Similar to the game’s currency system, players earn experience points by completing matches or progressing in the story mode. This experience will apply to one of four level categories: profile, killer, civilian, and weapon. Profile level encompasses all gained XP. Killer level is centered around playing as Michael, much like civilian level is tied to playing as civilians. Lastly, weapon level is tied to players using specific equipable weapons to dispatch their victims.

Increasing your progression levels will unlock new playable civilians, additional abilities for Michael, starting items, cosmetics, new challenge tiers, new executions, and more.

Along with the progression system, there are passive and progressive challenges for those who play as Michael, or as one of the civilians. Passive challenges encompass killer and civilian, while progressive challenges are directly tied to which character you select. Completing challenges will unlock further cosmetics and alternate skins.

Halloween: The Game launches digitally on September 8 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. A physical version will launch for the PS5 and Xbox Series next month on October 6.

The post ‘Halloween: The Game’ Details Progression, Unlocks, and Michael Myers Customization Ahead of Launch [Video] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Stream Train challenges up to six players to band together, customize their avatars, and take control of an old steam train to explore the cryptid-infested wilderness of the Uncanny Valley. The name of the game is to go viral by livestreaming your rail journey through an abandoned railroad, investigating derelict buildings, and documenting strange creatures.

Survival depends on more than just outrunning the supernatural. You’ll need to keep your audience engaged by capturing content and pulling off pranks, as your chat will react in real-time to everything they see. By keeping the content flowing, chatters will keep donations and support rolling in, which are vital for making it through alive. Through it all, players will face terrors where the rule is simple: try not to make them angry, or at least film it when you do.

According to Half Past Yellow CEO Remy Stuurwold, the devteam has “poured their heart and soul” into Stream Train, and can’t wait to get it to players. The game’s director, Max Wrighton, adds that, “I have always wanted to build a game with livestreaming as a mechanic, pairing it with the social co-op/friendslop genre made complete sense. I can’t wait to see what players think of Stream Train.”

The post Social Co-op Survival Horror Game ‘Stream Train’ Boards October 15; Playtest Sign-ups Now Available [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Moon Studios Creative Director Thomas Mahler made the announcement in a new video, explaining that the extra time in Early Access will allow the development team to further polish the game, as well as add the many enhancements expected in the 1.0 version.

The added development time will allow the team at Moon to improve gameplay performance, tighten the class system and polish the game to the standard it deserves. As a way to make up for the delay, the team plans on holding additional closed beta tests in the months ahead, followed by an open beta in December. This will allow the community to provide further feedback during a crucial stretch of development.

Furthermore, as part of developer’s continued commitment to working directly with its player community, the team plans to provide further updates in part via the ongoing Wicked Inside video developer diaries. These longer, more intimate looks at No Rest for the Wicked allow the team to share more details about the development, and in the format that is most relevant to the game’s progress.

Previously, Moon Studios also shared that early buyers would receive the Founders Pack, a special set of in-game items as thanks for their incredible support. The original cutoff date for purchasing the game and earning that Founders Pack was July 10. That cutoff date has now been moved to January 1, 2027 for Steam players, with anyone who purchased after July 10 retroactively included. PlayStation 5 pre-orders will begin in January, allowing those players to earn the Founders Pack.

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As a grave-watcher & occultist, you have come to the plagued-ridden city of Seracheim, which has seen many risen corpses , but not a single sunrise in many years. Using your skills as an exorcist, you must stem the tide of curses that afflict the city, with the hopes of turning the tide against apocalypse at any cost.

In order to accomplish your mission, you’ll need to deduce and banish. When you discover what sort of spirit haunts Seracheim, you alone must be the one to exorcise it, by any means necessary. Exorcise spirits and excise the rot within the city, and you’ll see every character and building react each night to the changing set of curses and your choices.

Each successive night in the city will see a new set of hand-crafted, procedurally-placed stories and curses fill the city streets. These narrative pieces all interact, and can take the shape of plagues, monsters, haunts, and mysteries.

Blight Doctors is a co-op game at its core, balanced for 1-5 players. Share clues, split up, or protect each other with lantern light and salt lines. You can also perform medicinal cures and mix elixirs for each other. If you should die on your quest, you can haunt your fellow plague doctors as a ghost, and continue to collect clues. Of course, when others die, you can use their corpses for experimentation, or for offering to demons.

The post Clean Up After the Apocalypse Hits in Paranormal Investigator RPG ‘Blight Doctors’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Playable either solo or with friends in online co-op, this time around, things just got tougher. Your food has to be scavenged and cooked, a fire has to be kept burning through rain, snow, and cold, and at night, a flashlight beam is sometimes all that stands between a survivor and what’s waiting in the dark. Survivors comb the shelves and cabinets of abandoned homes for anything worth taking, and craft and build with whatever the old world left behind.

Players roam a small town and the lonely roadside stops around it, overrun by the dead: motels, diners, gas stations, supermarkets, churches, and hospitals, each hiding supplies, dangers, and traces of the people who didn’t make it. Exploration plays a bigger role this time around, with a world that stretches from the town center out to the woods and highways beyond it.

The dead also up their ante, coming in every form. From a lone shambler in a hallway to crowds in the streets and far larger things that shouldn’t exist.

“For the sequel, we went deeper into survival itself: what it actually takes to stay fed, warm, and alive when the world is gone. Every system in the game is designed to make that struggle matter,” says Shin In-geon, lead developer at Longplay Studios.

The post ‘Terminus: Zombie Survivors 2’ Revealed, Expands to Open World Exploration [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Compared to neighborhoods like Orange Grove Estates and Haddonfield Town Center, East Haddonfield is a rustic change of scenery. Described as a rural agricultural hub, East Haddonfield serves as the headquarters for Midwest Feed Company, and is home to other notable landmarks, such as The Rabbit in Red Lounge and Phelps Garage.

Following his escape from Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, Michael begins his journey home in East Haddonfield. Some residents and commuters avoid making pit stops here, as East Haddonfield attracts unsavory individuals like the biker gang, the Castle Hill Rooks. The Rabbit in Red Lounge offers the gang a rowdy, leather-clad biker bar that’s seen its fair share of broken beer bottles and bareknuckle brawls, while Phelps Garage offers excellent automotive services and the best gas prices around, not that you have many options out there.

Halloween: The Game launches digitally on September 8 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. A physical version will launch for the PS5 and Xbox Series next month on October 6.

The post Get a Glimpse of East Haddonfield in New Map Reveal Trailer for ‘Halloween: The Game’ [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Getting Crimson Moon to this moment has been an incredible journey, and we want to thank every one of you who has wishlisted the game, joined our community, shared your feedback, played at events, or simply followed us along the way,” reads the message from the devteam. They’ve already begun working on post-launch content, as well as a post-launch patch to address any issues that players may encounter.

Crimson Moon is a gothic high renaissance action-adventure RPG built around intense, replayable missions. Players take on the role of the Nephilim, ruthless human-angel hybrids forged to defend humanity. They’re immersed in a blood-soaked power fantasy as they battle their way through the besieged city of Gildenarch using combat that blends brutal precision with deep character progression.

Built for either solo or co-op play, with solo slayers getting a satisfying single-player experience, and co-op turning every encounter into a “shared onslaught of power and resilience.” Players who are strong and skilled enough to fight through three districts of Gildenarch in a row will face a world boss. These epic foes will test players’ mastery of their abilities. Only by defeating the three world bosses can players face the hellish final boss.

The post Dark Fantasy Roguelike ‘Crimson Moon’ Slashes Onto PC, Consoles Today [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Lurking sees you taking care of your pet spiders. However, just what happens when your pets grow out of control… and begin lurking in the hallways of your apartment building? You’ll need to stay low, stay quiet, and stick to the shadows. If you can keep it together, you might be able to find a way out.

You’re not defenseless against your former pets. You’ll need to utilize improvised, homemade weapons to fight back against these eight-legged freaks in order to survive. However, that’s only part of the problem, as you’ll need to find keys and tools in order to progress through the building. What you do, and how you do it, will lead to one of the game’s multiple endings.

The spiders that lurk the hallways feature “dynamic” behavior that reacts to your actions, coupled with a procedural animation system for “highly realistic spider movement” for you arachnid lovers (and haters). It’s all presented in PSX-inspired pixelated visuals to complete the “modern horror atmosphere”.

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After finally regaining the rights, development resumed at Panache Digital Games, known for Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, with it launching in Early Access last week after several years of development from their relatively small team.

It’s an admittedly ambitious project, trying to deliver a AAA level experience with a story that spans several time periods separated by hundreds of years. The beginning introduces you to the three protagonists: Clio, who lives in the present day, her father Aaron, who we see in 1999, and Noa, a Collector of the Zaindaris coven in the year 1666. Clio’s story is the framing story, showing her going through Aaron’s documents describing his strange relationship with Noa that transcends time itself.

Through a strange ritual performed by Clio’s mother in 1999, Aaron’s consciousness is sent back in time to 1666 where he inhabits the feline familiar of Noa, helping her on her quest to deal with Originals, people who made pacts for power and became corrupted by it.

Investigation Over Combat

Admittedly, it’s a lot going on, but there’s a boldness to it that I appreciate. You can definitely see echoes of Assassin’s Creed, with multiple timelines and secret societies of power hungry individuals, but the setting and witchy focus set it apart. While Clio and Aaron’s timelines don’t have quite as much going on, they provide backstory and setup to make the main focus, Noa’s story, richer and more well-rounded.

As a Collector, she only has access to her powers during a full moon, and she uses that day to investigate the Original assigned to her by the Zaindaris, sneaking around to find their seal and discover their true name before being able to confront them to strip them of their powers, and their lives.

This setup allows for a more interesting gameplay premise than I was anticipating. A lot of the game is spent trying to gather information, talking to people or rifling through offices, to give yourself all the tools to confront your foe. You have access to your witch powers, but doing them in public will alert the authorities, so you need to use them wisely. Much like Hitman, you also need to be careful entering restricted areas, but you can control Aaron’s cat form to help you sneak through places that humans wouldn’t be able to reach.

Additionally, he can also possess people who are afraid of cats by hissing at them and clawing their faces, adding another layer of options to your arsenal.

There’s a lot to love with this structure, but in the state this Early Access release is in, you might have trouble getting to the good parts. Right off the bat, there are pretty huge technical issues with this game. While I don’t have the most beefy gaming PC, I haven’t had trouble running recent releases like Mortal Shell II or Star Wars: Zero Company, but 1666: Amsterdam had several performance issues. Even dropping the game down to low graphics setting, I was seeing substantial frame rate drops, notably any time I went onto a city street full of people. The world of Amsterdam is lovingly recreated, but it was hard for me to appreciate the detail given all the stuttering I was experiencing.

