I wake up with Napoleon's voice in my head commanding me to “scrub the bloody muck from my eyes.” His voice is wrong, somehow. Gutteral. But I obey. Corpses in French uniforms surround me. A discolored rash flashes across my hand, then fades. My name is William. I am a soldier in the Grande Armée. I have died for Napoleon. And I will die for him again. And again. And again. This is how my demo for Valor Mortis began. You’ve seen some of what Valor Mortis does before: it’s a first-person Souls-like whose mechanics are revealed as I move. Crows flying from a bush reveal my sword, which I’ll later use for light and heavy attacks that consume stamina, a sentence that makes me tired just typing it. Soon after, I attempted to cross a bridge. William spots another soldier and calls “Friendly!” before realizing the soldier likely speaks French, and correcting himself. It’s odd that he has to remember, given that both men wear French colors. But he does, and his accent, unlike Napoleon’s, which drips with French vowels but avoids substituting “ze” for “the,” is decidedly un-French. At least stereotypically. Perhaps British, though I can’t be sure. It makes me wonder who William is, and why he’s here, fighting for the Napoleon in his head. Speaking of, why is there a Napoleon in his head? So many questions. This is a Soulslike, just in first-person, but it does feel good to parry another soldier’s sword and lop off their head or stick your sword through his neck. Before I have time to ponder them, the bridge breaks beneath me, and I have to wipe the muck from my eyes again. This time, I have a health vial, which like any good Soulslike protagonist, I break in my hand to heal. Whatever’s in it is absorbed into my skin, briefly discoloring it before being soaked in. It reminds me of the rash I woke up with. That, too, faded away. And like the potion, I am not sure what it was doing to me, or what it meant. Shortly thereafter, I get into my first fight. Another soldier, wearing the same colors I am, slashes at the disemboweled remains of what looks like a horse, though it is wrong, somehow. He growls and grunts, and when he notices my presence, he comes at me. Our matching colors do not matter, much to William’s horror, and I dispatch him quickly. It’s here that I really begin to get to grips with Valor Mortis’s combat. Like I said, this is a Soulslike, just in first-person, but it does feel good to parry another soldier’s sword and lop off their head or stick your sword through his neck. Or sneak up behind a guy and plunge your saber through his back. Standard stuff, yes, but feel is just as important. It’s easy to parry these guys – they’re essentially walking corpses wearing French uniforms – but that doesn’t make it less satisfying. After dispatching them, I came across a note addressed to the commander officer of the 3rd Detachment, the Garde Éternelle. They’re protecting something important, and cannot retreat at any cost. Interesting. I’m off on a quest. After some more words of encouragement from Head Napoleon, I stumble into another mass grave, and another soldier, whose head has been overtaken by a bulging, orange pustule, and who is firing his musket repeatedly into a dead body. The other soldiers I fought were little more than the shambling remains of men, but this was something else again. Like me, something was wrong with him. And I wondered what it meant as I stabbed him in the back. Later, I come upon the remains of a French camp and find a pistol. A revolver, to be precise, which I dual wield with my sword. I guess I’m playing French Bloodborne. No complaints here. It’s handy, because right after, as if placed there by some extradimensional deity, I use it to knock over a tree with one of the weird orange growths at its center, and then pop the weird pimples that are becoming more and more prevalent in the environment and on my fellow soldiers. Then I see it: the lantern, Valor Mortis’s bonfire equivalent. After rekindling it and taking a quick rest (and spending some of the currency I’ve acquired through all the killing), I’m back at it. And here’s where I notice how beautiful this world is. Corrupted, yeah. Ruined. Horrific. But beautiful. Like the corpse I stumble upon whose innards have melted from his body, and grown up and out around him, a ribcage surrounding a rotting heart. He gives me the gift of flame. The wild growth that impedes my path blocks me no more, but I am less human than I was. I press on, Napoleon’s voice in my ear, my advance marked by sword and flame and gunfire. My enemies grow more grotesque, my reality uncertain. I find a giant, misshapen, two-headed figure who looks as though two soldiers were fused together at the waist. Memories that are not mine play out before my eyes. I step over piles of dead bodies and ruined canon and tattered flags. Something horrible happened here. And then I am reminded of the cargo the Garde Éternelle was carrying, and backtrack to the growth that blocked me before, something my pistol can destroy. It’s here I meet my greatest challenge, or at least the one that flummoxed me the most throughout my time with Valor Mortis: another soldier. He wore a cape and a fancy hat and a sword, and he killed me several times before I, limited by time (my demo was only 30 minutes), moved on. Back to the battlefield. Back to the soldiers overtaken by corruption, to men transformed into dog-like beasts. As powerful as Valor Mortis often made me feel, I never felt safe while playing it. Even basic foes could kill me, and moving forward meant I was always met with a new horror or trapped in a cage with the remnants of my comrades. As powerful as Valor Mortis often made me feel, I never felt safe while playing it. I’d like to tell you I finished Valor Mortis’s demo. I really would. But the truth is that I ran out of time because I spent several attempts on that soldier with the fancy hat, and my demo expired just before I saw the end. But I did see another player take on the final boss: General Lothaire, a mountain of a man seemingly made of the flesh of other men who wielded a flagpole, a sword ******* than William, and several pistols from the arms attached to his back. The player he fought did well, exploiting his weakpoints, dodging his attacks, and picking spots to retaliate. But he, too, ran out of time. From what I was told later, almost nobody finished Valor Mortis’s demo before time expired. But that only makes me want to go back to it and try again. The 30 minutes I spent with Valor Mortis was a lot of things: horrifying, beautiful, intriguing. But no matter how many times I died to the soldier with the fancy hat, it was never dull. After playing it, I was left with more questions than I started with: what is happening in this world? Why is Napoleon in my head? Who is William? What makes him special? What is this corruption that touches everyone and everything? I can only guess at the answers. But I know I want to go back. And that feeling is more than enough to keep me interested, and hopeful, in what developer One More Level has up its sleeve. Will Borger is an IGN freelancer. You can find him on Bluesky @edgarallanbro. View the full article
