“With this rework of the track, it frames my song in a darker, more twisted world. ‘Fuck the Pain Away’ is ever-expanding and now has new meaning in the Hellraiser universe. I’m in!” said Peaches in a press release.

Molitz added, “I’ve always admired Peaches for her fiercely unapologetic, provocative approach to personal expression. Blurring the lines between pleasure and pain, this track is a raw, abrasive, three-act descent into a hellscape of transcendence, excess, compulsion and distortion. It was an honor to collaborate with Peaches and rework this iconic track, and we’re thrilled to finally unleash this beast on the world!”

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival will launch on October 8 for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series, and the Nintendo Switch 2. And don’t forget to check out the demo that’s available now on Steam.

The post Peaches Reworks “Fuck the Pain Away” for ‘Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival’ [Video] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

There have been five mainline chapters, an asymmetrical spin-off — in the form of PROJECT: PLAYTIME — not to mention collaborations with Gen Alpha institutions like Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft (practically giving all parties involved a license to print Croesian sums of money). Of course, there’s nowhere the series’ cultural dominance is more clearly evidenced than IRL, where enshrinement of its mascot character Huggy Wuggy is seemingly a mandatory requirement for all carnival game booths, random knick-knack stores, and arcade claw machines.

The point is, Poppy Playtime lost any claim to underdog status a while back. The same cannot be said, however, for its development team at Mob Entertainment, who, with neither the headcount nor the resources of a AAA studio, have managed to produce episodic outings in the series on a near-annual basis. You gotta respect the hustle!

For 2026’s installment, they’re taking a break from the usual solo experience to dabble once again in the realm of online multiplayer. Only this time it’s not asymmetrical, but rather a strictly co-operative affair.

Trading Solo Horror for Co-Op Extraction

Indeed, the new Escape From Playtime wisely avoids going down the stale Dead by Daylight route and instead hews closer to the likes of Lethal Company and this year’s The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu. Just like those games, it’s a first-person extraction title that has you braving hostile territory, salvaging loot, and then trying to haul ass back to your home base (with cargo in tow), all at the behest of a cruel taskmaster who cares not a jot if you live or die.

As per genre tradition, successfully evading the clutches of death and meeting your quota here only results in you getting sent back out into the fray. Now with an even more demanding target to hit and even more workplace hazards to overcome. Talk about performance punishment!

So, the fundamental rules, progression, and structure of matches are fairly boilerplate for this sort of thing. Where Escape From Playtime hopes to distinguish itself, though, is in how it combines those familiar basics with elements of the mascot horror subgenre, as well as the deceptively cutesy aesthetic that has made its own franchise such a hit.

The end result is doubtlessly an enticing proposition for die-hard PP fans. Yet, if our recent hands-on preview is anything to judge by, it’s going to be a tougher sell for those who aren’t already deeply invested in the lore of Playtime Co.

Toy (Horror) Story

Set during the intervening period between “The Hour of Joy” (an uprising that saw sentient toys turning against their makers) and the events of Poppy Playtime: A Tight Squeeze, the game casts you in the role of a so-called “Smiling Critter”. For the uninitiated, these are basically candy-coloured animal plushies that boast soulless black eyes, vacant grins, and zip-sealed mouths. Think Beanie Babies, only marginally less creepy!

At this point in the series continuity, the little imps have been left to fend for themselves within the derelict Playtime Co. manufacturing plant and are struggling to find common purpose in a post-rebellion world. That is, until they hear a disembodied voice transmitted over the loudspeakers, promising salvation if they can band together and collect enough materials to facilitate some unknown construction project.

This enigmatic rallying cry provides the narrative set-up for your matches, or “Shifts” as they’re called in Escape From Playtime. Essentially, you’ve got to wade out onto the factory floor, alongside up to three other critters, and secure your contributions for the great stockpile. The dungeons you explore are, to a certain extent, procedurally generated here, meaning that you’ll have to coordinate with teammates to cover as much ground as possible, locate prospective donations, solve light puzzles, and evade patrolling toys from other unfriendly tribes. All before a debilitating red gas seeps in and cuts your expedition short.

It’s a solid premise, and the developers do get a lot of comedic mileage from juxtaposing the reassuring, childlike imagery of the toy factory with the darker implications of what’s happening on its floor. For instance, if one of your fellow plushies is killed in action — let’s say it’s the adorable unicorn one — then you’re able to consume their flesh (or would it be felt?) to temporarily sustain your own existence.

Then there’s the selection of goofy items at your disposal, such as the acrobatic-augmenting bunny ears, the legally distinct NERF gun, and the concussive air horn that can be used to grief teammates (hilarious, so long as you’re the one wielding it). We were also charmed by the silly Doppler effect, which causes the voices of allies to modulate in pitch as they fall to their death or sprint by in a mad panic, as well as how the developers give you leeway to just bounce endlessly on springy trampolines when in safe zones, for no other reason than sheer dumb fun.

These are all nice little touches that give Escape From Playtime some arch, mischievous personality. Alas, they are only little touches.

Killing the Buzz with Sparse Encounters

For all of its whimsical cannibalism, quirkiness and frenetic energy, the rest of the experience is rather inert. In fairness, the game is only launching in early access later this month and isn’t being touted by Mob Entertainment as a finished product. Still, it’s hard to imagine it catching on with anyone other than the staunchest of Playtime loyalists, or those simply looking for new friend slop.

The few matches we played during our hands-on session were oddly lacking in incident. For the most part, we just blundered around a series of indistinguishable, dimly lit corridors and barren rooms often unaccosted by enemies as we searched for anything of value to collect or even just something engaging to do.

Once we managed to scrape together a paltry haul, we then had to suffer the tedium of retracing our steps all the way back to the beginning of the dungeon. Even with glowsticks serving as droppable waypoints, this return journey was often quite frustrating, given that we’d ascended multiple floors, gone through ventilation shafts, scaled walls, and generally got ourselves all turned around in the hunt for elusive resources.

On that note, traversal is cool in theory here, as the critters can do quasi-parkour and climb virtually any surface (à la Link in Breath of the Wild). Yet in practice, it’s often disorienting, thanks to the ludicrous movement speed and the way that your avatar’s limbs constantly get in the way of your vision. We can foresee people who like this kind of ADHD, twitchy gameplay happily mastering the mechanics. But for those mere mortals amongst us who can only perceive the world in real time, such hyper-kinetic motion — combined with an iffy first-person view — could prove to be a little nauseating.

Conversely, the monsters you encounter are borderline stationary half the time. It can take a while for any of them to show up but, once they do, they feel less like autonomous threats to be outsmarted and more like dormant traps to be sidestepped. There’s the Boogie Bot: a proximity mine on wheels that looks like the result of some unholy union between WALL-E and Astro Bot; the Cat-Bee: a poisonous stinger that idly floats around with all the indifference of a jellyfish being carried along by the ocean current; and Bunzo Bunny: a leporine spin on the old cymbal-clashing monkey toy that roots itself to the ceiling in a way that recalls the barnacles from Half-Life. As enemies go, they’re a weirdly passive bunch.

