Steam

Pre-orders have just gone live for the long-awaited Stellar Blade PC port, which brings Eve (and her ever-growing wardrobe) to Steam and the Epic Games Store more than a year after its debut on PS5. However, players in some countries are finding themselves unable to lock in their pre-order, with Stellar Blade blocked in dozens of countries, seemingly due to the same issue that caused mass review bombing for Helldivers 2 last year - the requirement for a Playstation Network account. The really wild part is that the game's developer appears to have been blindsided by this and is surprised to see the game being region-locked. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Stellar Blade PC release date and latest news Sony blunder reveals Stellar Blade's PC launch date early Stellar Blade PC port to be optimized for Steam Deck, says developer View the full article

Студия Shift Up официально сообщила, что релиз Stellar Blade на ПК состоится 11 июня 2025 года. Дату можно было наблюдать в преждевременно «слитом» в есть видеоролике. Качественная версия видео, раскрывающая особенности порта, представлена ниже. View the full article

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II's first story DLC is now available as Brushes with Death alongside the big 1.3 update for the game adding horse racing and more. View the full article

According to a reliable source in the Genshin Impact community, Skirk has received some interesting changes to her ability kit, implying that she will be a balanced character with some team flexibility. As a character, Skirk has been teased by Genshin Impact since Version 1.1. However, it wasn't until Natlan that HoYoverse finally took steps to make her playable. The first information that arrived about her ability kit revealed Skirk as a 5-Star Cryo Sword, but it wasn't until Escoffier that leaks started to connect her as a Freeze hypercarry. View the full article

We've been writing a lot lately about the ways in which the ongoing tariff chaos in the United States might impact the games industry, from consoles to accessories to software. And while some folks seem to be fairly concerned over how this might impact both consumers and business, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick seemed relatively unphased by the idea of tariffs on today's Q&A call with investors. Toward the end of the call, Zelnick was asked whether he was concerned specifically about potential console price increases and their impact on the overall gaming ecosystem. This was referring to the recent price bump on Xbox Series consoles, and the expected PlayStation 5 increase that may follow. Zelnick believes that confusing as the tariff back-and-forth is, Take-Two's fiscal guidance is fairly set in stone, at least for the coming year: "Our guide is for the next ten months, essentially, that's the part of the fiscal year that hasn't elapsed yet, and it's very difficult to predict where tariffs will land, given how things have bumped around so far. We feel reasonably confident that our guide wouldn't be meaningfully affected, unless tariffs ran off in a very different direction than we currently expect. In any case, there's already a very substantial install base for all of our target platforms except Nintendo Switch 2, which is pre-launch. So we have, I think, enough insight that we wouldn't be affected by any changes." Zelnick has reason to be confident. As he points out, most of the games Take-Two will release in the coming fiscal year are coming to platforms people largely already own. A few people buying or not buying an Xbox Series or a PS5 or even a Nintendo Switch 2 isn't going to make a massive difference. What's more, much of Take-Two's revenue comes from digital purchases in ongoing games like GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and its mobile business, which aren't subject to tariffs at all. Still, as Zelnick notes, everything is still up in the air. We've spoken to analysts numerous times over the last few months on the subject of tariffs, and all of them have reiterated that the situation is ever-changing and unpredictable, which even the CEO of Take-Two is leaving room for. We spoke directly to Zelnick ahead of the investor call about the company's quarter, including discussion of GTA 6's development timeline, and Zelnick's thoughts on the game's recent delay to next year. And we also wrote about Zelnick's Q&A comments on the Nintendo Switch 2, and why he's optimistic for its release. Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected]. View the full article

The newest Elden Ring Nightreign gameplay trailer showcases the Guardian playable character ahead of the game's launch later this month. View the full article

