead for the game!

Read more

I Have No Change is a first-person narrative adventure where you experience New Year’s Eve through the eyes of a night kiosk worker in provincial Russia while grappling with personal stagnation and the unexpected stories of your customers.

In I Have No Change you play as 27-year-old Matvey, serving a parade of colorful characters through your kiosk window during the winter holidays. The game shifts … Read More

The post I Have No Change – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

💾

Nearly ten years ago, I wrote an opinion piece about HDR gaming being the most groundbreaking feature of the upcoming PlayStation 4 console refresh, then known as 'PS4K' and later released on November 10, 2016, as the PlayStation 4 Pro. Initial information suggested that it would deliver HDR support, unlike the base PS4 model; however, Sony later rolled it out for regular PlayStation 4 consoles as well. These specifics aside, the article's core foundation was the belief that HDR gaming was poised to be the next big thing in computer graphics, even more so than 4K (Ultra HD) resolution. There […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/the-hdr-gaming-interview-veteran-developer-explains-its-sad-state-and-how-hes-coming-to-its-rescue/