Culdcept the First by developer and publisher City Connection—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Culdcept the First - Xbox Review
Fairy Garden Update Live in Bobo Bay Right Now!
September 2026 | Bobo Bay, the cozy Chao Garden-inspired creature collector game by NewFutureKids, has received a significant v1.3 update, titled “Fairy Garden Update”, expanding the map with new excursions, adding fresh cosmetics for Parfait and the Bobos, introducing new traits and a Fairy-themed saga, setting up a donut pop up shop on Thursdays, and lots of QOL improvements based on community feedback!
To celebrate the Fairy Garden Update, Bobo Bay will be at 20% off for a week starting September 10th!
Developer NewFutureKids has rolled out a brand-new post-launch update, voted by the community themselves! Dubbed the “Fairy Garden Update”, players can expect a new garden area to enjoy with their little creatures called Bobos, added progression with a Fairy-themed Saga, and new customization options for both the player character, Parfait, and their Bobos!
By clearing the new Saga, players will be able to access the new Fairy Garden, as well as Parfait’s new fairy-themed outfit!
High up in the clouds, the Fairy Garden takes players and Bobos to the skies, far from the old island comfort of Starling Isle. With a new environment comes an area where you can jump around, explore, and enjoy with your Bobos!
Don’t worry though, because players who enjoy the tropical vibes of Starling Isle can find a lot of new additions! Through the Public Works station in the town, players can unlock new locations to explore on their excursions, with a neat pop-up prompting players to choose where to go! From never-before-seen islands to even dark caves, players’ excursions will feel a whole lot more varied and unique.
Exploring the excursions wouldn’t be complete without unlocking a Fairy-themed parkour island by defeating the Mythic Star. God- and goddess-themed accessories await the players as magical rewards for the feat!
After all of that action, the players and their Bobos deserve a nice, relaxing snack break which they can do during Thursday nights when a donut pop-up shop appears!
The update won’t end there because Bobos will be getting a handy upgrade with new main, humble, and item traits for them. Along with that, lots of QoL updates, bug fixes, and other changes will be implemented to elevate the overall gaming experience thanks to the community’s feedback!
Article by: Susan N.
New Metroidvania Game is Available to Play on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
On September 10, RIN: The Last Child comes to PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S, a new metroidvania with exploration elements and thousands of spell variants. Set in a fairytale fantasy world, the game combines dynamic combat, story-driven choices, and platforming challenges. The title is also available on PC.
RIN: The Last Child is the work of independent Polish studio Space Fox Games and Salient Games. The game first launched on PC in 2024. Ultimate Games S.A. is responsible for preparing and releasing the console versions.
Explore, Fight, and Cast Spells
RIN: The Last Child is an independent metroidvania action game with extensive exploration elements, a dynamic combat system, and a huge number of possible magic spell combinations. The title also stands out with its 2D fairytale fantasy art style.
Players take on the role of RIN, the last child of the Creator, who sets out on a journey to restore order to a dark world inspired by ancient mythology. The story draws on the myth of Cronus, among others, and the choices players make along the way shape the game's ending.
RIN: The Last Child offers an expansive world full of locations packed with secrets and new areas unlocked through the abilities players acquire. The adventure also features fights against numerous enemies and five powerful bosses, with platforming challenges adding further variety.
The title further stands out with its extensive character development options and an advanced spell crafting system built on different elements from different categories. Players can create spell combinations using the spell patterns and magic aspects they collect. RIN: The Last Child offers a total of 7,776 spell variants.
RIN: The Last Child – Key Features:
- Restore balance to a mystical world
- Fight enemies and bosses
- Use over 7,000 spell variants
- Develop your character
- Experience different endings
RIN: The Last Child launches on PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S on September 10, 2026. The standard console price is 19.99 USD/EUR or the equivalent in other currencies.
Article by: Susan N.
NHL 27 - PS5 Review
NHL 27 by developer EA Vancouver and publisher Electronic Arts—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Jim with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes.
I have been a hockey fan for as long as I can remember, thanks to my babysitter, who was a huge hockey fan in the 90s. I watched games on TV with her; it almost didn't matter which teams were playing, but it was extra special when her favorite team, the Red Wings, were on. Before streaming, you only got Red Wings games when they played one of the NY teams or the Devils, so it wasn't often, but I was also lucky enough to see the Adirondack Red Wings play before they left the area. Back in the day, I had a Sega Genesis, and I remember renting NHL 95, and I have been playing NHL games since. It didn't matter whether it was EA or another game like 2K in the 2000s; I loved hockey games and still do, but is NHL 27 a step in the right direction?
Right off the bat, in my first quick match in NHL 27, I could tell the presentation has been updated. The arenas look great, and the fans react much better than they used to. One thing I did notice is that when players are waiting to come out onto the ice, the arenas don't look authentic. I have watched enough Red Wings games on TV to know what the arena looks like before the players skate out. For a game advertising authentic arenas, I feel this should have been made a little more like real-life arenas.
Other presentation updates include a new commentary team of John Buccigross and Darren Pang. They are alright, but they lack any emotion. Turns out they used some real voices and some AI. A game being made by EA should not be using any AI at all! No wonder the play-by-play in NHL 27 felt flat to me. The opening team entrances are a good touch, but they were better in older NHL games. They don't talk about the players or anything; they show the players skating out, then show the goalie matchup. It's better than last time, but it still needs some work. For the most part, all of the goal horns seem right, at least for the teams I know, and some goal songs are right too, but not all. I know the Red Wings goal song from last year is "Without Me" by Eminem, but in NHL 27 it's "Party Till We Die" by MAKJ & Timmy Trumpet featuring Andrew W.K., which was the song at one time, just not anymore. I actually prefer Party Till We Die, but it's not accurate like EA is trying to advertise. I also had an odd thing happen: during a fight, "Song 2" by Blur played, and I thought that was really cool, but after that I got into other fights and no song played, so I'm not sure if it was a glitch or something. I also feel the game feels a little slow at times. When you watch a game on TV, these players move really fast, but in NHL 27 they sometimes feel a little slower than they should.