I love noir. I’ll take all kinds: the hardboiled detective, the seedy crime story, neo noir, classic pulp – you name it, I’m buying. So when Mouse: P.I. for Hire sauntered onto my screen the way Ilsa walks into Rick’s in Casablanca, I was pretty excited about it. But noir isn’t just an aesthetic to be thrown on like an old coat as you’re leaving your office at the behest of a leggy blonde. While Mouse: P.I. for Hire clearly understands the style and tropes of classic noir films and novels, as well as 1930s cartoons more broadly, it doesn’t seem to get why those things are there, or how they are used to tell compelling stories. By fusing a hardboiled detective mystery with a fast, retro-style FPS, developer Fumi Games has made a shooter that is thematically incoherent, with the apparent aspirations of its story contradicted at every point by the actual action. Of all the Steam Libraries in all the PCs in all the world, Mouse: P.I. for Hire walked into mine. And I wish I liked it more than I do. Mouse follows Jack Pepper, a private eye in a world where everyone is a mouse, after Wanda Fuller from the Mouseburg Herald sets him on the case of a missing magician. As you’d expect, that spirals into a much larger conspiracy that includes an attempt on a mayoral candidate’s life and racially motivated mouse-on-mouse violence as ******* mice oppress the smaller shrews. Same as it ever was, even in Mouseburg, and the requisite twists and turns you’d expect from any good detective story make this tale solid enough. What bothers me, however, is how overly-referential so much of it is. This is a world of mice, so everything is about cheese. Everything. A bad guy? He’s a cheeselegger. Run into a lady mouse with a sultry voice? It’ll be described as “gorgonzola piccante slapped on a mozzarella platter.” Someone need to assure you they’re telling the truth? They’ll swear on Maw-Maw’s cottage curds. This is charming initially. Then it never stops. Everything is a reference to the fact that everyone is a mouse and mice like cheese – and when it’s not, instead it’ll be a reference to an old cartoon, or the fact that this is a video game. I should have probably guessed the former when one of the first things I saw was a steamboat named *******, but at least that and the spinach power-up that gives you Popeye arms is cute. Recalling the Igor/Eye-gor joke from Young Frankenstein? Not so much. And it doesn’t end there. Run into a series of robot boss fights? Jack will say that he hopes they don’t "rule of three" this thing, which, of course, is exactly what happens. If you’re looking for the Cheeselegging Foreman, Jack will quip that he doesn’t look like much of a boss… more like a mini-boss, and then laugh at his own joke. The voice actors, led by Troy Baker, do an admirable job with what they have, but nothing in Mouseburg is allowed to just be. It has to be a mouse reference or a (literally) cheesy one-liner or a reference to something else. It’s hard to care about anything in Mouse: PI For Hire because it never stops making jokes about everything. It just wants to remind you of other, better things. Surely that’s enough, right? Mouse is the latest in a recent wave of “boomer shooters,” and it's a decent one. At least the shooting is better. This is the latest in a wave of “boomer shooters” inspired by old school FPSes like Doom or Quake, and it’s a decent one at that. You start with a pistol and Jack’s fists, but you’ll soon acquire a shotgun, dynamite, a James Gun (which is just a Tommy gun), and more unique stuff like the Devarnisher, which shoots what looks like Elmer’s glue that melts the flesh from your enemies’ bones, leaving only a skeleton. Throw in stuff like a double jump, dash, spinning tail for hovering, and a slide, and Jack’s got some stylish moves when the bad guys show up. This ain’t Quake, but it does feel good. It doesn’t hurt that all of it, from reload animations to random conversations, is rendered in an absolutely gorgeous ****** and white mix of spritework and 3D models. The worldbuilding may be thin, but Mouse: P.I. for Hire is still dressed to the nines. Even here, though, I have issues. Weapons can feel weak, especially the shotgun – it’s got the audio kick of a popgun, and there’s a strange disconnect to seeing something that sounds like a kid’s toy blow off some poor mouse’s head as you paint the white of the world with the ****** ichor that spews out of his neck. Enemies mostly come out of doors marked with a skull that you can’t enter, robbing those areas of anything remotely resembling a sense of place. Levels also really like to pull the “we’re going to lock you in a room and throw baddies at you until they’re dead or you are” schtick a little too much for my taste. None of this is ever gamebreaking, mind; the combat is fundamentally good enough to carry you to the end of the roughly 12-hour campaign, but sometimes it feels like being at a show that’s never quite bad enough to leave. And at least on the normal difficulty, health items are so generous there’s rarely a challenge. Like any good boomer shooter, there are plenty of secrets to find – newspapers, cash, weapon upgrade schematics, baseball cards, and so on – fragile walls to blow up, and even locked safes to open with your tail, which pulls double duty as a lockpick. Some of those locks are on a time limit or must be solved in a limited number moves, and you only get one shot at the good stuff they hold; others are so easy you could probably solve them by letting an actual mouse run across your keyboard. It’s very jarring. Once you’re done with a level, it’s back to the hub, which encompasses Jack’s office, the local bar, store, weapon upgrade shop, and so on. My favorite thing here is the baseball card minigame you can play at the bar. You’ll switch between pitching and being at bat, using the cards in your hand (players and abilities) to try and score as many runs as you can. It’s fun! What I like less is the whole “being a detective” thing, mostly because I never got to actually do it. Any clues you find will be pinned to Jack’s caseboard, and once you get them there, Jack will just intuit where to go. No work on your part required. What’s the point of being a gumshoe if all the answers are handed right to me? That brings me to one of my major problems with Mouse: P.I. for Hire. Look, I hate to be the guy who brings up “ludonarrative dissonance” in a video game review in The Year of Our Lord 2026, and if you’re rolling your eyes right now, I can’t blame you. But it’s an actual issue here. Jack Cheddar is a P.I. who kills more people in a single mission than Phillip Marlowe has in every book Raymond Chandler ever wrote combined. I don’t care how corrupt the cops are: a private detective can’t break into a police station and slaughter them en masse and then go about his day. In one particularly nonsensical scenario, Jack inadvertently burns down an opera house to save a guy running for mayor, and he ends up fighting… an opera singer? And shoots her? Is she dead? Did I just kill an actress for being angry I burned down her workplace? If I didn’t, have I left her alive and unconscious inside a burning building? Mouse: P.I. for Hire doesn’t tell me, and doesn’t seem to care either way. The disconnect here matters because you spend a lot of time talking about these characters and Jack’s motivations. None of this is to say that noir cannot or should not be violent, but that violence usually has a purpose. Much of Elliot Chaze’s seminal novel ****** Wings Has My Angel is about robbing an armored car, but the book builds to that – it’s a big deal when it finally happens, and the characters have to reckon with the fallout once it does. Jack Pepper, on the other hand, is a walking catastrophe