The only one who injects any urgency into rounds is Miss Delight. A doll with a cracked face that actively pursues you around the map and can detect sounds over the proximity chat, she’s a proper stalker with menace. Her appearances add some much-needed tension to Escape From Playtime and, once she’s on the prowl, there’s a chance for suspenseful scenarios to finally develop. She’s got this whole Weeping Angel gimmick — rendering her unable to move whenever you’ve got a beam of light fixed on her location — and that alone produced some nerve-wracking moments whenever we’d anxiously check on the dwindling battery life of our torch.

Puzzle-Focused Shifts Point to a Stronger Future

Another thing that helped to liven up our preview was a later-stage puzzle gauntlet that imposed a welcome structure on gameplay and had us feeling like we were doing more than just rooting around through trash cans like some kind of starving raccoon.

When in one of these special matches, you essentially go from zone to zone solving quick escape-room challenges, like playing the right arrangement on a walking piano, shooting hoops in an employee gym, or activating kindergarten blocks in the correct sequence, until you reach a conclusive endpoint. We were informed by Mob Entertainment that the shifts will periodically take on this more linear format and, honestly, it works a lot better than traipsing around the more open-ended dungeons.

Unlike the normal shifts, they incentivize communication with your team, have you interacting organically with one another, and can feel suitably panicky if you’re trying to complete tasks while Miss Delight breathes down your neck.

Suffice it to say, the gauntlet left us on a high and had us wondering if maybe Escape From Playtime is just a late bloomer. Perhaps it’s only after you’re a few shifts deep that things really get good, because that’s how it felt as our one-hour session drew to a close.

The addition of puzzle rushes, the inclusion of a roaming stalker, and the general ramping up of intensity certainly got us more engaged, anyway, and we hope that stuff becomes more prominent as the game develops in its beta form. Otherwise, it’s only going to appeal to those who are looking for new morsels of Playtime lore and who want to experience the world they already know from a fresh (in this case, diminutive) perspective.

Then again, given the franchise’s entrenched fanbase and enormous success, maybe that audience is the only one Mob Entertainment needs to worry about.

Escape From Playtime will launch into Steam Early Access on 21 October. 

The post ‘Escape From Playtime’ Preview: ‘Poppy Playtime’ Universe Goes Co-Op With Mixed Results Ahead Of Early Access appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Low and Alone, reunited once again, have travelled through the mirror to reach The Shores. They must find their way to the lighthouse beacon, but to do so they will have to face new threats, including flooded streets, leeches under the command of The Leech Monster, treacherous waterways, and submerged passages filled with hazards, puzzles, filthy sewers, and much more.

Iincluded in the Deluxe Edition for Little Nightmares III as well as the Secret of The Spiral Expansion Pass, you can also purchase The Shores separately.

Little Nightmares III is currently available for PC via Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

The post Second DLC for ‘Little Nightmares III’ in “The Shores” is Available Now on PC, Consoles [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the trailer, Alexander walks through the violent combat of Valor Mortis, from its stamina management and light and heavy attacks to parrying and counterattacks. The trailer also touches on weapon variety, including the Claymore, a slow, two-handed blade with very high impact, and the Musket, a two-handed firearm with more range and power than William’s pistol.

The trailer also shows Transmutations, which William wields in his left hand to buff himself, debuff enemies, deal damage, and traverse the environment. These include Fire, which can set enemies burning; Shield, which absorbs damage and then releases a shockwave; and Grapple, which lets William traverse the environment using grapple points. Players can fight however they like.

Catalysts, the game’s upgrade currency, are spent at Lanterns to improve stats such as health, stamina, and parry, and are dropped where William falls when he dies. Ambers, found throughout the game and equipped at Lanterns as William levels up, enhance and personalize his build to suit each player’s playstyle. Together, these systems capture the essence of soulslike games, blended with Valor Mortis‘ high-flying first-person combat.

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 Explore The Combat of ‘Valor Mortis’ in New Gameplay Overview Trailer [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

You wake up strapped to a chair. Across from you is Abel Marsh: patient, methodical, and convinced that he has every right to decide your fate. He asks what you did. Who you hurt. What you have been keeping to yourself. You write the replies in your own words.

Plead with him. Make up a story. Refuse to cooperate. Ask a question he would rather avoid. The challenge is to understand your kidnapper while deciding how much of your own story to give him. Getting him to talk could matter just as much as knowing what to say.

Abel’s replies are powered by a custom-built conversation engine that responds to what players type. Built around a proprietary AI model developed specifically for the game, the system runs entirely on the player’s own computer. Your words and his responses stay on your machine, keeping every conversation completely private.

Kidnapped Simulator is currently being developed with eight endings shaped by the encounter with Abel. The game’s grainy textures, shadows, and deliberately confined perspective draw on the look of early 3D horror, keeping the player close to every pause, gesture, and change in Abel’s expression.

The post Your Captor Is Waiting for Your Answer in ‘Kidnapped Simulator’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The game will launch at $6.99, with a 10% launch discount. Through launch week and Steam Scream Fest (which takes place from October 26 to November 2), Good Children Say Grace will also be available in a Steam bundle with BrokenLore: DON’T WATCH from Tokyo-based Serafini Productions.

Set on a remote Eastern European island, the game follows Martin’s mental breakdown as he is grieving the disappearance of his girlfriend. His parents were scammed into adopting a girl his age who burned down her house. And now, everything looks like eggs…

Good Children Say Grace is heavily inspired by manga storytelling, with a visual style drawn from Inio Asano‘s Oyasumi Punpun. Play one day in the life of Martin and Amelia. Dialogue decisions and where you walk determine which version of the day you’re living. Small moments cascade into one of the game’s multiple endings.

The post Absurdist Psychological Horror Game ‘Good Children Say Grace’ Releases October 16 [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In a press release, Stormind Games CEO and co-founder Antonio Cannata stated that the community has played a fundamental role in the history of Remothered. “Those who purchased and supported the first two games directly contributed to the growth of the series. We therefore want to give them access to the Remastered editions at no additional cost. The free upgrade is meant as a concrete thank you for the support we’ve received over time.”

Both remasters have been upgraded to Unreal Engine 5, featuring upgraded lighting, character models and assets, redesigned UI and more.

In Remothered: Tormented Fathers, Rosemary Reed is a sharp and determined 35-year-old woman who arrives at the isolated home of Richard Felton under false pretenses. She is there to uncover the truth about Celeste, a young girl who simply vanished. The nurse Gloria watches over the aging, ailing Felton. But the moment Dr. Felton realizes why Rosemary is really there, the hunt begins. What follows is a web of obsession, buried secrets, and psychological horror where the line between victim and monster is never where you expect it.