NHL 27's Connected Franchise is this year's big addition, and I got to play it with Nick and PY. It's a fun mode where 3-32 human players can play in a custom league. Since I set up the league, I could choose the season length, playoff format, salary cap, and other settings. We played a short season to see how it works. You can trade players and pick up free agents, although we couldn't figure out how to get one. I think for it to work, each player needs to put in a bid, with the highest bidder getting him. Of course, if you're playing with a salary cap, this will hit your cap. Even though it's called Connected Franchise, I think it would have been better called Connected Season mode because it's missing a lot of what's in the single-player franchise mode. It can still be a lot of fun, though, if you can get a group of friends. One good thing is that you can play games in any order and at any time. I do wish there was a way to watch others' games as a spectator, though, and it should let you add CPU players to a season. Here is what Nick and PY have to say about NHL and this mode.
Nick’s overall thoughts of the game in general and Connected Franchise in particular: So far, I’ve been enjoying my time with EA Sports NHL 27. The presentation continues to be top-notch in terms of the visuals, music and sound effects (even if I’m picking up on some repetition from last year’s color commentators again). It has been a bit crash-heavy for me on PS5 so far in my career mode (three times during my third game) – hopefully that gets cleared up with the day one patch, but that’ll come after I’ve written this blurb. The mode I specifically wanted to share my thoughts on the Connected Franchise mode, which allows a group of players to come together and pick a team and duke it out through a variety of formats. There’s a round robin style (which is what we did), but also more season-like formats of 20 games or the full game schedule even. It’s sort of a strange hybrid between a season mode and a versus one, and the core gameplay is still a lot of fun and it’s a welcome addition to the series, but it feels a bit bare bones for me personally. For one, it’s handled as a single season, so calling it a ‘franchise’ mode feels a bit off, as there’s no season-over-season progression elements like I expect to see in an actual franchise mode. There are however, some options for trading and claiming free agent players that gives you a bit of control over your team and how its structured, which is nice. The ability to play against players and trade with them is a good time. However, compared to something like Madden’s shared franchise mode, NHL is playing catch-up.
For comparison’s sake, Madden lets you have as few as one team or as many as all of the teams in the league managed by human players, and the computer takes control of the remaining teams. It’s a better, truer version of the season as it plays out a season schedule with AI opponents to help fill in the weeks. Conversely, NHL’s Connected Franchise requires a minimum of three players, there’s no computer-controlled teams, which means you are only going to be competing against other human players. Combine that with the single season format and not a true franchise season-over-season progression, and NHL’s offering left me wanting a bit more, despite still being quite fun. It’s a good start for the mode, but there’s room to grow it. Also, hats off to Jim, who won our round robin season convincingly. He absolutely mashed me in our first game and in the playoffs, I held up a bit better, but it was still a solid win on his part. Congrats.
PY’s overall thoughts: It's been a long time since I've actually skated, and probably even longer since the last time I played an NHL game. Growing up I played NHL ‘95, ‘98 and maybe ‘02 was the real last one that I really played? So booting up and jumping into NHL ‘27 was wild for me. Everything felt new, exciting, and like I was at the game. The gameplay options available were impressive as they spanned options for brand new players and veterans to the series alike. Which is a good thing as I had a lot to catch up on before competing against Jim and Nick in the new Connected Franchise mode. And did I ever lose! But that's not the point. I had fun and learned that I have a lot to learn before the next round of competition starts. While I won't have as much to say as the other two, not really playing sports games, I did appreciate the structure and how the new mode in the series was set up. It's all about the players. It's all about an actual connection to the others that join the league as there's no CPU joining the matchup. It's all real people trying their best to come out on top. Everyone has to play everyone else to determine who will go to the finals. Playing against Jim and Nick was tough and damn near nerve wracking as I tried to not get decimated. Which I did. But seeing the stats, coordinating game times, it was neat to progress the season. If there's one thing I would have loved to see is a spectator mode. The option to watch the other games going on in a season instead of just the scores. Especially when it comes to the finals. I could see this mode easily evolving and being a hit for the Fantasy Hockey Leagues. Why wait for the actual season when you can make your own?
I also appreciated the built in chat reducing the need for independent party chats through the PSN or Discord. It was one less thing to worry about. But overall, the gameplay for me? Having been away for so long? It felt welcoming and smooth to pick up. Sure I still have loads of mechanics to learn like Nick's epic snapshots, but NHL ‘27 makes it easy to figure out as I start my own pro career mode adventure.
The single-player Franchise mode is pretty much untouched from last year. I saw no difference. It's still a fun mode that lets you become a team's GM and try to take it to the cup each year without getting fired. There are enough settings to let the CPU handle certain aspects of the team, like scouting and such, that even I can play the mode. The lack of updates to this mode is a little disappointing, though.
Be a Pro is one of my favorite modes, and it got a few minor updates this year. I have been playing the new leadership storyline, where you try to work your way up to leader and become a team captain. This opens up new dialogue options during interviews and similar interactions. The regular season is now 84 games and a 4-game preseason. So minor QOF updates and the leadership storyline are welcome additions to a mode that saw a big update last year.
NHL Threes circuit mode has no changes. It hasn't seen any major update since it was added. I know it's probably not a mode that is played much, but it's still fun and easier for younger players. I wish they would do something new with this mode, maybe a new short-story-type mode or something, because every year I have to be the Fridge Raiders and beat all the NHL teams again.