and nobody in Mouseburg seems to care. He largely gets to go about his business and is portrayed as a down-on-his-luck everyman P.I., like the characters who inspired him, when he is, at best, a mass *********. Does that make for a more fun video game? Maybe. But it’s bad noir, and a worse detective tale. In the stories Mouse: P.I. for Hire references, violence is an unfortunate but unavoidable part of the human experience that shatters the people it touches. Here, it’s just entertainment, and that weakens the whole concept. “But Will,” you might say, “this is a goofy, Looney Tunes FPS. Why should I care about any of that?” And the answer is because Mouse wants you to. It wants you to believe that this is important. You spend a lot of time talking about these characters, about putting together the clues you need to get to the bottom of what’s going on, and about Jack’s motivation for doing the work (he allegedly needs the money, which both leads to him taking cases and doesn’t track when I’m super rich from all the killing). All of that makes a lot less sense after you’ve gone to Tinsel Bros. Studios and single-handedly eradicated the mob hanging out there, all while doing a bunch of Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones/Conan the Barbarian impressions as everyone says you should be an actor. Give this guy a week on the job as chief of police and Mouseburg would be the safest city in the world because nobody would be left alive to commit crimes in the first place. It’s hard to buy into Jack as the regular guy who needs to gather evidence I’m told he is when he’s just wiped out the local police department, you know? View the full article
Necesse blends a bit of many genres and now many collabs all in one in the Secrets update that's out now. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article
In the surveillance-soaked dystopia of Phoenix City, survival isn’t just about staying alive—it’s about staying unseen. That means leaping across rooftops to avoid patrolled streets, sliding down collapsing rooftops to escape killer drones, and even hiding behind cleaning robots to mask your presence. That’s exactly the type of thrilling action you’ll get playing REPLACED, a new cyberpunk 2.5D action-adventure platformer out of Sad Cat Studios. And though the game isn’t without its flaws, it’s a visual and narrative standout that’s hard to look away from. In REPLACED, you play as REACH, a rather sheltered and naive but highly analytical artificial intelligence who’s accidentally merged with its maker, Doctor Warren Marsh. The story follows the events of a nuclear catastrophe in an alternate version of 1980s America, which has been heavily influenced by Phoenix Corporation, a powerful company that uses innocent people as organ-growing machines to keep the upper class happy and healthy. Most of REPLACED takes place in or around Phoenix City, the corporation’s stronghold that has essentially become a surveillance state. The world of REPLACED is grimy, grungy, and gruesome—but it’s also gorgeous. The game features some of the best 2.5D graphics I’ve ever seen, beating out the likes of Octopath Traveler 0. From light trickling in through collapsing ceilings and reflecting off decaying mosaic tiles, to glittery flakes of snow falling in a wintry forest, REPLACED’s visuals will make you stop in awe, even when the setting is otherwise depressing and distressed. Character animations are fluid, and the contrast between pixelated models and the more realistic designs of environmental elements is a sight to behold. Look close. Screenshot by Destructoid Sometimes, however, the graphics don't work in the game’s favor. In moments that put your platforming skills to the test, ledges and other platforms can be difficult to see. I started my playthrough on my Steam Deck, which ran the game flawlessly, but I ended up having to switch to my gaming laptop because of how small the Steam Deck’s screen is—and even then, the small ledges made it close to impossible to instinctively know where to go in a platforming sequence. In many cases, I died guessing the path I needed to take because it was so difficult to identify. Imagine leaping from ledge to ledge across an open chasm in a dimly lit tunnel while an enemy lookout scans your location with a red spotlight, ready to shoot with freakish accuracy if even a fraction of your body peeks out from behind a wooden barrier. Sounds thrilling, doesn’t it? Well, it is, until you realize you have no idea where you’re supposed to go, because the platform indicators are so tiny and the room is so dark that it becomes impossible to discern a ledge from a background object. Though these moments happened only occasionally, when they did, it took some trial and error to get it right. Sure, repeated attempts will always be a part of progress in any game, let alone platformers. But when those moments exist because of hard-to-see visuals or indicators, it’s more of a frustration than a fun learning moment. In between platforming sequences, you’ll face off against foes in combat. Combat plays out like a choreographed brawl—drop REACH into a crowd, lock the doors, and react fast or get dropped faster. REACH fights with a handy dandy police sidearm, which starts as a simple baton but gains upgraded abilities as the story progresses. Counters, dodges, and shots all occur with specific button presses, and you’ll have to rapidly decipher which button to press as indicators pop up above enemies’ heads. Enemies are quick to attack, too, giving you little time in between their attacks to react. But dealing damage isn't as simple as being quick to press a button; enemies demand strategizing in the heat of a fight. One enemy type, a hulking brute decked out in protective plates, forces you to peel off his armor before you can deal any real damage. Another, a slim but fast-moving foe who slinks around the battlefield, dodges your every attack until you counter theirs. These varied enemy types keep fights from feeling routine, turning each encounter into a split-second puzzle where hesitation gets you punished. Ready to jump in the fray? Screenshot by Destructoid Though combat is action-packed and fun, it has its issues. Only a set number of enemies will fight you at a time, with any excess foes hanging out in the background, politely waiting their turn. On multiple occasions, I struggled to discern which enemies were actually in the fight, leading to me swinging my baton wildly in the air as I thought I was throwing hands (or, in this case, sticks) with a bad guy that wasn’t actually there. Though not totally disruptive to my gameplay experience, it did lead to a few failed fights and frustrating respawns. Despite REPLACED’s glaring issues, it’ll sink its teeth into you. The narrative’s got bite with plenty of twists and turns, and the world-building, which is told through the game’s collectibles system and minor dialogue options, is enthralling. As you progress in the game, REACH discovers more and more about what the A.I. actually is and the reason behind its creation. REPLACED almost feels like a detective story at times, and the game’s intense sound effects and synth-driven soundtrack play incredibly well into the “dark cyberpunk thriller” genre that Sad Cat set its targets on in development. [Hidden Content] At the core of it all, REACH’s transformation is one of the game’s strongest throughlines, evolving in ways that feel both unsettling and deeply