Among all this Starfield talk, it's easy to forget that The Elder Scrolls 6 is even a thing (maybe). It's been five years since we were treated to a brief tease of the next installment in Bethesda's flagship series, and the face of the studio seems to regret being too hasty with things.

In a recent interview with GQ, Mr. Skyrim himself, Todd Howard, says he me have been a bit too quick to announce TES6, adding, "I probably would've announced it more casually."

https://youtu.be/OkFdqqyI8y4

Of course, the interviewer asks whether Howard can divulge any further details about The Elder Scrolls 6. Naturally, the director isn't saying anything, though he does say that the upcoming RPG does have a codename. He also says that he and the team want the next TES game to "fill that role of the ultimate fantasy-world simulator."

So when is it co-

When's it coming out, I hear you ask? Again, nobody can really say. As a sidenote, Howard does make a comment about how he wants to keep making games, with no plans to retire any time soon. He even likens his career path to Nintendo's own Shigeru Miyamoto, who's now in his early 70s.

It's at this point that the GQ interviewer offers their own speculation, saying that The Elder Scrolls 6 may not be out until Todd Howard reaches 60. Given that his Wikipedia page has him down as being either 52 or 53, this means TES6 might still be a good seven or eight years off.

Obviously, that's just speculation. Although recent rumors suggest the long-awaited follow-up to Skyrim might be at least five years away. In any case, Bethesda definitely seemed to have done itself a disservice by announcing it so soon.

The post Todd Howard wishes he’d announced Elder Scrolls 6 ‘more casually’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Forget Starfield. Let's play something more old school instead. How about The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind? That's a classic Bethesda title, and it's still having mods made for it. But if you want a mix of the two, then we've got you covered on that front.

Before you take to the skies in Starfield, feel free to check out AnyOldName3's contribution to the current trend. Over on Nexus Mods, you'll find a small download for Morrowind that implements the contentious Starfield main menu screen.

[caption id="attachment_398649" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image via AnyOldName3/Nexus Mods.[/caption]

That's right, the Starfield menu that has caused an uproar can be a part of one of the best role-playing games of a bygone era. And all before Bethesda's new sci-fi game even hits the shelves.

Shitpost modding is still modding

AnyOldName3's mod is a simple affair, replacing Morrowind's menu screen with Starfield's. If you do want to download it (just for shits and giggles, I guess), you will need OpenMW, as it only works though that.

That's basically all this mod does. As far as we can tell, it's still the same old Elder Scrolls 3. If you want to fundamentally improve or alter Morrowind in any way that's gameplay worthy, there are mods galore for that sort of thing.

As for Starfield, we are inching ever closer to its release date. By now, you've probably heard just about everything there is to know about Bethesda's brand-new IP. But in case you've forgotten, the game will be releasing on September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X|S.

The post Starfield’s contentious main menu screen comes to Morrowind appeared first on Destructoid.

Get ready for liftoff. Starfield preloads begin Thursday as the game has just gone gold (which means Bethesda's development of Starfield is effectively complete!). Now, players can download the game pre-release on its platforms, but it will be truly ready to play when September 6 (or September 1 for early access players) rolls around. Unfortunately, Steam users will have to wait longer for Starfield preloads to take effect.

Those who own an Xbox Series X|S or a PC with the Xbox app can preload Starfield on August 17. Players on Steam have to wait much longer as preloading on that platform occurs on August 30. If you've bought the Premium Edition or Constellation Edition physically or digitally, you'll be able to gain access to Starfield five days early on September 1. To make the wait even more arduous, the Xbox Twitter page says its hand is moving "closer to [the] giant LAUNCH button."

[caption id="attachment_397078" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Bethesda[/caption]

After delays, Starfield is actually ready

Starfield was originally going to be released on November 11, 2022, but it was pushed back almost an entire year. “We know you’ve waited a long time to play something new from us," said director Todd Howard after announcing the September 6 release date in a trailer. "Believe it or not, we’re kind of the same."

He later said, "We really just can't wait for you all to play it." Now we're nearing that time. Many games from Bethesda's past were criticized for awkward facial animation and bugs across the board, but this new game engine may take Bethesda to the next level. It could lead to impressive showings for upcoming games like The Elder Scrolls VI. As of last year, that fantasy RPG is currently in a design stage of development.

The post Starfield preloads start soon for Xbox and Windows, later for Steam appeared first on Destructoid.

In my eyes, Blasphemous 2 is a story of redemption.

Throughout the blighted lands in this sequel, you will find no shortage of denizens hoping to be redeemed. Condemned to often dark, grisly fates by the entity called the Miracle, these people graciously accept their punishments, hoping that their pain will absolve them of sin. Similarly, Blasphemous 2 strikes me as a game that wants to absolve itself from its predecessor’s shortcomings. I briefly played Blasphemous before taking on this review, but I honestly couldn’t get into it. I felt the combat was stiff, the platforming was aggravating, and the story absolutely did not grab me with its ornate, often vague prose.

On two of those counts, Blasphemous 2 marks an inspired improvement. In a world where even Mickey Mouse needs a Metroidvania, games of this genre require absolute excellence to stand out. I didn’t expect Blasphemous 2 to give me the same highs as all-time genre greats like Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, but that’s exactly how I felt playing much of this one. Blasphemous 2 truly shines with the love of its creators.

It's unfortunate, then, that this otherwise immaculate sequel didn’t completely cleanse itself of the first game’s sins. But I must admit that where I see imperfections, Blasphemous fans may find profound beauty instead.

Blasphemous 2 (PC [Reviewed], PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch)
Developer: The Game Kitchen
Publisher: Team17
Released: August 24, 2023
MSRP: $29.99

[caption id="attachment_397051" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Free will

Our story kicks off after the original Blasphemous’ Wounds of Evertide update. Set against the backdrop of dark religious imagery, our hero, the Penitent One, must battle through enemies both fierce and grotesque as they unravel a new mystery surrounding the Miracle. That said, I found the tone of Blasphemous 2 was established more by the first major choice players make.

Blasphemous 2 presents one of three weapons to bring into battle. You have the balanced option in the sword Ruego Al Alba, which should feel familiar to fans of Blasphemous. But players who prefer a nimbler option can instead opt for the Sarmiento & Centella rapiers, which rewards evasive dashing and consistent attacks. And then there’s my mainstay throughout the adventure, the Veredicto. As a Claimh Solais wielder in Dawn of Sorrow, I felt right at home with this huge ball-and-chain. Its wide attack arc makes it great for aerial enemies, but the longer animations and lack of a block button makes your positioning especially important during boss battles.

I love how Blasphemous 2 lets players tackle combat with their own playstyle. While you do eventually collect each weapon to switch between later on, I never felt like I had to use one specific weapon to win. Even in fast, fierce boss battles which looked impossible without a dedicated block button, I still found ways to dodge and deal damage with the Veredicto. I will say I didn’t find much use for the Sarmiento & Centella rapiers, as they play a bit too similarly to the Ruego Al Alba. But I’m willing to bet some players will absolutely tear the game apart using them.

[caption id="attachment_397052" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The valley of the shadow of death

The weapons don’t just add nice variety to the combat; they expand the level design too. As you make your way through the game, you’ll encounter gimmicks that use each weapon in unique ways. For example, you can hit large bells with the Veredicto that send out shockwaves that make platforms appear for a limited amount of time. Or you can stab mirrors with the Sarmiento & Centella to instantly launch a short distance in a specific direction.

This doesn’t sound like a lot on paper, but Blasephemous 2 uses these concepts to create some great platforming sections between battles. More than a few sequences actually require flipping through your weapons in rapid succession to interact with their gimmicks. I never got bored of these moments, and they’re a remarkable improvement over the platforming sections I saw in Blasphemous.

Exploration also feels great in general due to the infusion of new progression systems. Like before, you can find rosary beads and similar equipment that can grant certain passives. However, Blasphemous 2 adds Marks of Martyrdom, which functionally work like skill points. Whenever you earn one, you can invest them into your weapons to strengthen them, or expand your carrying capacity for Altarpieces that can help you specialize your playstyle. You’ll find Marks both from exploration and an EXP bar that fills while fighting enemies, which gives combat more meaning without overwriting the impact of exploration.

Blasphemous 2 does a fantastic job of dishing out meaningful upgrades without undermining its own difficulty. I always felt like the battles in front of me required skill over grinding, no matter how strong my character was at any moment. Which is good, because the challenge in Blasphemous 2 is well worth savoring.

[caption id="attachment_397053" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Gnashing of teeth

Virtually every enemy in Blasphemous 2 is a delight to take down. Most foes have distinct attacks and movement patterns, so you can’t steamroll the game with one surefire tactic. At the same time, I never felt bogged down by tanky, annoying enemies. This is a delicate balance that many Metroidvanias stumble on, so it’s refreshing to see Blasphemous 2 handle it so well.

Similarly, almost all the boss fights were an absolute joy to play. For most encounters, I often found myself getting slapped hard at first. However, incoming attacks always have clear telegraphs you can watch out for, so repeated attempts felt like opportunities to learn from my mistakes. I typically took down bosses within three attempts, usually stomping them hard once I mastered their quirks.

Blasphemous 2 consistently gave me that hard game rush without ever really feeling like a hard game. It’s a challenge, especially if you aren’t well-versed in this genre, but I never felt particularly frustrated. At the same time, victory always gave me that “heck yes!” feeling. I will say the game does weirdly dip in challenge shortly after the midpoint. It gates a few upgrade systems despite letting you find their applicable items throughout the adventure, so bosses right after this big stat jump for me didn’t have quite the bite that prior bosses did. Fortunately, the game does come back around near the end, with some especially great encounters near the final act.

[caption id="attachment_397054" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Walking by faith

The only piece of Blasphemous 2 that I never quite fully got on board with is its storytelling. Before I go any further, I will acknowledge that anyone who enjoyed piecing together Blasphemous’ lore will almost certainly enjoy Blasphemous 2. Vague, minimalist stories like this are often divisive, and I'm just not a fan of them. If my thoughts don’t resonate with you in this regard, take these words with a grain of salt. The story is still framed as a key part of Blasphemous 2 though, so it did impact my overall experience.

Blasphemous 2 makes no effort to catch anyone up if they didn’t finish Blasphemous and its Wounds of Eventide update. If you don’t know what the Miracle is going into this one, good luck. And even if you do, Blasphemous 2 strikes me as a game that expects you to only know what’s going on after its intended community solves it. All the dialogue is incredibly wordy, often saying in 15 words what could have been said in five. I followed the broad strokes just fine, but so much between the big story beats just felt meaningless.

That said, I eventually wondered if that feeling of meaningless was the point of Blasphemous 2. I don’t need to tell you that this game leans heavily on its religious imagery, and against that backdrop, it does make sense that everyone talks like they’re reading scripture. Yet in a world in which so many of its denizens attribute their meaning to the Miracle, my protagonist succeeded in spite of it. I charted my course through these lands, I acquired power through my own actions, and I decided how to use the prayers and rosary beads I found along the way. My play experience was at direct odds with the other characters, which made their dark fates all the more pitiable.

In short, my take away from Blasphemous 2 wasn’t necessarily a religious commentary. Instead, I interpreted it as a story of agency versus submission. That’s not the deepest theme to focus on, but it did kind of work for me on that level.