In the second entry, Remothered: Broken Porcelain Remastered, the truths buried in the Ashmann Inn will not be discovered easily: its many mysteries are intertwined and guarded by the looming threat of the stalkers, powerful hunters trapped in time and the confines of its walls. Survival will take more than just quick reactions as a strategic and resourceful approach will quickly become critical in this haunting adventure. Be smart, as knowing the best time to sneak, flee or fight imminent dangers can quickly make the hunters become the hunted.

The third entry in the series, Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy, will launch on October 27 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store and GOG.

The post Remasters of First Two ‘Remothered’ Entries Arriving Q1 2027 [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Those players who played through the May demo will find plenty has changed in Pantheon. The former three-stage structure has been streamlined into a single, more immersive session, with clear, approachable missions replacing complex puzzles. Each run now features randomized terrain and in-game element spawn locations, while fallen players can return as “MiRO” to assist teammates and be revived through interaction. S.O.M.A. also now begins offline, awakening only when it detects nearby noise or movement, keeping players on their toes with an unpredictable threat.

CODE EXIT puts players in the role of investigators sent into Pantheon, which has been overrun by the rogue AI known as Minerva, an integrated artificial intelligence that has turned the city into a locked-down machine nightmare. As players explore dark, isolated facilities, they’ll have to contend with Minerva roaming the city, observing their behavior in real time, and adapting its tactics. Restore systems, recover hidden data, and work together to uncover the truth behind the collapse of Pantheon before Minerva closes in.

Look for the full version of CODE EXIT on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store in 2027.

The post Playtest Is Now Live for Sci-Fi Co-Op Survival Horror Game ‘CODE EXIT’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Set in the small mountain town of Sweet Elm, the game takes place inside the Alex Dieter Public Library and Center for Reflection, named for the billionaire who has transformed the town into a curated hub of technological innovation and small-town comfort.

He also happens to have been killing unhoused people and stuffing them in the walls of the library. And as a result, the library is extremely haunted.

With the help of the library’s former administrator, Phillip Shed, players must clean and organize the library over the course of one tense night, shelving hundreds of real books while unraveling a story of complicity, supernatural violence, and what it takes to bring a haunted place peace.

“If you’ve ever been in a library at night, you’ll know that it feels unexpectedly warm and full of possibility–until you hear a single sound you don’t recognize, and realize you’re surrounded by towering shadows.” says studio head Xalavier Nelson Jr. “As a former librarian, I truly hope that, despite the objectively messed up things they’re going to witness, everyone who plays the game falls in love with their local library a little more.”

Featuring a fully-voiced story with an entire library of eerie manifestations to unlock, Something is Wrong With the Library features an authentic modern library filled with thousands of real book titles. You’ll be organizing fallen and missing books by Dewey Decimal System classification, author, and title. For more variety, the game features what’s referred to as a Modular Chaos System, where every playthrough gives you a different set of books to shelve.

The post Sort Books Amidst Blood and Meat in ‘Something is Wrong With the Library’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The EP includes music featured in the highly anticipated third expansion for The Witcher 3, which was originally previewed at CD Projekt Red’s 2026 Gamescom showcase last month.

“Creating music for Songs of the Past was incredibly exciting for me, but I also felt a huge sense of responsibility,” explains Magda Urbańska. “I vividly remember the first time I heard the music from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — it shook me to the core. That music was extraordinary then, and it remains extraordinary to this day.”

“I’ve worked with classical music for most of my life, but folk requires a completely different sensibility — it has its own tone and form, while also offering enormous creative freedom. But our roots, our Slavic heritage, are something more than that — something that runs deep within us, something that grows out of who we are. I hope we’ve managed to preserve The Witcher DNA in these pieces.”

Here’s the tracklisting for the EP:

1. Return to the Path – Magda Urbańska
2. Awoken – Magda Urbańska
3. Into Darkness – Daniel Elms
4. What’s Done – Marcin Przybyłowicz
5. Belleteyn Night – Magda Urbańska

Meanwhile, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered launches September 29 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG).

The post Soundtrack EP for ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past’ DLC Now Available appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Temple is a short, atmospheric first-person horror game set in the far future that sees players explore an abandoned colony on an aquatic planet aboard three separate vehicles, each with their own mechanics and environments. Players will also explore on foot, solve puzzles, and read logs in an effort to figure out what happened to the colonists.

You’ll dive deep beneath the sea with the submarine, fly high with the airship, and glide even higher with the space shuttle. You’ll need to take care, as ancient entities are lurking across the mod’s three chapters.

Klems states that The Temple is complete, with “only a few tweaks” needed before release. You’ll be able to get your hands on the mod as soon as next month.

The post ‘Half-Life 2’ Standalone Mod ‘The Temple’ Combines ‘Iron Lung’ With Lovecraft [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The demo has two parts: a story-focused section and a gameplay-focused section that unlocks after you complete the first section. WDR is encouraging those players who do check out the demo to leave feedback in the game’s Discord server.

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…

Terrible Lizards arrives on October 29 for the Xbox Series and PC via Steam.

The post Get a Taste of Parkour Dino Survival Horror Action with the ‘Terrible Lizards’ Demo on Steam appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the game, players take on the unusual role of a haunted house. As the master of this cursed domain, your goal is to ensnare daring humans, play on their fears, and drain their very essence to expand your dark influence.

By day, you’ll meticulously design the mansion’s labyrinthine layout, transforming it into a death trap that no human can escape. As night falls, lure unwitting explorers into your home, where you’ll use a deck of terrifying cards to summon spirits, shift hallways, and unleash horrors upon your guests. Build tension and drive these unfortunate souls toward madness, all while protecting your Heart room, which is the core of your power.

Once their sanity crumbles, you’ll harvest their essence to strengthen your mansion, increasing your infamy and attracting even more daring foes, from law enforcement to priests. However, you’ll need to beware, as the Stone Masons are coming, ready to challenge your reign of terror.

Strategically design your haunted house by placing rooms that serve to protect your Heart room, where your power is concentrated. Construct a maze filled with traps, scares, and unique twists, all tailored to frighten and confuse your visitors.

You’ll unlock and collect new cards as you progress. Expand your deck to include tools of terror like bone-chilling screams, phantoms, creaking floors, and shifting walls. Use your cards to scare or kill your victims, then extract their essence. Use their essence to unlock new rooms, expand your haunting powers, and attract more dangerous, and rewarding, targets.

The post Roguelike Haunted House Game ‘Deck of Haunts’ Coming to Consoles on October 8 [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The 1998 SiN pushed traditional shooter formulas further, introducing systemic features rare for its time, including area-specific hit detection, reactive enemy responses and interactive level elements ranging from functional computers to pilotable aircraft. SiN: Reloaded maintains the full scope of these mechanics, bringing the game’s reactive combat and adaptable mission structure to current platforms without compromising its core design.