human. Supporting characters are morally complex, and REACH’s interactions with them blur the line between man and machine—both internally and externally. It's all an incredibly intriguing thought-experiment of a narrative, especially now, when A.I. is at the forefront of many headlines and cultural discussions. Tack side quests, mini games, and moments of cheeky humor onto all of that, and you’ve got a game that’s hard not to recommend, even with all of its flaws. The post REPLACED review – A beautiful dystopia that doesn’t always play nice appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The Station is home to many people who can help Reach and Warren in REPLACED, but they’re not going to hand over aid without something in return. Many, like David, will ask for items like Binoculars, and you’ll have to go on a series of fetch quests to get them. After first speaking to David, he’ll inform you that the Binoculars are with Susan, the girl in the arcade. Unfortunately for players, nothing is clearly marked in REPLACED, so finding the arcade can be quite the hassle. Next stop: The arcade. Screenshot by Destructoid Here’s how to get the Binoculars in REPLACED. Table of contentsWhere to find the Binoculars in REPLACEDBeating Susan’s high score in Donor RushWhere to find the Binoculars in REPLACED The arcade, where Susan and her Binoculars are, can be found in the main building, which has "Western Station" in big letters above the entrance. Once you enter the building, head to the left and descend the stairs. Keep moving to the left, and you'll eventually enter the arcade. Susan can be found sitting atop a bunch of busted arcade machine to the right of the area's entrance. I'd much rather be friends with Susan than David. Screenshot by Destructoid After you introduce yourself, she'll ask for a Rectifier. You can get one from the old ticket machine, which you can find by exiting the Station Hall and venturing left. Head beneath the bridge, and the ticket machine will be just past the encampment. Interact with the ticket machine, and Reach will say he doesn’t know what a Rectifier looks like. Don’t worry, though; he’ll just take everything with him back to Susan in hopes she can make use of them. Head back to the arcade and hand over the goods to Susan. She'll use them to repair her arcade machines, and after she does, speak to her again and choose the “Binoculars” option. She'll then tell you that she’ll only part with them if you can beat her high score. Beating Susan’s high score in Donor Rush To get the Rectifier from Susan, you’ll have to beat her high score in Donor Rush, a game where you pick people up off the street, drive them to a hospital, and harvest their organs. Yeah, it’s a grim game for anyone to play, let alone a kid. But we need the Binoculars to get David to take us into the Wall, so it’s time to roll up your sleeves and show this kid what a real gamer looks like. Donor Rush is relatively straightforward: Using the arrow keys, you drive a car around in the streets in whatever direction the arrow is facing to pick up people. Once you’ve acquired a certain amount of people, transport them back to the hospital. From there, it’s you’ll have to move the organ from one body to another without crossing the boundaries. If you’ve ever played the old board game Operator, it’s a lot like that. Follow the yellow arrow to find the next donor. Screenshot by Destructoid Remember the game Operator? Yeah, it's a lot like that. Screenshot by Destructoid You only have 100 seconds to play, but every time you pick up a donor or transplant an organ, you gain a few seconds on the clock. Luckily for us, everyone in the world of REPLACED sucks at games, apparently, because it’s incredibly easy to beat Susan’s high score on your first try, even if you fail a few organ transplants. Once you’re done setting a new high score, head back to Susan to tell her the news of her defeat. Susan’s a good sport about it, congratulating you on your win and giving you an Immune Modulator, which makes using Med-Stims much faster. Speak to her and choose the “Binoculars” option one more time, and she’ll hand them over. The eyepatch is a forewarning. Screenshot by Destructoid Now all that’s left is to take them back to David and install their lens in the generator. He's located by a giant telescope near the train station where you first met him, up the stairs to the right of your original meeting spot. The post How to get the Binoculars in REPLACED appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
About halfway through REPLACED's third chapter, you'll come across a slave who asks you to open all the nearby cages at once. But when you find the control panel to do so, you'll discover that it's locked behind a password. You need to enter a series of symbols in the correct order, but solving this puzzle isn't as straightforward as you might think. On the terminal, a message from the leader of the Termites, Bonecrusher, says the password is to the right of the device, and if you look there, you'll find a stone column with a series of symbols in white chalk. Looking at the column, it would appear that the order of the symbols could be the password. But if you enter the symbols into the terminal the same way it appears on the column, you'll get an error message saying the password is wrong. Screenshot by Destructoid This password on the slave cages control panel is a bit tricky to solve, but if you read the terminal's original message closely, it makes a lot more sense. Here's how to crack the code and open up the slave cages in REPLACED. What is the password to open the slave cages? The “CADB” in the terminal's message is key here. It might've seemed like a random typo at first—and I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking that considering how atrocious Bonecrusher's grammar is. In actuality, though, each symbol on the column to the right of the computer corresponds to a letter in the alphabet, as indicated by the giant "B" next to the cross. That means the top symbol, the knife, is “A,” and it works its way down to the eye, which would be “D.” Seems easy enough, right? Screenshot by Destructoid So if the password is in the order of C, A, D, and B, then the correct order of symbols is as follows: ChainsKnifeEyeCross Once you pick the answers in the right sequence, you'll get a message on the computer saying the operation is being completed and wishing you a good day. Next, you need to exit the device, then head to the right to return to the slave leader. Upon doing so, you'll get a cutscene where all the freed slaves thank you for helping them and promise to take out the rest of the Termites if you lead them to the end of the tunnel. The post How to open the slave cages in REPLACED appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