Next up is World of Chel. I have to admit this isn't a mode I play much, so I don't know if much has changed, but I will tell you about my experience with it. You start by creating a player and picking what kind of player you want them to be. I like playing as a sniper. Most of World of Chel is online. I could only find one single-player mode: a 3v3 match where you and CPU teammates take on 3 players from different NHL teams. I honestly got bored of this quickly. You do earn some points to level up your season pass. Using a season pass for a mostly online mode is a truly awful idea when you can use real money to level it up, making the online games pay-to-win. I played a few 3v3 and 6v6 online games. I honestly didn't like the 3v3 games much, but the 6v6 could be fun; it's hit or miss. If you get decent players, it can be fun. Still, it's a pain when you know you're playing someone who either plays the game way too much or paid to level up their season pass, because this one player was faster than anyone on my team and always scored because he got breakaway after breakaway. It can be fun, however, when you get two decent teams together, and both have decent player-controlled goalies. Chat can be a bit toxic at times, though. I don't see myself coming back to Chel very often, but maybe now and then for a random 6v6 match.
Next up is HUT, although I don't mind HUT. I didn't play much of it last year, so I am not sure if much has changed. I liked HUT; even though it's an online mode, it had enough single-player options to keep me happy. There's Cup Chase, where you play in a single-player 16-game season and then playoffs. The higher the difficulty level you set, the better the rewards, and of course, making and winning the playoffs will give better rewards too. A few things still confused me. You can get and set captain and coach cards, and having certain players from certain teams can boost stats.
There are also salary caps in this mode, with each player costing money, and you can not go over the cap. This is purely gameplay; it doesn't cost real money or coins/pucks. It's to keep the game fair, I think. I was confused by the captain and coach thing; I use the AI to edit my lines to the highest overall automatically. Just like Chel, it's a bit of pay-to-win, as you can use real money to buy card packs and get better players. I do like the HUT Moments mode, where you have to do certain objectives in games most of the time in a short 2-3 minutes, like taking shots with certain players or scoring a certain number of goals. I actually surprised myself with this mode and was able to complete some moments on all-star and superstar difficulty levels! Doing these can give you coins, players, or collectibles that you can turn into "sets" for new, better players. Hut is definitely better than Chel when it comes to being fair, but I wish companies would stop looking for money on top of a $70 game!
There are, of course, the normal online matches you can play outside of these modes, along with a handful of single-player modes like playoff mode, letting you set up your own playoffs for the cup, tournament mode, season mode, and, of course, play now mode. There are plenty of modes here, but I feel like last year they let you play a PWHL season, and I don't see that here. I thought they added one last year, so maybe it'll come in an update, but I'd like to see it. I also really like seeing all the AHL and ECHL teams in the game too!
NHL 27 has some of the best music in years. Every song is a hockey song played at arenas, and when a song plays, it says where it's from, which arena plays it, and whether it's a goal song or a pump-up song. The sound effects are really good too, as they have been every year. If you play it with a headset on, it really sounds like you're at a hockey game. Graphically, the game is good, but some of the players' face scans aren't very good and can look downright goofy. Before an update that came out a day before I wrote this, fans and players would clip into each other, but it seems the update fixed some of the issues. You'll still sometimes see fans or players clip into each other, especially during the fist bump line after a goal.
Overall, I have enjoyed NHL 27, but there isn't enough new from last year to really warrant a full-price release. Everything they did could have been pushed out in an update, and it feels a little lazy. There is also no reason for them to use AI for voicing part of the commentary! NHL 27 isn't the worst game ever, but it is an off year for sure. If you didn't play NHL 26, then 27 is worth picking up, or even if you're interested in the Connected Franchise mode.
Score: 7 / 10
Metaroot and Kerzoven Announce Playable Demo of If Red Then Stop!
Zurich, Switzerland - September 9, 2026 | Metaroot and Kerzoven are pleased to announce the release of the first playable demo version of If Red Then Stop, a programming game in which you learn how to program real traffic lights, barriers, and other traffic machinery, as part of the Steam Programming Fest.
About If Red Then Stop:
Program traffic lights, barriers, and more to solve your city’s traffic problems! Improve your coding skills by learning to control time-dependent processes with realistic state machines.
But If Red Then Stop did not originally start as a game.
Before the project took its current form, the Studio Kerzoven had already created an educational application for universities, where engineering students could learn state automation by programming traffic lights with state machines.
The idea of turning that educational prototype into a full game came around the release of another programming game: The Farmer Was Replaced. Publisher Metaroot, which was publishing The Farmer Was Replaced, saw the potential for another game that could make a real programming concept approachable and fun. Knowing that Kerzoven already had the university prototype, Metaroot approached the team with the idea that this could be the right moment to turn it into a proper game.
Kerzoven took that original learning tool and began developing it into what is now If Red Then Stop. The game was revealed alongside the 1.0 release of The Farmer Was Replaced in October 2025, a release that went on to become a major success.
Now, almost one year later, players can get their first hands-on look at the result.
The first playable demo of If Red Then Stop introduces the fundamentals of state machines across six levels. Players build state sequences, control traffic lights and other infrastructure, and gradually tackle more complex traffic situations, while trying to keep cars, pedestrians, and eventually entire systems moving without bringing the city to a standstill.
Links:
- Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3987060/If_Red_Then_Stop/
- Teaser Trailer: https://youtu.be/eg_2AEF4YwY
- Discord: https://discord.gg/XvPb6sKYpm
About Kerzoven:
Team Kerzoven, a small team based in Switzerland, comprises six members: Marco Burri, Iris Wippich, Manuel Wirth, Wayne Hintermann, Raoul Zander and Denise Hohl. Their passion lies in creating deeply simulated games where the players can learn more about reality. After they released their first game Of Life and Land in 2025, a city builder parired with a rich nature simlation, Team Kerzoven started working on its second game, If Red Then Stop. If Red Then Stop was a labor of love from an older project from team founder and automation engineer Marco Burri, and was inspired by his frustration with a new traffic light system on his commute that was causing major problems.