[caption id="attachment_397055" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The ends didn’t justify the means

Though I felt happy with this interpretation, I still think the story's execution is a bit at odds with itself. For reference, when FromSoftware does vague, minimalist storytelling, I generally think it works because it mostly stays in the background. It’s there for the lore folks to unpack, but it otherwise kind of blends in with the atmosphere.

Blasphemous 2, meanwhile, gives its story a bit more prominence. The plot is presented like you’re already invested without ever making an effort to draw players in. For example, one secret I found late in the game hit me with a horror stinger sound effect, like I just discovered something that should blow my mind. Yet while I grasped the implications, I just didn’t really care. It made the moment feel weirdly comical for me, even though that clearly wasn't the intention.

Honestly, I could forgive that on its own. But for as consistently fun and engaging as Blasphemous 2 was for me, I felt really underwhelmed by the end. I won't say more than that for spoilers sake, though the final act did have one standout moment for me. I wanted to compensate for this by doubling back and exploring to get that sweet 100% completion. But after chasing down clues and wondering how the heck to uncover secrets in rooms that apparently hid them, I realized I could be doing literally anything else with my time. So my time with Blasphemous 2 kind of ended on a whimper, but that fortunately didn't ruin the experience.

[caption id="attachment_397056" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

A book of revelation

I want to reiterate that these hang-ups for me will likely be selling points for other players. If you fall into this camp, then I’m happy to tell you you’re going to absolutely love Blasphemous 2. Even with these loose ends left on my save file, I hope I can return to get that 100% completion after the community properly solves the game. Not as a critic, but just as a fan.

Even with a few grievances, I still came out really enjoying Blasphemous 2. The challenge was consistently on point, the variety of areas in the map felt consistently fresh, and I had a great time powering up and uncovering secrets. Not counting my postgame wandering, Blasphemous 2 took me roughly 15 hours to clear. I'd have been happy if it continued for another 10, which I mean entirely as a compliment. I forgot at times that I was even reviewing the game, I just looked forward to laying back with my Steam Deck and seeing what I could uncover next.

Anyone who likes Metroidvanias should absolutely make time for Blasphemous 2. Aside from an underwhelming final act, I had nearly consistent fun with this one from start to finish. From the gorgeous visuals to the customizable combat, your journey as the Penitent One will be filled with steady highs and only occasional lows. It’s a great sequel, a great game, and just a great time in general. If you were a fan of Blasphemous, you’re in for a treat with Blasphemous 2.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Blasphemous 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

We all remember the Adoring Fan from The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. He was – let's not mince words here – a monstrously irritating NPC, and now someone taken that monstrosity and actualized it in physical form.

Over on Nexus Mods, user theocddragon simply asks "good heavens what have I done" with a modification for Oblivion that turns everyone's favorite Wood Elf to hate into an unholy sight. Seriously, it's like if the Adoring Fan was rejected from Tim Burton's Beetlejuice for being too odd.

[caption id="attachment_396762" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image via theocddragon/Nexus Mods.[/caption]

Editing the character model, the modder has reconstructing the NPC's face using a dragging tool that has resulted in the severely morphed image of this once annoying–though wholly innocent–citizen of Cyrodiil.

Kill it with three fires

Describing it as an "eldritch abomination with one singular eye," theocddragon has unleashed a nightmare unto the Oblivion community and those who witness it. They even question why someone would be able to wield such power in editing software.

It kind of reminds me of the pre-menu screen in Super Mario 64, in which – perhaps in a bid to show the power of the N64 console – you could stretch and morph Mario's face. It, too, produced some horrifying images that are not of this world.

That aside, it does show just how beloved Oblivion in the community, even after 17 years. The Bethesda RPG has definitely aged as time has gone by, but that's where Skyblivion comes into the picture.

This is a fan-made project that will be a complete remake of TES4 done in Skyrim's engine. As such, we'll get a much prettier (though perhaps not visually up-to-date) version of Oblivion. Let's just hope the Adoring Fan will not be the facial atrocity he is in theocddrago's mod.

The post This Oblivion mod turns the Adoring Fan into an unholy monstrosity appeared first on Destructoid.

The September 2023 games list is one of the hottest in recent memory. From the massive Starfield to the promising Soulslike Lies of P, there's something for everyone. Even motorheads will be happy this month. Here's what's coming out in September 2023, including some honorable mentions.

[caption id="attachment_396332" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Ubisoft[/caption]

The Crew: Motorfest (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Ivory Tower
Price: $69.99
Release Date: September 14
Trailer

Just when you think the summer season is over, Ubisoft brings us back to the heat and smell of fuel in The Crew: Motorfest. This time we're traveling to the Hawaiian islands. In this open-world game, we'll be racing through the city of Honolulu. Additionally, we'll be able to "test [our] off-road skills on the ashy slopes of a volcano [and] master the perfect curve on the tracks," according to the game's official website. We'll also be able to drive on the beach and adventure through "hidden paths of the luxurious rainforest." With over 400 cars as well, Ubisoft's racing open-world title sounds like a nitro boost to the soul.

[caption id="attachment_396327" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via CD Projekt Red[/caption]

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: CD Projekt Red
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Price: $29.99
Release Date: September 26
Trailer

The highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 DLC Phantom Liberty is releasing this month. Starring Idris Elba as Solomon Reed, V and Johnny Silverhand are taken into a new follow-up adventure. This time, you'll be trying to save the NUSA President in a new area called Dogtown. The game's Steam page teases that "your decisions impact not only the fate of the characters around you, but also yourself" when it comes to the ending. It's one of the most anticipated September 2023 games because we can't wait to see how it ends.

[caption id="attachment_396548" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via NEOWIZ[/caption]

Lies of P (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: NEOWIZ
Developer: NEOWIZ
Price: $59.99
Release Date: September 19
Trailer

After a lengthy and promising demo, Lies of P is finally releasing this month. This Soulslike is set in a beautiful European-inspired world full of creepy machines and gothic architecture. You play as Pinocchio, a puppet that's trapped in a horrific world. As he explores it, he'll "untangle the unfathomable secrets of the city's elites and choose whether to confront predicaments with the truth or weave lies to overcome them on the journey to find [himself,]" according to the Steam page. Hopefully, the game lives up its impactful demo from earlier this year.

[caption id="attachment_396553" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via WB Games[/caption]

Mortal Kombat 1 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: WB Games
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Price: $69.99
Release Date: September 19
Trailer

Mortal Kombat 1 continues the fighting game hype this year. WB Games and NetherRealm Studios are bringing a new origin to the series with a fresh reset of the MK timeline. It will also introduce Kameo Fighters that can be summoned to help you pull off incredible combos or get you out of a bad situation. Hopefully, the game lives up to its high expectations. Homelander and Peacemaker will be a few of the DLC characters as well.

[caption id="attachment_396555" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Bethesda[/caption]

Starfield (Xbox Series X/S, PC)

Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Bethesda
Price: $69.99
Release Date: September 6
Trailer

Starfield is the kind of game you desperately want to be good before it releases. There's so much potential. You can travel to over 1,000 planets with all manner of cities and environments to explore. There are quests to complete, hopefully with many intriguing characters to meet. You can even customize your own spaceship to your liking. It's a sci-fi fan's dreams come to life. I really hope it lives up to everyone's expectations, just like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim did in 2011. It would be a huge win for Xbox Game Studios if Starfield lands with players and critics.

[caption id="attachment_392728" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via EA[/caption]

Honorable Mentions

These five titles aren't the only highlights from the September 2023 games list. It's going to be a very busy month. You can also play the following:

• Rune Factory 3 Special (Switch, PC) - September 5
• Enchanted Portals (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 6
• Fae Farm (Switch) - September 8
• NBA 2K24 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) – September 8
• MythForce (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 12
• Super Bomberman R 2 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 12
• Eternights (PS4, PS5, PC) - September 12
• Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster (Switch) - September 14
• Monster Hunter Now (Android, iOS) - September 14
• Gloomhaven (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - September 18
• Party Animals (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC) - September 20
• Witchfire (PC) - September 20
• PayDay 3 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) - September 21
• EA Sports FC 24 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 22
• Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 26
• Mineko's Night Market (Switch) - September 26
• My Time at Sandrock (PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 26
• Paleo Pines (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)
• Disney Speedstorm (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) - September 28
• Gothic Classic (Switch) - September 28
• Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC) - September 28

The post Most anticipated game releases – September 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a massive role-playing game, rife with decisions and choices that can come to a die roll. Consequences of a failed roll in Baldur's Gate 3 can ripple out across the game, ranging from small changes to big shifts in the story. And even though you've got modifiers and tools, you're still always beholden to the die.

To that end, I get why we are now rehashing the age-old save-scum debate. In some ways, it's a little silly; it's your game, so you should play it how you want.

What I would like to do, though, is encourage a few of you file perfectionists out there to embrace the failed roll. I come to you as a documented save-scummer myself—my XCOM Enemy Unknown and Fire Emblem files more than verify as much—saying that failure isn't just entertaining in Baldur's Gate 3. It's actually led to some really interesting, clever moments of role-playing that make me appreciate all the more what Larian Studios has made.

Settle in for story time

So let's lay out an example. Skip ahead to the next header section if you'd like to stay scot-free on spoilers; I'll keep out of anything major, but I know some folks are avoiding any info about BG3 in general.

While adventuring in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, I came across a distillery where a grotesque bartender had taken up shop for a ghoulish clientele. I could tell, just from his general stature and aura, that this dude could easily become a boss encounter if I did not play it right.

As my companions pointed out to my main character, our big guy seemed about ready to burst from all the dangerous-looking elixir he was downing. So if I could keep him talking and drinking, I could get some info and skip the fight altogether. The problem was, he wasn't easily impressed. To keep the good times rolling, I need to weave some good tales from my own adventures. How did I do? Well...

[caption id="attachment_395966" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Yeah, I rolled a natural 1. What I really love about the die system is that, by having these extremes, it encourages a little risk taking now and again. No matter what the stat check is, you have a 1-in-20 shot at passing it with a natural 20. You also have a 1-in-20 shot of blowing it, no matter what. Nothing is truly guaranteed, so you can have your hopes lifted or crushed at any time.

With a DC of 21 and only two Inspiration, which you can expend to re-roll, I could either save-scum it or take it on the chin. I did the latter, expecting a boss fight. Except, it didn't happen. The bartender just made fun of my story. He mocked me bragging about touring through the Hells, when he was basically already living in a hellscape. So then I had to roll a Deception check to tell an even taller tale that would impress him, and keep him drinking.

The entire encounter was this: me trying to weave in stories and failing to impress, but stringing him along just enough with my charm (and sleight of hand in feigning my own drinks) to keep the conversation going. I got my information, and the boss burst, without a single Eldritch Blast fired. The whole time, I was dancing a careful edge, trying to keep a crocodile smile while narrowly skating through check after check.

Playing out losses

Making failure feel good is an incredibly tricky thing in role-playing game. I feel like I always go back to Mass Effect when I think about this topic. It's amazing that you can "fail" a dialogue in Mass Effect 1 and lose Wrex, a party member that can otherwise become a Krogan leader and central figure for major quests in ME2 and ME3. It's something I really like, but also something I've never really wanted to play out myself, if I'm being honest.