We've already reached the midway point of Marathon's first season somehow, and the 1.0.6 update has been deployed this morning as part of it. It's definitely the most substantial update in Marathon yet, including buffs and tweaks for Runner Shells, five new Implant perks, weapon balancing, and numerous quality-of-life changes like the addition of Depleted Self-Revive Kits as ground loot that will only spawn in solos, and a Mercy Kit that you can use to revive enemy players if you're feeling generous and kind. Image via Bungie The update also has the previously announced improvements to the season one Rewards Pass, including four new Runner Shell styles, a WSTR shotgun style, and a profile emblem. If you maxed out the pass, those will be rewarded now retroactively. One of the ******* content-laden parts of the patch is the new C.A.R.R.I. Initiative, as part of the CyberAcme faction, which will reward players for completing contracts and exfiltrating together. The new CyberAcme Commendations material as part of it, as a way to reward players for sticking together until the end of a match. Check out a taste of the patch notes below, because there's a lot going on in this update, which is somehow under 800 MB on Steam. Table of contentsMarathon 1.0.6 update patch notesGeneralWeaponsEquipmentRunner ShellsMarathon 1.0.6 update patch notes Image via Bungie GeneralONI has launched the C.A.R.R.I. or CyberAcme Runner Reinforcement Initiative, a new protocol that rewards both solo Runners and coordinated Crews for completing contract objectives and exfiling together.CyberAcme Commendations are a new material earned by helping crewmates complete contract objectives, completing contract objectives as a solo Runner, or successfully exfiling as a Rook. Extra commendations can be earned when you exfil with other players outside of your Crew. Play nice, now.Added Stay Together, a new end-of-run experimental feature that allows you to stay with the Runners you just successfully exfiled with by creating a new Crew with them. Who said you can’t make friends on Tau Ceti?Only one crewmate needs to successfully exfil for Stay Together to be available – if you’re eliminated, stay connected!Weapons Image via Bungie Weapon Rewards Added 11 new Deluxe (Blue rarity) Unique weaponsThese can drop from Showcase encounters in Perimeter and Dire Marsh. Can you collect them all? Weapon Ammo Fixed an issue where Volt Cell weapons were not generating heat on impact with enemies. Railguns All Railguns will now no longer auto-fire when the maximum charge time has been met. Also, charged Railguns can now be held indefinitely.V00 Zeus RGIncreased max aim assist cone size by ~20%. Also, the aim assist cone now grows during charge-up instead of shrinking during charge-up.Increased base magazine size from 2 shots to 5 shots.Reduced max magazine size from 20 shots to 15 shots.Reduced base charge time from 1.1 seconds to 1 second.V00 Zeus RG Prestige Mod: Overclocked GeneratorMagazine size is now doubled by this Prestige mod so the double-shot will not reduce the total number of trigger pulls per magazine. This fixes split shots on odd-numbered magazine sizes.Ares RGReduced base charge time from 2 seconds to 1.25 seconds.Increased magazine size at all stat tiers:Base magazine size increased from 4 shots to 6 shots.Max magazine size increased from 10 shots to 12 shots.Slightly increased aim assist cone scale during overcharging by ~10%. SMGs Copperhead RFIncreased base magazine size from 21 shots to 28 shots.Max magazine size remains unchanged.Slightly increased base accuracy and effective range from 15m to 16.2m.Increased minimum damage at maximum damage falloff range from 30% to 50%.Slightly decreased initial error cone size while in ADS by ~8.5%.BRRT SMGIncreased minimum damage at maximum falloff range from 30% to 50%.Bully SMGDecreased aim assist and magnetism range falloff:Base aim assist falloff start decreased from 13m to 12m. Base aim assist falloff end decreased from 24.2m to 22.5m.Base magnetism falloff start decreased from 30m to 27.8m. Base magnetism falloff end decreased from 37.1m to 34.5m.Max aim assist falloff start decreased from 40m to 37.2m. Max aim assist falloff end decreased from 80m to 74.4m.Max magnetism falloff start decreased from 93m to 86.4m. Max magnetism falloff end decreased from 101m to 93.9m.Increased error cone size by 7.5%. Snipers LongshotDecreased accuracy when firing rapidly to better reward more methodically paced shots.Decreased rate of fire from 90rpm to 60rpm.Fixed a bug that allowed the Kingmaker Mag Prestige mod to trigger when shooting teammates.OutlandDecreased rate of fire from 43rpm to 39rpm. Rifles M77 Assault RifleFixed an issue where the Interval Mag Prestige mod would potentially increase the rate of fire of other weapons.V75 SCARChanged the timing of when the magazine is considered loaded to better match other Volt weapons. This should give players a little earlier of a window to sprint or fire, canceling out of the reload animation. Pistols V11 PunchFixed an issue where the rpm was displaying an incorrect value. Precision Rifles Stryder M1TFixed an issue where the Vital Intel Prestige mod was activating its audio effect despite the mod not being equipped.Fixed an issue where the Vital Intel Prestige mod’s audio effect did not benefit from the increased distance of the Prestige Unique Fist of Phobos variant. Biotoxic Disinjector Fixed an issue where the reload animation did not have controller rumble.Fixed an issue that prevented the grenade projectiles from setting off toxic plant hazard.Increased ammo per Beam from 6 to 8 per tick.Increased ammo per Grenade from 33 to 37.Reduced Grenade rate of fire from 0.76 to 0.52.Reduced Grenade travel speed from 42 meters per second to 34.Reduced the minimum Grenade damage from 5 to 3.Reduced damage from Grenade when stuck to an enemy from 90 to 65.Reduced max damage radius of the Grenade by 50%Increased the rate of damage falloff from the Grenade detonation.Increased arming duration of the Grenade from 0.9 seconds to 1.3.Enabled self-damage on Grenades.EquipmentAdded Depleted Self-Revive kits that spawn during solo play only.These cannot be extracted from a solo run and will be auto-sold, same as other Depleted items you may find in a run.Added the Mercy Kit which allows you to revive downed enemy Runners. Eliminated enemy Runners cannot be revived with a Mercy Kit.All Rooks now spawn with a Mercy Kit by default.ClaymoresImproved enemy detection when placed near ledges or ground clutter.Fixed an issue where players in full cover near a doorway would still take damage from a claymore detonation.Self-ReviveIncreased rarity from Deluxe to Superior. Implants Added five new implant perks that can drop across various activities:Group Therapy: Using a medical item grants you and nearby allies a stacking bonus to your Self-Repair Speed for a short time.Herd Immunity: Defeating hostiles grants you and nearby allies a stacking bonus to Hardware and Firewall stats for a short time.Fight Club: Striking hostiles with a melee or knife attack grants you and nearby allies a stacking bonus to Melee Damage for a short time.Divebomb: When you damage an enemy with explosives, you and nearby allies gain a large temporary boost to Agility.Evasive Maneuvers: When your shields break, you and nearby allies gain increased sprint speed and Heat Capacity for a short time.Savior Complex now provides a smaller Revive Speed benefit while playing solo. Previously, it provided no benefit outside a Crew.Increased the Heat Capacity stat bonus of Distance Runner from 5/10/25/50 to 10/20/30/50 across Standard/Enhanced/Deluxe/Superior rarity tiers.Fixed an issue where Heat Capacity could incorrectly display as 0 in the Loadout when specific implant combinations were equipped. This was a visual bug only and actual stats were not affected. Cores Assassin’s Patience core now also requires you to be crouched to receive the timer pause benefit. This reduces accidental heat buildup from unintended activations.Reduced resistance to incoming damage from enemy players provided to your Pickpocket Drone by Thief's Premium Package