Today we've launched a refreshed set of charts for highlighting the most popular games (based on revenue) released on Steam each month. Check out the latest chart: April 2025 top releases With today's update, the charts now include 50 of the most popular releases of each month and also makes it possible to flip through past months... all the way back to the release of Half-Life 2 in November 2004. Discover the top releases of every monthMissed some of the big launches from last month, last year, or even the last decade? Now it's even easier to see what big hits landed on Steam last month and every month before. Browse by trailerThe layout of these updated monthly reports starts with a trailer section, letting you explore that month's top releases one trailer at a time. Browse by tierOn each chart with at least 50 releases, you'll find three tiers so you can tell the biggest releases of the month from the other notable releases, split out into gold, silver, and bronze tiers. DLC for youIf newly released DLC is popular enough, it can also appear as ranked among the top 50 games released in that month. And, we also display a section to highlight DLC released in the month for games you play. This "DLC For You" section can draw from the top 50 DLC released in the month to show you the most relevant new content for you. Filter the full top 50 listIf you're looking for something specific, you can also scroll to the bottom of the page and filter the top 50 releases down by genre, theme, style, supported features, or tags. Find your jam! How the charts are compiledThese Top Monthly Releases charts look at the first two weeks of revenue for each of the games released during the month. The top games are then split up into tiers, starting with the top 12 games as gold tier, the next 12 games as silver tier, and the remaining games as bronze tier. Monthly charts: Now Automated (they'll really be every month now!)Originally started in April 2019, monthly charts are another way for players to discover a variety of new games finding popularity on Steam. Unfortunately, we've been re-building them each month by hand, leading to a less-than-consistent publishing cadence as we waited to complete all of the necessary work each time. Until now! Automating the process means we can now release these charts exactly 14 days after the end of each month, meaning we can surface the most popular releases of the month sooner. It also freed up our ability to get in our time machine and go alllll the way back to 2004, running calculations for all games ever released on Steam; which means you can now do some monthly browsing from the olden days too. Frequently Asked QuestionsQ. Why do some months have fewer than 12 items in the gold or silver tiers? A. Some products may not be available in your region, and thus we cannot show them in the charts Q. Are Early Access games included? A. Yes, games making use of Steam Early Access may appear on the chart for the month they launch into Early Access as well as the month they transition to a full 1.0 release. Q. Are DLC included in these charts? A. Yes, DLC can qualify on it's own if the sales of a particular item of DLC is significant enough to reach the top 50 list. Plus, there is a dedicated "DLC For You" section that will display the top 50 DLC released in the month, filtered down to just those for games in your library. View the full article

Today we've launched a refreshed set of charts for highlighting the most popular games (based on revenue) released on Steam each month. Check out the latest chart: April 2025 top releases With today's update, the charts now include 50 of the most popular releases of each month and also makes it possible to flip through past months... all the way back to the release of Half-Life 2 in November 2004. Discover the top releases of every monthMissed some of the big launches from last month, last year, or even the last decade? Now it's even easier to see what big hits landed on Steam last month and every month before. Browse by trailerThe layout of these updated monthly reports starts with a trailer section, letting you explore that month's top releases one trailer at a time. Browse by tierOn each chart with at least 50 releases, you'll find three tiers so you can tell the biggest releases of the month from the other notable releases, split out into gold, silver, and bronze tiers. DLC for youIf newly released DLC is popular enough, it can also appear as ranked among the top 50 games released in that month. And, we also display a section to highlight DLC released in the month for games you play. This "DLC For You" section can draw from the top 50 DLC released in the month to show you the most relevant new content for you. Filter the full top 50 listIf you're looking for something specific, you can also scroll to the bottom of the page and filter the top 50 releases down by genre, theme, style, supported features, or tags. Find your jam! How the charts are compiledThese Top Monthly Releases charts look at the first two weeks of revenue for each of the games released during the month. The top games are then split up into tiers, starting with the top 12 games as gold tier, the next 12 games as silver tier, and the remaining games as bronze tier. Monthly charts: Now Automated (they'll really be every month now!)Originally started in April 2019, monthly charts are another way for players to discover a variety of new games finding popularity on Steam. Unfortunately, we've been re-building them each month by hand, leading to a less-than-consistent publishing cadence as we waited to complete all of the necessary work each time. Until now! Automating the process means we can now release these charts exactly 14 days after the end of each month, meaning we can surface the most popular releases of the month sooner. It also freed up our ability to get in our time machine and go alllll the way back to 2004, running calculations for all games ever released on Steam; which means you can now do some monthly browsing from the olden days too. Frequently Asked QuestionsQ. Why do some months have fewer than 12 items in the gold or silver tiers? A. Some products may not be available in your region, and thus we cannot show them in the charts Q. Are Early Access games included? A. Yes, games making use of Steam Early Access may appear on the chart for the month they launch into Early Access as well as the month they transition to a full 1.0 release. Q. Are DLC included in these charts? A. Yes, DLC can qualify on it's own if the sales of a particular item of DLC is significant enough to reach the top 50 list. Plus, there is a dedicated "DLC For You" section that will display the top 50 DLC released in the month, filtered down to just those for games in your library. View the full article