And for the sake of transparency, it's not like I'm letting every die roll play out. I've absolutely save-scummed a few sequences. Here are Eric's Golden Rules to when it's okay, in my eyes, to roll back a save:

• Combat. Come on, that one's easy. Party member goes down? Fight goes awry? Roll it on back.
• Romance. I'm not playing a Charisma-based character just to fail all my Rizz checks.
• Animals. I will gladly save scum any roll to ensure that no animals were harmed in my journey. (Sadly, some animals were harmed. Can't save 'em all.)

Even still, I'll sometimes make a bold choice just to see what happens. Seeing the permutations is actually what put me onto this new appreciation for failure in the first place.

I was talking to Raphael, the devilish deal-maker, who was asking me to do him a favor and take care of a lingering thread he'd left behind, in a dungeon I was about to walk into. Naturally, I wanted to know more. So I took the roll option to see if I could eke just a little more info out of him about what I was walking into. I failed, and I really just need to show you the face he made when I deigned to ask him for something:

[caption id="attachment_395968" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Suffice to say, I did not get what I wanted in that scenario. But I didn't roll it back. I liked that my protagonist, who I endearingly refer to as "Half-Elf Anderson Cooper", tried and failed in that moment. I felt rewarded because it felt like Larian wanted that failure to be rewarding, in its own way.

The churn of Baldur's Gate 3

A dice roll in a game like Dungeons & Dragons isn't just about screwing the player over. It's a system built to encourage a little bit of chaos. Because, as it turns out, failures are narratively exciting. If stories were written about people who always made the right choices, they'd be pretty boring.

In the same way, Baldur's Gate 3 lets me fail, but makes those failings feel like compelling pieces of my story. Rolling a natural 20 feels incredible because I have rolled so many close failures before it. Systems like the Karmic Dice are supposed to off-set this a little, but still, it's engaging to have things go wrong. Yes, you can specialize in Deception, and bump up those modifiers, and have Shadowheart keep Guidance on you 24/7. That doesn't mean a 1 can't roll. Heck, Baldur's Gate 3 even gives you some tools for forcing a pass, sometimes with consequences. The interaction of all these systems can lead to some dramatic moments, and you can feel every bit of that tension as you watch the virtual die tumble on-screen.

I wrote something similar about Disco Elysium a couple years ago, and that's a similar game that felt like it embraced the narrative power of failure. These little parts where your character is not as strong as they think they are, or as perceptive as they claim to be, or maybe just let their mind wander during an important conversation, all feel like part of the story. There's nothing quite like seeing four Perception: Failed rolls as you're walking along a seemingly normal road.

[caption id="attachment_395965" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Even the successes tell their own stories. In one area, I needed to pass an Athletics check to roll a gondola back up towards me. My Warlock certainly didn't pass the first one. But then the incredibly strong duo of Shadowheart and Lae'zel couldn't move it either. You know who got that hunk of wood up, fighting gravity itself to guarantee us safe travel? Gale. The bookworm Wizard Gale. I like to imagine he felt more like Octopath Traveler 2's bear of a mage Osvald in that moment.

So yes, save-scum the things you want to save-scum. If you're really dying to see that Karlach romance scene, don't accept anything less than success on those rolls. But maybe let some of those less critical die roll low. Watch and see what happens. I think Larian's put an impressive amount of work into making failures carry story scenes, and even open up compelling branches within them, and it's worth seeing. It won't just make you appreciate the breadth and scope of Baldur's Gate 3. It'll also make for a pretty good story someday, if you ever need to keep a ghoulish one occupied.

The post It’s worth embracing a few failed rolls in Baldur’s Gate 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Mega Cat Studios’ WrestleQuest has turned heads thanks to its gorgeous pixel art world that blends RPG fantasy exploration with wrestling action. Though it was originally slated for an August 8 release, the game has since been delayed to August 22 on all platforms.

https://twitter.com/skyboundgames/status/1688712585175261184

It is a brief delay triggered by a slight bug developers found. As a Tweet by Skybound Games explains, it was “discovered that it was possible for players to lose their save game progress when playing WrestleQuest on multiple different devices.”

[caption id="attachment_360115" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Mega Cat Studios.[/caption]

WrestleQuest gets pushed back a few weeks

The delay may be disappointing, though the stated reason for it is understandable. WrestleQuest has hours of content, taking players on a journey to become the greatest pro wrestler. The tweet also suggests that WrestleQuest will have cross-save capabilities.

Early impressions of the game have been mostly positive, with critics praising the art style and its engagement with the wrestling world. A few real-world wrestling superstars also make an appearance, including Andre the Giant, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and Jeff Jarrett.

The delay may have been necessary, but it does push WrestleQuest into quite a busy time in gaming. It launches in the same week as Immortals of Aveumn and Armored Core 6. Sea of Stars, another pixel art game, releases the following week on August 29.

The post WrestleQuest delayed to August 22 appeared first on Destructoid.

Those who have been paying attention to the gaming world these past few days won't be surprised to learn that Baldur's Gate 3 is currently doing quite well for itself. In fact, when last checked, the game had hit a pretty big milestone, showing more than 800,000 concurrent players on Steam.

To get a bit more specific, according to SteamDB (a website that tracks and monitors all things related to the Steam client), the new Baldur's Gate experienced a peak of 814,666 players within the last 24 hours.

https://youtu.be/XuCfkgaaa08

Bearing in mind, the game only came out last Thursday, so who knows whether this number could yet be beaten.

Take THAT, 97 other games

Going one step further, Baldur's Gate 3 is currently the third most-played game on Steam, just behind Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Given that these other titles were either developed or published by Valve, you can safely say that BG3 is the most non-Valve-played game at the moment.

Larian Studios' release had an impressive launch when it came out on August 3, scoring pretty big on PC. At the time of writing, it's sitting pretty with a Metacritic score of 95 and a user score of 9.2.

It's been nearly 23 years since the last major installment in the Baldur's Gate series (though we've had expansions and enhanced editions), so fans of the previous games have no doubt been massively anticipating this third entry.

It's hard to say whether this hype will continue, or whether we're seeing its peak already. After all, Sons of the Forest was a major overnight success, selling two million copies in just one day. Now, you don't really hear much from the co-op horror title. Then again, the Baldur's Gate name is likely to carry more weight in the AAA scene.

The post Baldur’s Gate 3 surpasses 800,000 concurrent players on Steam appeared first on Destructoid.

Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studio’s latest RPG, launched on PC on August 3 after spending some time in Early Access. Already, there are signs that the game has had a monumentally successful launch.

The SteamDB charts reveal that Baldur’s Gate 3 hit a peak of 472,136 within 24 hours, giving it the second-biggest Steam launch of 2023. It has since clung onto a steady player count and continued rising today, August 4.  Baldur's Gate 3 has also been performing well on Twitch, where it reached a massive peak of 481,523 views on launch day at an average of around 156k (via StreamCharts).

[caption id="attachment_394171" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Baldur’s Gate 3 arrives with a bang

Originally slated for an August 31 release, Baldur’s Gate 3 was pushed up to August 3 for PC players. It has overtaken Sons of the Forest, which hit a peak of 414,257 players at launch, to become the second-biggest Steam launch of 2023. Only Hogwarts Legacy sits ahead of it, and with a peak of 879,308 at launch, it will take a lot to defeat it. The game's success can also be illustrated when looking at its download stats on Steam where the total bandwidth used on it skyrocketed to 146.3 Tbps.

https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1687139940113825792

Baldur's Gate 3 has “Overwhelmingly Positive” reviews on Steam, where it joins an exclusive club of games that have gained over 450,000 concurrent players at launch. Hogwarts Legacy is the only other title to achieve this feat in 2023. In 2022, Elden Ring managed to do this, while New World entered the club upon release in 2021.

Over on Twitch, Baldur's Gate 3 continues to rake in high stream numbers. Its popularity has been boosted by streamers such as Cohhcarnage, whose broadcasts have been receiving tens of thousands of views.

Baldur's Gate 3 has a chance to boost its popularity yet again on September 6 when the PS5 version is released. The studio is also targeting September 6 for its Mac release, though an official release date has yet to be confirmed. Xbox players haven’t been left out in the cold, and they’ll be able to join in on the fun “when it's ready” for the Series X/S.

The post Baldur’s Gate 3 had a huge launch day on Steam and Twitch appeared first on Destructoid.

The path through Baldur's Gate 3 is fraught with adventure, romance, peril, and plunder. It can seem a bit daunting, at first blush. Plus, for those who haven't played Dungeons & Dragons or even a CRPG like this in a while, there's a lot to familiarize yourself with. You might need some tips.

While I wouldn't call myself a D&D 5E expert, I've followed the Early Access of Baldur's Gate 3 for a while and, at the time of this writing, put a solid chunk of hours into the launch state of BG3. It's a massive, complex game with a lot of interlocking systems and little quality-of-life tips that, even if you are told them once, you might forget ten hours down the road. Well, that's why I'm here.

This is my bundle of tips for newcomers, and a handy reference for seasoned players. Whether it's a keyboard shortcut or an inconspicuous toggle, these are some tips I've kept noted and on-hand throughout my playtime in Baldur's Gate 3.

Highlight interactable items

My biggest quality-of-life tip for Baldur's Gate 3 is to simply hit Left-Alt more often. Pressing this key down highlights all the interactable objects in an area. It's pretty handy, whether you're outdoors in a busy environment or in the deep, deep depths of the Underdark.

More than that, though, it helps you get an idea of where to go next. If a gate is blocking your path, Left-Alt might highlight the lever you're overlooking. Or maybe there's an important note on a table you didn't notice. (To be fair, there are a lot of notes, and a lot of tables.) Any point at which you feel you haven't exhausted all options, hit that highlight button and poke around again.

Stealth-walk together

Sneaking around can be effective in Baldur's Gate 3, if you manage to execute it. Stealth attacks can get the drop on enemies, taking them unaware and giving you some advantage in a difficult encounter. That said, you'll want to make sure the whole party is on board with your plan.

While Larian implemented an auto-jump feature, that has companions automatically jump after your lead character if it's a safe leap, you'll need a special key for group stealth. Hitting Shift-C on the keyboard will put the whole party into sneaking-around mode. Keep in mind that this works with groups, too; so if you've stealthed one character after splitting the party and want to rejoin the group without raising the alarm, you can Shift-C before sending the main contingent over to link up.

Use turn-based mode to handle sticky situations

We've all stumbled into something unexpected once, twice, even four times before in Dungeons & Dragons. So when the traps and explosions start flying in this game, my tip to you is to use Baldur's Gate 3's Turn-Based Mode to simplify the decision-making process.

[caption id="attachment_394987" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

While you explore Baldur's Gate 3 in real time, there is always the option to hit the big, round button on the right-hand side of your RPG taskbar to swap into Turn-Based Mode. This institutes a turn-based structure on time, having the world and your own party act in roughly six-second increments or so. It might seem strange at first, but it's actually incredibly useful for precisely skirting around traps or obstacles, as well as sneaking around certain foes.

Hide helmets in the inventory screen

Whether you're a fan or detractor of funny hats, sometimes a scene gets a little intimate and you want the wizard hat to stop harshing the vibe. Whether the pointy cap stays on or not, there are options for those who want unobscured views of their Baldur's Gate 3 party.