core.Fixed an issue where Vandal’s Low Profile core could reduce the duration of a Signal Jammer activated with the Enzyme Suppressants implant perk equipped and could grant an unintendedly long Signal Jammer duration when sliding.Runner Shells Image via Bungie Recon Echo Pulse Reduced the visibility of enemy Echo Pulse waves as they travel away from the activating Recon.Echo Pulse pings now distinguish between enemy Runner and enemy UESC targets.Signal Jammer no longer completely blocks Echo Pulse pings. Signal Jammed players now display the UESC ping navpoint instead of the Runner navpoint when hit by Echo Pulse. Tracker Drone Improved Tracker Drone tracking strength and turn rate.Reduced Tracker Drone travel speed while it has no active target to help prevent it from overshooting tight corners that a target may be behind.Tracker Drone now periodically reevaluates its tracking target. If it can no longer reach its original target, it will attempt to find a new one.Destroyer Thruster Increased Thruster heat cost by approximately 9% to better account for its strong mobility and combat power. Riot Barricade Fixed an issue where Riot Barricade could be rapidly activated and deactivated without costing ability energy, allowing players to peek corners.Thief Pickpocket Drone Each Pickpocket Drone can now accept a maximum of one Claymore attachment.Increased Pickpocket Drone thruster audio volume to make active Pickpocket Drones easier to track.Reduced Pickpocket Drone descent acceleration to more closely match ascent, making its movement feel more predictable.Reduced the distance of the Pickpocket Drone rarity highlight on targets from 50m to 35m.Reduced Pickpocket Drone base health from 70 to 60.Triage Med-Drone Fixed an issue where Med-Drones could track to and attempt to attach to allied Pickpocket Drones, adorable as that might have been.Fixed an issue where Med-Drones would sometimes not use the correct cosmetic color scheme based on the Triage’s equipped cosmetics.Vandal Amplify Reduced Amplify base cooldown from 180 seconds to 150 seconds.Rook Signal Mask Fixed an issue where swapping shield implants could cause Signal Mask to flicker. For the full length patch notes, visit the Bungie website. The post Marathon’s season 1 midseason patch notes are massive and full of all sorts of big changes appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
The Glorious Hunters is one of the early faction quests in Windrose that you can complete for some extra rewards. While it's not necessary to do them if you're concentrating on the main campaign, you should attempt the extra tasks once you're level 4 or above. Since it's an early-game quest, you won't need to undertake much trouble to complete it. However, this guide will list all the key steps of this quest. Windrose Glorious Hunters quest walkthrough The Glorious Hunter quest can be broken down into four parts. Find any traces of the BuccaneersTell the head of the Buccaneers about the death of his peopleDestroy three pirate shipsReturn to Henri BoucherFind any traces of the Buccaneers Image via Kraken Express The first task is to reach the first campsite as marked by the quest, where you'll encounter two Boars. Defeat them, and go to the top of the structure at this location. You'll find the Buccaneers' chest; open the chest to find traces of the Buccaneers. You'll find a Damaged Flask and a page from Marcel Boucher's Diary. Image via Kraken Express Then, you'll have to travel to the second campsite. Defeat the wild animals in this area, and then find the second chest inside the ruin. You'll find the chest in a small room, and it will provide you with a Broken Musket along with another page from Marcel Boucher's Diary. Image via Kraken Express Tell the head of the Buccaneers about the death of his people You'll need to report what you found out at the Rogue Buccaneers Main Base. Sail for the remote island, and you'll find a man named Henri Boucher. Interact with him, and he will learn that Marcel has been killed with his entire hunting party. Hand over the Broken Musket, and you'll be tasked by Henri to avenge his brother. Destroy three pirate ships For the next part of the task, you need to destroy three pirate ships. At this point, you already have your own ship. Set sail and destroy three pirate vessels. You can find their locations on the minimap. Return to Henri Boucher Once the ships are dealt with, speak with Henri, and this will complete the Glorious Hunters quest. You'll get the Buccaneer's Friend and 200 Rogue Buccaneers as the rewards. The post How to complete Glorious Hunters in Windrose appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
Bloodborne is officially coming back. Not in the way I thought, or the way I wanted, but I'm still ready for more. Last night at CinemaCon, Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions revealed an R-rated, animated adaptation of the 2015 FromSoftware classic is int he works, and I'm officially pretty pumped about it. As a coper and hoper for a new game in the franchise, what other choice is there? Image via PlayStation Personally, I think animation is a can't-miss when it comes to films based on video game IP. As cool as it would be to watch a live-action Hunter take on a massive CGI Ludwig, an animated version may fit the world better. Would I rather have a Bloodborne remaster, remake, or sequel on current-gen tech? Absolutely. But who's to say that the potential success of this animated film couldn't help make that a reality some day in the future? Not likely, but I still have a tiny bit of copium left in my tank, I think. Call me overly optimistic. The project is being developed by PlayStation Productions, which has been on a tear with adaptations like The Last of Us on HBO, Twisted Metal on Peacock, and moves like Uncharted and the upcoming Helldivers film. Interestingly, too, YouTuber JackSepticEye is also a producer on the project, which will be developed by Lyrical Animation. The animation division of Lyrical Media is already dipping into the gaming sphere with the upcoming Death Stranding: Mosquito animated film that was announced last year at Tokyo Game Show, in case you were wondering the vibe or what kind of look it may have. Nothing is official yet, though. [Hidden Content] Video game adaptations are all the rage, whether it's TV or movies, the latter of which just saw The Super Mario Galaxy Movie cross $600 million at the worldwide box office. This Bloodborne project will likely be way smaller in scale, but the intersection of films and games won't be ending any time soon. And for now, the game itself will be relegated to the PS4 and modded PC ports, unfortunately. But maybe this movie could help change that. The post Sony’s big Bloodborne announcement isn’t the one we all wanted, but at this point, I’ll take anything appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article
Dungeons and Dragons dropped its contents list for upcoming book Ravenloft: The Horrors Within on March 13. We were expecting to see many of the subclasses and DnD races listed, but there are a few more surprising entries. Namely, "the new cosmic horror domain Innsmouth". Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: D&D rival Pathfinder just got 3D printable minis, and it could change its business model forever DnD alternative Draw Steel just got a PC port, and it's on Steam D&D rival Pathfinder offers hefty 93% discount on RPG books worth $658 View the full article