Stellar Blade for PC arrives with new features and additional content that will come to the PS5 version as a free update. View the full article

World of Warcraft is making Timewalking dungeons more difficult in Patch 11.1.7 by giving enemies more health and better damage scaling by gear score, but it is increasing gear and Timewarped Badge rewards in the process. These adjustments are available for testing on the Patch 11.1.7 Public Test Realm now, but they will be officially implemented as a part of the next World of Warcraft update. View the full article

После отмены Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link компания Square Enix опубликовала несколько новых скриншотов Kingdom Hearts IV, напомнив о продолжающейся разработке следующего большого проекта Тецуи Номуры. View the full article

Сюжетная кампания Battlefield 6 разрабатывается студией EA Motive, в то время как DICE сосредоточена на мультиплеере. По словам старшего продюсера Филиппа Дюшема и креативного директора Романа Кампос-Ориолы, главными источниками вдохновения для сценаристов стали фильм «Падение империи» Алекса Гарленда и сериал «Спецназ: Львица», основанный на операции ЦРУ. View the full article

Capcom официально представит Resident Evil 9 в 2025 году и выпустит в 2026 году. Соответствующей информацией поделился инсайдер Dusk Golem. Он назвал данные от своих источников "стопроцентными". View the full article

NetherRealm Studios объявила о выпуске в продажу полного издания Mortal Kombat 1 (наш обзор) с подзаголовком Definitive Edition. Комплект предлагает основную игру, сюжетное расширение Khaos Reigns, а также всех дополнительных персонажей и камео-бойцов. Стоимость составляет 70 долларов. Запуск сопровождается релизным трейлером. View the full article

В сети часто пишут, что Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (наш обзор) создали люди из Ubisoft, уставшие от корпоративной культуры французской компании. Однако в действительности только три члена студии Sandfall Interactive работали в Ubisoft — остальные никогда не трудились над другими играми и являются абсолютными новичками в индустрии. Интересным фактом поделился геймдиректор Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Гийом Брош. View the full article

Компания Ubisoft подтвердила, что ремейк Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time выйдет в текущем финансовом году, то есть не позднее 31 марта 2026 года. Об этом издатель сообщил в ходе презентации квартального отчёта. View the full article

We're less than a month away from the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, and amid all the turmoil around pricing, tariffs, game key cards, and what-have-you, one third-party publisher says it's feeling pretty good about about the console: Take-Two Interactive. In a Q&A with investors today following the company's full year earnings, CEO Strauss Zelnick answered a question about the publisher's support of the Nintendo Switch 2 by saying he felt "great optimism" for Nintendo's new platform. In fact, he said Nintendo's support of third-party publishers this time around was better than it has been in the past: "We're launching four titles with Nintendo Switch 2, and that's I think a ******* array of releases than we've ever offered before with a new Nintendo platform. Historically, being a third party in the Nintendo business has been a bit challenging. I think Nintendo has been very forthcoming in addressing that. And we're stepping up too, because we have great optimism for the platform. In terms of what we would bring to any platform, we address it on a case-by-case basis, we obviously want to be where the consumers are. But we would not necessarily bring every title to every platform. There are also great catalog opportunities as well." Specifically, Take-Two is bringing Civilization 7 (June 5, launch day), the NBA 2K and WWE 2K series (unclear which games, or when), and Borderlands 4 (September 12). Those admittedly aren't surprising inclusions, as Take-Two was already publishing all four franchises on the Nintendo Switch. But Zelnick's quote does make it sound like the door could be open in the future to other releases, especially from Take-Two's back catalog. GTA 6 probably won't make the cut, but perhaps GTA V, one of these days? We spoke directly to Zelnick ahead of the investor call about the company's quarter, including discussion of GTA 6's development timeline, and Zelnick's thoughts on the game's recent delay to next year. Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected]. View the full article