While you have the party equipment screen open (TAB by default), you can hover the helmet slot in each members' equipment. You'll see a tiny icon appear above the box, which you can toggle. The settings are either On, Hide During Dialogue, or Hide. With this, you'll never have to endure a wizard hat ruining the mood again. Unless, of course, that is the sort of vibe you're looking for.

You can swap difficulty at any time

Baldur's Gate 3 can be pretty tough at times, and I wouldn't be surprised to see those less familiar with CRPGs hit some early walls in this game. There are three difficulty settings in Baldur's Gate 3, ranging from the story-driven Explorer to the combat Aggro Crag of Tactician.

The nice part is, you're not locked in to any of them. At any point during your campaign, you can open your Options menu and swap the difficulty to another level. This makes it very easy to throttle your Baldur's Gate 3 difficulty experience to your own particular taste. Bosses may have imposing spells and powerful equipment, but they don't have what you have: an Options menu.

Camp when you can

For those who haven't played much Dungeons & Dragons, you might not get why camping is so important. That's cool. I'm here to tell you: use the camp, and use it often.

First and foremost, it's your source for a Long Rest. These Long Rests will, if you have adequate supplies, restore your health and resources to full, and many spellcasting classes need to rest to restore spell slots for more spell-slinging. Long Resting also restores your Short Rest counter; you can do two small, immediate Short Rests between each Long Rest, like daytime naps. For some classes, this even refreshes a few (though not all) of your resources.

Secondly, the camp is where a lot of interpersonal story happens. Nighttime events often advance party members' plot lines forward. And if you see someone with an exclamation point over their head, that means they have something new and/or important to say to you. These are the companion moments that are very worthwhile, so make time to set up camp every so often to keep the story moving at a decent pace.

[caption id="attachment_394992" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

On top of all that, you will eventually have an NPC named Withers join your camp. Aside from being one of my absolute favorite NPCs in the game on personality alone, Withers also gives you some crucial boons. You can speak to him to recruit hireling (custom characters you can class out to fill party spots), bring fallen party members back from the dead, and reclass and respec your own characters. There's a lot of good back at camp.

Check the items in your inventory

While the previous Baldur's Gate 3 tip was for the D&D novices, this one's for the CRPG novices: check your inventory. Seriously. Pay attention to items you get. See if you can interact with them. Move them around, examine them, see what makes them tick.

[caption id="attachment_394990" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

It might sound mundane or silly, but the number of times I've picked up something useful, like a tip for my current predicament, and not realized it was there until much later is slightly embarrassing. Reading notes, interacting with objects, and even opening those pouches and backpacks you pick up is extremely useful. Larian's tucked a decent amount of information away behind those interactions.

Save those Inspiration rolls

Every now and then, you'll do something really neat or interesting, and be rewarded an Inspiration die. In tabletop, this is how DMs can reward clever players. In Baldur's Gate 3, it feels like a mixture of that and discovering an easter egg.

[caption id="attachment_394832" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

It's extra helpful because Inspiration can give you a second chance at missed rolls. Let's say you hit a Dexterity check that needs a 10 to clear, and your final tally is a 9. Using an Inspiration roll will give you a do-over. That's pretty valuable, even if you're just saving and reloading on failed rolls anyways. We all know each other does that.

ABS (Always be saving/shoving)

This is a two-fold Baldur's Gate 3 tip: ABS. For one part, that stands for Always Be Saving. Save often, especially after you win a tough roll or finish a fight. You don't want to botch a roll, get slammed off a cliffside, reload and be forced to win an arduous battle all over again. Yes, I am speaking from experience. You have tons of save slots and a quicksave option, so make use of them, especially since the autosave isn't so lenient.

But you also want to ABS: Always Be Shoving. More specifically, always use your bonus actions. Each turn, you can move and act. But you can also undertake a bonus action, which can range from chugging a potion or using your class proficiency to take an extra swing, to just plain shoving someone. If you've got an option, use it. Worst-case scenario is you gain nothing, and best case is knocking someone prone or down a chasm. Which leads me to my last tip...

Use the environment, control the crowd

The Divinity: Original Sin lineage is alive and well in Baldur's Gate 3 combat, which puts a similar emphasis on interactions. This means environments can become rapidly dangerous, to your advantage or disadvantage. Characters can be shoved into bottomless pits, grease can be set ablaze, and ice can knock you on your butt like you're in a fail compilation.

With an angry enemy barging down your door, you might want to just start blastin' at them. But frequently, the environment can provide an advantage, putting up obstacles and disadvantageous ground to impede their offensive. Seriously, Grease can get you through a lot of early encounters. And spells like Entangle can make hazardous areas for foes.

The post 10 useful tips for venturing forth in Baldur’s Gate 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

We're rapidly approaching the long-awaited release of Baldur's Gate 3 after an extended period of Early Access. However, Larian Studios has stated that the game won't support preloading ahead of its launch. If you've pre-ordered the game and want to jump in as soon as possible, prepare to set aside some time to download this hefty title.

[caption id="attachment_393716" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Larian Studios.[/caption]

Baldur's Gate 3's release date draws nearer

Baldur's Gate 3 will arrive on PC on August 3 at 5 PM CEST, and PS5 on September 6. An Xbox Series X/S port is also in development, although it has yet to receive a release date. Like other titles in the series, players will be able to create their own characters and partake in a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired campaign.

In a community update on Steam, the developers confirmed that preloading is off the table for Baldur's Gate 3. In other words, players can't install the game ahead of its release. This would have been useful for a game like Baldur's Gate 3 which will weigh approximately 122 GB.

There are a few other things Baldur's Gate 3 fans should know about. Though the game has been available in Early Access, progress made here will not transfer to the final game. Nevertheless, the game will feature cross-save capabilities, allowing you to begin your adventure on PC and continue on PS5 later if you wish.

It fortunately appears that making the game easily accessible is a priority for the developers. Those who purchase Baldur's Gate 3 for PC will receive access to both the Mac and Windows versions, though the Mac version will arrive at a later date. Larian Studios also wants the game Steam Deck Verified by launch, as it is already optimized for the handheld.

With the game's large size, players may have to wait a bit at launch before they can dive in. However, the Early Access version should give you a good idea of what to expect.

The post Baldur’s Gate 3 won’t have a preload, Larian confirms appeared first on Destructoid.

The Suikoden successor Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is pushing back its launch date. Developer Rabbit & Bear Studios announced today that it won't be launching this year, as the studio aims for a Q2 2024 window instead.

Originally set to launch in 2023, Rabbit & Bear is opting for some more time to deliver the RPG they want. Here's an excerpt from the Kickstarter backer update:

"In order to deliver a game that so many fans have supported, we announce a revised release date of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, with the game now due during Calendar Year Q2 of 2024. The decision was made in order to ensure the best possible story, and to reward the legion of backers with the best game experience possible."

On the upside, there's some new gameplay to view today. There's also a dev update from Yoshitaka Murayama, the director. Murayama says he has already completed the story, including the DLC, and is now working on setting material and supervising the "detailed text."

Character illustrator Junko Kawano also shared some art updates, including a look at the three protagonists of the prequel action-RPG Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising in their Hundred Heroes looks. And CJ, Isha, and Garoo all look great.

[caption id="attachment_394116" align="alignnone" width="640"] Edit by Destructoid via Rabbit & Bear Studios[/caption]

We also get a look at some other voice reveals, and a tease of more information to come. Kawano says the team hopes to have new information around the time of Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2023.

Gathering the Hundred Heroes

While it's a bummer of a delay, 2023 is already pretty stacked with huge games. Two big RPGs are set to arrive in the next month or so, with both Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. So getting a little extra space for Eiyuden is probably a good thing, for both the dev team and eager RPG fans.

Given how surprisingly well Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising turned out, I'm hopeful for Hundred Heroes. Hopefully, we can see some more of it in action soon, and we'll get a clearer idea of what the whole game looks like as we approach that new window in 2024.

The post Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has been pushed back to Q2 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

Starfield isn't that far off now, with a release date of September 6, 2023. But that's still a ways off, and at least one eager fan is spending the time by trying to sleuth out of all of the Starfield skill system.

In a post on the r/Starfield subreddit (as spotted by GamesRadar), user u/asd8dhd has posted their deductions from "around 200 hours" of reverse engineering. Alongside a 44-page Google Doc, they also shared a massive library of suspected skill images, collected from all the information and footage the public has seen so far.

It is, to put it frankly, exhaustive. Even though u/asd8dhd acknowledges there are some misses—and asks for readers to point out anything provably incorrect—it's an impressively in-depth investigation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMOPoAq5vIA

Given the amount of publicly available footage to trawl through and identify, it's commendable. And now I'm certainly invested in seeing whether u/asd8dhd's educated assessments pan out. They include not only skill names and descriptions, but a short explanation of how the actual leveling and skill system works.

The skills they surmise are in the game range all over the place, from boosts for yourself or companions to special skills, like instigating an NPC to attack their allies or slowing down time. It's largely theoretical, to be clear. Still, it's a lot of info to trawl through, and Starfield fans still have time between now and launch to do just that.

Skill check

It'll be a good few weeks before we know whether this Starfield sleuth hit it on the head or not. In the meantime, though, August looks to be starting off a stacked fall season with a bang.

In fact, Starfield seems to have led to a bit of a summer launch shuffle. Baldur's Gate 3 bumped up the launch date of its PC version, and role-playing musical Stray Gods was delayed a week later in additional response. Those two, plus Armored Core VI and several other intriguing games, could make for a stacked start to the second half of the year.

The post Starfield fan spends around 200 hours trying to piece together its skill system appeared first on Destructoid.

Gather your party

I've taken only a few steps into the darkened hallways of Demon Lord Reincarnation, and already, I know I'm in trouble. My first battle is tense and brutal; I knew it would be. But as my party members start to drop like flies against the horrors of only the first floor of this godforsaken land, I start to get it. This is going to be difficult, punishing even. I shouldn't get attached to anything. Because it's going to take a lot to make it down to the Demon Lord.

Demon Lord Reincarnation is the latest RPG from Graverobber Foundation, a team that's made a number of throwback role-playing experiences. This one in particular conjures up memories of Wizardry, in particular. It's a first-person dungeon crawler where you command a party of adventurers, heading down into the final resting place of the Demon Lord Leinad. Long ago, a group of heroes defeated Leinad and sealed him underground, and a maze was built up over it. Now, the seal is broken, monsters are swarming, and it looks like the Demon Lord is intent on resurrecting.

So, upon starting Demon Lord Reincarnation, you're given a selection of adventurers to pick from, building up a party of four to venture down. It's only five floors. How hard could it be?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UCfkewb6Kw

Time for some hubris

Well, after losing two party members in the first fight, I got my answer pretty quick.

The first thing to know about Demon Lord Reincarnation is that it's not exactly a cheerful adventure. You can, and will, lose party members. That happy Valkyrie joining you, cheerfully believing they can help stop the great evil? Yeah, she's dead now. In fact, I had to fight her reanimated corpse on a later run. Yes, the Graverobber Foundation exhumed my dead party member and threw the reanimated corpse back at me in a random battle, with all their powers and skills still intact. It was both a wonderful and terrifying surprise.