PC players can currently claim a 2019 simulation game where they assemble a computer club completely free of charge—for a limited time. While Steam and Epic Games Store are popular storefronts and easy ways to occasionally snag PC games completely free, they are not the only way. View the full article
The likeness model behind Insomniac’s Spider-Man games has seemingly revealed he’s working on new content for a potential future game. In an Instagram post published on Monday, Ben Jordan posted an image of himself gearing up for a performance session. The post was accompanied by the message, ‘IYKYK (if you know, you know)’ and a spider emoji. The post was soon deleted, but not before it was archived on Reddit. Jordan typically works as a model, and his only acting credits so far are for PlayStation’s Marvel Spider-Man games. Read More... View the full article
Long-awaited cyberpunk cinematic platformer Replaced is out today on PC and Xbox, but comes packed with an unfortunate game-breaking bug at launch on Series S. A patch has been promised for this week to fix the issue. Fear not, those playing on Steam or Xbox Series X, this save-destroying issue is only found on the Series S console, and occurs during Chapter 5 of the campaign. Developer Sad Cat Studios told IGN that “on Series S, the game may suffer a memory-related hang in the transition between Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 if the game has been played in a single session up to this point.” To reduce the risk of this happening, it is recommended that players quit and restart the game during Chapter 4 to clear out the console’s RAM. If you’d rather not risk losing all of your hard-earned progress, though, the developer plans to have a patch aimed to fix the issue through certification on Wednesday, April 15, and live shortly thereafter. It doesn’t appear to be the only thing worth waiting for this upcoming update for, either, as the action platformer’s endgame cinematics are also listed as being incomplete on Xbox Series S, despite being finished on other platforms. I, for one, can’t wait to play through the whole of Replaced, having checked out the first three hours of the game earlier this year and coming away highly impressed. You might think you know what this game is, but I promise you don’t. Will you be playing Replaced? If you were planning on checking it out on Series S, will you now be waiting a couple of days? Let us know in the comments! Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social. View the full article
Overwatch will be looking to continue its resurgence ever since ditching the “2” and refocusing its direction with Season 2 of its new era. The Reign of Talon storyline continues in the April 14 update with the arrival of its second chapter, Summit. But what’s new this time around? Well, plenty, it turns out. A new hero to play with will always be the headline attraction, but there’s lots more to dig into, from map reworks and the return of player accolades to new mythic skins and collaborations. Let’s get stuck and go into all of it in detail ahead of its 11 am PT / 2 pm ET / 7 pm GMT launch time. New Hero — Sierra Sierra is a new DPS joining the Overwatch roster. The Head of Security at Watchpoint: Grand Mesa, she’s long fought against Talon and has now decided to join Overwatch. Packed with a murky past, she’s looking to get to the bottom of her mother’s story — the first test subject of the Soldier Enhancement Program — which has naturally led her to Jack Morrison (Soldier 76). Packed with a combat drone called Dorothy and a hard-hitting rifle, she certainly looks fun to play with. Let’s get into the details of her toolkit here: Helix Rifle – An automatic assault weapon that shoots in a spiral pattern, gaining accuracy with sustained fire. Tracking Shot — An ability that marks an enemy. Helix Rifle shots automatically track marked enemies. Anchor Drone — An ability that allows Sierra to launch a drone into mid-air that she can, in turn, launch herself towards. Tremor Charge — An ability that throws a grenade that triggers a shockwave upon impact. Trailblazer — Sierra’s ultimate ability. It deploys a drone that flies forward and rains down explosives onto enemies. Passive — Sierra’s subrole is recon, meaning that enemies are revealed when damaging them at half health. Minor Perks — Choose between Full Flight (Increases Anchor Drone flight and grapple range by 25%) or Tight Grip (Helix Rifle’s bullet speed tightens 100% faster and widens 30% slower). Major Perks — Choose between Medi-Drone (Anchor Drones hold a small health pack that can heal Sierra) or Locked In (Firing tracking shots increases your attack speed by 20% for 2 seconds).Operation: Grand Mesa Event A new season means a new event. Operation: Grand Mesa will move the story of the Reign of Talon along, while allowing players to complete challenges in order to receive rewards. These will, just like last time, mainly include Voice Lines, an Icon, a Name Card, a rare Title, a Spray, Battle Pass Tier Skips, and Loot Boxes. The event will be live on April 14th and last until May 4th. Alongside prizes, the story promises to reveal more about the location of Grand Mesa, as well as Sierra herself, with lore unlocked alongside loot. Post Match Accolades Yes, post match accolades are finally back in Overwatch. A beloved feature that was taken away when Overwatch made the transition to its sequel back in 2023, players will now get the chance to give credit to teammates and opponents once a game has ended. Four players will be available to vote from to decide who will be crowned MVP, so you can really thank that teammate for all of their healing and time spent on the objective, rather than the player with the best multikill stealing all of the glory with their play of the game. Plus, there’s the option to join the lobby voice chat to congratulate them verbally. I’m sure that won’t get heated at all. Antarctic Peninsula Map Rework Control map, Antarctic Peninsula, has been reworked and will be available from the start of Season 2, having been out of action since late 2025. Redesigned to create “cleaner engagements, smooth out team pushes, and make meaningful flank routes throughout the arctic tundra”, it may not be an entirely new map, but may feel like one. More details on each of the three arenas found on the map, as stated on the Overwatch website, can be found below: Icebreaker now features stronger ship theming, streamlined flanks, and new alternate paths that move naturally toward the point. Research Station opens its main choke and adds a new backside flank, for better options to push and apply pressure. Underground has been updated with higher ceilings, simplified layouts, and clearer staging areas to improve visibility and overall fight flow.New Mythic Skins A new full mythic hero skin, plus a new mythic weapon skin, are arriving in Season 2. First up is Soldier 76’s Volted Overdrive skin, which adds layers of electricity and cybernetic upgrades to his look. Details on what is involved in each level can be found here: Level 1 unlocks an Ability VFX Toggle that adds a biotech feel to your arsenal. Level 2 adds two additional hairstyles, for you to dispense justice in style. Level 3 introduces red/****** and white/blue colorways, augmenting your cybernetic details so you can glow with dangerous intent or bright appeal. Level 4 unlocks the Ambient VFX Toggle, making sparks fly to solidify your Mythic battlefield