The AI Controversy Still Looms

One pretty big disappointing element of 1666: Amsterdam came out when they released a prologue demo earlier this summer. Despite not disclosing it on their Steam page, they later admitted that they used generative AI art assets in the demo, but they promised they would be removed by the time the game was released. This statement was further confused with a later interview where Désilets said they were using so much AI art in the game that things slipped past them because they had forgotten what was AI and what wasn’t.

It’s hard to say whether they actually removed all the AI like they promised, but based on what I played, I would say that some of the voice performances sound a bit like AI text-to-speech, which put a damper on the delivery of a lot of narrative. Obviously, different people have different thoughts on the use of gen AI in the games space, and this will bother some people more than others. Frankly, I hope they stick to their promise and wish they never used generative AI in the first place.

Even aside from the technical issues, it seems like there are a lot of design problems that will still need to be worked out throughout the year they plan to be in Early Access. The investigation portion of the game felt the strongest to me, but there was plenty of friction that got in the way of my fun there. Once an investigation begins, you’re not given any direction for where to start, forcing you to explore in order to even figure out a single clue.

The portion of the city you have access to isn’t overly large, so I was initially excited by the openness of it, but I found myself hoping for a little more guidance. It felt like I was stumbling on information rather than actually working for it, making it feel unearned and disappointing. Even when I did find clues, they sometimes weren’t really enough to helpfully point me in the right direction, often confusing me more.

Strong Ideas Hampered by Frustrating Design

Navigating these spaces isn’t as exciting as it can be either. The level design of interior spaces isn’t super compelling, often becoming confusing to get around due to the sameness of many rooms. The idea of getting around in cat form is neat, but I was having a lot of issues lining myself up to jump from place to place like you’re supposed to. When you look at a surface you can leap to, a button prompt comes up, but there was a bug causing it to not appear when it should have, making me waste tons of time trying to jump to surfaces I couldn’t.

Most of the time, the trick with the cat gameplay is you just find a window, climb to the other side of a door, and unlock it to let Noa through, but I got stuck in one place for a long time because I saw an open window that looked like I could get to, but I couldn’t actually reach. I ended up giving up and found a much easier way to get to the other side of the door, which was a pretty frustrating experience overall that could have been easily remedied by making sure the environment didn’t have any false positives for that type of access. Or maybe I was supposed to get up there, but technical issues were preventing me from jumping properly. Based on my time with the game, either seem plausible.

Combat could also use another pass. It’s currently very melee-focused, with Noa using the same three-hit broom combo over and over again. You do have access to some witch abilities, but for the most part I didn’t run into any that really changed the way I fought. The most useful one was a skill that destroyed items in the environment, which when timed well could also take out enemies, but for the most part it was just swinging your broom over and over.

When a fight starts after you get spotted, there’s a zoom-in on the enemy that gives you information about the threat they provide. It also surrounds them with various words like “surrender” or “blaggard” in order to emphasize how that enemy feels towards you, but it ends up feeling out of place. I also had trouble figuring out how exactly I was supposed to get out of combat situations, as enemies just kept coming wave after wave until I got overwhelmed and arrested.

It’s very possible that I didn’t see all the combat options, because there’s a roguelike element to the game that could be interesting if developed further. Each time you take a contract, you’ll choose between three artifacts that give you modifiers or abilities, which reset each cycle. As you explore, you’ll find more of these along the way, theoretically allowing for a power curve to emerge. I’m always interested when developers find ways to incorporate roguelike elements into more mainstream games, like Deathloop or Saros, so hopefully they figure out a way to make this an impactful system, because at the moment it didn’t really seem to do much for me.

Creative Presentation Amid Uneven Polish

Graphics issues aside, there were some neat presentation flourishes that elevated the game from your standard AAA fare. My favorite was the way they handled the voiceover narration that Aaron and Noa deliver as you explore. Instead of just working off of an invisible trigger like most games, you actually see the words they are going to speak floating in the air in your path, and they break around you as they start reading them aloud. There’s also some neat editing, with lots of jump cuts and flash frames to make you feel off-kilter as you dive into the strange world they’re presenting.

But the nice presentation also comes with other polish issues. Some parts of the game just feel woefully underbaked, with weird shortcuts that hamper the feeling. In Clio’s opening, there’s a part where she’s talking to a professor at a library, and when he joins you to walk beside you, his character model snaps right to yours, glued to your side at a fixed distance as you move. If you walk the optimal path, it looks fine, but any time you take a turn, it looks extremely awkward, and ends up looking hilarious if you spin in place. I also came across several collision issues in the game where I would get stuck on objects that I shouldn’t have, making exploration occasionally irritating.

At a certain point in the game, you flash back to Aaron’s timeline for an investigative scene in a hotel. He leaves his room to try to find a statue, navigating through the halls and using a cat to help unlock doors. But the scene is made stranger by the fact that he’s in his underwear the whole time, and no one is commenting on it. On top of that, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird” is playing as you do it, which absolutely does not feel like it fits. There’s not really much you do here aside from get a tutorial about possessing people, so I can’t for the life of me figure out why they decided to put the song in there, which must have cost them a pretty penny.

This sequence encapsulated the experience of 1666: Amsterdam for me. It’s clear they are trying to make something bold and interesting, but don’t seem to fully know what stylistic choices to make to get there. There’s definitely something here. The core idea of the game is great, even if it might have one too many time periods that it’s juggling, but it’s going to take a lot of technical and design polish to get it to reach its full potential.

Looking at their Steam page, they’ve got a roadmap of content planned out, with new missions being released over the next year, but I think they need to focus on their core design and technical issues before working on any new content.

Early Access code provided by publisher. 1666: Amsterdam is currently available on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

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Mods can add new occupations, traits, survival perks, and occupation perks, or retune the ones already in the game. That also goes for weapons and tools, clothing, medicine, food and drink, crafting and cooking recipes, vehicles, furniture, NPCs, zombies and their drops, and placeable items like traps and tents.

Players can even swap out the game’s art, add a whole new language with its own font, and change global settings like trait points and the stat ceiling.

As for those who want to create their own mods, you can upload them to Steam Workshop via the Workshop Uploader. To get the full sense of what’s available to players, you can check out the modding guide.

Available on Steam, Terminus: Zombie Survivors is set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse. Weeks have passed since the zombie virus took hold of humanity, and most of the population has already been infected. As one of the few remaining survivors, you must finally venture out to join up with the other survivors at the Terminus. Battle your way through hunger, frigid temperatures, and ravenous zombies to make it to the Terminus, escape the city through various means, or even develop a vaccine.

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Five years ago, Cold Iron Studios released Aliens: Fireteam Elite, a three-player, third-person, co-op shooter that took you on an adventure in the iconic setting. It was a solid effort, but aside from the Aliens coat of paint, it didn’t seem to have a unique hook that set it apart from other competitors in the genre. I only ran a few missions of it with some friends, and we all agreed that it felt like a good start and hoped that Cold Iron would get a chance to improve with a sequel.

After some time with Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, which came out last week, I think the follow-up lands more in the more-of-the-same camp, as it manages to still be solid fun without breaking the mold in any meaningful way. There’s still a lot to like here for fans of either co-op shooters or the Alien franchise, but I wish it was more ambitious with the formula of both.

The biggest change the game gives you is more options for your character creation. Everyone plays a unique Colonial Marine, allowing you to customize your cosmetics, loadout, and build how you see fit. The class system has been reworked, with new options that fit into standard archetypes. Each has its own special ability that can range from buffing other teammates to placing a powerful turret. None of the five primary classes feel like they are the “right” option, and each player ends up with an important skill to bring to the squad.

The coolest innovation is the inclusion of an extra class called the Specialist, which is a completely customizable class that can draw from any perks that you’ve unlocked across all classes. It’s clear that this is meant for players that have invested more time into the game, as you have to rank up two classes to a specific level in order to access the Specialist, but it’s a nice inclusion that can add variety to subsequent playthroughs.

The Pulse Rifles Feel Great But The Enemies Don’t

Returning from the first game is the clever grid-based perk system that adds an extra dimension to leveling up. As you level up your specific class, you’ll unlock new perks that are placed on a board. More spaces are added to the board as you level up, and each perk you place takes up a certain number of spaces. Some of these perks also need to be connected to another perk they are modifying, so it gives you a fun little spatial puzzle that you need to optimize in order to arrive at the build you’re looking for.

In general, each has access to a primary weapon, which is from a shared pool that all classes can choose from, a secondary weapon, which has a smaller pool specific to your class, and a sidearm, which has infinite ammo for when you find yourself in a bind. More guns are unlocked as you level up your account overall, and others are made available to purchase via currency earned within missions. The look and feel of the guns is strong, capturing the signature sounds of Aliens perfectly. Wielding the iconic pulse rifle while seeing your teammate mowing down xenomorphs with the smart rifle truly makes you feel like you’re right in the middle of a cinematic bug hunt.

Stats on these guns can be modified by purchasing various gun parts that have their own pros and cons, but I found this to be a bit more fiddly than satisfying. Categories of gun parts are slowly unlocked as you progress, which felt like an odd decision that prevented me from getting too invested in this subsystem. They do have a tangible effect when used properly and add to your overall combat rating, but looking through options for gun barrels and magazines wasn’t the most compelling use of my time between missions.

While the tactile feeling of the guns is there, the enemies felt spongy in a way that robs shooting of some of its impact. There’s a decent variety of enemies, from neat Xenomorph variants to synthetic soldiers to more Prometheus-influenced creatures, but there are too many of them that take way too much firepower to take down. Watching a teammate get picked up by one of the larger Xenos is initially shocking, but when I can unload an entire clip into it without it reacting to my gunfire in any visible way, it becomes more tedious than tense.

The different enemy types give the game much needed variety in its encounters, even if it probably could have used a bit more. I like that there are different types of Xenomorphs, but for the most part they all act pretty similarly, differentiated by weak points or minor tactile changes. They feel perfect for holdouts, as their vicious hunting behavior seen in the movies translates well to fighting mobs of them, but there’s not enough tactical variation to make encounters feel distinct.

It’s the introduction of the synths that helps change things up a bit, making it more like a traditional cover shooter where you’re caught in gunfights with other soldiers as they attempt to flank you or flush you out. Even better is when you run into both of them at the same time, occasionally coming across them while the two camps are battling it out among themselves.

The Best Aliens Locations in the Series

Even if the encounters feel pretty similar, the thing that makes missions feel distinct from each other is the variety of locations that you visit throughout the game’s fifteen missions. These are classic Aliens fare, dropping you in an abandoned colony, a Weyland-Yutani spaceship, and an underground mine. There’s even a series of missions that let you explore an Engineer ship, with some of the most striking visuals in the game. Obviously these are all stylistically borrowed from other Aliens media, but the recreations of the spaces are impressive and always a joy to explore.