“SiN has always been one of those games that deserved another chance,” said Stephen Kick, Studio Head at Nightdive Studios. “It was ambitious, interactive, funny, and willing to experiment with ideas that were years ahead of their time. There’s an incredible amount of personality in this game, and that’s something we never wanted to lose. With SiN: Reloaded, our goal was to preserve everything that made the original special while finally giving it the presentation and performance it deserves. More than anything, I’m excited that a new generation of players will finally get to discover why so many of us fell in love with SiN in the first place.”

Enter a near-future dystopian world as security consultant Colonel John R. Blade as you take on the seductively evil Doctor Elexis Sinclaire. When Elexis, the CEO of SinTEK Industries, begins injecting the streets with a DNA-altering drug, it’s time to reassess the laws of morality. As Blade, you’ve made a religion out of fighting crime. Now you’re going to make Elexis pay for her sins by taking on her unholy army of genetically-engineered mutants.

The post Nightdive Studios’ Long-Awaited ‘SiN: Reloaded’ Now Available On Consoles and PC [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Updates for the full launch include the much-requested Sandbox mode, new human enclosures, new maps and special Martian characters, a huge variety of new music tracks and sound effects, and significant overhauls to Martian guest and captive human AI to improve balance and deepen the simulation mechanics.

Fans of the game will also have a chance to pick up the Supporter’s Edition, which includes an hour-long behind the scenes featurette, the game’s 21 track soundtrack by composer Haakon Davidsen, and a 56-page artbook packed full of never-before seen concept art, illustrations and character design.

Mars Attracts is a theme park management sim where you play as the aliens from Mars Attacks. Players will build rides, hire and train staff, manage guest needs, and most importantly – abduct humans from across history to serve as the star attractions. The game combines the rich systems and in-depth management simulations familiar to fans of games like Roller Coaster Tycoon with the retro futuristic, B-movie inspired style and darkly mischievous humor of the classic IP.

The post Theme Park Management Sim ‘Mars Attracts’ Exits Early Access, Launches in Full on Steam [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Players take on the role of Dylan Faden as he battles a paranatural crisis engulfing a reality-warped Manhattan, unleashing his powers and mastering the different forms of his shapeshifting melee weapon, the Aberrant, to face dangerous enemies and monumental bosses.

“Control Resonant is the result of nearly seven years of true team effort and collaboration that pushes our paranatural action RPG series into an expansive, reality-warping playground of choice, power, and consequence,” said Mikael Kasurinen, Creative Director of Control Resonant. “For our new players, you don’t have to know the first game to jump into this sequel. We’ve made this easy to pick up and hard to put down. For our returning fans, we’ve pushed the scale beyond anything we’ve done before, elevating combat, exploration, and storytelling into a bigger, more memorable experience. It’s ambitious, a little wild, thought-provoking and was never easy to create, but easy was never the goal! Now that Control Resonant is here, we can’t wait for our players, both old and new, to get lost in it.”

And for those interested in extra goodies, Remedy is teaming up with iam8bit for a new merchandise collection. Inspired by the game, the collection includes Corrupted Metro apparel, a Billboard Bumper Stickers Pack, an Atlantis Café Espresso Cup Set, three Federal Bureau of Control propaganda posters, and an FBC Magnet Set. The posters are 1:1 recreations of their in-game counterparts, printed on 16.5″ x 23.3″ poster stock.

The full iam8bit x Control Resonant collection is available for pre-order now through October 26, with shipping expected in Q1 2027. Hit up iam8bit.com to explore the collection.

And if you need further convincing to grab the game, check out Aaron’s review.

The post ‘Control Resonant’ Out Today; New iam8bit Merchandise Collection up for Pre-Order [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Townfall centers on 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.

And if you haven’t already, check out Harrison’s review of the game, which continues the scares you expect while offering up a few new tricks.

The post ‘Silent Hill: Townfall’ Available Now on PC, PlayStation [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In Heartworm, players are invited to step into a world where memories and mourning blur the lines between reality and supernatural visions. Follow Sam, a young woman overcome with grief after the passing of her beloved grandfather as her quest for closure leads her into a deep rabbit hole of online forums – and ultimately to a remote haunted house up in the mountains.

What begins as a desperate attempt to reconnect with the past quickly spirals into something more sinister and inexplicable, as she pushes deeper into the unknown armed with only a camera and her determination to venture further.

Blending the spirit of the survival horror classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill with modern gameplay options, Heartworm tells a deeply personal story through pre-rendered and in-game cutscenes, classic and mind-bending puzzle-solving and limited but meaningful tense combat using a camera as your weapon to fend off what lies ahead.

Featuring optional tank controls, PSX-style visuals, and retro effects, you can tailor the experience to make it feel like it’s straight out of the late 90s, or scale back the nostalgia a little bit for a more modern experience. An original soundtrack and evocative environments guide you through 4-6 hours of exploration, tension and discovery, with multiple endings waiting on the other side.

And if you’re in the “try before you buy” crowd, you can check out the demo on Steam ahead of the console release.

The post DreadXP’s ‘Heartworm’ Heads to Consoles to Kick off the Halloween Season [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Stupid Never Dies protagonist Davy’s main goal is to get to the bottom of the underworld as fast as humanly possible and take out the King of All Monsters (KOM) before he takes Davy out. But before doing that, the smart thing to do is prepare for battle. In the shopping mall (Davy’s home base), Davy can visit his companions who can equip him with all sorts of upgrades. Ascelino, found at at Ink on the Brain, can modify Davy’s head, arms, and legs through Body Hack with Over Technology collected during runs. By visiting Bessie at Bessie Burger, Davy can trade in monster parts to unlock powerful Zombie Skills that will appear later on as level-up choices. Time is of the essence, here, and zombies are not known for their speed, so travel from store to store on your trusty modified robot vacuum.

Davy starts each dive into KOM’s realm at level 1, but through the power of Blazing Fast Growth, over time, Davy levels up faster and faster with every enemy he defeats. He’ll eventually reach a point where even defeating a single enemy at the start of the run will gain him a massive amount of levels, skyrocketing him from 0-60 in an instant, making it possible for him to descend all the way to the bottom to take out KOM in a single run. That’s the heart of Blazing Fast Growth – the satisfaction of gaining the greatest power in the shortest amount of time.

Stupid Never Dies will launch October 21 for PC via Steam and PlayStation 5.

The post Get The Hang of Blazing Fast Growth in New Gameplay Video for ‘Stupid Never Dies’ [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Deep inside its mining and experimental research facilities, Legion is developing a new generation of killing machines. The Rev 6.5,  known by Resistance forces as the Rippers represents a terrifying evolution of the machine army. Equipped with bladed limbs and rapid melee assault systems, these Revs are engineered for speed, pursuit, and devastating close-quarters combat.