presence. Genji will also be receiving some love in a very DPS-friendly update, with the introduction of his Sumi-Ichimonji weapon skin, which leans further into the ninja’s dragon identity. Details on the level progression of his sword can be found here: Level 1 unlocks the weapon, establishing your Mythic presence through unique ink and dragon details. Level 2 adds reactivity, bringing your weapons to life with flowing splatter effects. Level 3 unlocks two flourish animations to celebrate your eliminations, by spinning your shuriken into two variations. Level 4 lets you master the blade with a kill VFX where ink follows your command as you slash through enemies.New Legendary Skins A couple of new skin packs are on the way in Season 2. These include the Sakura collection, which has cherry blossom-inspired looks for Hanzo, Genji, Freja, Juno, Emre, and Junker Queen. Plus, the K-pop group LE SSERAFIM makes their return to Blizzard’s shooter for the third time, with a bundle that includes all 15 legendary skins released as part of their collaboration to date. Further down the line, it also looks like another Diablo crossover is on the way to Overwatch, with a Mephisto-coded Rammatra skin teased. Battle Pass Of course, there are also skins to be found outside of the store, and, instead, inside the battle pass. Season 2 pass sees a Spring Fairy theme come to its rewards, with legendary looks for Ashe, Lifeweaver, Moira, Wuyang, and Echo all included. Opt into the Ultimate Battle Pass tier, and you’ll also get your hands on Spring Fairy Illari and Painter Sierra, as well as 20 tier skips and 2,000 Overwatch coins. Making up the rest of the loot will be 80 mythic prisms, loot boxes, and other cosmetics. Stadium Changes Updates are also being made to Overwatch’s Stadium mode, with the introduction of Ramattra as a playable hero, a rework for Juno, plus the midseason arrival of Jetpack Cat. Get ready to be hoisted into the air, whether you like it or not. Control map Lijiang Night Market is also being added to the mix, and season resets are being replaced with a new decay system, which should allow for smoother competitive transitions. Perks Refresh Tweaks are on the way for a selection of heroes, freshening up some of the options available to you in the heat of battle. These are listed as: Ramattra gains Prolonged Barrier, a Minor Perk that increases Void Barrier’s size and duration by 25%. Pharah gains a new Minor Perk that lets Concussive Blast deal up to 50 explosion damage. Reaper gains Trigger Finger, a new Major Perk that refreshes Dire Triggers’ cooldown when using an ability and reloading. Soldier: 76 gains Agility Training, a Major Perk that increases Sprint speed by up to 60% after two seconds of sprinting. Mercy gains Double Dose, a Major Perk that gives Flash Heal an additional charge. What are you most excited about in Season 2 of Overwatch’s Reign of Talon storyline? Let us know in the comments! Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social. View the full article
Arrowhead Game Studios released Update 6.1.2 for Helldivers 2, but unlike previous patches, this one is a bit unique in what it adds to the game and who can access it. Helldivers 2 continues to push on, keeping players engaged through new updates and content, such as the ever-growing list of available Warbonds. After a busy March, fans continue to wait for the next big content drop, though today's update may leave some fans feeling a bit disappointed with what it offers. View the full article
Time to get ready to run some system upgrades, as the X.Org X server and Xwayland developers have released a security advisory due to multiple issues. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article
With Grand Theft Auto 6 set to release later this year, developer Rockstar Games is under immense pressure to get all their ducks in a row in time for launch this November. Unfortunately, the studio was recently hacked and subsequently blackmailed, placing Rockstar in the difficult position of either giving into the hacker's demands or risking sensitive information being released to the public. View the full article
Stalker 2 gets its first DLC—Cost of Hope—at an indeterminate point later this year, but before the DLC comes the pre-DLC: a free update that bolts on a new scary lab for you to explore, in anticipation of the presumably many scary labs you will encounter in Cost of Hope... Read more.View the full article
A new experimental mode coming to Marathon next week hopes to make the experience a little easier for new players by forcing all participants to load up with only the basic free sponsored kits. The experimental mode, called Dire Marsh Sponsored, goes live tomorrow (April 15) and runs for around two weeks. Players can only enter if they're using a white-tier free sponsored kit, giving developer Bungie a chance to see "how the game plays out with low-fixed set gear conditions and caps, and how the zero to hero play works in low starting set gear conditions and caps." "What happens when you bring a knife... to a knife fight?" game director Joe Ziegler asked on X/Twitter, introducing the experimental new mode. "This is a new experimental ****** that is focused on learning a bit more about our early gear ecosystem. In this ******, all players will enter with a free sponsored kit and be challenged to use what they find on Dire Marsh to upgrade themselves and get out!" As Ziegler explained, the experimental [mode] is a time-limited ****** that allows Bungie to preview features in development with players, often with a less-than-complete feature set. Limited to Dire Marsh Zone for now, the new mode lets players enter either as a duo or a trio (premade or via matchmaking). "This ****** allows the Marathon development team to learn and obtain feedback that helps us deliver a more completed feature set down the line," he added. "For the sake of ****** health and focus we only run one experimental ****** at a time. Once we have learned enough to understand our next steps for this feature, we start work on finalizing the feature and move on to the next experiment. Your participation in any experiment is greatly appreciated and is very helpful to us in developing features down the line." That's not all, either. Ziegler also confirmed that Bungie is now "working on making duos a real feature in Season 2" after also recently testing duo teams in this same way. Bungie has repeatedly said that while Marathon has a steep learning curve, over time, recovering from a bad loss gets easier. Part of the challenge comes from the very nature of Marathon as an extraction shooter. If you die, you lose all your gear. And not just what you looted while out on the battlefield, but what you brought in. And given how easy it is to die in Marathon, it can feel like a brutally punishing video game. A new report recently claimed Marathon’s budget is over $200 million, and while player numbers have fallen significantly since launch, Bungie’s extraction shooter is allegedly not facing an imminent shutdown. Still, it's no surprise to see Bungie experiment with ways to make the game easier for casual players to contend with. Finding Marathon overwhelming? We're here to help break the game down and help you get started with this Marathon guide for beginners. Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky. View the full article
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We'll see more on ThursdayView the full article