The wonderful score of the game doubles down on the Aliens vibes, evoking the classic 1986 film with its music. It brings the locations to life, creating a moody atmosphere for exploration and a thrilling tone to the encounters. The game’s biggest advantage is being able to believably place you into this beloved setting, and the music is the cherry on top that brings it all together.

What really drags the game down for me is that you don’t really do much in missions. You go from place to place, usually interacting with a terminal that moves the story forward a little, but only after you fend off wave after wave of enemies. It’s definitely a horde shooter at its heart, but I want more than just a series of holdouts in neat locations. Reflecting on other co-op shooters I’ve enjoyed, the most exciting missions require you to do some other piece of business during these sections to give you variety and keep you moving around the space.

There’s a memorable mission in Back 4 Blood where you’re defending a bar, and you need to keep the jukebox active throughout the mission, giving you something else to focus on while you mow down zombies. GTFO has great examples of this, requiring you to shout out passwords to someone manning a computer while creatures bear down on you. As much as it can be fun in Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 to prep an area with turrets and mines, I spent too much time standing in one place blasting a shooting gallery of enemies that pop up around me.

While you each have specific roles on the team, the game rarely felt like it required a level of coordination that made the co-op feel collaborative and satisfying.

Four Players, But Not Four Jobs

One mission gave me the coordination I was looking for, but it only made me wish for the complexity to show up more. At one point, you’re trying to break into a place that’s full of synths, and there’s a series of turrets that are raining bullets down on you. In order to disable them, you need to fight your way up to terminals that turn them off. It’s the most tactical encounter in the game, requiring you to cover your teammates as they make their way to the terminals before the team can collectively proceed. Cold Iron showed with this mission that they were capable of executing more complicated ideas, but nothing else in the game gave me the collaborative spirit that I wanted from the game.

Another significant change Cold Iron made was adding a fourth player to the squad. One of the things I ran into with the first game was that my co-op shooter friend group was four people, so it felt a little awkward to figure out who didn’t get to play. The extra player is a move that will likely satisfy more people who were in the same situation, but I don’t know if the design of the game actually calls for the fourth person.

Since you don’t really have tasks to split up during missions, it’s mostly just about having another marine in play to deal damage, and the spaces don’t really feel like they are laid out to accommodate the extra character. Most of my time was spent playing with random players online, and we were constantly stumbling over each other and getting in each other’s way. Maybe once I get together my crew to try this out, that will change, but it felt like they just added a fourth player but didn’t try to think of any ways that they could use the higher player count to make it more dynamic.

An Aliens Story That Gets the Job Done

Throughout the ten-hour campaign, the game tells a decent little Aliens story, but nothing we haven’t heard before. There’s a mad scientist at the center of the narrative, and her plot involves elements from both Aliens and Prometheus, weaving together strong parts of the franchise into one cohesive tale. Unfortunately, the delivery of the plot can be a bit of a drag. Between missions, you need to chat with a series of NPCs who have dull or annoying dialogue, and the amount of talking really drags. You’ll get some audiologs during missions that feel a little better delivered, but they usually stop everything for you to listen, which messes with the pacing.

On top of that, the quips your characters say are incredibly dumb and repetitive, often just blatant references to the movie without any appropriate content. I know references can sometimes be a nice little burst of nostalgia, but hearing my character say “I am the ultimate badass” multiple times during one mission gets old fast.

I felt satisfied with my playthrough of the campaign, but it’s clear that the game is built for you to replay it. I focused almost entirely on the Machinist class, who was able to use drones and turrets, and I didn’t even fully unlock everything for them. To get through all five classes fully, you’ll have to go through these missions over and over, and their mechanical simplicity doesn’t provide the variety that would make me want to revisit them.

Final Verdict: Fun With Friends, Forgettable Next to the Genre’s Best

Obviously there are a few difficulty levels, and they will definitely provide a different experience, but I don’t think it’s really in a way that meaningfully changes how you play. Fireteam Elite 2 introduces the idea of Challenge Cards, which can be selected at the beginning of any mission, and these provide the most compelling way to mix things up. These alter the game in different ways, either making things more or less challenging for you, or providing different levels of rewards.

These can range from more ammo to less health, but others are a little more interesting. My favorite one that I ran across was one that made both the player and the enemies do 75 percent more damage, which alleviated some of my issues with the enemy sponginess and made things feel faster and more lethal. I don’t think they are a reason to replay the game, but they certainly will make it more interesting if you choose to do so.

The problem with Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 isn’t that it’s a bad game. It’s pretty fun when you’ve got a solid team that’s effectively synced up. However, the game doesn’t stand out from the pack in a meaningful way.

There are definitely more interesting co-op games that add more mechanical complexity to the missions, and there are also better Aliens that capture the spirit of the franchise more accurately. Much like using the classic pulse rifle, confronting Xenomorphs always works best in short, controlled bursts, and games like Alien: Isolation or Aliens: Dark Descent have figured that out more effectively.

If you know three other Aliens fans that you can convince to play with you, you’ll definitely be able to get several nights of fun out of it; just know that it doesn’t have the depth required to make it the forever game it wants to be.

Review code provided by publisher. Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. A Nintendo Switch 2 version will launch later this fall.

The post ‘Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2’ Review – More Marines, More Xenomorphs, Not Enough Innovation appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Per the description for the video, “Wyvern, the dragon that rules the skies, is one of the game’s formidable bosses. What kinds of attacks does it unleash? And how should you make the most of Davy’s abilities to overcome this fight? We hope this commentary gives you some useful insights before taking on the battle yourself.”

In the aftermath of the Great War, humanity teeters on the brink of extinction and monsters rule the land. At the bottom rung of this society is Davy, a lowly zombie scraping by in a deserted shopping mall. One day, he discovers the human girl Julia frozen to death in a freezer…and falls in love at first sight. Motivated by his newfound crush, Davy finds his purpose in undeath: to bring Julia back to life, then to ask her out.

Stupid Never Dies will launch October 21 for PC via Steam and PlayStation 5. And look out for Aaron’s preview of the game.

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“We’re going to be expanding our alpha and then closed beta to more players over time, this is our largest map ever and with untethered multiplayer, we really need to take the opportunities to stress-test and fine-tune,” said Kevin Patzelt, Creative Director at Undead Labs. Patzelt added that if you don’t get in this first round of sign-ups, rest assured that there will be more opportunities throughout the year for players to join in.

According to the announcement, the each playtest is designed to feed directly back into the game’s development. That includes things such as balancing co-op combat encounters, to fine-tuning how the game’s new permadeath system affects remaining players. In particular, the game’s narrative systems are being developed to cater to the permadeath mechanic, making a player’s death “actually means something” for the rest of the survivors.

State of Decay 3 will launch in 2027 on the Xbox Series, PC via the Microsoft Store and Steam, Xbox Game Pass, and the PlayStation 5.

The post Closed Beta Registrations for ‘State of Decay 3’ Now Open; New Gameplay Footage Revealed [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

IllFonic relayed the news to fans via X, stating that while the game will release digitally as scheduled next week for the Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store in Japan, the PlayStation release has been cancelled “due to our inability to obtain a domestic rating from CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Organization) for the title’s visceral violence and nudity.”

IllFonic stated that in order for the Halloween PS5 version to be released in Japan in compliance with CERO, they would need to “significantly compromise the worldview of the original film, and would also prevent us from providing the gameplay experience that players expect.”

Those Japanese fans who pre-ordered the PS5 version will be eligible for refunds, though they’ll need to go through the PlayStation Store. It’s not clear as to why the PC and Xbox versions are allowed to release.

Halloween: The Game will launch digitally on September 8 (September 9 in Japan). The physical release will launch on October 6.

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In addition to the release date announcement, Boltgun II received a new trailer, showcasing the first footage of the game’s main antagonist, Vashtorr, daemonic demigod of inventors, engineers, scientists and artisans. The trailer also features a “first-listen teaser” of the original musical track created for Boltgun 2 by guest composer Mick Gordon (DOOM (2016), DOOM Eternal, Wolfenstein: The New Order).

Traveling to an isolated star system to check on reports of increased Chaos activity, playable characters Ultramarine Malum Caedo and Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath soon find themselves facing the wrath of Vashtorr the Arkifane. A demigod of immense power, Vashtorr awakens a vast daemonic machine at the centre of the planet, causing a catastrophic explosion and destroying much of the Imperial fleet. Now Malum and Nyra must race from world to world to cleanse the corruption powering Vashtorr’s daemonic machinations – and to stand a chance of banishing the demigod back to the Warp.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 continues where the original Boltgun left off, bringing unrepentant strafing action and increased variety of killer weapon selection to fans. Battle fan-favorite foes like the sassy plague-spreading Nurglings and Chaos Cultists, as well as all-new enemies. The ferocious Bloodletters and their bloodthirsty Juggernauts are just the beginning. Greater terrors await in the Emperor’s endless war.

The June Steam Next Fest demo is still available to download.

The post ‘Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II’ Launches October 14; Switch 2 Version Coming Later This Year [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The release window and demo announcements weren’t the only news for There Are No Ghosts at the Grand, as Friday Sundae also revealed that the game will feature Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings) as MacBrushy, a talking and singing Scottish power tool.

In a press release, Boyd stated that the character was fun to play. “He’s funny, a little rude, and doesn’t mince his words! but there’s a lot more to him than it might seem at first. As the story develops, you gradually see different sides of him, and it’s clear that he has some hidden depths and maybe a few secrets too. Working with Friday Sundae, we’ve been developing MacBrushy’s voice and personality, and he’s got a song or two to sing as well, which has been fun to do in character.”

“MacBrushy started out as a bit of a joke about Clippy, but underneath that he’s really a father figure, drawn from the different kinds of dads and father figures I knew growing up in Scotland,” explains Friday Sundae co-founder and creative director Anil Glendinning. “He can give you brilliant advice and genuinely look out for you, but he can also lose his patience and let you know when you’ve annoyed him. Billy really understood that balance. He makes MacBrushy funny, warm and occasionally infuriating, which is exactly who we wanted him to be.”

There Are No Ghosts at the Grand has players take on the role of Chris David, an American who unexpectedly inherits a crumbling English seaside hotel. By day, Chris must renovate the Grand and help restore the surrounding village of Kingswood-on-Sea. By night, those same locations begin to reveal something stranger beneath the wallpaper, broken windows, and fading paint.

Oh, and you also wield talking power tools for your renovation tasks. Those same tools transform into weapons against the supernatural at night. You’ll use the vacuum on vengeful spirits, expose invisible assailants with the paint sprayer, or subdue spooks with a well-aimed bookcase to the face using the furniture cannon.