For the Resistance, fighting them means changing the rules of engagement, and luckily humanity is changing too. As the Resistance gains access to augmentation technology, soldiers can volunteer to be enhanced and augmented, creating a new class of human combatant capable of fighting Legion’s most advanced units at close range.

Evolution expands the battlefield in Terminator: Dark Fate — Defiance with new units and technologies for the war between humanity and Legion:

• 8-mission campaign expanding the story into the frozen north.

• Introduction of melee combat.

• New units, technologies, and hybrid soldiers.

• Human augmentation systems that change the balance of power.

• New narrative perspective featuring recurring characters Church, Silas, and 1462.

• Atmospheric Canadian environments, frozen forests, industrial mines, and Legion’s experimental facilities.

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Taking place one year after the events of the first game, you are Robyn Cierra. You excavate the hidden files within the remnants of a cursed 1995 CD-ROM linked to a series of grisly events. A bizarre graveyard of scrapped content lies entombed deep within the code.

You thought your sister was beyond saving. Until now.

Much like the base game, The Discarded will see you delving into a digital hellscape of dungeons and death for all new challenges. This time, you’ll explore a vast, otherworldly museum filled with forsaken exhibits. Along the way, you’ll uncover a demonic love story that should have stayed deleted. Luckily, you have new arcane upgrades at your disposal to even the odds against your foes, along with devastating new jokers.

And in case you missed it, check out Aaron’s review of Forbidden Solitaire.

The post New Story-Driven DLC “The Discarded” Announced for ‘Forbidden Solitaire’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the video (which is also available in “Red Band” format), Xalavier breaks down the “brutal and visceral” combat in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival. With a wide variety of weapons at your disposal, from melee weapons to explosive firearms to the Genesis Configuration, you’ll have plenty of ways to banish Hell’s minions. You’ll need to keep your wits about you, dodging attacks, scavenging for ammo and healing, laying down traps, and bartering for upgrades to stay alive against the various foes that you’ll encounter.

That’s where the Genesis Configuration comes in. As mentioned in previous videos, you’ll wield the supernatural powers of this mysterious puzzle box to hurl objects against enemies, scorch them with fire and much more. Use the might at your fingertips to bring the pain to your enemies, gather their Suffering, and even you can unleash the ultimate destruction: the infamous Hell Chains.

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival will launch on October 8 for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series, and the Nintendo Switch 2. And don’t forget to check out the demo that’s available now on Steam.

The post Experience the Brutal and Visceral Combat in The Latest Gameplay for ‘Hellraiser: Revival’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In a new blog post, the developer has confirmed that they are going independent, while revealing that State of Decay 3 is currently in alpha, with plans to enter a closed beta by the end of the year. The game is still aiming for release next year for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store.

“Independence brings us closer to our community and lets us focus on what matters most: making the best games we can and earning the continued support of the people who choose to spend their time with us,” said Undead Labs’ Studio Head, Philip Holt. “State of Decay exists because millions of players have made that choice over the years, and we’re dedicated to honoring their trust.”

“We’re enormously grateful for our years as part of Xbox and for everything that relationship has made possible. Microsoft has been part of the State of Decay story from the very beginning, and we’re proud of everything we’ve accomplished together.”

Indeed, the original State of Decay launched on the Xbox 360 in partnership with Microsoft in 2013. Microsoft eventually acquired Undead Labs in 2018, the same year the developer released State of Decay 2.

According to the post, further details about the developer’s future plans will be revealed “at a later date.”

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Alongside the physical release dates, Stormind Games also confirmed that both the Standard Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store and GOG.com on October 27.

The Digital Deluxe Edition of Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy includes:

• The full game
• Digital artbook
• Full digital soundtrack, composed by Akira Yamaoka and Aram Shahbazians

Meanwhile, the Physical Deluxe Edition includes the same digital artbook and soundtrack, alongside the full game and an exclusive reversible coversheet.

In this third entry in the Remothered series, players will enter a world where nothing is quite as it seems. Exploring an abandoned villa, you’ll need to use your wits to overcome disturbing revelations, secrets, and a twisted reality to learn the truth behind the Red Nun—all while surviving the relentless Stalkers preying upon you.

Red Nun’s Legacy introduces more ways than ever to fight back against the terror and expand your exploration. Utilize limited melee weapons to keep the Stalkers at bay, and conjure unique psychic powers to uncover new hidden pathways and secrets in the villa.

Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy features a star-studded roster of talent including the voices of Cissy Jones (Telltale’s The Walking Dead, Life is Strange, BAFTA winner for Firewatch) and Maggie Robertson (Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village).

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Both editions will be distributed by Plaion. The physical Deluxe Edition of Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered includes a physical copy of the Deluxe Edition of the game (which features the base game, a digital comic book reader with three classic comics, and a demo of the unreleased sixth game in the series: Legacy of Kain: The Dark Prophecy), plus a SteelBook, the official soundtrack on a physical CD, and an art book containing over 80 pages of sketches, concept art, models, and more.

Available now digitally on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is the definitive version of the dark fantasy adventure, originally released back in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, original Xbox and Windows. Return to the world of Nosgoth as you control both the vampire Kain and his betrayed lieutenant, Raziel, two mighty beings bound by the conflict between fate and free will.

Featuring updated HD visuals, players can experience Nosgoth like never before with a new camera, as well as upgraded character models, textures, and environments, with the ability to switch between classic and modern presentations on the fly. You can also play the game with the original fixed camera or a new third-person camera built for modern platforms.

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The story casts you as the newest maid of an all-too-quiet Japanese village, where a mysterious dust has begun appearing across homes, businesses, and community spaces. Your duties are simple: answer cleaning requests, “zen out” while you restore each location, and try not to ask too many questions. Drawing inspiration from Junji Ito’s visual language and slow-burning style, Dust till Dawn uses a manga-influenced art direction that aims to make familiar spaces feel uncanny over time.

As you might expect from one of these cleaning sims, you’ll be busy sweeping away dust, wiping down surfaces and cleaning rooms from family homes and shops to public buildings and other corners of the village. The longer you remain, the more rewarding the job can become. And the more likely you are to encounter something that isn’t right…

Despite refraining from asking questions, the underlying issue is just where this dust came from, and why does it keep appearing. The dust shouldn’t be here. Neither should the objects that seem to move, the rooms that refuse to stay in order, or the traces of something passing through, even after you’ve finished cleaning. As you revisit locations and stay later into the evening, you’ll begin finding clues that point toward a larger mystery.