About Metaroot:
Metaroot is a family-owned micropublisher based in Zurich, Switzerland. The company has published the programming game “The Farmer Was Replaced”, the roguelike restaurant sim "Goblin Sushi", the Tetris-like city puzzler “River Towns”, the steampunk auto-shooter “Airships: Lost Flotilla”, and the nature simulation game “Of Life and Land.”
Article by: Susan N.
Magpie Country Reveals a Fast-Paced Co-op FPS Heading to Steam
September 10, 2026 | Magpie Country today revealed RAILRIDERS, a fast-paced 1–4 player co-op FPS coming to PC via Steam, set in a dieselpunk Wild West overrun by cryptids and corrupted machinery.
Welcome to the Neo-Frontier, where the rails are the only safe way through territory consumed by the Old Growth. Beyond the tracks, abandoned towns, mines, and industrial sites crawl with deadly cryptids and machines twisted by the infestation.
Become a Railrider and take on the jobs nobody else will. Board the train and ride deep into hostile territory, jump off with your crew to complete dangerous contracts, then fight your way back to the tracks and catch your ride out. Recover Amber, clear infestations, escort cargo, and take on other jobs across the frontier.
Your train is your way in. And your way back out. Once you leave the safety of the rails, it keeps moving. Getting the job done is only half the problem. Your crew still has to survive the fight back and make it aboard together.
"Our goal has been to combine our love of fast-paced, high movement, high skill ceiling shooters with PvE-only co-op gameplay. We combine those pillars with a dynamic, map-traversing train that acts as your transportation, a toolbox, and a giant sledgehammer all in one. We're excited for players to experience it with their friends!"- Allan Wintersieck and Kinison Luttrell, founders at Magpie Country
Combat in RAILRIDERS is built around staying on the move. Slide, dash, and jetpack through hordes as you race between objectives, revive downed teammates, and make your way back toward the tracks. Combine any two of eight Archetypes to create your class, then customize your weapons with mods to shape your playstyle.
Changing objectives and unpredictable Blooms keep the firefights evolving from contract to contract, altering the environment and the threats crews face beyond the rails.
RAILRIDERS is currently in development for PC and is available to wishlist now on Steam.
Wishlist RAILRIDERS on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2691530/RAILRIDERS/
Article by: Susan N.
NBA 2K27 - PlayStation 5 Review
NBA 2K27 by developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K Games—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
It Takes Two Headed to Nintendo Switch 2 on October 15th!
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – SEPT. 9 | Electronic Arts Inc. and Hazelight Studios, in partnership with Turn Me Up Games, announced today during the Nintendo Direct, It Takes Two, winner of over 90 awards including The Game Awards and DICE’s Game of the Year, will launch on the Nintendo SwitchTM 2 on October 15***. The Nintendo Switch 2 version introduces a new way for players to enjoy the game together, regardless of platform or if they own the game, with the free Friend’s Pass. Additionally, players who already own the game on the Nintendo Switch will be able to update to the Nintendo Switch 2 version for free****.
On It Takes Two for Nintendo Switch 2, players can enjoy higher resolution, improved frame rates, and richer visual effects for a smoother, more immersive experience - while playing with friends across platforms. With the free Friend’s Pass, players can invite whoever to join the adventure for free, even if they don’t own the game. Players will be able to adventure together across platforms (Nintendo Switch 2, PC, Xbox One, Series X|S and PlayStation(R) 4/5), or use GameShare to connect with Nintendo Switch players.
“We are very happy to finally bring It Takes Two to even more players on Nintendo Switch 2. Everyone who owns the game on Nintendo Switch can upgrade for free! Our partners at Turn Me Up Games have done a great job optimizing the game." - Team Hazelight.
The critically-acclaimed title lets players step into the shoes of Cody and May, two humans trapped after a magic spell turns them into dolls, all while encountering ridiculous challenges around every corner. The unpredictable nature of each level will bring players through a uniquely metaphorical gameplay experience that tells a universal story of relationships, as Cody and May must work together to save their fractured marriage on the brink of divorce.
It Takes Two will be available on the Nintendo Switch 2 on October 15 for $39.99 STD and is currently available in digital storefronts for Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, Switch OLED, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Origin, EA App and Steam) for $39.99 STD.
*Excluding Nintendo Switch 1
**Friend's Pass requires installation of the Friend's Pass Free Trial and applicable platform account. Online play requires a friend on a supported platform. One user must own the full game in order for the co-op player to play the full game.
***Based on time zone differences across regions, It Takes Two will be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2TM on October 15, 2026 for the majority of regions, or October 16, 2026 for Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.
****Small price for JPN due to legal restrictions
*****Internet, Nintendo Account, and access to Nintendo eShop required. Offer not available in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. To redeem this offer, you must own It Takes Two on Nintendo Switch on the same Nintendo Account and either access the Nintendo eShop or log into the game and access the offer from the in-game screen on Nintendo Switch 2. Offers may vary or change. See retailer site for details.
Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo of America Inc.
About Hazelight Studios
Hazelight was founded in 2014 by the acclaimed Swedish film director Josef Fares. After the success of his first game Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Josef brought the core team behind it into his new studio Hazelight and set out to explore new ways of telling stories through co-operative play.
Since then, Hazelight has released A Way Out in 2018, the first co-op-only, split-screen action-adventure of its kind. It was followed up by It Takes Two in 2021, which went on to become the global Game of the Year winner. The third and most ambitious game yet is Split Fiction, released in 2025.
About Turn Me Up Games
Founded in 2011, Turn Me Up Games is an independent game developer specializing in platform support, porting, co-development, performance, and optimization across PC, console, mobile, and emerging platforms. With offices in Los Angeles and Italy, Turn Me Up partners with developers and publishers around the world to steward their ambitious games to platforms they were never intended, empowering teams to create compelling games while ensuring they run and play beautifully, even on a toaster.