[caption id="attachment_392651" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Every party member hails from a different class, with various weapon and magic types that can have different effects in battle. At first, you might not notice this; but after your three swordfighters fail to put a dent in one beefy enemy, you'll want to consider diversifying your damage pool.

Every turn, you can commit a fighter to defend themselves or use an action, which costs varying amounts of skill points. Everyone has a basic skill that costs nothing, but during battle, they can have a spark of inspiration and learn a new move.

[caption id="attachment_392653" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

These abilities are crucial. They're often not only useful for damage, but add much needed utility for surviving against the brutal waves of enemies in Demon Lord Reincarnation. Stunning, tripping, and even gouging a skeleton's eye out—yes that works, don't ask me about the logistics—will stop those swarms of nasty monsters from turning your optimistic party into gruesome maze décor.

Knowledge is power

It's at this point that I'll stress the same thing the developer stresses: read the manual. Every copy of Demon Lord Reincarnation comes with access to a little PDF manual, and it is filled with useful, borderline essential information. How do I know this? I played for an hour without realizing you can rest in the maze. Learn from my mistakes.

Either way, it's not all doom-and-gloom. Over time, you'll build up power. Characters get noticeably stronger the more they survive. They don't really level up in a conventional sense, but gain extra stat points as they overcome battles. Worse odds mean greater rewards. So maybe leading your party into battle against a swarm of butchers and imps isn't a terrible idea. Anyone who survives the meat grinder will be stronger for it, right? And the replacements you can recruit at the campfire gradually scale to be within your range, too.

[caption id="attachment_392654" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Graverobber Foundation[/caption]

A real appeal of Demon Lord Reincarnation is its adherence to the classic first-person dungeon crawling, though. And by that, I mean there is no auto-mapping. Unlike more modern entries, you'll need to manually track your location and create your own map of the dungeon if you want to remember where you are. Or, you can just let yourself get blissfully lost. Either way, the dark, gloomy vibes of the corridors create a delightfully dreary ambiance.

[caption id="attachment_392652" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Graverobber Foundation[/caption]

Surviving the dungeon

I've only played a little bit of Demon Lord Reincarnation, but I can't really seem to get it out of my head. There's the incredible art, making use of an eerie dithered style much like another indie RPG favorite of mine, World of Horror. (It actually uses art from Toriotto, through an archive the artist has approved for other commercial projects.) It's punishing, but in the right amount, like a particularly good hot sauce. The way it looks back on first-person dungeon crawling and adds a bit of its own flair is really compelling.

But Demon Lord Reincarnation also feels focused, laser-set on what it's trying to do. There is a task at hand, and you'll need to slowly understand and learn its systems to overcome it. Sure, the descent to the Demon Lord is not going to be easy. But it's the challenge that makes it feel rewarding. Demon Lord Reincarnation's maze may seem simple at first, but those tiles and doors hold a world of adventure and challenge ahead. I'm pretty eager to head back down them.

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How to find new life in space again

Citizen Sleeper was one of the biggest surprises of last year for me. It was a stellar combination of virtual and tabletop mechanics in a gorgeous, distant space setting that drew me in and quickly became a favorite. So when Citizen Sleeper 2 appeared out of the blue, you can imagine how eager I was to hear more about it.

The first game follows a rogue, copied consciousness on the run, trying to avoid the hunters of their corporate overlords while attending to a steadily deteriorating body. It's a battle against planned obsolescence, in a cold station on the fringes of space. A place where a "Sleeper" like you could find a home, or at least a crossroads towards a new one. But following a series of DLC updates, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector heads in a new direction. We talked to creator Gareth Damian Martin, of Jump Over The Age, to see just what that direction looks like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFOYaEQP9ks

Pushing your luck

To start, you're still a Sleeper. The corporate-owned android body is still your home. But, as seen in the trailer above, your relationship with a critical chemical compound called "Stabilizer," necessary for survival in the first game, has changed. In Citizen Sleeper 2, an attempt to free yourself from dependence on Stabilizer has left your body malfunctioning. So you steal a ship and head on the run, with a body on the fritz and a price on your head.

As Martin puts it, you no longer have a declining body, but a malfunctioning one. "The distinction being that it's no longer predictable," they said. "It's no longer like, 'Well I know tomorrow, I'm going to be a little worse off.' It's much more of a push-your-luck situation, where the more that you push your body, the more likely it is that you're going to suffer a malfunction, but it's not a guarantee."

[caption id="attachment_392347" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Jump Over The Age[/caption]

This idea of pushing luck is an interesting one. It's something you can see in tabletop games like Blades in the Dark—an influence behind the first Citizen Sleeper. These gambits can pay off, and the resources can be both bountiful and crucial to survival. However, they may come with a cost. Martin points towards a feeling of being "on the edge" of being overwhelmed, and the stories that can come from that.

"That’s always my kind of endpoint, is just thinking about, what’s the narrative like," said Martin. "I don’t really care about the mechanics on their own. I’m interested in how they will serve and drive interesting narrative outcomes, where there’s not really a kind of pure success on offer. There’s instead just a series of compromises and variations."

A stressed-out Sleeper

If you map out a typical Citizen Sleeper run as a line graph, you'd see continuous dips and sudden spikes back to full. That rocky, alpine road of upkeep is what keeps the dice flowing in, and dice are how you get things done every day.

Citizen Sleeper 2 will maintain a good chunk of those systems. There's still a three-level system of risk, depending on what kinds of dice you have to place down. There are still, right now, a number of dice every cycle that can decline based on your current status. But stress is a new factor. For a game where you're already on the run, that's a powerful motivating factor to keep moving forward—and to take the risks you might normally avoid.

“When the game is kind of about crisis, and about entropy, about fighting against things falling apart and what that takes, then something like stress is a really valuable concept and mechanic simultaneously,” Martin explained to me. “So that's kind of like, the big thing that unites Citizen Sleeper 2’s changes, really.”

[caption id="attachment_392348" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Jump Over The Age[/caption]

As you move through the system on your ship, you can pick up contracts. These can give you the resources you need to keep going. But you'll need to ensure they succeed, too. Having a crew, then, helps a lot. While you're talented, you can't be perfect at everything in Citizen Sleeper 2. Selecting a crew for your jobs can play a big role in them succeeding. Martin points to Into the Breach as a "guiding intent."

“I often think about Into the Breach as the apex of the game where you spend more time looking at the problem in front of you than you do actually clicking buttons,” said Martin. “And while I’m not making Into the Breach, and Citizen Sleeper wouldn’t kind of ever be able to reach that level just by design, that is still something that I take as a kind of guiding intent. I very much like to have the idea of players sat there, scrolling around, looking at what’s in front of them and being like, ‘Okay, how am I going to solve this cycle in the best possible way?’”

Squats in space

With that crew-involved story, Citizen Sleeper 2's influences may not be a tremendous surprise. Martin names series like Cowboy Bebop, Firefly, and Deep Space Nine. Particularly, Martin calls attention to the episodes of DS9 where the "plot engine" turns off, and we get to zoom in a bit more on the crew. Stories about the crew, and their interpersonal drama, can often stand out in ways we don't see often in games.

At least, not in the scrappy crew manner we do in Citizen Sleeper 2. Compared to Commander Shepard's "flying office building", as Martin puts it, the ship of CS2 is more like a "squat in space." All the NPCs have their own agency, too. They're people, who have their own drivers that are not always aligning with yours.

Making personnel choices—who you take with you on jobs, who you get along with, and who you let on the ship in the first place—seems like it could be a big differentiator for Citizen Sleeper 2. It certainly adds a unique twist to the interactions and relationships of the game, compared to its predecessor.

[caption id="attachment_392346" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Jump Over The Age[/caption]

But that's all in the future. Citizen Sleeper 2 doesn't have a release date at the moment; for now, it sounds like Martin wanted to let fans know it's in the works. That's alongside a lot of other CitSleep content too, like a solo tabletop game and Design Works book.

When it comes to the finished sequel, Martin looks forward to getting the players into trouble, it seems. That mix of narrow successes, of making it through but not without a mark, looks to carry forward. And now, you'll have a crew of characters to add into the mix.

“I’m hoping it will feel quite different to the kind of space games that people are used to playing,” said Martin. “But at the same time, will feel like a continuation of Citizen Sleeper’s ideas about freedom, ‘freedom’, in story, and meaning, and characters. Getting to be part of their story, whatever that means, even if that’s not necessarily even helping them, or enduring them, specifically. [laughs]”

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Making 'ample space' for the gods

The summer is becoming increasingly packed for games, especially as dates start to shift around. With Baldur's Gate 3 moving its release date up, it put Larian's RPG in direct contention with another RPG, Stray Gods.

Now, Summerfall Studios is taking the opportunity for a slight delay. Originally scheduled for August 3, Summerfall is pushing the launch of its musical RPG to August 10. And in a statement on the matter, the studio was pretty straightforward about why:

"We want everyone to have ample space to check out Stray Gods when it launches," said the studio. "Baldur's Gate 3 is hotly anticipated (by us, too!) and we want to give our fans room to celebrate Stray Gods."

The extra time may prove a boon, though. As the statement goes on to say, Summerfall is taking on a lot by launching on a plethora of platforms—PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and the Nintendo Switch.

"This is a huge undertaking for any team, let alone an indie shipping its first title," said Summerfall. "This extra week allows us to have performance parity as close as possible—across every platform."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coQQ-K8Iwi8

The song remains the same

I admire the candor, as well as the hope that players looking forward to both of these games could finish the titanic Baldur's Gate 3 in a week's time. Jokes aside, though, an extra week can be a silver lining for a team to put extra polish on something.

Stray Gods is definitely on my shortlist for the summer. It's a role-playing adventure centered around actual musical performances, with quite a star-studded cast. Having a little extra time to space these games out will be nice, and hopefully give Summerfall whatever extra time it needs to fine-tune all its launches.

Stray Gods arrives on August 10 for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch.

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PC owners will have to wait until August

Larian Studios is nearing a moved-up launch date for its massive RPG Baldur's Gate 3. But while the adventure is arriving sooner than announced, it comes with a caveat that PC owners won't get an extra-extra head start.

Originally, Larian had planned to give a 72-hour head start to everyone who picked up the Digital Deluxe Edition of Baldur's Gate 3. This Early Access would allow a head start on Act 1, the same area already in the current Early Access build, but in the 1.0 version. It would've been a lot of players too, as Larian upgraded everyone who bought the Early Access of Baldur's Gate 3 to the Digital Deluxe Edition.

With the release date for PC moving up almost a month, though, there was some curiosity about what would happen to the head start. In a recent community update, Larian confirms there won't be a head start for PC owners.

"The PC Digital Deluxe Edition does not include a 72 hour head start, which would have essentially made the game’s release date July 31st. Shifting the release date – and thus communication around the Digital Deluxe Editions across PS5 and PC – came with a few complexities that we didn’t manage to communicate very well, so we thought it best to clarify it here, given that a 72 hour head start on PC wouldn't have been plausible."

PlayStation 5 Digital Deluxe owners will still get a head start though. So those who are waiting on the console version will get a little bit of catch-up time on PC players on September 3, rather than its September 6 launch date.