Star Wars Outlaws got its first story expansion today with the release of the A Pirate’s Fortune DLC on PlayStation, Xbox and PC, and fans have one cheeky rascal called Hondo Ohnaka is the reason why. According to Drew Rechner, Creative Director at Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment, the DLC was born from his team's love of Hondo Ohnaka, the Weequay pirate who has previously appeared in the Darth Maul comics and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated TV show. "We always knew because there were so many passionate people on the team that we needed to feature Hondo. And, you know, that scoundrel fantasy of Kay mixing with the pirate fantasy of Hondo, it just kind of makes sense, right?" Rechner told IGN. "And we also knew that Kay would be kind of coming into her own, learning what it means to be a leader, and then having someone like Hondo as a mentor - or is he? - we thought it led to really interesting things." The DLC adds a new adventure to the main game featuring the Rokana Raiders crime gang, the Miyuki Trade League who can supply Kay with upgrades for her Trailblazer ship, and a new blaster capability called Shock. Star Wars Outlaws is also getting a Nintendo Switch 2 release on September 4, but Rechner refused to spill details on whether the new platform would bring any new features to the game, but did say that there was more information to come. "In terms of a specific feature set, that's something that we will get into later. So we'll have more stuff to talk about later." Some of the Switch 2's features that the game could take advantage of are controllers that can be used as a mouse and a new GameChat capability. Rachel Weber is the Senior Editorial Director of Games at IGN and an elder millennial. She's been a professional nerd since 2006 when she got her start on Official PlayStation Magazine in the ***, and has since worked for GamesIndustry.Biz, Rolling Stone and GamesRadar. She loves horror, horror movies, horror games, and French Bulldogs. Those extra wrinkles on her face are thanks to going time blind and staying up too late finishing every sidequest in RPGs like Fallout and Witcher 3. View the full article

Ryosuke Horii wanted to do things the Yakuza wayView the full article

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios are cooking. I'm not exactly sure what just yet, but there's a faint aroma of a new game in the air, and it doesn't seem like they're ready to share anything about the game right now either. Still, after the runaway success of Helldivers 2, something new from the studio is still an exciting prospect. Interestingly enough though, whatever they're making, it won't have anything to do with PlayStation when it comes to funding. Read more View the full article