Throughout more than 20 shipped AAA titles, Turn Me Up has received 3 Apple AppStore Editor's Choice Awards, and co-developed 3 BAFTA Award Winners, 2 Emmy Nominated VR Experiences, 1 Sports Game of the Year, 2 Game of the Year Nominees, and 1 Game of the Year, in addition to working with world class IPs from industry-leading entertainment and gaming companies including Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Take-Two Interactive, Electronic Arts, and more.
After nearly two decades Turn Me Up’s mission statement remains constant—deliver experiences that resonate long after the controller has been put down, to audiences that deserve to have their expectations exceeded.
Article by: Susan N.
Isle of Reveries - PC Review
Isle of Reveries by developer and publisher desertcucco—PC(Steam) review written by Richard with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Isle of Reveries is a top down 2D action adventure game that made my nostalgia for old school Zelda games flare up really hard. A good blending of puzzle, exploration, and combat, Isle of Reveries is a wonderful title to experience inside and out.
In Isle of Reveries you take on the role of Lief, an owl who has traveled to the Isle of Reveries with a fellow group who want their wishes to be granted by the Goddess of the island. Needless to say this doesn’t go as easily as hoped. Lief must explore the island, overcoming challenges and monsters, as he works towards his goal. With the aid of a fairy companion and a cast of interesting characters you meet along the way, Lief aims to uncover the secrets of the island.
Isle of
Reveries is a very clearly Zelda inspired title, if I had to guess I would say
it takes biggest inspiration from Link’s Awakening and Oracle of Ages/Seasons,
and it does it very well. Much akin to these older Zelda titles, you will
explore an “overworld” where you’re looking for Dungeons that contain the
reveries. You will meet characters and interact with them, solve their
problems, and get rewarded for it. Finding your way to the next Dungeon is a
puzzle in itself, as you need to use all your wits and tools at your disposal
to even get into the Dungeons. Once inside things are taken up a notch, with
more enemies, tougher puzzles, and unique Dungeon mechanics to explore.
Along the
course of your adventure you can pick up many tools to help you out. Some of
these tools are actually really unique as well. While you have a few classics,
there are also some that I’ve rarely seen, if ever. I am being a little vague
here because I feel like discovering the tools and what they are used for are
part of the fun. In addition to your variety of tools, which all require a
magic/stamina resource that regenerates over time, you can also make use of
your fairy companion. This fairy is, surprisingly, quite useful, somewhat
chatty, and arguably the most useful companion I’ve seen in a Zelda-like title
in this style. Your fairy friend is capable of copying most types of objects.
This includes pots, blocks, torches, statues, and a lot of other things.
Exploring
the island you can equip up to three tools, that includes a sword. Choosing the
best tools for the job is pretty important. Unlike in most Zelda games where
you probably only need one tool and a sword, some puzzles and bosses may
require a full loadout of three different tools, and the sword may be useless.
Luckily you can swap out tools on the go from your pause menu. Let me tell you
though, some of the puzzles made my brain hurt. In a good way, but good lord
did I feel unconscionably dumb half the time I figured out the answer. Pro tip,
if you can’t figure out what to do, you probably need to use the fairy for
something. The two times I got absolutely stumped for an hour or two were
because I forgot I could copy things with the fairy.
As you
explore the island and the Dungeons you will come across trinkets, of which you
can equip up to three. These can only be changed out at save points and provide
an array of different benefits. A few such examples include faster magic
regeneration, making all thrown items explode (I liked this one), and making a
noise when certain specific chests/interactable points are on the screen.
Deciding upon a loadout for your trinkets can be as important as choosing your
tools.
The
overworld and the Dungeons all have their own interesting themes. The Overworld
comes in the flavour of eight distinct biomes all with their own scenery,
themes, and style of area. Maybe one is flooded, one has quicksand, one has a
lot of annoying rocks you need to walk around. Each biome comes with it’s own
enemy types as well as environmental effects and objects. Similarly, Dungeons
all have a unique theme and mechanic. One of my personal favourites was
actually the second last Dungeon. It has a bit of a unique premise to it that
requires you to use only some basic tools. Arguably I forgot I could copy
almost anything with the fairy and spent an hour pulling my hair out before
feeling dumb when I realized I could just copy it over with the fairy, but I
really enjoyed the Dungeon design.
Both
Overworld and Dungeon exploration is done screen by screen, where moving into
the next room, or frame on the overworld, puts you on the connecting screen.
Moving between biomes or caves/houses in the overworld, or up and down floors
in Dungeons, will count as a sort of “full transition”. Why I bring this up is
that enemies do not respawn when changing screens, but when you go through a “full
transition”, something that can be useful if you’re low on health or need to
play more carefully. Speaking of health, just like in classic Zelda format you
need to discover four pieces to get an extra heart. Have fun searching for
them!
As an
additional note, you will eventually come across a rather peaceful valley. It
is here where you can have any character you interact with gather after meeting
certain requirements. As you build up your little village you can take on
requests from the inhabitants, or build structures in the village. These
structures require building materials that can be dropped from defeating
enemies.
The graphic
and sound design for Isle of Reveries is also a well thought out decision.
Graphics remind me of playing my Gameboy Colour Zelda titles back in the day,
searching for heart containers and trying to find the next key for that locked
door in the Dungeon. Here the graphics are just like that old school vibe, a
retro bit style that speaks to the nostalgia of an older generation while still
being visually appealing enough for modern players. The sound design also takes
me back to that same era, and each tune is well fitting for the location, often
giving a more sad or melancholic feel that the game takes on, as opposed to the
peppy tunes that used to be more common.