The waiting is the hardest part

It's a bit of a bummer, but to put a glass-half-full spin: we're essentially getting the RPG a month earlier anyways, so three extra days isn't too drastic. The appeal of a head start in Baldur's Gate 3 would, at least in my eyes, be good for those with a lot of hours in the Early Access to rebuild their characters, as saves from the EA version won't carry over to launch.

Plus, there's a ton to do in Act 1 that isn't in yet anyways. In its community update, Larian estimates that Act 1 has roughly 33% more content in it compared to the start of Early Access. And Act 1 also apparently makes up "less than a quarter" of the total content available at launch.

Baldur's Gate 3 is looking unbearably massive. Even if there isn't an extra head start, there's still plenty of time to dig in when Baldur's Gate 3 hits on August 3 for PC.

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You and me could have a bear romance

Baldur's Gate 3 is just under a month away, at this point, and today Larian Studios hosted a Panel From Hell to celebrate the impending launch on PC. It featured a new Origin character with a unique playstyle, tons of gameplay details, and one very fraught scene with a Druid.

One of the big reveals of the Panel was the new Origin character, teased in its online mystery game, who is more like an Origin archetype: the Dark Urge. Much like Larian's work on Divinity, Baldur's Gate 3 will have the option to play as either a created character or one of the Origin characters who would otherwise be party members, like Shadowheart or Astarion.

The Dark Urge is a fully customizable Origin. Though they default to an alabaster dragonborn, you can play them as anyone. The Dark Urge is more about what resides in your character: an insatiable need for blood and carnage. While others deal with normal concerns, the Urge's battle is all about ignoring or indulging their impulses. They'll be guided by a vile servant named Sceleritas Fel, voiced by Divinity: Original Sin 2's narrator Brian Bowles.

Additionally, Larian added a little more voice talent to the lineup today. Maggie Robertson, who voiced Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village, is playing the third central antagonist of Baldur's Gate 3: a shapeshifter named Orin the Red. Alongside Jason Isaacs' Lord Enver Gortash and J.K. Simmons' General Ketheric Thorm, that's a star-studded rogues gallery.

The wait is un-bear-able

Of course, there was one moment of today's Panel From Hell that lit up social media. Larian showed off some of the romantic scenes in Baldur's Gate 3, which are an obvious draw for any weary, impatient BioWare fans. The first was a sweet, innocent scene with Karlach, the newly announced Barbarian character, as they go on a date with a created character.

The next scene was not quite so innocent. The player, as Astarion, met with the druid Halsin in the woods for a romantic rendezvous. And when Halsin wild-shaped into his literal bear form, things... escalated. I'll let Larian's own spokesperson take it from here:

"Have you ever considered the joys and pleasures of sexual congress with a wildshaped Druid?" said lead writer Adam Smith in a press release. "Because at Larian, we have, and ultimately landed on the side of giving the people what they want: tender, consensual romance with a man temporarily transformed into a grizzly bear."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW846h6FyU4&t=19999s

As Larian founder and creative director Swen Vincke noted, the bear scene was steamy enough to get the studio banned on TikTok. The news was met with uproarious cheers from the live studio audience.

Thoughts on wild, wild-shaped romance aside, it does at least show Larian is doing the due diligence of recreating a tabletop experience. I can count the times I've played Dungeons & Dragons on one hand, but know enough about tabletop pals to know there's no way this exact topic hasn't come up before, amid suppressed giggles, at some table, somewhere. And it seems like Larian's light-hearted about the matter, too; in an interview with IGN, Vincke characterized the scene as "hilarious." Indeed, the cut-away to the squirrel got a good laugh out of me.

So if the goal is to take the infinite possibility of a tabletop game and its theater of the imagination, and try to capture it so that a virtual, prepared campaign could recreate the same possibility space, nothing says Larian's making it happen quite like comically raucous Druid romance.

For all that and more, Baldur's Gate 3 arrives for PC on August 3. PS5 players will get their own shot at love on September 6.

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Good news for anyone with eyeballs

Square-Enix released a patch today for their newest, hottest hit, Final Fantasy XVI. Patch 1.03 is largely just a quality-of-life update with some small tweaks, but it notably allows you to reduce the intensity of motion blur or turn it off entirely. Thank the Gods of Visual Clarity for that.

Motion blur is one of those modern visual effects that some people don’t like. For example, I don’t like motion blur. In racing games, maybe, but essentially not any other time. Along with chromatic aberration and depth-of-field blur, it’s one of those things that developers really should allow you to turn off. It can be stylish, but it can also just look smudgy and ugly.

Also, when I need to take screenshots, if I’m playing a game that uses an intense motion blur, most of my shots wind up unusable. I typically record portions of my gameplay and take screenshots from that, which can often mean scrubbing through frames to find the one that isn’t smeared.

But I digress

Anyway, the patch notes are really short, so here they are:

• Adds the following items to the System tab of the Main Menu:
  • Motion Blur Strength
    Allows the player to adjust the strength of the motion blur effect when the character or camera is in motion. The default setting is the maximum of 5. This can be lowered to reduce the strength of the motion blur effect, or set to 0 to turn it off completely.
  • Player Follow (Movement)
  • Player Follow (Attack)
    Turning these settings off prevents the camera from automatically following the player while moving and attacking respectively.
• Changes the maximum setting of the Camera Sensitivity (Horizontal) and Camera Sensitivity (Vertical) items from 10 to 20.
• Adds three new controller layouts: types D, E, and F.
• Corrects an issue that affected the stability of some menus.
• Corrects some text issues.
• Adds the hashtag #FF16 when sharing screenshots or video clips on Twitter or YouTube.

I haven’t actually played Final Fantasy XVI (haven’t gotten around to it), so this means very little to me. However, more options are always a good thing.

Final Fantasy XVI is currently available for PlayStation 5

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This dungeon is large enough to house all of the dragons

Swen Vincke of Larian, the studio behind the Divinity series, has just told IGN that Baldur's Gate 3 will be huge. Vincke says the team is seeing one regular playthrough taking from 75 to 100 hours, and a run where you do everything there is to do will take about 200 hours.

He also says that players going for multiplayer runs could see it run for over a year, as players organize regular sessions similar to a tabletop D&D campaign.

In fact, they made the game with multiplayer sessions in mind. Like classic Baldur's Gate, this one is divided into chapters. Everybody knows that fitting games and real life into the same schedule is tough, so many will be glad to know that players will be able to drop in and out of sessions without keeping the campaign in an endless cliffhanger.

We can't yet fully attest to Baldur's Gate 3's quality as a multiplayer title, but if Divinity 2 is anything to go by, then yes, multiplayer will be a fun way to play it.

What's making it this big?

The key to D&D's longevity is the freedom it provides, and the replayability that naturally comes with it. As we've previously reported, Baldur's Gate 3 will feature over 600 different spells and 7 playable Origin characters at launch. Anyone not phased by that will get the option to create their own character. That'll allow players to pick between 11 playable races, 31 subraces, 12 classes, and 46 subclasses.

And Baldur's Gate 3 isn't only huge when it comes to stuff you get to do

The Witcher 3 made headlines in 2015 when we learned that its script was as long as four regular-sized books. That was an unprecedented feat back in the day, one that Baldur's Gate 3 absolutely dwarfs with its 170 hours of cinematics and a cinematic dialog script three times longer than the three Lord Of The Rings novels put together.

The PC version of Baldur's Gate 3 arrives on August 3, a month earlier than originally announced to avoid facing off against other big releases like Starfield. The PS5 version will come out on September 6. There's still no release window for an Xbox version.

For more news about Baldur's Gate 3, tune in to Larian's Panel From Hell: Release Showcase on July 7.

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There is an Xbox version, but it needs more time

Today, Larian Studios announced that it's moving up the release date of Baldur's Gate 3 on PC and slightly delaying the PS5 version. Alongside those platforms, the studio says an Xbox version of Baldur's Gate 3 is still in the works. It's just a matter of getting it ready.

In a community update around the announcement, Larian said it's optimistic about Baldur's Gate 3 on the Xbox Series X. But in order to announce and release on Xbox, the studio will need to "ensure the game is performing without compromise across the entire Xbox X|S ecosystem."

Essentially? "Like with the PS5 version, we'll release it when it's ready," Larian said. "We'll update you as soon as we can."

Splitting the screens

Larian head Swen Vincke went into more detail about the status of the Xbox version in an interview with IGN. Vincke noted both the freedom of the game itself, and the split-screen co-op, as causes for its troubles. Vincke told IGN that Larian may have to make some "compromises" to get an Xbox version live, though he didn't specify what they were, and didn't want to confirm that would be the case for-sure.

Vincke also confirms that Larian is working with Microsoft's Xbox Advanced Technology Group (Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment on the matter to IGN).

As the interview goes on, Vincke does say that the team's ambition is to release Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox Series X|S this year, but it can't commit to that. Again, it's ready when it's ready.

"This one's not exclusive. You're going to be able to play it. It's just a matter of patience. This is really a question of time," Vincke said.

As for PC and PS5 players, the wait for Baldur's Gate 3 has shifted a bit with today's news. PC players will get the massive RPG on August 3, while PS5 players have to wait just a little bit longer for September 6.

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PS5 players get a mild delay

Baldur's Gate 3 is moving up its launch date by almost a month for PC players. Larian Studios announced that Baldur's Gate 3 will come to PC on August 3 now, while the PlayStation 5 version will launch a week later than expected on September 6.

Originally, Baldur's Gate 3 was set for August 31 on both PC and PS5. However, with an increasingly busy late-summer launch window, it looks like Larian isn't holding onto Baldur's Gate 3 for longer than it needs to.

"Reaching a technical bar that matches our design ambitions felt like the right move, while holding back the PC version when we knew we’d be ready felt like the wrong move in such a busy launch period," said Michael Douse, director of publishing.

PlayStation 5, meanwhile, is looking solid according to Larian's metrics. It's reaching 60 FPS for the console port. Larian also shared a few more metrics about the upcoming RPG, including a script that has more dialogue than "three times all three Lord of the Rings books combined" and "over 170 hours of cinematics."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgTFtD2sHdE

Importantly, this also means 7 playable characters at launch, alongside the custom character option. For said character creator, there will be 11 playable races, 31 subraces, 12 classes and 46 subclasses, and over 600 spells and actions (excluding upcasts). That is, well, a lot. More info about Baldur's Gate 3 will arrive on July 7, during Larian's Panel From Hell: Release Showcase.

A big year for role-playing

This moves the PC version of Baldur's Gate 3 back a bit, towards the start of August, while putting its PS5 version directly against the Xbox and PC RPG Starfield, which goes live on September 6.

It feels a bit like counter-programming, as PS5 owners may be looking for a new RPG to put up against all the fancy new Starfield owners. For PC players, especially those who have owned and been waiting for Baldur's Gate 3, it's an exciting announcement. It's also a massive date shift, one of the more notable ones in recent memory. We'll see how Larian's confidence pays off in August.

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Ryza's on the ryze

Publisher Koei Tecmo and developer Gust have just announced another milestone for the Atelier Ryza series. Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, and Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key have surpassed a total of two million units shipped.

The last report came on March 17, announcing that the series had shipped 1.6 million units. This means that the Atelier Ryza series has moved over 400,000 more units in a period filled with massive attention-stealers such as Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Street Fighter VI, and Diablo IV. Now that's quite the feat.