Ahead of the October demo, you can currently delve into last year’s version, which is available on Steam.

The post ‘There Are No Ghosts at the Grand’ Heads to Early Access This December; New October Steam Next Fest Demo Announced [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

I remember playing Onimusha, but given that I haven’t replayed it since release, I couldn’t tell you much about it. For me, it’s most notable for the fact that a bug during the development of the game gave them the idea for Dante’s signature air juggle in Devil May Cry. To me, it was another in the long line of games that tried to do the Resident Evil-style gameplay in a different setting, though it shifted the focus to action.

So while I was excited to see them revisit the franchise, it’s not one that I hold in the same regard as other dormant franchises like Dino Crisis or Viewtiful Joe. Even so, initial trailers showed extremely well, letting the hype build for this new release.

Fortunately, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is not a direct sequel to any of the previous games, requiring no knowledge of other entries to understand what’s going on. You play as samurai Miyamoto Musashi, visually modeled after the likeness of legendary Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, who ends up being killed and sent to Hell where he’s given a gauntlet that grants him the power of the Oni, which he absolutely does not want.

This gets him caught up in a war against the demonic Genma forces that are menacing Edo period Kyoto, which he reluctantly agrees to help out with as a means to remove the gauntlet from his arm and his life. Matters are further complicated when his rival ends up with a gauntlet as well, adding to his list of troubles.

Combat That Demands Precision

While this setup is all well and good, the real thing that brings you to the game is the combat. Not only is it incredible to look at, but it feels great in the hands, providing encounters that are both sufficiently challenging and extremely satisfying. Enemies have both a life and a stamina bar, and attacks will deplete either or both depending on if the enemy is blocking. If you drain their stamina bar, you’ll be able to use a Break Issen move, which dismembers and kills standard creatures. To defend yourself from enemy attacks, you have a dodge and a block, which becomes a stamina-damaging parry when timed just right.

None of this is new, in fact Sekiro made its name doing the same combat mode so elegantly, but the presentation of everything in Onimusha makes it feel incredible. A successful parry is accompanied by a satisfying animation of Musashi twirling his sword to push the enemy away, sparks flying as time slows down to put an exclamation mark on the moment. Attacks are expertly telegraphed with crisp animations that are easy to read, but still require precise timing to pull off.

When you do it feels like magic. During most encounters, button mashing will get you nowhere, requiring you to take a beat and carefully watch enemies as they attack you to time your parry perfectly.

Not everything in the game can be parried, so you have to be careful in how you react to attacks. In general, unarmed attacks and grabs need to be dodged for maximum effect, with a Reflex Dodge that slows time for a moment when you get the timing perfect. It creates an interesting rhythm to combat, never allowing you to spam block or dodge to feel untouchable. While I did often have trouble getting the timing of the grab attack animations, it’s another piece of the puzzle to its amazing combat.

Because stamina will start to recharge after a certain amount of time without being hit or parried, you need to stay on top of enemies if you want to hit them with an Issen attack. This creates a drive to be aggressively defensive, constantly pushing toward the enemy, if only to bait them into attacking so you can parry their strikes. It gives fights the feel of a real duel, playing right into the samurai fantasy perfectly.

As you battle enemies, various colors of souls will pop out of them, and these need to be absorbed into your gauntlet to gain their power. For most of the game, this action cannot be done while attacking, forcing you to find a specific lull in the fight where you can take a beat to stop. Red souls act as a currency, while yellow souls heal you a bit. Blue and purple souls fill different meters that power stronger attacks, so absorbing any of these at the right time can help swing the battle in your favor, meaning it’s always worth the time.

In addition to your standard healing item, which can be replenished by picking up a plant as you explore, you’ll have access to various items that can aid you in the heat of the moment. These didn’t end up being as integral to my strategy, as it took me a while to remember which ones were which in the moment. While the game does slow down time as you open up the wheel to select them, I had trouble parsing the information and figuring out if it was better to enhance my attack or defense or fire resistance at any given moment. The most useful item to me released a burst of various souls for me to absorb, which was helpful in filling up the last bit of my meters or giving me a few more HP when I was out of healing items. It was nice to have them there, but thinking about stat buffs and resistances wasn’t always top of mind in the middle of a sword barrage.

Mastering Musashi’s Moves

This might have been a me problem, but it did take me a while to get used to the controls for Onimusha when starting it. There are two control options in the game, and both of which put your attack standard attack buttons on the face buttons, which was a shift from most games that put your attacks on the shoulder buttons. I definitely found my rhythm pretty quickly, but there were times when muscle memory would take over and I would unleash a poorly timed special move because I mistook it for the attack button. Your mileage may vary on if it gets in your way, but for a game that’s so dependent on quick reflexes, it did trip me up at a few key moments, causing frustration.

Another thing I noticed that was a slight hang up for combat was that recovery animations seemed to take a little bit longer than I thought they should, which often got in the way of me healing. After taking a huge hit, I would try to hit the heal button as soon as possible, but occasionally it wouldn’t activate when it felt like it should based on the animation I was looking at. Every moment counts in a boss fight, so having that timing be a little too long or unclear was something that caused more deaths than I would like to admit.

As the game goes on, you’ll upgrade Musashi’s abilities using souls and items, but it’s more along the lines of linearly unlocking new skills and perks rather than actually crafting any sort of specific build. This gives you a satisfying power curve, allowing for that moment of excitement when you see a boss drop the right material that you’ve been waiting for. The most meaningful choice you’ll make when fighting is which of the Oni Weapons you want to equip. These are one of the elements of your arsenal that’s fueled by souls, and they allow you to do powerful attacks that have different effects. For example, one does massive damage and releases healing yellow souls, while another does huge stamina damage. These can be changed in the moment, and knowing which one is the most useful when your meter is filled will be crucial to surviving encounters.

Throughout the narrative, you unlock various abilities that are given to you from people that you’ve helped out, and these add some much needed variety to getting around. This makes navigation a little more dynamic, adding in little twists that make traversal more fun. One of my favorite abilities is a starter one, Oni Vision, which allows you to see the invisible threads that are attached to walls blocking your way. In order to get the wall to come down, you need to follow these threads and kill the spider hanging on the end of each of them. It’s a fun way to lead you through areas, and it builds nicely in complexity as your abilities unlock.

Boss Fights Worth Dying For

While normal fights with enemies are still fun, the real highlight of the game is the boss fights. Not only are they the most creative visually, presenting some horrific demonic creatures that tower over you, but they’re also intricate challenges that require keen pattern recognition and quick reflexes. They can almost feel like rhythm games, requiring you to know which attacks you need to parry and which to dodge, mixing it up within the same combo. These can be massive skill checks that can block progress for a while, but are the most exciting and satisfying encounters in the game. It’s such a treat any time you run into a new one, as they often are introduced with an epic cutscene that shows off their massive scale and clever design.

Unfortunately, the game reuses bosses a few too many times throughout in a way that robs the later act of the novelty. As far as I could tell, most fights remained pretty similar to their original iteration, with maybe an extra combo or an increase in stats. There’s a stretch at the end of the game that’s all repeated bosses, and that felt like a slog instead of a climactic test of my skills.

Bosses also have attacks where if they land, they can power up the boss and make them stronger, which feels like a bad feedback loop that overly punishes you for mistakes. If I got hit by one of these strikes within the first 30 seconds of the fight, I would just let them kill me because I knew I was going to be at a disadvantage for the rest of the battle. It’s a smart way to encourage the type of perfection the game’s parry system demands, but it often felt a little too punishing.

I loved that the boss fights felt epic, but occasionally they went on for too long, which became exhausting due to the precision required. Most fights took over five minutes, with many bosses having two phases, each with their own health bar. It’s really fun when it goes your way, making it feel like the type of encounter between great warriors that the game is going for, but failing at the last moment always feels like such a time sink.

Near the end of the game, one boss took me over twelve minutes to defeat, and the multiple attempts it took me to achieve that victory added up to hours of time. This is definitely a game for boss fight sickos, and even the Story Mode difficulty level doesn’t completely make them a walk in the park.

The irritation from some of the boss fights was enhanced by the game’s extremely chatty companion Shizuka, the woman who resides in your gauntlet. She acts as the game hint system, constantly reminding you of your attack options during fights. If you miss a dodge, she’ll remind you that you need to evade attacks. If a character is vulnerable to a shot from your bow at this moment, she’ll be sure to let you know, even if you’re already in the process of drawing an arrow. Musashi himself will also give the player reminders of what they need to do, saying quotes along the lines of “that’s right, if I keep parrying your attacks it will eventually drain your stamina, then we’ll see who’s laughing.”

For a game that is very demanding of you, it feels strangely like it’s holding your hand, in a way that felt like it was taunting me when I wasn’t doing things correctly, even though I know that wasn’t the intent.

When The Story Loses Its Edge

In addition to making the action look incredible while you’re playing, Onimusha’s cutscenes also feature expertly choreographed violence. Right off the bat, you’re treated to a breathtaking escape sequence where Musashi is running from a swarm of fighters all trying to kill him as he slashes his way to his retreat. Not only is the animation amazing, but the overall level of graphic fidelity is in line with other Capcom games that use the RE Engine, which are some of the best in the business.

One part that didn’t sit with me super well was the fact that the character of Musashi used the likeness of legendary actor Toshiro Mifune, who was known for his work in films like Seven Samurai and Hidden Fortress. While he’s obviously recognizable for his contributions to samurai fiction, it felt a little weird to me having him be put into the game so long after his death. It wasn’t something that got in the way of my enjoyment of the game, but I don’t think the game would have lost anything if they hadn’t used his face, since they obviously had a different voice actor playing the part.

The quality of the cutscenes, from acting to choreography to overall graphics, was phenomenal, but I wish the narrative was strong enough to match its heights. After Musashi gets the gauntlet, a lot of the story of the game is him talking to people who send him to various places to close rifts that are allowing the Genma to break into our world. About half the time, this would lead to an interesting little short story, with my favorite being an excursion into a horrific laboratory that has a tragic yet beautiful ending, but for the most part it’s just “go to this place and close the rift.”

It takes a while for the game to give you recurring antagonists that drive the overarching plot forward, and it takes even longer for their plans to become concrete enough to feel like they matter. It eventually leads to an epic showdown that acts as a strong climax for the game, but the 25+ hour runtime makes it feel like it takes a bit too long to get there.

Given Musashi’s desire to get rid of the gauntlet and be free of this quest, a lot of the story feels lackluster as he’s complaining about what he has to do. While he has a goofy demeanor that brings charm to his performance, it felt like his surrounding cast of characters had more of a story arc than he did. This makes the story lack a strong driving force outside of how fun it is to get into fights, giving more of the emotional moments to NPCs.