As much as
I have loved Isle of Reveries, there are a few issues here and there. There
were a few puzzles I solved unintentionally by messing with either my copied
object placement or by doing a series of weird jumps and finagling myself
somewhere I shouldn’t be or completely messed up by moving something in an
unintended way. Good news is that most issues can be resolved either by leaving
and re-entering the room/screen, or by quitting to title and reloading. There
are a few glitches that popped up now and again. The most frustrating was
probably being unable to re-enter the fifth Dungeon after completing it, some
weird screen wrapping during the ending cutscene, or one specific textbox
shifting when talking to the crow buddies outside the tavern. Fortunately, the developer
is paying attention and is fixing any issues that arise, so those issues may be
resolved already by the time you read this.
Before I
wrap things up here, let me just say that Isle of Reveries isn’t particularly
easy. I’d definitely put it in the harder category, as some areas and enemies
can beat the tar out of you, even with max health and upgraded gear some areas
are still pretty tough. Personally I appreciate the challenge and found it
rather enjoyable, but expect to die a few dozen times throughout your
playthrough.
Overall Isle of Reveries is an absolutely stellar title done extremely well. A sort of fan or homage game for old 2D Zelda titles that has also broken through the “fan game” ceiling to be able to stand well on its own. With unique tools, an interesting cast of characters, and some wonderful overworld and dungeon design, Isle of Reveries will have you fighting through enemies, scratching your head at puzzles, and getting invested in the world for quite a while. Wrapped up in a nice retro style visual and sound design package, I would highly recommend Isle of Reveries for any looking to relive those old-school titles or for those looking for a 2D action adventure.
Score: 10 / 10
Palia Getting Echo Expeditions and Headed to Nintendo Switch 2 This Holiday Season!
This holiday season, we’re launching a brand-new feature called Echo Expeditions. What is an Echo Expedition? Watch the Palia Path mini video to find out (linked below). In case you can’t watch right now, we’ll summarize Echo Expeditions below:
Welcome to Echo Expeditions
Echo Expeditions brings you our own brand of wholesome dungeon crawling while opening up new ways to progress, adventure, and team-up with friends.
The feature brings replayable Expeditions where Palians can delve through multitudes of levels, tackle fantastical challenges, cleanse mysterious Echo manifestations, and grow stronger along the way.
You can venture solo or party-up with friends in an experience designed to feel approachable whether you’re new to gaming or a longtime action fan.
You can expect:
- A distinctly Palia cozy dungeon crawlin’ experience.
- Solo or cooperative lite-action gameplay designed to be approachable yet rewarding to master over time.
- Deep progression that gives you new goals and opportunities to grow across your Expeditions.
- Fantastical encounters where you cleanse Echo manifestations grounded in Palia’s familiar world and tone.
- A multiplayer experience with zero PvP, focused purely on cooperation.
- Unique shared benefits and rewards for completing Expeditions.
- Similar to other skills, the feature is mostly optional, giving you another way to enjoy Palia without replacing the activities you already love.
- Palia has always been about making memories together, and Echo Expeditions gives you another reason to bring your best Palian pals, or some brand-new ones, along for the adventure.
- For longtime players, Echo Expeditions offers a new multiplayer mode to tackle between tending crops, hunting Plushes, and exploring. But the feature can also introduce friends to the game who might be especially excited by progression, dungeon crawling, and approachable lite-action gameplay.
- Similar to Ranching, housing customization, and the many other ways to spend your time in Palia, Echo Expeditions is another step in fulfilling our goal to build a world where we can offer a feature for every kind of Palian.
Manifesting the Echo
While Echo Expeditions is a major new addition on its own, the feature has been a part of our plans since early in Palia’s development, and will begin opening up some long-awaited gameplay threads that extend beyond the content itself.
Echo Expeditions is just another gameplay addition furthering our goal to continue growing and evolving Palia.
As we expand the game world, we want to continue creating new experiences that sit comfortably alongside everything players already love about Palia. We want to intentionally broaden the variety of adventures you can have while preserving the welcoming, charming, and social heart of the game.
See You This Holiday
Echo Expeditions launches this holiday season at the same time on all available platforms, including PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Whether you’re a veteran Palian ready for your next adventure, or a new player thinking about calling Palia home, we can’t wait to see you in-game.
Article by: Susan N.
Orc Incremental Auto-Battler is Now Available on Steam!
September 8, 2026. Los Angeles | Independent developer Nice Ride and publisher Playsaurus are glad to announce that Orc Incremental, their incremental auto-battler with RPG elements where players build a growing orc warband into an unstoppable dark army, is Out Now on Steam at a price of 7.99 USD | EUR with 15% off. In Orc Incremental, players build a growing orc warband, optimize formations, draw units and totems, cast spells, and repeatedly rebirth to unlock permanent power and push deeper into an ever-scaling dark fantasy campaign.
"One of the toughest challenges during the development was creating all the art required by the design. The ’90s games that inspired our aesthetic were made with sprites that were traditionally drawn, scanned, and then retouched. For our game, however, we decided to create everything in pixel art, despite its relatively high resolution for a pixel art game (960×540). It was a kind of faux-retro aesthetic that didn’t really exist back then, and we thought it would be interesting to explore.This ended up putting us significantly behind schedule, and Playsaurus had to lend us some of their artists to help us catch up, which we are very grateful for." - Velasco (Art and Programming)
Get ready to command a growing army of dark fantasy units in an experience built around constant scaling and strategic refinement. New units and totems are acquired through card drafting, and each choice pushes the run in a different direction. Armies fight automatically, but success depends on the skills to build their composition, set formations, and use spells at key moments.
When progress slows, players can perform a Dark Rebirth, resetting the current run in exchange for permanent bonuses and additional unlocks. This core loop creates a strong sense of momentum, experimentation, and long-term mastery.
IMPROVEMENTS AND ADDITIONS IN 1.0 VERSION
- New Allied Units: Unlock the Assassin (a stealth unit specializing in critical damage), Troll (a durable tank that reflects damage), Warg Raider (an area-damage fighter that pulls vulnerable units out of safety), and Juggernaut (an explosive siege unit).