The post Newly-Announced ‘Dust till Dawn’ Combines Junji Ito and Cleaning Sims [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Building on what players loved about the gameplay for Cronos: The New Dawn, the Lazarus expansion takes it even further, aiming to deliver a “more visceral and intense style”. That includes the new abilities available to Pathfinder, including:

• Teleportation: Allows players to instantly teleport across a designated area, helping them outmaneuver groups of enemies. It can also be used during exploration to navigate distorted environments and reach otherwise inaccessible areas to discover hidden resources.
• Decoy: Allows the Pathfinder to leave a ghostly copy of himself behind while moving to a new position as an invisible to enemies.
• Gladius (new weapon): A new and much more powerful weapon wielded by the Pathfinder, featuring a higher fire rate and piercing bullets that deal increased damage.

Cronos: Lazarus sees players return to the wastelands of New Dawn as the once-loyal Pathfinder in the process of transforming into the Warden from the base game. Isolated in the Terminal and severed from the Collective, he devotes every waking moment to awakening a lost Essence that he refuses to let fade. His sanctuary has unfortunately been compromised, as a new kind of hunter has been deployed with one directive: to find and eliminate The Warden.

The expansion is scheduled for release in Fall 2026 for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series,  and the Nintendo Switch 2.

The post Experience The More Visceral Gameplay of ‘Cronos: Lazarus’ With The New Trailer [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Per the official site, the demo will cover the game’s opening chapter. And for those curious, your progress in the demo will be transferred over to the full release when it launches.

Medieval Paris, 1499. The city is engulfed in flames as monstrous creatures suddenly emerge from the shadows.

Trevor Belmont, the hero who defeated Dracula, ventures into the burning streets with his daughter, Rose Belmont. Armed with the legendary holy whip, the Vampire Killer, they hunt down the beasts bleeding from the looming castle.

Rose is soon swept up in the dark conspiracy that lurks beneath. Will she succeed in saving Paris from devastation?

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse will arrive October 15 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store. The Nintendo Switch version will arrive “later in 2026.”

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Running until September 24, the playtest gives players access to a few selected sections of the game. You’ll start off at Von Neumann Outpost. Walk its calm, quiet corridors before all cosmic hell breaks loose. Explore the facility, gear up, meet the crew, and catch an early glimpse of whatever is already creeping through their minds.

From there, you’ll enter into Exo Labs to field-test some of the weapons, and learn what works best against each twisted horror. Lastly, you’ll get to play a section of one more level, though the devteam is keeping the surprise secret for you to find out.

In DERELIKT, you’ll explore the Von Neuman Outpost, an expansive research station grafted onto an anomalous derelict asteroid in orbit around Saturn. However, as these things go, the hallways have gone dark, the systems are failing, and the few survivors left aren’t telling the same story.

Featuring a faithful and beautiful recreation of PS1 aesthetics, right down to the texture warping, you’ll interact with over a dozen NPCs in a robust dialogue system. You’ll also be encountering old-school puzzles in the style of survival horror classics, along with an array of unspeakable horrors. Luckily, you’ve got an array of classic and outlandish weapons to defend yourself. But remember, you’ve got to juggle inventory space to manage your ammo, items and health. Not to mention that every shot has a cost.

DERELIKT is aiming for release later this year.

The post Open Beta Playtest Now Live for Throwback Sci-Fi FPS ‘DERELIKT’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As a warm-up for the real festivities to celebrate the anniversary, Techland has launched a Double XP Event, giving both existing and new players an extra reason to jump into the game before the main anniversary celebrations begin.

The Call of the Beast: Anniversary Edition will run for three weeks, featuring global community goals and weekend boons that players can vote for. Reaching each weekly goal will unlock special anniversary rewards, including the unique outfit and stylish weapon inspired by Castor Woods.

Players can also look forward to daily Crane’s Anniversary Drops, with a new surprise waiting each day just for logging in. The rewards will include a mix of in-game items and digital anniversary goodies to celebrate the occasion. And every Friday, players can claim an exclusive weapon to use during Call of The Beast.

As for the new physical PS5 edition of the game, all three physical editions will include the Definitive Edition of Dying Light: The Beast, which includes all post-launch updates.

The Retail Version includes the game on PlayStation 5  and a game manual. This version will be available with an unlimited pre-order quantity.

Meanwhile, the Super Rare Games Edition includes the game and manual, plus an SRG sticker, an exclusive metallic slipcover and a numbered SRG release. This version will be available in a limited pre-order quantity.

Finally, the Anniversary Edition is designed for the ultimate Dying Light: The Beast fans. It includes the game together with a collection of physical items inspired by Castor Woods and will also be available in limited quantities.

All physical editions will be available to pre-order now from Super Rare Games. Additionally, The Super Rare Games Edition and Anniversary Edition will be available as limited pre-orders until October 16th, with final quantities announced once the ordering window closes.

Dying Light: The Beast is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

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The virus is already evolving, and so is your understanding of it. Study its mutations and trace the infection back to its source while the situation around you grows stranger by the day. The deeper you dig, the harder it becomes to believe that the outbreak was simply an accident.

Keep the hastily constructed checkpoint running while preparing for the one thing everyone in Miami desperately needs – a way out. Recruit survivors who can help restore a damaged luxury yacht and turn it into your best chance of escaping the city. New symptoms, new tools and new challenges will keep you guessing as Miami falls deeper into chaos.

And of course, you’ll need to dispose of any infected suspects in the most economical way possible: by feeding them to the sharks.

The post ‘Quarantine Zone: The Last Check’ Receiving Free “Miami Zero” Expansion Next Month [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

You see, ever since the original creative force at Team Silent disbanded — resulting in the property being passed around between hack developers who undoubtedly loved, but didn’t quite get, it — Silent Hill had been in a state of gradual decline. From the mid-2000s onwards, it seemed as though every new instalment in the series was destined to be a disappointment. Some were admirable (Shattered Memories), some were abominable (Homecoming), but they were failures all the same. As if to add insult to injury, the tantalizing Silent Hills collab between Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro was bafflingly killed in its crib, and the less said about that pachinko machine debacle, the better. For a while there, it truly felt like putrefaction had set in and that SH was now well past its sell-by date.

Enter the awkwardly titled f, which — in a feat comparable to how Resident Evil 7 saved its respective franchise from atrophy — showed that there was still some gas left in the tank after all. Breathing fresh life into Silent Hill, it took bold risks by daring to leave behind the familiar US setting; shaking up the gameplay in ballsy ways; and shedding much of the narrative baggage associated with its predecessors. Not everyone appreciated these changes but, for those of us who could get on board with the radical vision, it made for a galvanising experience. One that still adhered to the spirit, if not the minutiae, of the classic games.

All of which is to say that f was always going to be a tough act to follow. Not only was it brilliant in its own right, but it seemed to widen the scope for what an SH title could be and got us excited about the series’ future again. We’re pleased to report, then, that its immediate successor more than lives up to that promise and keeps the hot streak going.