As you head into Doom: The Dark Ages Chapter Two, Hebeth, you'll notice much has changed from the previous level. We now have gold to spend, a Shield Saw to throw around, and more secrets to find. There are over nine secret locations, with plenty of other resources to gather. Table of contentsAll Chapter 2 secret and collectible locations in Doom: The Dark AgesAll Doom: The Dark Ages Chapter 2 goldHow to find Demonic Essence in Doom: The Dark AgesAll Chapter 2 secret and collectible locations in Doom: The Dark Ages Doom: The Dark Ages Chapter Two has nine secret areas, three collectibles, and 210 gold to find. Here's a list of every location and its respective collectibles, including how to find all 210 gold: Secret one Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid Shortly after equipping the Shield Saw and using it to mow down some shielded enemies, you'll enter a Weapons Facility with several branching paths. Down one path, you'll spot a Life Sigil blocked by glass, which you can access by breaking the purple circle door directly south of this spot and following the path until you reach the Sigil. Secret two Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid Immediately after collecting the first secret, head toward the quest marker to enter a room with a staircase. Heading up the stairs and turning left will reveal an exit leading to your quest marker. However, rather than going this way, turn around to spot two metal crates leading to a secret vent passageway. Jumping down here will lead you directly to the Imp Stalker Toy, knocking out your first collectible for this chapter. Codex Page Although we're ready to continue the main quest, you won't go far before finding your second collectible. Head along the path, pull down the door's lever, and run forward until you reach a ledge to jump down. Go down here and stomp the demons that cross your path before entering a small room. You'll spot a door blocked by superheated metal on your right, while your left has several boxes to jump over. Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid Jumping over these boxes reveals a Hebeth Codex page you can collect, marking your second collectible of this run. The game doesn't count this as a secret, but it is missable if you beeline it through the mission. You're now ready to head the opposite way, break the superheated metal door, and make some money. Secret three After finding the Codex page, you'll learn how to find gold and use the Sentinel Shrine to upgrade your gear. Following this tutorial, a green door will open nearby, letting you progress into a room with a few splitting paths. Go opposite the quest marker before turning right toward a red portal barrier. Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid Above this barrier is a wall you can climb, leading you directly to five gold and your third secret of this chapter. A ******'s also waiting for you here, so be ready for some quick combat. Secret four Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid It won't take long to find your next secret. Heading toward the quest marker, run through the corridors until you find a large stone statue. Turn right, left, and right away to spot a purple circle door to smash through with your shield. Doing this will propel you into your fourth secret area, with five gold bars available as your reward. Secret five Doom: The Dark Ages Chapter Two's fifth secret isn't available until after you unlock the Accelerator. After acquiring this weapon, head through the doors to find a horned helmet and two paths going left and right. Although hordes of enemies will naturally make you steer right, your destination is on your left instead. Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid Heading left, you'll find a metal grate with a circle you can break through using your shield. Doing this reveals five gold and a Life Sigil for you to claim. You're now safe to progress through the main story until you reach your first Point of No Return. Secret six Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid The next few are slightly tricky to spot. As you enter the Point of No Return, run along the path past the fire door until you reach the top of a staircase. Turn immediately left here to climb up the ledge, letting you collect five gold and break some superheated metal to access a valve. This valve will let you disable the fire door and enter it to claim nine gold and a Life Sigil. Secret seven Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid Further down the main story's path, you'll see two titans fighting in the background, a ****** horde bombarding you, and a side room leading back into the facility. Walking inside rewards you with eight gold, marking off your seventh secret. Now, you only have two more to find. Secret eight Finding Chapter Two's eighth secret requires entering another Point of No Return by jumping down a pit. Following this path will teach you Shield Recall, letting you leap across a massive void using your shield and access the rest of the level's secrets. Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid Once you use Shield Recall to jump across the gap, run straight forward to access a tunnel, letting you access a chest containing 50 gold. Punch it to claim your prize, letting you move on to the final secret. Secret nine Screenshot by Destructoid Screenshot by Destructoid After collecting secret eight's gold, follow the main quest's path until it diverges. Rather than going through the main story marker, head forward and climb up the three nearby crates to access a climb point. Follow the path from here to collect eight gold and a Shredder Weapon Skin, wrapping up Doom: The Dark Ages Chapter Two's secrets. All Doom: The Dark Ages Chapter 2 gold Doom: The Dark Ages Chapter Two is also the first time you're introduced to gold, a currency that lets you upgrade your gear from this level onward. Here's where you can find all 210 gold: As you progress through the main story, you'll find a quest task asking you to collect 75 gold from the surrounding area. The room's center chest holds 50, while the corridors around this room, marked on your map, have the remaining 25. You can't progress past this point without collecting this gold, making it unmissable. Screenshot by Destructoid Your next chance to find gold is while exploring the map and discovering secrets three and four. Each location holds five gold, bringing your total up to 85. Progressing through the main story's path will eventually take you to a cultist's room and a blue keycard with enough gold bars to raise your total to 101. Screenshot by Destructoid With the blue keycard on hand, you'll have access to a new part of the facility, including more gold locations. Secret five is your next destination, holding five gold and a Life Sigil. Shortly after collecting these and following the main quest objective's map marker, you'll enter a vent with a machine shooting a projectile you can parry, revealing eight additional gold. Following the main story quest marker from here will bring you full circle to the red portal area from Secret Three, which is now unlocked for you to collect 16 gold and increase your total to 130. Screenshot by Destructoid After some time, you'll hit a Point of No Return as you search for the level's fifth secret. As you follow the path to this secret, you'll gather five gold before breaking some superheated metal, followed by nine gold behind the fire door, bumping up your total to 144. Screenshot by Destructoid The next three secrets are where the rest of your money is. Secret seven is just along the main story's path inside a small room, while secret eight has a golden chest containing 50 gold. Last but certainly not least, you have secret nine, holding eight gold and a weapon skin. Entering these three secret areas will wrap up the remaining gold you need, bringing you to 210 to spend on weapon upgrades. How to find Demonic Essence in Doom: The Dark Ages Your final collectible for this level is Demonic Essence, a permanent buff you receive by killing elite enemies. In this case, it's unmissable, as you'll obtain by defeating the chapter's boss. Eliminating the boss at the end of this level will give you the Demonic Essence for a permanent health boost lasting the rest of your playthrough. Once you find all 210 gold and nine secrets, you'll be ready to wrap up Chapter Two, Hebeth, and venture into Chapter three. If you didn't quite grab every secret in the previous level, be sure to check out our guide on every Doom: The Dark Ages Chapter One secret location. The post All Chapter 2 secrets in Doom The Dark Ages appeared first on Destructoid. View the full article