This aimless structure to the narrative bled into the quest design, which featured a hub area that felt like a mini-open world, littered with things to collect and side quests to complete. The side quests were rarely satisfying, often just involving someone asking you to do something that ends up being either clearing out some monsters or closing a rift, and the collectibles were rarely well-hidden, making acquiring them just an exercise in going to a marked location on a map. Many of the more traditional levels you go to had interesting layouts and light puzzle solving that showed some of its Resident Evil-inspired roots, but going through the open world was never quite as compelling.

A Worthy Return For Onimusha

Even with complaints about the narrative, the massive level of polish applied to every part of the presentation makes it hard not to get drawn in by the end. The sweeping adventure music brings so much life to sequences, making boss fights and cutscenes more exciting. The great voice acting brings fairly stereotypical characters to life with loads of personality. It all looks sharp and runs buttery smooth, even on a base PS5.

The best of all is the polish on combat, which is brought to life by amazing visual and sound effects that make every sword clash and perfect dodge feel rewarding. After 25 hours, I would triumphantly whisper “hell yeah” to myself under my breath when I nailed a parry as the scrape of the swords blasted out of my speakers, sparks flying everywhere.

At one point in the game, a character tells Musashi that “detours are part of any journey,” and that’s a bit how I felt during my time with Onimusha. As much as the story took turns that felt uninteresting or uninspired, getting there still felt satisfying thanks to the precise and exhilarating combat. The game would have benefited from trimming some fat, cutting out some of the repeated boss fights and rift cleansing busy work, but if you enjoy the moment-to-moment samurai swordplay as much as I do, Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a journey that’s well worth the detours.

Code provided by publisher. Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches September 4 for PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series, the Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The post ‘Onimusha: Way of the Sword’ Review: Capcom Revives a Samurai Classic With Satisfying Swordplay Action appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It quickly became one of my most anticipated games of the year.

I’m glad to say that The Blood of Dawnwalker really sticks the nail in the coffin here. With a charming cast of characters, this choose-your-own-adventure-style dark fantasy game is one of the best RPGs of 2026, if you can stomach some repetitive combat and annoying performance issues along the way.

In medieval Europe, Coen’s village lives under the rule of the Vrakhiri (vampire) Brencis, whose cursed blood miraculously cures the deadly plague going around. In return, he demands that the locals worship him. After a failed uprising, Coen is left for dead and turned by Brencis. Instead of transforming into a Vrakhiri who crumbles in sunlight, he’s transformed into a Dawnwalker, someone who is human by day and vampire by night. Now, Coen is out for revenge while rescuing his family from Brencis. It’s a really enticing setup that sets the tone for the rest of the game.

The Blood of Dawnwalker’s structure is an interesting concoction of Persona and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Coen has 30 days to rescue his family before Brencis sacrifices them, so during that timeframe, he’ll need to get stronger and recruit allies. Each activity, such as completing side quests or restoring broken shrines to activate new fast travel points across the open-world map, takes up certain segments of time.

This is where the Persona comparison kicks in, as similarly in that game, you have to manage your time going to school and attending extracurriculars, while fighting bad guys. I enjoyed having the freedom to decide what I wanted to do and where.

But where The Blood of Dawnwalker separates itself is Coen’s dual nature. He can complete activities during the day and night, whereas other social simulation games like Persona primarily have you conduct them during the day and then go to sleep at night. 30 days initially might not seem like a lot, but having the luxury of an entire 24 hours immensely helps alleviate decision paralysis.

The Blood of Dawnwalker is also reminiscent of Breath of the Wild in that you can take on the Big Bad whenever you feel ready. There’s no predetermined story or quest structure, but there are a few that open up different ways to approach his throne, and that impacts which allies will join Coen. You don’t even have to use up all 30 days! With the pick-your-own-path structure along with the open-endedness approach to storytelling, The Blood of Dawnwalker’s pacing is unique in that it doesn’t rush you, and you can flesh out Coen’s tale at your own pace.

Throughout the journey, Coen will meet other like-minded individuals who also want to take down Brencis, while also learning their backstories. Another Vrakhiri named Lacra has a tragic past involving Brencis, while Crake, the leader of a rebel group, is estranged from his family. Upon discovering why, it is heartbreaking as well. These interactions between Coen and his allies rely on him drawing from his own humanity and sympathizing with them, which is why he’s such a likable protagonist.

Another notably strong aspect of the writing is that despite having the day and night, and human and vampire dichotomy everywhere, The Blood of Dawnwalker doesn’t railroad players with a morality system like a game like Mass Effect or Infamous would. You’re given the freedom to respond as nicely or rudely in any given situation without the fear of negative or positive karma. Nobody is perfectly altruistic, and Coen perfectly reflects that.

In combat, Coen has access to three different ability trees: Witchcraft, Swordmastery, and Vampirism. While Witchcraft and Vampirism can only be used by Coen’s human and vampire forms, respectively, Swordmastery is shared. You have to learn how to master both combat styles, with Swordmastery providing some broad overlap. This way, the combat constantly switches up, keeping it largely fresh.

Since dialogue choices aren’t moralized, the abilities trees aren’t either, which is a smart approach. This provides unparalleled autonomy to pick the skills and abilities I want without having to limit myself. I’m able to simultaneously sprinkle magic pixie dust on my sword to reflect enemy attacks by day, while biting into their necks by night!

There is some repetition in the moment-to-moment combat, however. It utilizes an omnidirectional system similar to that of Kingdom Come: Deliverance and For Honor. You can move the control stick in four directions to determine where your attacks will land, and if you guard at the last moment in the direction of an enemy’s attack, you’ll parry it. Once you get used to this system, it flows well, but it gets monotonous quickly since that omnidirectional combat is a bulk of what you’ll be dishing out.

Thankfully, combat is mostly unabated by performance issues. I played on Xbox Series X, and some of the loading times were longer than I would’ve liked. I also stumbled across some glitches that ranged from amusing to downright concerning. There were a few instances where an enemy’s animation entirely froze. So I’d fight a completely still person or animal, but they were still swinging at me from different directions, and it was difficult to tell which, making it considerably harder to parry or block. Additionally, environmental assets like trees and rocks would often suddenly pop in during cutscenes, which was quite distracting.

Occasionally, the save system would randomly stop working too. Auto-saves wouldn’t trigger, and the option to manually save was grayed out in the menu. The only remedy I found was to reload a previous save, which would undo any progress I had made up until that point. It was frustrating, but I managed to live with it by obsessively saving my game every 15-20 minutes.

While the combat can be tedious at times, the bevy of moments with strong characters and sharp writing constantly overshadow any problems that The Blood of Dawnwalker may have had. And some post-launch patches should fix most of its performance woes. The exceptional flexibility the game offers that allows players to forge their own paths with a plethora of unpredictable branching narratives is truly compelling.

In an era of modern RPGs, The Blood of Dawnwalker is the alpha leading the wolf pack.

Review code provided by the publisher. The Blood of Dawnwalker launches on September 3 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam.

The post ‘The Blood of Dawnwalker’ Review: One of 2026’s Best RPGs Lets You Forge Your Own Vampire Legend appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Developer Diary introduces the artists behind the sound of 1666: Amsterdam, and the process behind its musical identity, including why Jorane became a natural choice for the project. The episode also explores how music and sound change across characters, time periods and districts of Amsterdam. Protagonists Noa and Aaron each have their own musical theme, reflecting their different perspectives within the game.

The video also looks at the instruments and audio techniques used throughout production, and how the city of Amsterdam itself influenced the game’s music and sound design. Lastly, the episode features footage from the 1666: Amsterdam Preview Event in July, where Jorane performed music from the game live.

1666: Amsterdam is now available in Early Access on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. The game will continue to evolve throughout Early Access, with player feedback helping the team refine and expand the experience as development continues.

The post Final ‘1666: Amsterdam’ Dev Diary Explores The Game’s Sound and Music [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The game puts players in the role of an investigator hired to find a missing woman in a small German town. The investigation leads to an abandoned laboratory filled with grotesque biomechanical machinery, occult devices, disturbing artwork and evidence of experiments that should never have happened. The deeper the investigation goes, the less reliable reality becomes.

Players must explore interconnected escape rooms, collect evidence, decipher strange mechanisms and deliberately switch between ordinary perception and hallucination in order to discover what is hidden from sober eyes.

The game draws on Lovecraftian horror, surrealism, occult imagery and disturbing visions — while deliberately refusing to treat altered consciousness as merely a visual effect.

“We wanted to make a game where hallucinations are not decoration — they are a gameplay mechanic,” said Andrey Klenin, the creative director and developer of Dark Trip. “The player has to decide when to trust reality and when to deliberately destroy their own perception of it. That is what makes Dark Trip fundamentally different from a conventional horror game.”

On Steam, players will be able to experience the complete game using traditional keyboard-and-mouse or controller controls, or switch to a more immersive version through SteamVR. Meanwhile on Meta Quest, Dark Trip will continue its evolution as a native VR horror experience, before finally leaving Early Access phase in October.

The post Psychedelic Horror Escape Room ‘Dark Trip’ Launches October 29 on Steam, Meta Quest appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Released a few weeks back for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, The Sinking City 2 is set in a Lovecraftian vision of 1920s America. Taking place in the infamous city of Arkham, a supernatural flood has driven out all but the most deranged residents, leaving decay and eldritch horrors that roam the streets. Players step into the role of Calvin Rafferty (voiced by Andrew Wheildon-Dennis), an occult adventurer whose cavalier actions have led to devastating consequences.

After a dreaming ritual goes wrong, his girlfriend, the gutsy Faye Bennett (voiced by Gemma Elizabeth Whelan), is left trapped in a mysterious sleep. Now Calvin must navigate the drowned streets of a derelict city in a desperate attempt to bring her back. On his quest, he’ll come face-to-face with a plague of otherworldly creatures, the Slither, who possess and twist the dead into lethal, walking puppets.

In case you missed it, check out Luiz’s review of The Sinking City 2, which he describes as “a horrific love-letter to all-things Lovecraft.”

The post ‘The Sinking City 2’ Creeps to the Nintendo Switch 2 Next Year [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Inspired by the All-Out War storyline from AMC’s The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival delivers an action-packed, no-holds-barred, single-player campaign pitting Rick and his allies against the merciless Saviors and the relentless hordes of the undead. Play as iconic survivors like Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne (or Negan) as you battle foes living and dead across classic environments like the Sanctuary, Hilltop, Alexandria and more.

You’ll have access to crushing combos, signature weapon attacks, and devastating finishers in a relentless brawl for survival made for the series’ die-hards and action game enthusiasts alike. Master each character’s moveset and tackle multiple difficulty levels in this single-player experience built for repeat runs and escalating challenges.