[caption id="attachment_365614" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Koei Tecmo[/caption]

To celebrate the series' success, Koei Tecmo has announced that they're willing to give out some goodies to fans; too bad that only applies to fans living in Japan.

Are you just hearing about the Atelier series for the first time? Then you'll probably be surprised to learn that this series has existed since '97. (That's older than Metal Gear Solid.) Atelier is a popular RPG series that began on Sony consoles, then gradually made its way to most other platforms. The Ryza games in the series follow Reisalin "Ryza" Stout. Ryza is an adventurer who travels the world looking for recipes to further her studies in the field of alchemy.

You can play either of the three newest games in the series on PS5, Xbox X|S, Switch, and Steam. The success of Atelier Ryza will likely not slow down anytime soon either, as an anime TV adaptation will come out this summer.

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Plus some notes on CDPR's crunch culture

The rise and fall (then rise again) of Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most infamous stories of this gaming generation. True, that developer CD Projekt Red has been pushing out updates to patch some of the major mistakes, but the memory of that December 2020 release is still raw for many.

Thankfully, the game is in a much better state these days, but the studio's own VP of PR and Communication, Michał Platkow-Gilewski, has said that the initial launch was "way better" than the reception. That's according to a recent interview with Gamesindustry.biz.

"I actually believe Cyberpunk on launch was way better than it was received, and even the first reviews were positive," Platkow-Gilewski said. "Then it became a cool thing not to like it. We went from hero to zero really fast. That was the tough moment. We didn't know what was happening. We knew that the game is great, yes we can improve it, yes we need to take time to do it, and we need to rebuild some stuff."

[caption id="attachment_389002" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image via CD Projekt Red.[/caption]

In short: Platkow-Gilewski seemed pretty upbeat about the team's massive RPG, even if the general response two and a half years ago tells a different story. The team's response, as he tells it to GI.biz, was to roll up sleeves and get to fixing the game.

Work-life balance

On top of that, it seems as though CD Projekt Red's crunch culture is being dialed back somewhat. Reports of crunch at the Cyberpunk developer circled the studio following 2077's launch. However, in the interview, Platkow-Gilewski says that CDPR is trying for a more balanced approach. He says there's now a team "dedicated to improving" work-life balance.

"We are improving, rebuilding, reshaping the studio on so many levels that it's hard to say precisely what's happening," Platkow-Gilewski explains. "But work-life balance, how we work together, how we empower even smaller teams, what are the pipelines, how we speak with management, all that... it's constantly changing."

Hopefully, this bodes well for the many projects CDPR has in the pipeline, which includes a new Witcher saga and a Cyberpunk sequel. Even sooner, Cyberpunk 2077 will get its first and only expansion Phantom Liberty, which seems like it could be a big turning point for the state of Cyberpunk. The expansion arrives on September 26, 2023.

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Five years of interconnected adventure

Square Enix has announced that it will hold a special anniversary live stream next month to celebrate five years of the narrative adventure franchise Octopath Traveler. The stream will take place on July 13, the same date as the first title graced its presence on Nintendo Switch.

Developed by Square Enix and Acquire, the Octopath Traveler titles allow players to follow the interconnecting tales of a party of distinct protagonists, who cross paths under their own respective circumstances. Octopath Traveler and its recent sequel, Octopath Traveler II, have garnered devoted fanbases due to their traditional RPG nature, interesting characters, and artistically impressive worlds. The second title has sold over one million copies since its February launch on PC and consoles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exUzGmKmr60

Produced in alignment with Weekly Famitsu, the live stream will feature guests such as Square Enix producer Masashi Takahashi, Acquire lead Keisuke Miyauchi, and series composer Yasunori Nishiki. The stream will include interviews, a retrospective, and the results of a recently held Japanese fan survey. As to whether we can expect any reveals... Well, a sequel literally arrived less than six months ago, so any new titles or spin-offs seem unlikely. But perhaps Square Enix will have something interesting to show fans.

The Octopath Traveler Anniversary Stream will take place July 13 at 20:00 JST, which is a red-eyed 04:00 in PT times. If there is any news, we will be sure to keep you abreast of it.

Octopath Traveler II is available now on PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Octopath Traveler 5th Anniversary Live Stream set for July 13 [Gematsu]

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Devil May Clive

There’s been quite a bit of talk around the release of Final Fantasy XVI, mostly about what a Final Fantasy game is. Depending on the era you started playing games and the consoles you played them on, that answer can vary wildly. And with Final Fantasy XVI breaking new ground for the series, this debate has carried on for a while.

After rolling credits on Final Fantasy XVI, I can verify it is a Final Fantasy game. It’s about crystals and magic, ancient beings of incredible power, and swords clashing over ideals that could shape the fate of the world. Plus, there’s chocobos and moogles. If nothing else, those are absolute signifiers.

Credentials aside, Final Fantasy XVI feels like a big step in a new direction. It might not be the classic style some long-time fans had hoped for. But it’s a step that’s confident, exploring a new world of possibilities while carrying forward good chunks of its past. It’s a Final Fantasy, and a good one at that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eciI3eMPj7M&ab_channel=Destructoid

Final Fantasy XVI (PS5)
Developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit III
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: June 22, 2023
MSRP: $69.99

Final Fantasy XVI follows the journey of Clive Rosfield, through three distinct eras of his life. Starting in his teens, where Clive is the Shield of his younger brother and heir to the throne Joshua, it later jumps forward to a more tumultuous and traumatic time for Clive, and further on as the story develops. I’m working to keep this review largely spoiler-free, as there are quite a few twists and turns along the way.

There are many nations, names, and proper nouns to remember, so the Active Time Lore feature helps a ton. Square Enix has done a surprising amount of work cataloguing all the character relationships, political intrigue, and the evolving landscape of Valisthea over the course of the story.

Throughout this adventure, Clive also slowly builds up a band of companions. His childhood friend Jill, who happens to be the Dominant of Shiva; Cidolfus, or Cid, the Dominant of Ramuh; the cheerful and crafty scout Gav, rambunctious Mid, and various other characters who work together as part of Cid’s organization, attempting to right the wrongs of the world. Clive starts out as a bit of lone wolf, on a quest to solve his own troubles. Soon after, he gets caught up in the larger issues at hand.

Tales of loss and fire and faith

And oh boy, are there some wrongs to be righted. Final Fantasy XVI goes for a dark fantasy setting that feels very, very Game of Thrones at times. Schemers plot and thwart each other. Armies fight and die for control of the Mothercrystals, massive crystalline structures thought to hold off the advance of the destructive Blight that’s destroying the world of Valisthea. And yes, Final Fantasy says “fuck” now.

Those born with magic are seen as lesser people, are branded as Bearers. They’re bought, sold, and expended like a commodity, as their use of magic gradually drains the life force from their body until they’re spent. Dominants are the most powerful of these, as users that have control of an Eikon, one of Final Fantasy’s classic summons like Bahamut, Titan, or Shiva. Though, depending on where the Dominant resides, they may be treated as royalty, weapon, or just another Bearer to control.

[caption id="attachment_387650" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Square Enix tackles a lot of this headfirst, and how it lands can vary. Some early plot beats around Bearers and their struggles land well, while others don’t. Final Fantasy XVI’s highest plot points really, really hit, in the way a super-produced Final Fantasy cutscene can. Seeing giant Eikons clash against each other, the devastation they wreak, and the impressive scenes of battle are a sight to see.

That’s not to undersell the individual, more intimate performances though. Ben Starr holds it down as Clive, and Ralph Ineson’s performance as Cidolfus (a.k.a. Cid) is particularly memorable. Special shout-outs to Stewart Clarke, who puts in great work as Bahamut’s Dominant Dio Lesage too, as well as some others I can’t spoil here. Suffice to say, the core English VA crew does a great job, and the impressive renderings of the characters add a lot to XVI’s emotional highs.

[caption id="attachment_387656" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The supporting crew is solid too, but gets a little less to work with. It’s an overall mild problem, but there were times where story beats or ideas would be set up and then immediately shuffled out of the main plot’s path. Some characters feel like they flit in and out of the limelight, and I would’ve liked to see them get a little more to do than stand on the sidelines of the big fights and plot beats.

These story beats and side characters usually get more fleshed out in the side quests, which contain bits of expanded lore or more time with a specific character. Those rewards are good too, as the side quests themselves are often pretty mundane. Frequently, they would task me with a “go here, do thing, return” structure that would feel a little too routine. Hunts, at least, are a bit more involved; these are special encounters, with unique enemies that you have to actually find and locate in the world using the description on the Hunt Board. It’s a really engaging set-up, and makes good use of Final Fantasy XVI’s zone-based world.

Flames unyielding

It also highlights the combat of XVI, which I will just say is flat-out good. Easy comparisons can be made to other third-person character action games, ranging from God of War to Devil May Cry. But while it captures the spirit of those, it doesn’t lose all of its RPG heart, either.

Clive can have up to three Eikonic forms equipped at any time, which he can swap between like stances. He can also swing his sword and fire off bolts of magic, holding either down to charge it up, as well as dodge and take to the air. At any given time, there are a lot of options available to Clive.

[caption id="attachment_387654" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Each Eikon brings its own power and style to the fight. Phoenix, your first form, is a jack-of-all-trades. But swap to Garuda, and now you have Stagger-inducing swipes and a pull ability to bring enemies close. On Titan, you can armor through enemy attacks for big damage and counter foes with your massive bulwark. As Clive gains the power of various Eikons, his moveset keeps expanding, and each one adds a distinct and interesting new way to fight.

Where the RPG seeps in is how the player gets to determine their playstyle. Abilities can be upgraded and eventually mastered, which frees them up from being attached to their respective Eikon. So if you master a Phoenix move, for example, you can equip it to your Shiva or Bahamut loadout. Endgame builds get really interesting, as you start to mix the Eikon forms and signature moves you want, like Phoenix’s dash or Titan’s counter, with the individual Eikon abilities you favor. A playstyle that feels like your own can start to emerge.

[caption id="attachment_387649" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

My frustration, then, is that it takes quite a while to get to that point. A good chunk of the early game is spent with a handful of Eikons and abilities. Combat opens up once Clive can swap through three different power sets, and as abilities begin to evolve and grow. It makes some early, standard-fare fights feel a bit repetitive, but thankfully, that gets better as Clive learns more skills. Equipment can also augment this, but aside from a few different accessories, they largely help boost your resilience, damage, and ability to Stagger enemies into a state where you can really wallop on them.

On Timely Accessories

Final Fantasy XVI has a set of accessories called Timely Accessories, which can assist with a lot of the more action-y aspects of the game. Some are low impact, like an accessory which controls Clive’s faithful companion Torgal for you, while others can make dodging easier or let you auto-combo. I messed around with them enough to make sure they work like they should. For those who enjoy action combat, I don’t think you’ll want or need to fall back on these; but for those who want a little help, they’re nice for getting through trickier fights.

Bosses are where Final Fantasy XVI’s combat really gets to shine. Whether in main story fights or the higher-rank Hunts, bosses bring new sets of engaging challenges to deal with. Bosses will start out slow, but gradually start throwing the kitchen sink at you. Barrages of abilities can feel like I’m playing a more action-driven Final Fantasy XIV raid encounter, as I’m reading AoE indicators and timing dodges while trying to unleash all my moves.