Doom: The Dark Ages players took to social media to express how much they miss using the Meat Hook from Doom Eternal, which is a weapon enhancement for the latter game's Super Shotgun. Although the Shield Saw Charge serves a similar purpose in Doom: The Dark Ages as a gap closer, it can't be used to swing around enemies like the Meat Hook could. View the full article

World of Warcraft just showed off some of the amazing items fans can get in Horrific Visions Revisited, including several Void-corrupted mounts, the Eye of Chaos ****, and a series of transmogs inspired by the Old God N’Zoth. These rewards and more will be obtainable in the revamped version of Horrific Visions when it arrives in World of Warcraft on May 20. View the full article

As an ancient gamer (now 32), I’ve had plenty of experience playing Pac-Man. During my pre-teen years, many of my summer days were spent losing quarters to my local arcade, attempting to reach the mythical "split-screen level." As a devoted fan of the franchise, I admittedly had reservations going into my PAX East preview of Bandai Namco’s new, unconventional take on the series, Shadow Labyrinth. On paper, Shadow Labyrinth should not work. Pac-Man as a dark sci-fi metroidvania where he turns into a giant mech and shoots lasers out of his mouth sounds like bad gaming Wattpad fiction. Yet, that is exactly what it is…and Puck, Man, it was glorious. The story takes place shortly after the events of the Prime Video animated short, Secret Wars, as the protagonist, the dark and brooding Swordsman No. 8, wakes up surrounded by monsters and aliens. He soon meets a mysterious figure known as Puck, a yellow circular creature who looks like he enjoys eating pellets, fruit, and blue ghosts. After a brief introduction, the duo vows to work together by combining their unique abilities of strength and mobility in the hopes that they can navigate the treacherous world and survive the darkness that awaits. That darkness comes in many shapes and sizes, as the setting features a handful of different biomes, each with distinct personalities, backdrops, and characteristics. No two mazes in this 2D adventure will have the same layout, and enemy designs and types will change depending on the region that is being explored. My preview started by placing me in an underground tech biome filled with various melee, flying, and ranged enemy types that could only exist underground, like bat-creatures and angry hedgehogs. Gameplay was straightforward and intuitive enough initially. Combat and dodging reminded me a lot of the original Castlevania titles, and its platforming elements are akin to a love child of Ori and the Blind Forest and Celeste, thanks to Puck’s ability to grapple onto spots, adding extra layers of maneuverability. The story takes place shortly after the events of the Prime Video animated short, Secret Wars. Combining the grapple with aerial attacks makes for interesting gameplay against enemies, especially when challenge rooms come into play. Like many other Metroidvanias, Shadow Labyrinth has rooms that will seal off once entered, requiring the Swordsman to defeat each combatant inside to unlock the room. Enemies spawn in from all over the room, attempting to overwhelm with quantity and variety, making for a bullet-sponge-like environment. I frantically grappled to avoid ground foe charges while dodging flying enemies simultaneously, failing to do so multiple times, and needing to respawn. After getting the hang of their patterns and placements, I grappled up and used melee attacks to chain movements in the air, then slammed my sword down from above on the enemies below, making for an immensely satisfying victory. While I only experienced two challenge rooms in this particular build, I was impressed with how difficult but rewarding each room was. But despite how much I enjoyed this, the true beauty of Shadow Labyrinth’s platforming and combat comes to light when Puck becomes the controllable character. The platforming element of controlling Puck is both clever and nostalgic, as the Swordsman will morph into him and ride waves of electricity to help them move around areas otherwise blocked by environmental hazards or inaccessible heights. While riding