Pre-orders for both the Standard and Deluxe Editions of The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival are available now across all platforms, including Steam. Players who pre-order either edition of the game will receive the bonus Golden Survival Pack at launch, featuring seven golden weapon skins.

The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival will launch for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

The post ‘The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival’ Announces Negan as Playable Character [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Turok: Origins is the modern evolution of the classic dinosaur-hunting game series. Players will take on the mantle of the mystical Order of the Turok, heroic guardians of unimaginable power locked in a war for survival against ferocious dinosaurs and a terrifying alien threat that seeks to destroy all human life in the galaxy. Unleash devastating attacks on enemies with powerful weapons and abilities in both first-person and third-person action. Embark on a high-stakes adventure across the treacherously beautiful Lost Lands, solo or together with friends, and unravel the mysteries that hold the key to saving humanity.

Fight as a team in co-op or solo against a variety of creatures, dinosaurs, and bosses that take to the ground, sky, swamps, and caves to push your skills to the limit. You’ll be able to unlock and upgrade your advanced arsenal of plasma rifles, ray guns, snipers, bows, shotguns, and more to even the odds against your enemies in battle.

Turok: Origins is currently in development for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2.

The post ‘Turok: Origins’ Pushed to Spring 2027 Release [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Cutout tells the story of Lena, the forsaken child of a dying forest. Longing for an acceptance she never received from the people of her village, she embarks on a quest to recover a powerful scepter that grants its wielder total dominion over the land and its people.

Sporting what’s referred to as a Cut & Paste Combat system, Lena can become more powerful with every enemy she takes apart. If you sever an enemy’s limb, you can attach it to Lena, enhancing her with new attacks or abilities. Players can customize Lena to lean towards a favored playstyle, or experiment to discover new possibilities throughout the adventure.

However, the enemies Lena faces will play by the same rules. A lucky blow can remove one of Lena’s limbs, which enemies can claim and attach to themselves. Every fight, and every part, can change what Lena becomes.

“Most action games reward combat with a new sword,” said Giulio Perez, co-founder and art director of 906 Games. “Cutout rewards you with the arm that was holding it.”

Another unique aspect of Cutout is its papercraft visuals, which were carefully achieved under the guidance of Giulio, who spent more than a decade in the world of fashion.  Cutout’s spooky and gloomy environments are laid out to resemble a handcrafted diorama assembled from real-world materials, including those that one would find “stashed away in the attic.”

Similarly, the game’s soundtrack is crafted in that spirit by co-founder and classically trained composer Sergio Missaglia. Cutout is scored using a variety of unconventional instruments and recording techniques to create a unique soundscape that’s both equal parts disconcerting and enthralling, built to match the game’s world.

“My goal for the music is for it to convey the emotion and struggle of Lena’s journey,” said Missaglia. “To achieve the sort of raw sound you typically only hear in outsider music, I intentionally recorded compositions on instruments I’ve never played before—including some broken instruments I found in secondhand shops—to capture her childlike wonder and to explore the expressive possibilities of the instruments without the filters of traditional culture and musical knowledge.”

Currently, Cutout is slated for a 2027 release on Steam,

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Of course, if you’re attending Gamescom, you can get a hands-on preview of the game at the Indie Arena Booth, Hall 10.2, Booth F010 E019, which features never-before-seen content.

NAME OF THE WILL casts players as Neighbor 3279, a member of HOPE, which is a group led by someone known as the Benevolent Father. Modern society offers an archaic approach to emotional trauma, but with the Benevolent Father and his teachings, you can shirk distress. Negative thoughts no longer hold you down. Physical pain becomes a blessing, and death becomes the highest honor one can achieve.

Embed within HOPE’s 34-story Reformation facility, and hide every emotion behind an ever-smiling mask. Mind each word and deed to survive thrive in seven days of indoctrination introduction alongside fellow followers.

Falling out of line could prove fatal, but don’t worry! Fellow followers keep each other accountable along the path to enlightenment. During the day, follow every rule and adhere to HOPE’s transformative behavioral codes: attend education courses, cooperate during “questionnaires”, and vote on Star of the Day – a lucky individual handpicked to “receive special blessings.”

At night, you’ll sneak into hidden Backstage areas throughout HOPE’s haunted halls. There you’ll uncover sordid secrets about the cult’s origins, all while avoiding the Benevolent Father who roams the halls. Befriend fellow skeptics, collect diary entries revealing the mystery behind Neighbor 3279’s arrival, and discover the truth behind HOPE’s existence.

The post Delve Into the Secrets of HOPE Hope in New Cinematic Trailer for Cult Horror Game ‘NAME OF THE WILL’ [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Set during the early 1990s in an isolated and festering Polish town possessed by an unknown and unseen horror, Holstin combines the feel of classic survival horror games with a setting and art direction that is not seen in other games.

The game follows Tomasz Wolanski on a mission to the rural, lakeside town of Jeziorne-Kolonia in search of his missing friend, an investigative journalist who was last seen in the town. Surviving the monstrosities that roam the cursed town will require scavenging for weapons, supplies, and anything else that might help keep Tomasz alive. They’ll also need to play along with the delusions of the few remaining townsfolk as their sanity continues to fade. Should players gain their trust, they may provide clues and answers to puzzles, but uncovering their secrets will require cunning and tact.

Holstin painstakingly captures the look and feel of 1990s post-Soviet Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on Poland. Every detail of Jeziorne-Kolonia, from the furniture and household objects to the brands, signage, architecture, and interior design, has been crafted to evoke the era. Faded wallpaper, battered appliances, old advertisements, and everyday objects make the world feel authentic down to the smallest detail. A fully voiced cast in both Polish and English lets players experience this strange and unsettling world in whichever language they prefer.

And in case you haven’t checked it out already, there’s the demo on Steam for Holstin that allows players to experience the opening two hours of the game.

The post ‘Holstin’ Targets 2027 Release for PC and Consoles [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In DREAMFEAR, dreams exist as a parallel layer of reality outside our universe, unstable and prone to glitches. Realizing that you are asleep can leave you trapped there, with death only waking you back inside the same dream. The only way out is to reach the center.

The enemies and locations in DREAMFEAR are inspired by fears and phobias, with each run taking place inside a dream that changes after failure. The nightmare reflects the protagonist’s fractured psyche, with the game’s breakcore soundtrack driving the pace of each run. The pixel-based visuals are accompanied by rotoscoped cutscenes that take a cue from FAITH: The Unholy Trinity, and reflect the game’s surreal horror aesthetics.

The current demo includes two full locations with procedural room generation, with a boss at the end of each level. You’ll have two playable characters to choose from, along with 20+ upgrades that can create synergies such as bullet splitting, energy shields, and support entities.

The post Surreal Action Roguelite ‘DREAMFEAR’ Unleashes First Demo Alongside New Gameplay Trailer [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Story Demo introduces you to the world of Terrible Lizards and Dalton’s Dinos, with a focus on exploring the attraction, its setting, and the mystery unfolding around you. Meanwhile, the Gameplay Demo drops you closer to the action, with a bigger focus on the first-person platforming and fast-paced movement at the heart of the full game.

Both demos feature plenty of gameplay and culminate in their own climactic encounters with dinosaurs. Attendees in Hall 7 at the XBOX booth (A-0.61) will be able to choose one per turn, and if you want to try the other, you’re welcome to hop back in line.

Something’s stirring on the forgotten sidelines of Route 66. Broken down, you stumble into Dalton’s Dinos, a roadside dinosaur attraction that’s strangely quiet for the time of day. With no one around and something seemingly moving among the exhibits, a desperate call for help sends you searching…

But the colorful mascots and uncanny animatronics are only the beginning. Your search leads into sprawling underground caverns, where the dinosaurs are no longer part of the show and you’re the next meal. Run, jump, slide, climb and wall run through the darkness, using fast-paced movement and your surroundings to stay alive and uncover just how deep the mystery of Dalton’s Dinos goes. Can you find the attraction’s missing owner and his son?

Stay quiet, or risk the wrath of the park’s not quite shut down inhabitants…

The post Dino Survival Horror Game ‘Terrible Lizards’ Launching October 29 for Xbox Series, Steam [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Halloween: The Game uses a role-based matchmaking system, which allows players to queue as either killer (aka Michael) or civilian. Ahead of matchmaking, players will choose their desired role, and enter a dedicated queues. If your role doesn’t matter, to you,  you can also choose “no preference” when entering the queue.

The game will also make use of an in-game currency referred to as Killer Tokens that allows players to advance in the queues to play as Myers. These can be earned by playing and completing matches. The tokens can then be spent to enter a priority matchmaking pool that reduces your wait time.

For those who prefer to match up with friends, you can also host private matches, where the roles can be specified or randomized amongst friends.

In addition, remember the “surprises” that the team were teasing if you ordered the Digital Deluxe Edition or the Limited Collector’s Edition of Halloween: The Game? Well, one of them is the ability to unlock Advance Access to the ‘Final Girl’ Laurie Strode cosmetic!

Halloween: The Game will launch digitally on September 8 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. Physical releases will launch on October 6.

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Alien Deathstorm puts you in the heat of the action as an isolated Engineer faced with insurmountable odds. You have been dispatched to a remote, off-world colony that has suffered a complete loss of communications. It turns out that the colony has been decimated, leaving it at the mercy of both a planetary scale storm and a seemingly endless swarm of predatory aliens. The storm is an ever-present and escalating danger. It has already wreaked unprecedented damage on the planet and proves a constant, ongoing threat to the Engineer.

At Gamescom, players will get to experience the game for the first time as they sample Alien Deathstorm’s Reactor mission. The Engineer must survive the horrific conditions and a relentless alien onslaught as they fight their way inside the malfunctioning fission reactor in an effort to retrieve the Fission Initiator.

The post First-Person Action Horror Title ‘Alien Deathstorm’ Coming Spring 2027; New Gameplay Trailer Released [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Rebuilt and refined for a new generation, this edition introduces players to the world of Fabletown, while welcoming longtime fans back to where it all began: Bigby’s first case, where a grisly murder reveals that something far darker is lurking beneath the surface of the city. Across five episodes—“Episode 1: Faith,” “Episode 2: Smoke and Mirrors,” “Episode 3: A Crooked Mile,” “Episode 4: In Sheep’s Clothing,” and “Episode 5: Cry Wolf”—players investigate crimes, question suspects, and make difficult choices that shape the course of the story in a mature noir thriller where every decision matters.

To honor the original story experience, Telltale has brought Fabletown to life again through enhanced visuals, refined character and environment presentation, an updated user interface, improved accessibility features, and technical enhancements including upgraded animation, audio, resolution and framerate improvements. In addition, players will have access to more than an hour of bonus content featuring behind-the-scenes videos, cast interviews, image galleries, and deleted scenes exploring the creation of the noir classic.