It makes sense, then, that Square Enix has included so much extra stuff to do in this game. I’ve already mentioned the side quests and Hunt Board. There’s no shortage of those, but on top of that, you can also replay certain stages or encounters, and there’s an Arcade Mode for leaderboard chasing against specific boss fights. These are bosses that aren't just fun to fight once, but over and over.

[caption id="attachment_387657" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

On top of that, there is a New Game+ option that bumps up the level cap, swaps up encounters, and seems to generally expand on the entire campaign. Getting through Final Fantasy XVI once was already no small task, as I rolled credits at about 55 hours and still had plenty of side activities left over. But it seems like if you want more Final Fantasy XVI to play after credits roll, there will be plenty still waiting for you.

The final fantasy

Even just getting words on the page about what this action-RPG is feels like a huge task. Final Fantasy has entries that can feel monolithic in size and importance, standing out as these big system-driving role-playing games. Final Fantasy XVI is no exception.

Where Final Fantasy XVI succeeds for me is its confidence in what it is. It doesn’t half-step into its newfound drive for action combat. It goes hard into its M-rated dark fantasy world. Yet it doesn’t leave behind crystals, chocobos, or moogles.

XVI’s overall message is one of free will and choice, and the resolution to determine your own destiny. Breaking the chains of fate certainly isn’t new for RPGs, but it feels apt for a series trying to break new ground, and in a numbered entry at that.

[caption id="attachment_387653" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

There are some stumbles and falters, a few places where quests can drag on or story beats fall flat. At certain points, I started breezing through or running by overworld battles. And there were certainly characters I wish had seen a bit more time to flourish.

When it comes to the big moments, the titanic clashes of ideals and reason, with gods trading blows over scorched battlefields, few do it like Final Fantasy does. Final Fantasy XVI absolutely delivers on the action front, has a compelling story with engaging twists and big payoffs, an excellent soundtrack, and a memorable cast.

It’s difficult to judge a Final Fantasy against the crystalline legacy of its predecessors. But Final Fantasy XVI takes a confident step into new territory and doesn’t slip. And for those who want an impressive, electrifying, enjoyable action RPG to sink hours upon hours into, you’d be very hard pressed to find a better option than Final Fantasy XVI.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Final Fantasy XVI appeared first on Destructoid.

You can (not) re-do

The story of Final Fantasy VII has expanded well beyond the bounds of the original PlayStation RPG. Through the spin-offs and the remake, the world of FF7 has become expansive. But rather than continue to build up, Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis feels like it's re-centering the lens on the original story, albeit with a few extra touches of its own.

Ever Crisis is a single-player mobile RPG that's billed as a bit of a retelling of Final Fantasy VII. It's a chapter-structured RPG that will go back over the events of the original game, alongside Crisis Core and some new story elements included from FF7 Remake writer Kazushige Nojima.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afTX-30KkaE

In the demo I played as part of Summer Game Fest 2023, I went through the classic intro to FF7. I got to see how exactly this plays out, and where Ever Crisis adheres to—or differs from—its original text. It's an interesting way of re-experiencing this tale, for both newcomers and old fans alike.

The planet's dyin', Cloud

If you've played Final Fantasy VII, either the original or the remake, you remember how the first mission goes. Cloud, Barrett, and the crew infiltrate the Mako Reactor, set up the explosives, fight a giant robot, and escape just in the nick of time. It's a great intro, and it still works in Ever Crisis.

[caption id="attachment_387197" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is set to re-tell the original FF7 story, but that doesn't mean it isn't taking some bits from newer versions. The in-game portraits are gorgeous, adding a lot of character to the dialogue-heavy sections. And once you're in battle, the normally PlayStation-style sprites turn into Remake-style models.

It makes Ever Crisis feel like a compilation, which I guess is kind of the point. The world of not just Final Fantasy, but Final Fantasy VII specifically, is huge at this point. To that end, having a mobile RPG that lets you re-experience the original FF7 story in a slightly abridged format seems like a great way to onboard new players.

[caption id="attachment_387196" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

Cue the fanfare

As for the actual battling, it feels best summed up as solid, but nothing too involved or interesting. An ATB meter builds up over time, letting you execute commands that have different ATB costs noted along a bottom row.

In my demo, there was a tension between cashing in ATB for Braver or magic, or holding onto it in case I needed some quick healing. It's a decent system, but not very in-depth. Maybe more options open up as more characters are added and tougher enemies show up. But for these fights, it was pretty straightforward.

[caption id="attachment_387195" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

And that really leads into my greater questions about Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis. Pre-registration is currently open, and the plan is to roll out the original FF7 story. It will have in-app purchases, which appears to include gacha elements around weapons and costumes for characters.

Any monetization element can make players wary. I'm curious to see what this will look like, and how necessary those elements will feel in the final game. I recently got way into Honkai Star Rail at launch, for example, but fell off as the content roll-out started.

[caption id="attachment_387199" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

A history of Fantasy

Still, with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth set for early 2024 and rising interest in Final Fantasy in general, I like the idea of making the original FF7 easy to pick up and play. It's a core piece of this series' legacy, and though it's already been ported to tons of platforms, this method just adds a new way of experiencing—or re-experiencing—the story.

So Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis might feel like a re-tread, but a welcome one. What I've learned from the demo is that you really don't have to twist my arm to get me to play more Final Fantasy VII. And if you're in a similar boat, Ever Crisis might be worth at least a shot when it arrives for mobile.

The post Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis aims to share a classic with a new audience appeared first on Destructoid.

Full Metal Max

Getting into the Metal Max series has been one of the most exciting experiences to come my way in this hobby recently. I picked up Metal Max Xeno Reborn on a whim, and the next thing I know, I’m hungrily trying to consume everything from the series I could get my hands on. That’s unfortunately not a lot. Most of the series has never left Japan. While there are some fan translations landing for some of those titles, there was only one official release for the series in North America before Metal Max Xeno. That was 2005’s Metal Saga on PS2.

Don’t let the name fool you. This isn’t some spin-off. Metal Saga is a whole-fat entry in the series. There were some trademark issues resulting from Data East going bankrupt, so the developers at Crea-tech couldn’t actually call it Metal Max for a time, but that’s the only disruption. It takes place in the same world as the previous games, making reference to those narratives, and the mechanics all follow the formula set out by the previous two titles. It’s the true Metal Max 3 in everything but name.

Unfortunately, the shift to the 3D perspective wasn’t an effortless one.

[caption id="attachment_387134" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The stupid end of the world

Metal Saga starts out in much the same way that the original Metal Max does: the protagonist tells his parent that he’s setting out in the world to become a hunter. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic future, Hunters travel around and take down the various monsters that roam the devastated planet.

Like the original Metal Max, the actual over-arching narrative isn’t clear from the start, and only takes shape at the very end. Largely, you’re let loose on the world and left to do whatever you feel like, and Metal Saga just trusts that you’ll eventually find your way to the conclusion. It’s up to you to just travel around, get stronger, and make money by defeating Wanted Monsters. In tanks.

I can’t stress this enough: Metal Saga, like the series before it, is a game about tanks. There are vehicles in there that aren’t tanks, but everyone talks about tanks like they’re mankind’s greatest achievement. If you want to actually complete the game, you’ll need to scour the world for the best tanks, then outfit them with the best equipment. It’s amazing.

[caption id="attachment_387135" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

You remind me of my grandson

The post-apocalypse of Metal Max is a tale as old as time. Humans were starting to get a little panicked about how they were destroying the planet. Rather than take personal responsibility, they created an AI called NOAH to help them fix it. NOAH decided that the best way to save the planet was to get rid of the source of the problems: humans.

That’s pretty realistic. Humans would definitely try to take a shortcut for solving their problems, and an AI would almost certainly follow a request right down to the letter.

Not a lot of people in Metal Saga know what caused humans to get pushed to the brink of extinction. Furthermore, the plot of Metal Max involved the protagonist finally shutting NOAH down, but since no one knew the world was even still in peril, few people really know that even happened.

But while the Metal Max series is incredibly on the nose for something that was created in 1991, it’s incredibly lighthearted about the whole affair. If The Last of Us is a finger wag and Fallout is a head shake, then Metal Max is a roll of the eyes. It’s not just about man’s inhumanity to man; it’s about man’s baffling, ceaseless stupidity.

While you travel the world, you keep bumping into survivors who just have the strangest priorities. There’s a cult that worships bodybuilding. You might find a retirement home full of elderly people driven to crime by neglectful grandchildren. Your primary rival in all of this is a rich heiress who is more interested in collecting tanks than taking down the monsters that threaten the remnants of humanity. It’s nowhere near as ridiculous as Metal Max 2 could get, but it certainly doesn’t wear a straight face.

[caption id="attachment_387136" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Tasty corpses

This sort of leads to Metal Saga’s biggest issue: it’s empty. Metal Saga has a huge world, and a tonne of Wanted Monsters to hunt, but not a lot in between.

It’s always been a series standard to kind of just let you loose on the world with a few gates to keep you from wandering straight to the end of the game. Metal Saga is much the same, but there’s less to distract you. There’s a dearth of side quests, and they're actually difficult to bump into. There are so many rooms in the dungeons and towns that are just empty, and that takes a lot of the fun out of exploration.

Those empty rooms might be by design rather than just an indication of unfinished content, but that’s actually worse. I don’t want to check each and every room in case one of them might have a fridge to loot.

There was one dude credited with monster design, Masato Kimura, and he went absolutely nuts. This big empty world is absolutely packed with different monster attacks, including howitzers wearing fishnets and a stealth bomber that is actually just a big manta ray. According to a guide I found, there are 232 types of regular monsters. While some of them are mostly palette swaps, a huge number of them are unique. It also doesn’t lean too hard on just recreating monsters from past games. It’s an impressive effort.

[caption id="attachment_387137" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Optimus Swine

At this point, I’ve played a decent chunk of the Metal Max series. I have to say, Metal Saga currently sits near the bottom of my list of favorites. The core gameplay that I love so much about the series is still there. Everything built around that isn’t anything too insulting, but it’s a lot weaker than anything that came before it.

On the other hand, before Metal Max Xeno, this was the only game in the series that came West. Even now, the only way for hardcore anglophones to experience the other games is to use fan translations. In no small way, Metal Saga is way better than no Metal Max at all. If fan translations aren’t your thing, then this is absolutely something you should play.

My eyes are constantly peeled for any news on the series. Cygames bought the rights up in 2022 directly after the release of Metal Max Xeno Reborn and the cancellation of Metal Max Xeno: Wild West. The series director (who actually didn’t have a creative role in Metal Saga) is even on board. Currently, it looks like we’re getting a remake of the first game of the series, but I have my fingers crossed that they’ll also look to finally localize previous games in the series. At the very least, re-release Metal Saga.

The series has had a mess of ownership issues. It has never really received the attention or the love that it deserves. I’m hoping Cygames winds up being the parent it really needs. I just want someone to love Metal Max as much as I do.

For other retro titles you may have missed, click right here!

The post Metal Saga for PS2 is a lot better than no Metal Max at all 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 mainstream. 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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIIPXA2A6cM&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 2024. It will arrive on Xbox Game Pass day one.

The post Persona 3 Reload is coming to Burn Your Dread early 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.