Silent Hill: Townfall might be less iconoclastic when it comes to tearing up the series rulebook — indulging in more traditional “Silent Hill” tropes — but it still has ideas to spare and a unique vibe that’s entirely its own. From excellent storytelling to outstanding puzzles, an evocative sense of place, and supremely effective scares, it’s one of the franchise’s best outings to date. And proof positive that f wasn’t a fluke.

St. Amelia Provides A Welcome Change of Scenery

Of the many liberties that f took with the Silent Hill formula, the most striking was surely its decision to relocate the action from provincial Maine to rural Japan. It set a freeing precedent that Silent Hill games needn’t have anything to do with the titular municipality itself (SH4: The Room at least took place in the neighbouring Ashfield, which has plenty of lore connections).

Having now developed a taste for jet-setting, it seems that the franchise is overcome with wanderlust and wants to see the rest of the world. Because Townfall whisks us away to yet another time zone!

Fair warning, though, this latest excursion is a tad less exotic, as you’ll be trading in the picturesque backdrop of Asia for the chilly temperatures, bracing winds and choppy waters of the Scottish North Sea. Specifically, you’ll be exploring the fictional island of St. Amelia; a tight-knit fishing community that was once sustained by a bustling angling trade but that now appears to have been utterly deserted.

It’s not immediately clear what could have befallen such a quaint, isolated spot to make it a strict no-go zone. Yet there are a few clues scattered around the place. Notices from the district council reference disruptions caused by some recent incident; there’s evidence of both picket lines and vigils being held in the town square; and we gather that all of the public services were stretched to their absolute limits in the town’s final days (even the healthcare providers put up signs begging patients not to turn up).

So, other than the fact that you’ll be seeing pound signs instead of dollar signs, and that all the post boxes are coloured red, it’s got an awful lot in common with the bleakness of Silent Hill. If the civic leaders of the two towns were ever to reach out to one another, you could easily envision them establishing some kind of sister city arrangement. After all, they’re both enveloped by eerie fog, they both have the same normal world/otherworld dichotomy, and they both do that thing where they lure in doomed souls to torment them with their innermost fears and anxieties.

The target in this instance is one Simon Ordell, an American who has supposedly been to St. Amelia before yet appears to have no recollection of what went so horribly wrong there. He’s been summoned by an apparent acquaintance from the past, named Richard, who is under the impression that, together, they will be able to make things right. Whatever that means.

Washing up on the shore, with a mysterious intravenous drip hooked to his veins and a patient ID tag fastened around his wrist, Simon embarks on a mission to find Richard and reclaim his memories. Of course, that’ll be easier said than done, as navigating St. Amelia will also mean contending with its hellish weather, its illogical geography, the aggressive, vaguely humanoid creatures that prowl its streets, and the unshakeable feeling that the place itself wishes you ill will. Oh, and in addition to being a typical British town, it’s also got some freaky supernatural stuff going on!

Intelligent Writing and Mature Themes Make for One of Silent Hill’s Best Ever Stories

We’re reticent to give away any more than that, as the storytelling is often a bright spot in these Silent Hill games.

Townfall is no exception in that regard, with writer-director Jon McKellan crafting an enthralling and incredibly sad mystery that unfolds at a deliberate pace. Instead of saving everything for one big showstopping twist at the end, he and his team at Screen Burn Interactive sprinkle in clever misdirects and subversions throughout that keep you guessing as to the nature of Simon’s hidden shame, and how exactly it relates to Richard (as well as to an enigmatic third character: Zoe).

In many ways, the narrative does take its lead from SH2, with a protagonist once again being dragged on a metaphorical guilt trip through their own psyche. Yet there are some crucial differences too.

For a start, there’s a sense of political rage bubbling beneath the surface that we haven’t seen before in the franchise. McKellan brings a uniquely British perspective and righteous anger to proceedings that’s no doubt been inflected by recent events in the nation’s news cycle. Without going into spoilers, it’s not a coincidence that the first game in the series to be set in the UK focuses on a strained health service being brought to its knees, the impact of privatisation on communities, public inquiries into corporate negligence, a place that’s cut itself off from the rest of the world, and people generally feeling like they’ve been let down by the system. It’s probably not intentional, given the actual context in the story, but there’s even some stuff that cuts quite close to the bone revolving around protests happening near a local hotel.

There’s no question, then, that contemporary British issues were swirling around in the developers’ minds when they made this (either consciously or unconsciously). Yet even if you don’t quite understand the cultural relevance of certain images or references, it’s still a narrative that should resonate with just about anyone. Because the themes and emotions are universal. Not to mention, it’s fundamentally well told, with a keen understanding of the principle of “show, don’t tell”, a neat nonlinear structure that’s refreshing for Silent Hill, and layered characterisation.

It also puts an interesting spin on what the point of Silent Hill is. We won’t divulge any spoilers, except to say that it’s less about punishment and guilt here, and more about taking accountability and coming to terms with the immutable fact that what’s done can never be undone. Granted, it’s a subtle distinction, but one that makes quite a big impact when you get to the revelatory third act.

Stealth Encounters Get the Heart Racing

The experimentation doesn’t stop with the story either. Screen Burn also reimagines the franchise’s established gameplay by shifting the action into a first-person perspective and prioritising stealth over combat mechanics.

Indeed, while Silent Hill f was effectively a brawler — complete with parrying, perfect dodges, and upgrade trees — Townfall goes in the polar opposite direction. Fighting is treated as an absolute last resort, and the best strategy is invariably to run, hide and do your best to stay out of trouble.

This emphasis on evasion is so strong that, within the first two hours of our playthrough, we only killed a single enemy. That tally increased to about ten once we crossed the halfway mark, and then admittedly shot up to 87 by the time we rolled credits (the later acquisition of a shotgun emboldened us somewhat). Yet it might be feasible to get through most, if not all, of the 13-hour campaign pacifistically. Every area has one or two hiding spots for you to cower in, the levels are designed in a way that allows you to lure enemies away from the critical path, and it rarely feels like you’re being compelled to bloody your hands (which may have greater thematic significance when you eventually realise what the tragic, surgical-themed monsters are supposed to represent).

Another thing that helps you avoid conflict here is the portable CRT monitor that Simon carries. Utterly indispensable when planning your route through hostile territory, this device can be tuned into specific frequencies, enabling you to perceive the world in different wavelengths and look right through solid objects.

Sometimes, this is necessary for solving puzzles and accessing collectables, but it has great utility in stealth too. You see, the CRT can also lock onto the signals emitted by St. Amelia’s resident beasties, thereby allowing you to keep tabs on them even when there’s something blocking your line of sight.

It’s a very handy ability that functions similarly to Batman’s detective vision. However, there is a trade-off in that you can only monitor one channel at a time here. So, while you might be able to pinpoint the exact whereabouts of a foe when actively tracking them, you’ll also be putting on blinders to everything else around you and could be oblivious to threats approaching from the sides.