Meanwhile, the next entry in the series, The Wolf Among Us 2, is currently in development for release next year.

The post ‘The Wolf Among Us Remastered’ Launches October 29 [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The man himself, Koji Igarashi, dropped the news in an update video, stating that while the game has entered its “final stages” of development, the teams agreed to push the release to next year. “We understand that this is disappointing news for our fans, but everyone on the development team is working hard to make the game the best it can be. We truly appreciate your continued support.”

Igarashi also stated that the devteam aims to release gameplay footage for The Scarlet Engagement in the near future.

Set in the 16th century, the Ethereal Castle and its demonic inhabitants led by the Demon Lord Elias have been terrorizing the land, laying waste to all who defy their dark power. All attempts to destroy the castle and fight the demons have failed, leaving many noble warriors defeated and lost. The last hope of humanity is an unlikely duo: Leonard, a young Black Wolves apprentice, and Alexander, a knight and the last survivor of White Stags. Together they must work as one to infiltrate the castle, fight for survival, acquire powerful artifacts and defeat the Demon Lord Elias.

Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement is currently in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC via Steam.

The post ‘Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement’ Pushed to 2027 [Video] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the trailer, players encounter a rather disturbing experiment, in which a human mind has been uploaded onto a server made up of live rats. Yes, that is a thing.

In ONTOS, players will become Aditi Amani, a resourceful engineer, as she explores the repurposed moon hotel Samsara in search of the truth around her estranged father. Samsara is a vast labyrinth built atop the ruins of a failed mining colony, and players will explore this open, interconnected environment in their quest for the truth. Every corner of Samsara tells a story, and every story has something hiding beneath the surface, waiting to be found…

Players will scavenge for helpful items, manipulate intricate machinery and face intense tests of morality as they encounter horrific Experiments throughout Samsara. There is no ‘one solution’ to the obstacles players will encounter in ONTOS. Players will need to use their wits and ingenuity to reach the narrative’s mysterious conclusions and face the consequences of their choices.

ONTOS is currently being developed for release on PC via Steam and GOG, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series.

The post Disturbing New Gameplay Trailer Released for ‘ONTOS’ [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For the next 666 minutes (seriously), you can grab Brütal Legend for free from itch.io. You simply need to create an account (for free), click this link, and claim the game. You have until 6am ET on August 27 to grab the game.

For those unaware, Tim Curry voiced Doviculus, Emperor of the Tainted Coil in the game. Curry was joined by the likes of Lita Ford, Rob Halford, Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy and more for the various heavy metal cameos.

Released for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2009, Brütal Legend is a third person action-adventure game incorporating real time strategy elements. The game centres around roadie Eddie Riggs (voiced by Jack Black). After being crushed by falling scenery while trying to save a member of heavy metal band Kabbage Boy, Eddie’s blood lands on his belt buckle, which is in reality an amulet for Ormagöden. The stage is transformed into Ormagöden, who kills the band and takes the unconscious Eddie to the heavy metal world. It’s up to Eddie to free the enslaved humans of this world from Doviculus.

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For the first time, the public will also be able to play Control Resonant at Gamescom, with a playable demo available at the Level Infinite booth in Hall 6.

In addition, Remedy Entertainment has teamed up with ZA/UM Atelier to create a five-piece, made-to-order collection of apparel inspired by Control Resonant. The full collection will be on display at Gamescom from August 26–30, with pre-orders available now via ZA/UM Atelier.

In Control Resonant, players take on the role of Dylan Faden (voiced by Sean Durrie), who will explore multiple areas of Manhattan in an expansive, unfamiliar world as an invading cosmic force reshapes the environment, defiles natural law and distorts gravity, reordering reality into a geophysical nightmare. Players will traverse perception-bending locations and journey beyond the material world into a mysterious metaphysical space reflecting Faden’s troubled psyche.

You must tap into power that Dylan must learn to master and make choices to shape abilities that manifest and grow while exploring a deep progression system. Face ever-changing threats head-on, utilizing the environment, unleashing elemental abilities and wielding the raw force Dylan’s shapeshifting melee weapon, the Aberrant.

Control Resonant arrives September 24 digitally for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, while physical editions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series will be available from October 15. Pre-orders are now open, with players getting the Pickpocket’s Tool Artifact and Hiss Corruption Outfit for Dylan as part of pre-ordering before launch. Also available for pre-order is the Deluxe Edition.

The post Remedy Unleashes “Altered State” Trailer for ‘Control Resonant’ Coinciding With First Public Hands-on [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Players explore the facility as the Smiling Critters, the dead-eyed toy line with gaping smiles introduced in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3. From classrooms and warehouses to testing labs and the dark corridors
connecting them all, every space in the factory becomes more dangerous when seen from a Critter’s-eye view. In groups of 1-4 players, each run sends teams into a dynamically changing section of the
facility with one clear objective: search for, locate, and transport the resources and building materials demanded by a mysterious Voice. Those materials are needed to help construct A Better Place, a promised home for toys who “prove their loyalty and usefulness.”

The job is simple on paper, but there are monsters — fellow rejected Playtime Co. creations — stalking the halls, hunting for prey. Players must search efficiently, decide when to split up or stay together, and know when to push for one more item or retreat before the factory’s denizens close in.

Players can solve puzzles, uncover clues, scavenge for tools, use hiding spots and alternate routes, and turn the factory layout itself into a coordinated advantage. Proximity voice chat adds another layer of tension: communication is essential, but even a panicked whisper at the wrong time can bring the mission to a brutal end. Speak carefully, move quickly, and remember that someone, or something, is always listening.

As players complete runs, Escape From Playtime reveals a deeper connection to the larger Poppy Playtime story. The Voice promises freedom and a home, but its true motives remain unclear. Every resource gathered seems to feed a larger plan for the future of the factory. You are helping build something. But what, and why?

While no release date has been set for the Early Access release, the plan for the initial release is to include the full eight-character Smiling Critter roster, one starter zone, and a core enemy lineup. Future updates are expected to expand the game with new zones, Critters, features, and refinements informed by player feedback.

The post ‘Poppy Playtime’ Devs Announces Co-Op Survival Horror Experience ‘Escape From Playtime’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Players can experience the entire epic adventure with upgraded visuals, enhanced combat, improved traversal and movement, new witcher signs effects, revamped mount handling, enhanced monster behaviors, a skill tree revamp, transmogrification, expanded photo mode, new finishers, and much more.

In addition, the devs also released a teaser trailer for the previously-announced DLC for The Witcher 3 in “Songs of the Past”. The teaser reveals the brand new region of Letten, an idyllic land rich in rural tradition and folklore, and its people enjoy a fulfilling life of bountiful harvests and lavish festivals. But a dark secret lurks just beneath the surface, and Geralt must overcome never-before-seen foes as he fights to overcome its long-dormant evil.

Songs of the Past will launch later this year as a paid expansion on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch 2. It is available to wishlist now across select platforms.

The post ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered’ Announced For September 29 [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“All of us here at Rebel Wolves are counting down the days to launch of our first game,” says Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, Game Director and Co-Founder of Rebel Wolves. “We can’t wait for the moment when players step into Vale Sangora and come face-to-face with Brencis and his vampire clique. We also hope that today’s trailer will encourage even more players to visit our booth at Gamescom in Hall 6.1 and try our game.”

Players will step into the dark world of The Blood of Dawnwalker to write the story of Coen, a young man who was turned into the titular Dawnwalker – human by day, and a vampire by night. In the world created by Rebel Wolves, every decision has consequences that directly shape both the gameplay and the story. In a world ravaged by wars, plagues, and rebellions under the rule of ruthless vampires, nothing is ever truly black and white.

The Blood of Dawnwalker is An open-world action RPG set in the atmospheric setting of the Carpathian Mountains. This land is filled not only with beautiful landscapes, but also with myths, beliefs, and mysteries hidden within its forests, roadside shrines, and ancient ruins. From the very beginning, the game will give players the freedom to explore the world at their own pace, discover quests, uncover points of interest, and seek out secrets, mysteries, and treasures waiting to be discovered.

And this is just the beginning. Rebel Wolves has already revealed that future installments of the Dawnwalker saga will take players to new eras and cultures, each offering its own setting and experience.

Look for The Blood of Dawnwalker when it launches on Steam, Xbox Series and PlayStation 5.

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In addition to the gameplay trailer, Deep Silver also dropped details on the METRO 2039 Collector’s Edition, which will be available to pre-order later this year. For the first time in the series’ history, the Collector’s Edition will allow you to become a tangible part of the world with an authentic, beautifully crafted replica of the mysterious Stranger’s battle-scared Spartan helmet.

The Metro has been transformed by a powerful new regime and its leader, the fanatical Spartan leader known as Hunter.  METRO 2039’s protagonist, The Stranger, is consumed with anger and hatred, chastising the Fuhrer for his lies and hypocrisy.  As part of the Spartan Order, Hunter was a legend, a high-ranking, experienced Ranger, who swore to protect the Metro.  What’s left of the Spartan Order as he knew it lies in ruins, and where the Spartans were once considered selfless protectors, The Stranger believes Hunter has become the very enemy the Spartans used to fight.

METRO 2039 aims for a February 2027 launch on the Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, Steam and the Epic Games Store.

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Set in a supernatural reimagining of 19th-century Europe, Valor Mortis casts players as William, a young and bold Englishman, disillusioned with the monarchy. William volunteered to fight for Napoleon, inspired by his ideal of a unified Europe. The story begins with William waking up on a grim battlefield, seemingly the only soldier left standing with his mind intact. With little to no memory of his life before that moment, players will choose whether to trust the remaining survivors who claim to be his former comrades.

Guided by Napoleon’s disembodied voice (courtesy of César Award-winning actor Vincent Cassel), you must traverse ravaged battlefields, sprawling mountains, and European-inspired cities consumed by a grotesque, continent-wide plague — the same corruption that pulses through William’s veins and gave him life.

As for The Shrike, she is a rebel fighter who moves through occupied Eastern Europe with strength no ordinary soldier possesses. She answers to no authority; she fights for the people living under the Empire’s occupation, and she has her own plans for William. Partway through the story, her voice joins Napoleon’s inside his head.

Valor Mortis launches October 13 on PlayStation 5,the Xbox Series, and PC via Steam. A demo is also available now on Steam.

The post Get a Closer Look at the Cast of ‘Valor Mortis’ with the New Story Trailer [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

DUST: Origins is an isometric horror shooter set aboard the doomed orbital prison platform Limbo-6. Abruptly freed from cryo-prison, players must fight to escape a murderer’s row of violent criminals and horrifying monsters before the station tears itself apart. There’s more than one way to escape the prison, but beware: actions have consequences.