- Reworked Chieftains: Chieftains now fight as battlefield units, featuring nine distinct bloodlines with signature abilities activated with right click, and a Martyrdom passive bonus that activates if the chieftain is sacrificed.
- Expanded Blight Tree: The blight tree has been reworked into a more traditional branching tree with 250 upgrade nodes.
- New Enemy Units: Face Cryomancers, Paladins, and Griffons, each introducing a new challenge to your battle composition.
- New Legendary Bosses: Three new legendary bosses with unique attacks.
- Expanded Card and Totem Builds: Five new totems that open up new unit synergies and army-building options.
- Quality-of-Life, Trial, and Balance Improvements: The full release also includes a broad range of improvements to Trials, game balance, progression, usability, and overall polish.
FEATURES
- Build and scale an orc army from a single grunt into a full warband
- Draft units and totems with different rarities, roles, and synergies
- Set formations and optimize army composition to break through progression walls
- Support battles with active spells such as Blizzard and Fireball
- Use Dark Rebirth to reset runs for permanent progression bonuses
- Unlock new units, challenges, and chieftain choices that change each run
- Benefit from offline progress and return to accumulated resources
- Face milestone bosses that test build quality and tactical planning
About Nice Ride
Nice Ride is a collective of three game developers from different European countries working remotely, they are focused on creating single player games with 2D art, and Orc Incremental is their Debut Title. They don’t like generative AI, all their art is hand-made. Learn more about them on their site: https://www.niceride.gg
About Playsaurus
Playsaurus is a California-based developer-publisher widely recognized as one of the most prominent names in the incremental/idle-games space. Best known for Clicker Heroes, the studio has since brought fan favorites Cookie Clicker (PC and Console versions), Tingus Goose for PC, Mr.Mine, and Sixty Four to millions of players, continually expanding the genre's audience with premium, community-driven releases.
Article by: Susan N.
HOT WHEELS Infinite Rush - PS5 Review
HOT WHEELS Infinite Rush by developer and publisher Milestone—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Jim with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes.
Who hasn't played with Hot Wheels as a child? I know I did a lot. I may not have gotten many new ones. Still, I have fond memories of going over to my grandmother's house and playing with all the cars she had on the rug, which I set up as a racetrack, or actually setting up the orange tracks you could buy and racing two cars down them to see which car was fastest! I never really got into the Hot Wheels video games, even as they came out on PlayStation and PlayStation 2 and so on. It wasn't until the PlayStation 4 game Hot Wheels Unleashed came out that I played and really enjoyed both the first and second games. Then I got the chance to review Hot Wheels Let's Race: Ultimate Speed, and I wasn't a fan, though it was by a new developer. Now Milestone, the original developer of the two Hot Wheels Unleashed games, is back, and I was hoping it would be as fun as the last two Hot Wheels games they made.
Infinite Rush is more of an open-world game with four islands to explore once you unlock them. You unlock them pretty quickly, and once you have them all unlocked, you can play them in any order you want. Sadly, the game doesn't really have a story. You are just dropped onto the first island, given a tutorial, and away you go. The only info you get is that you're trying to be the best racer, and to do that you will have to do races and events to unlock a race with a rusher, a leader of the island. Each island has four rushers. Once you beat a rusher, you will win the car and unlock more races and events. The objective of the game is to beat all rushers and become the best racer! The gameplay can become repetitive, which might affect long-term engagement for dedicated players.
What makes this game unique is that there are four types of cars, each with its own weaknesses and strengths, that you can switch to at any time while driving around the map. The car types are versatile, drifter, speeder, and titan. Versatile cars are good all-around cars with average stats; drifters have good handling and make drifting easier, hence the name; speeders have good speed but not as good handling; and titans are slow but can have good acceleration and handling, depending on the car. Every car in the game can boost; how much boost depends on the car's stats, and each type of car gains boost in different ways.
Versatile cars gain it by speed and drifting; drifters gain it by drifting; speeders gain it by speed; and titans gain it automatically, but if you deplete the boost, you will overheat the car, and it will slow you down for a few seconds. You can also gain a boost in races, as each race has a 3-second countdown to the start. If you hit the gas as the number 2 shows, you will gain some boost at the start of the race, depending on how close to the 2 you press the gas, which will determine how much of the boost gauge you will fill.
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Aside from boosting, the cars can also dash left or right. You can do tricks in the air when you go off ramps by using the analog sticks to turn and flip the car. It can be fun to do a big jump and see how many flips you can pull off. I hardly used this, as it didn't really seem to do much, even when I used it to try to smash my opponents. There is a good mix of real-life cars, like my all-time favorite car, the Dodge Viper, and, of course, there are lots of fun and funny Hot Wheels cars, like the Duck n' Roll car that looks like a rubber duck with wheels!
Each of the four islands has hidden things to find—10 stickers, 10 Hot Wheels logos to jump through, and 300 small blue gears to find. Finding the stickers and taking a photo of them in-game lets you collect the sticker you can use in the livery editor; finding the logos and gears unlocks new cars. Honestly, I didn't like looking for the 300 gears. I did find them all, but once you get down to the last few, it becomes very time-consuming, and I wasn't a huge fan of it just to unlock a car. Aside from these hidden objects, there are also activities you can compete in; each island has a handful of these, like Tourist, where you need to take a photo of a landmark, like in the first level of a giant gorilla on a skyscraper, and a lot of times you will need to have a certain type of car in the view at the same time. These honestly felt boring to me. Next is Stuntman, where you get points for driving through destructible objects like trees and fences. It's fun, but the scores it wants you to beat are easy to achieve. There are drift stunts where you need to drift a certain number of times before crossing the finish line in a time-trial-type race. There are others too, but overall, it still felt lacking given how few there are.