the wave, you’ll move identically to the old Pac-Man games, but with an added twist. Puck is still limited to moving left, right, up, or down on the violet electricity line, but he is no longer limited to a lined grid and can also stop, aim, and jump. While this might sound simple, it adds a new layer to movement and combat. Some challenge rooms even feature these lines, which can be used to execute sword attacks, creating an entirely new approach to beating each room’s combat puzzle. My favorite instance of this occurred halfway through the preview during the Kaiju boss battle (yes, you read that right). The fight is similar to a challenge room in the sense that it blocks off any retreat, but this time it is a one-on-one fight, as the boss is much ******* than Swordsman No. 8. To combat the size difference, Swordsman No. 8 can use Puck’s ability to ride up the wall to not only get a height advantage and deal extra damage to the enemy’s ***** weak spot, but also avoid massive laser attacks that would otherwise kill them both. As it turns out, the boss isn’t the only one wielding a laser, which leads to my other favorite, absurd moment in this preview: Puck can turn into a giant mecha named Gaia. Yes, this is a Metroidvania Pac-Man game where you can control a Gundam and fight Kaiju. Again, this should not work, but it does so marvelously, resulting in an epic crescendo to a fever dream of a boss battle and transformation. Even after the boss battle ended, there was still plenty to explore in Shadow Labyrinth. The first thing I unlocked afterward was a pared-down version of Gaia’s laser ability, which the Swordsman can use by holding down the charge button. Not only is this move great for dispelling large groups of foes blocking an area, but it can also be thrown into attacks in locations like the challenge rooms to make for some delightful combo kills. Alongside the new power move, I also unlocked a new location featuring another strangely familiar-looking set of enemies that would begin to float through the level toward me until they touched the ground. At first, I was confused about how to beat them, as hitting them with a sword wasn’t working. It wasn’t until I started listening to the music and sound effects and remembering why the enemies’ movements looked so familiar that a lightbulb went off: these are the Pooka from Dig Dug. Just like the 1982 classic arcade title, the only way to destroy Pooka is to stun and inflate it when they are materialized. After experimenting, it turns out that using Puck’s grapple ability on them to knock them out and then using it again to inflate them is the only way to kill them. This is just one of the many references to Bandai Namco’s library of beloved arcade games, as the story and setting of Shadow Labyrinth are set to include plenty of references and modernized takes on a handful of other iconic games. While there was no hint or mention of which one it would be, the developers teased that the war-torn world of Shadow Labyrinth itself will be a major reveal as the narrative progresses. The story and setting of Shadow Labyrinth are set to include plenty of references and modernized takes on a handful of other iconic games. If you had told me back then that one day someone would make a Metroidvania version of everyone’s favorite Puck Man, I’d probably think you’re insane. After playing Shadow Labyrinth at PAX East 2025, that statement is probably still true, but I’m right there beside you, enjoying the insanity. Whether it is the fluidity of Puck’s grappling hook and wall traversal combined with Swordsman No. 8’s raw power and durability, or the fact that Pac-Man can turn into a mech that shoots lasers out of its mouth, everything about this Metroidvania is absurdly fun. The game features something for everyone here, as the platforming, combat, and puzzles each stand out on their own as enjoyable experiences. I implore you to suspend your disbelief about how this bizarre concept can even work, and at least give Shadow Labyrinth a try when it is released, as this insane creative bet by Bandai looks like it might actually pay off. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

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