“DUST is the universe we’ve been dying to build,” says Airship Syndicate CEO and co-founder Joe Madureira. “After years spent bringing beloved fantasy worlds to life, our team is pouring everything into a sci fi setting that’s darker, meaner, and unlike anything we’ve made before. On Limbo-6 there are no saints, only survivors and we can’t wait for players to fight their way out.”

“We put our own money on the line for DUST: Origins because it’s the kind of game we think players want today,” explains Airship Syndicate president and co-founder Rayn Stefanelli. “It’s a premium, single-player experience you can play, love, and move on to the next game. Kickstarter isn’t about whether DUST ships, It’s about giving our community a seat at the table, making it better, and seeing together just how far we can take it.”

With Limbo-6 is in total collapse, its orbit decaying, no one aboard is your friend. Ammo is scarce and resources are limited. As a result, positioning, ammo conservation and crafting, and environmental hazards make every encounter skillful and tactical.

Other survivors roam the station with motivations of their own. Help them, and they may open new paths, items, and side missions. Or go lone wolf and leave them to their fate. Limbo-6 was also a bio-engineering site, and its alien test subjects have escaped containment. Observe their behaviors and exploit their weaknesses. But take care, as some creatures are more than what they initially seem.

Player choices genuinely shape how the story unfolds, with multiple endings, post-credits epilogues, and unique “dead ends.” Anyone can live, and anyone can die. Furthermore, every ending, post-credits epilogue, or dead end discovered unlocks stash items to carry into New Game+, along with added difficulties.

The post Isometric Horror Shooter ‘DUST: Origins’ Launches Kickstarter, Targets 2027 Release [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Panache Digital Games will continue developing the game throughout Early Access, with player feedback helping the team identify what works, what needs improvement, and where the experience should go next. Players are encouraged to share their experiences, feedback, and discoveries directly with the development team through the official Panache Discord channel.

Amsterdam is a city built on wealth, power, and sheer will, but beneath its streets lies a force it did not forge. Entities known as The Originals have lived for centuries, granted time, power, and the freedom to abuse both. Now, that power is owed.

In 1666: Amsterdam, players step into the role of Noa Brooklyn, born the Collector and raised by the Zaindaris for a purpose she did not choose: taking that power back. By day, players investigate a handcrafted Amsterdam, searching for the Originals hidden behind human faces. Identify them. Track them. Mark them.

When night falls and the Esbat begins, the hunt changes. The Originals reveal their true forms, and Noa must use witchcraft, spellcasting, strategy, and everything she has learned to confront them and collect what is owed.

Noa does not investigate Amsterdam alone. Aaron, summoned from 1999, now experiences the world through the eyes of a cat. Players can switch between Noa and Aaron, using two radically different playstyles to investigate the city, uncover hidden paths, and approach their targets in different ways.

1666: Amsterdam is currently available on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The post ‘1666: Amsterdam’ Now Available in Early Access [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Combining dynamic melee combat, exploration, environmental puzzles and narrative-driven adventure, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy offers a new perspective on the beloved universe created by Asobo Studio. Players will uncover Sophia’s origins while exploring a parallel story set during the Minoan era, revealing long-buried secrets connected to the island and shedding new light on the origins of the Macula itself.

From breathtaking coastal landscapes to forgotten labyrinths hidden beneath the earth, the game delivers an emotional and intense adventure where every discovery brings Sophia one step closer to the truth… and one step closer to the darkness waiting for her.

“This project has also been a special journey for our team, giving us the opportunity to explore a new perspective on the universe we created,” says David Dedeine, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Asobo Studio. “From the writing and gameplay to the music and environments, Sophia’s journey resonates with our own: it hasn’t been without its challenges, but we put our whole hearts into it.”

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy will launch for the Xbox Series, Day One with Xbox Game Pass, as well as PlayStation 5 and Steam on August 27.

The post The Journey Begins in ‘Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy’ Launch Trailer [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Simon Ordell, who is called back to the island of St. Amelia in Scotland to ‘put things right’. What he encounters is a town lying quiet beneath a heavy fog, seemingly abandoned but not at rest. All he has on him besides his clothes are an IV bag and a medical wristband with his name on it. He heads to the town with no leads but the voices from the CRTV he picked up along the way. Venturing deeper and driven to understand his connection to the place and its inhabitants, Simon begins to discover fragments of a past rising to the surface.

Played entirely in first person, Townfall has players exploring, evading, and ultimately trying to survive using a limited set of weapons and tools, including the CRTV, a pocket television used to tune into unstable signals. Evasion is tense; combat is frenetic, while narrative driven puzzles reveal a truth that refuses to stay submerged.

Developed by Screen Burn and co-published by Annapurna Interactive and Konami, Silent Hill: Townfall will launch September 25 for PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The post ‘Silent Hill: Townfall’ English Voice Cast Revealed [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Yes, players can level up at twice the speed for both Victims and The Slaughter Family from now on. And, if you’ve got a few bucks to spare, you can grab the game on Steam for a generous 75% off from now until August 31.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is currently available on PC via Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

Meanwhile, Gun Interactive’s next effort in IllFonic’s Halloween: The Game, which will launch digitally on September 8 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, and will also launch physically on October 6.

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Taking place in an alternate history 1970s Cold War submarine Domherren in the depths of the Norwegian Sea, you must fight to stay alive against your fallen crew, their corpses controlled by the insidious Sludge. As you do so, you must also work to find survivors and uncover the mystery behind the Sludge.

Much like titles such as Crow Country, Heavy Metal Death Can is inspired by the style of early console classics. The game sports the classic fixed camera angles and tank controls (with optional modernized controls). It’s also not for the lackadaisical. Resource management and high-stakes decision-making are required, as the Sludge isn’t a threat you can simply shoot your way through. Every bullet must be carefully considered.

Heightening the tension is the game’s distorted soundtrack and unnerving audio design, ensuring players that they’re never truly safe, even in silence.

The post ‘Heavy Metal Death Can’ Coming to PlayStation 5 This Fall appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Once again, up to four players in Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 can suit up as members of the Colonial Marines. This is not a rescue mission—it’s a fight for survival. Xenomorphs stalk the corridors, ambush from the shadows, and swarm in overwhelming numbers. You must coordinate with your fireteam, utilizing each class’s unique abilities, and adapt on the fly as encounters escalate from tense standoffs to all-out war.

Fireteam Elite 2 features deeper squad mechanics, smarter enemies, and a “fully customizable Specialist class” that lets players mix and match major and minor abilities from every available class into one Marine. Build a loadout tailored to your exact playstyle and fill whatever role your squad needs.

The game also launches with multiple dedicated Horde maps that will push squads to their limits. Teams will battle through escalating waves of xenomorphs and other deadly enemies, earning increasingly valuable rewards as they survive deeper into the onslaught.

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First released in 1998 on PC and earning several awards from multiple publications (including Computer Gaming World’s Best Adventure Game for 1999), Sanitarium Enhanced adds modern features to this visually striking title, including full controller support for consoles and Steam Deck, never-before-seen bonus material, widescreen presentation, and other quality-of-life improvements.

For those who haven’t played the original Sanitarium (which you can still grab on Steam and GOG), you awaken disfigured in a decaying asylum, with no memory of who you are or how you got there. Eventually, you learn that your first name is Max. After escaping your cell and delving into the asylum, Max is transported through a chain of nightmare worlds—a village of deformed children, a town of insectoid mutations, a circus of the grotesque—as you piece together the fractured truth of your own identity.

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Not to be confused with that other Alien franchise (though heavily inspired by it), Alien Breed started out way back in 1991 on the Amiga computer, featuring top-down game play reminiscent of Gauntlet. Players would have to make their way through the level in order to find the lift down, occasionally having to blow up the level above them in the process. Along the way, you’d collect various weapons and enhancements in order to deal with the alien menace that you’ll encounter throughout the levels.

For the 35th Anniversary Collection, Antstream has collected the six titles from the series’ first era, including multiple versions for a couple of titles. Each title can be played solo, or you and a friend can team up in either couch co-op or online play.

• Alien Breed
• Alien Breed Special Edition ’92
• Alien Breed II: The Horror Continues (OCS and AGA versions)
• Alien Breed: Tower Assault (Amiga 1200 and CD32 versions)
• Alien Breed 3D (including Demo 1 and 2)
• Alien Breed 3D II: The Killing Grounds

In addition to the six titles, there is also the new Horde Mode and Rush Mode, which see you tackle the relentless swarm in solo or as a team across all supported platforms with no saves and no continues. There’s also a treasure trove of information in The Vault, which offers a deep dive into the concept art and original retail launches, as well as exclusive developer interviews and retrospective videos from the original team.

All of the games sport upgraded hardware interface, including full twin-stick support for both 2D and 3D titles, and classic Mouse and Keyboard support for 3D. The framerates have also been improved, and save states allow you to pause and continue different runs. The games can also be played in either a classic 4:3 aspect ratio or modern 16:9 formats, with a variety of filters and in-game bezels.

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The footage provides a look an early-game park setup, highlighting gameplay from both the daytime and nighttime stages of the core gameplay loop. Highlighting many of the key features of the game, including stealth movement/attacks, park attractions, guest harvesting, resource gathering, park building, trap placement, combat, equipment, family management, and upgrade selection.

For those who missed the announcement earlier this year, My Cannibal Family casts you as having been left for dead after being stuffed into a drum of glowing goo, only to emerge a mutated monster with an insatiable new appetite. What better excuse than to build a twisted theme park to lure visitors to a gruesome death? Gather resources and construct attractions, then use traps and stealth to harvest guests within a deadly sandbox of their own.

Playing solo or with friends in online co-op multiplayer for up to four players – or via split-screen multiplayer for two players – My Cannibal Family provides a modular building system for players to construct the horror theme park of nightmares. The game will include six unlockable parks, over 20 attractions, and plenty of slasher favourites when it comes to weapons, tools and equipment.

Creative building tools allow for the development of a truly unique horror theme park filled with attractions, decorations and deadly traps. Watch the park grow from a simple wooden shack into a sprawling labyrinth of entertainment and gore.

Your hideous mutant faces terrify visitors, so attractions, signage and devious structures become key to leading guests into the shadows. Work behind the curtain, wait for the perfect moment, then strike! Eliminate guests using a range of tools, weapons and traps, then bag up the meat for later use. If spotted, victims may fight back or flee, so don’t let them escape. Stored bodies can feed a growing brood of mutants, while also unlocking new traps, tools and weapons… or even gestating new family members.

My Cannibal Family is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC via Steam next year. Those attending Gamescom this year can hit up the Raw Fury booth from August 26th to August 30th at aisle B-21 in Hall 10.1 to check out the demo.

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