There are different race types in the game, also, from normal races called a quick race to time attack, and even some unique ones like Smashing Wheels. This is where you have to drive wheels through to get points and make it to the finish line with so many points to win; you race alone in these. There are Drift Master races where you race alone like in Smashing Wheels, but you get points for drifting, and you need to finish the race with enough points to win. There are elimination races where you need to stay out of last place so you aren't eliminated. Lastly is waypoint, where you race alone again, but you have to reach waypoints, go through them, and try to make it through them all in time. You have to go through them in order, but you can go any route you want. Each race has a type of car it wants you to use, so you can't switch cars while racing.
As you explore the island, sometimes a daredevil will pop up. If you get close enough to them, you can start a race, and if you win the race, you can win the car you just raced. I kind of like this; it reminds me of older street racing games where you could race others for pink slips. But there are only so many of these per island, and once you beat them all, they keep showing up, but beating them again gets you nothing. However, you can use any car you want to race them, and if you lose, they will show up again later, so there is no worry.
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After beating enough races on an island, you will be able to race a rusher who is a boss of the island. Winning these races gets you the car and unlocks even more races and sometimes activities. Having to do this four times on each of the four islands started to feel really repetitive, since there didn't seem to be enough tracks or race types, and I swear I played the same race on the same track multiple times with only a slightly harder time to beat. Aside from the difficulty setting, the main game has three different levels (1-3), and you start by doing level 1 races. As you progress on the island, you will unlock harder races, but even when I turned the difficulty level to hard, even the level 3 races were not that hard, with only a few of them where I needed to redo a race.
Every island has its own shop where you can use rush coins you get by winning races, doing enough tricks like flips, drifting, boosting, getting near misses, or even destroying things. Shops offer new cars, boost effects like the color of the flame coming out of your car, and dashes that seem to change only the dash sound effect. I didn't see any difference beyond that.
As you play, you will be able to unlock upgrades for your cars. Upgrades can add stats like boosts, handling, and more, or do other things like make your dash stronger. Upgrade levels range from the lowest C to the highest S. Once unlocked, you can equip one boost per level, and you can swap them out since they aren't permanent.
A handful of creative tools let you customize things. You can make your own stickers to add to your cars, use a livery editor to change the livery of any car you have, and, lastly, a track builder that lets you build your own track. I didn't really understand how to use it, even though the game tried to tell me what to do, but after some tinkering around, I was able to build my own track. I was never a fan of these types of things, but I do like seeing what other people create, and I can see some really cool tracks being made with this track builder once the game releases.
Hot
Wheels has both split-screen up to four players and online play
races. I wasn't able to play online as of this writing; the game
hasn't been released so that I couldn't find any other racers. I do
like that they added split-screen, though it's getting rare to see
this in games today.
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Graphically, the game has a lot going on, like traffic when driving around the maps and giant set pieces, like a giant scorpion that spits green stuff onto the ground that will slow you down. The world, and a lot of the buildings and foliage, look like plastic; even the trees you can run into and destroy almost look like Legos or something. These cars are Hot Wheels, I think it fits very well. The graphics aren't groundbreaking, but they aren't bad either. I have no complaints about how the game looks.
The sound design is also very well done; each car seems to have its own engine sound. I even had a futuristic car with a really cool, sci-fi-sounding engine. Hitting trees, rocks, and other things sounds like hitting plastic and Legos, which is cool, almost like the whole game might be in the imagination of a child. I did run into a few sound glitches, though: one time the engine sound never stopped, and another time it sounded like I was still driving over a puddle of water when I wasn't. These only happened a few times, so it seemed rare. Music in the game is hit and miss. I didn't really care for the music in most of the levels, except for the island called Gearville, where the tracks were more rock-type music. There was one other song from one of the other islands that sounded a little like Daft Punk, but honestly, you could turn off the music and play Spotify, and it would be just as good, if not better. I did run into a glitch on the last island only, where the music would stop and not start playing again unless I changed islands and came back.
Overall, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush is fun at first, but after you play it for a while, it gets very repetitive. I could see this game appealing to younger kids around 10-13 years old, as it's good, clean fun, but for adults or older teens, I don't see enough new content after you beat each of the first rushers. It's a rather easy game even on the highest difficulty. It's not a bad game; I did enjoy it at first. It just gets boring after a few hours, and don't get me started on finding the 300 gears on each island! 1200 gears is way too many! I can't wait to see what players make with the track builder, though. Hopefully, there will be some cool new tracks to try out in the future.
Score: 6.5 / 10
Practice Your Foundations with Fight School Simulator on Xbox and PlayStation!
On September 3, Fight School Simulator arrives on PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S, a game that lets players become a legendary martial arts master. The title allows players to create their own dojo, train students, and fight in person. The game was previously released on PC, where it earned positive reviews from players.
The title was created by independent studio Queen from Türkiye. The game currently holds an 88 percent positive rating from players on Steam. Ultimate Games S.A. is responsible for preparing and releasing the console versions.
Open Your Own Dojo and Become a Martial Arts Master
Fight School Simulator is an independent simulator with arcade action elements. Players take on the role of a martial arts master who founds and runs their own school, or dojo.
Gameplay involves recruiting, training, and collecting tuition from students, decorating the interiors, deciding where to place training equipment, taking part in tournaments, and competing against rival schools. Fight School Simulator uniquely blends martial arts school management simulation with dynamic first-person combat.
The game also lets players learn new moves and techniques through mini-games, train students according to specializations such as punches and kicks, and build up the dojo's reputation. Side missions await too, tied to fighting off the mafia in the city.
Fight School Simulator – Key Features:
- Become a martial arts master
- Found and run your own dojo
- Learn new moves and techniques
- Compete against rival schools
- Protect the city from the mafia
Fight School Simulator launches on PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S on September 3, 2026. The standard console price is 11.99 USD/EUR or the equivalent of other currencies.
Article by: Susan N.