In a few scripted sequences, you do get access to an alternative tool that has the inverse problem. Using the medical pager, you can tell what direction assailants are coming from by consulting radial markers along the edge of the screen (a la Alien: Isolation’s motion tracker) and successfully track multiple blips at once. Alas, the readouts here are quite imprecise and give you no indication whatsoever of distance. This leads to agonising situations in which you’re hiding in a closet, painfully aware that there’s a fleshy abomination at your 12 o’clock, but not sure if it’s hundreds of meters away or standing right outside the door.

Other than the inclusion of those gizmos, the stealth is pretty basic. You’ve got a crouch button, throwable distractions, hiding places, and a few weapons for if things get hairy. Still, just because the mechanics are familiar doesn’t mean they’re bad. On the contrary, encounters can be downright electrifying in Townfall.

For example, there’s one bit where you are introduced to a new antagonist (resembling a figure covered in a suffocating hospital cast) that’s amongst the tensest set-pieces we’ve experienced in years. Trapping you in a small, four-room cottage, it gives you barely any space to manoeuvre and tasks you with somehow tiptoeing around your pursuer so that you can acquire a key and leave the building undetected.

However, when you finally escape those intimate confines (and recover from the associated panic attack), the reprieve is short-lived. For you soon realise that the whole neighbourhood has been overtaken with duplicates of the same mummified ghoul. What follows is an extended gauntlet that instils more palpable dread and anxiety than most horror games manage to conjure over the course of their runtimes.

Puzzles That Meaningfully Test the Old Grey Matter

In general, Townfall is a deeply frightening game. Enemy encounters can be pulse-pounding, the atmosphere is consistently oppressive, the environments are foreboding, the story goes to uncomfortable places, and there are a lot of those classic Silent Hill mind games to immerse you in the tortured headspace of your avatar.

Even the puzzles afford vanishingly little opportunity to decompress or calm your nerves. On the contrary, they often twist the knife in further by forcing you to commit grotesque atrocities and by imposing extremely stressful conditions when you’re trying to solve them.

Said headscratchers deserve special mention across the board, as they are all very well-themed, inventive and challenging. We got stumped for a while on this one that made us simultaneously account for dozens of initials, the workings of a dial mechanism and the compatibility of multiple different blood types. There was so much information to process that we resorted to busting out a notebook and drawing a quick chart to sense-check our conclusions. Meatier riddles like these, that actually make you pause and think for a bit, are the most rewarding to crack, and Townfall has a pleasing abundance of them.

Crucially, though, Screen Burn never pushes it too far or makes any of their brainteasers plain obtuse. More often than not, if you’re getting stuck it’ll be because you’ve overcomplicated things or misconstrued an obvious hint that’s staring you right in the face. That happened to us on a couple of occasions and, when we eventually cottoned on to what we were meant to be doing, our reaction was one of embarrassment, rather than frustration (case in point, there’s a moment where the code to a door is literally spelt out for you on a whiteboard, but we interpreted it to be something way more convoluted and ended up doing some Beautiful Mind shit for 20 minutes).

St. Amelia Feels Like A Real British Town

Other puzzle highlights include an escape-room scenario that has you jumping around to different points in history (with a fiendishly clever interaction), as well as a multi-layered problem that’ll demand you don a pair of scrubs and take on a gruelling night shift at St. Amelia’s hospital. A hospital that, unlike Silent Hill’s Brookhaven, is unmistakably British.

Which brings us to the exceptionally realised setting. Townfall does a phenomenal job of making you feel like you’re on a Scottish island. If you’re a UK resident or have ever visited one of the nation’s coastal resorts, you’re likely to spend hours marvelling at all the inconsequential details here. Everything from the road signs to the mini roundabout markings, the guide dog donation statues, the 20p tattoo machines, the signs advertising Sunday carveries, and the seagull-shit-stained benches feels truly authentic.

Without wanting to turn the rest of this review into a prosaic list of things I recognised as a British native, it got to the point where I was happily scrutinising the furnishings of council houses and examining the items displayed in the windows of unenterable mini markets. And when I discovered that, in order to restore power to a home, I didn’t have to replace fuses (as in every other horror title ever) but rather fetch a pre-paid utility card from the local newsagents and transfer the credit to a meter under the stairs, I was practically euphoric. I couldn’t believe that it was something I was doing in a Silent Hill game.

It Does Falter At the End

Between the nail-biting stealth, exemplary riddles, engrossing narrative and characterful setting, Townfall comes very close to brilliance. Alas, it’s not quite perfect.

Most notably, it starts to run out of steam in the final stretch. As Simon gets closer and closer to uncovering the truth he has long been repressing, the writing gets a little on the nose and starts making explicit what — up until then — had been artfully suggested. The ensuing exposition dump robs the narrative of some of its mystique and makes the prospect of repeat playthroughs feel less enticing (given that everything has been verbalised and wrapped up in a neat little bow). I particularly didn’t like how they bluntly explain what one of the monsters is supposed to symbolize, when everyone knows that part of the fun of a new Silent Hill release is coming up with your own interpretations for what the creatures mean.

On the subject of your adversaries, it’s also towards the end of the game that the lack of enemy variety really starts to hit you. You’re essentially dealing with the same three or four monsters over and over again and, after a while, you grow numb to them. That fleshy nightmare I described earlier is frightening when you first bump into him in a small cottage (unarmed and unprepared), but he’s nowhere near as intimidating when you’ve got a double-barrel and have vanquished him 50+ times.

The developers do at least try to mix things up by introducing an invulnerable stalker in the second half but, honestly, we just found them to be kind of irritating. They’re constantly harassing you during riddle sections and often stand around idly blocking passageways that you need to get down (only moving when you bait them into a chase). It doesn’t help either that this relentless pursuer drags out what is, by some measure, the game’s weakest level: an underground network of corridors that has no discernible personality, a confusing layout and the only dud puzzle in the whole game.

Nerveless, those iffy closing hours aren’t enough to negate all of Townfall’s considerable strengths. Even with the flaws, this remains a gripping experience that delivers everything you could want from a good Silent Hill title, while also pushing the envelope and innovating in some cool ways.

More than that, it’s the singular vision of creative people who had a personal story they really wanted to tell and who knew exactly how they were gonna tell it. Between this and f, it really does feel like we’re in a new golden era for this iconic franchise.

Review code provided by publisher. Silent Hill: Townfall releases on September 24 for the PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The post ‘Silent Hill: Townfall’ Delivers a Scary Good Time While Continuing to Innovate the Series [Review] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Escape From Playtime is being built with Early Access in mind, giving players a strong core loop at launch while leaving room for the community to help shape future growth. The initial release is planned to include a four-character Smiling Critter roster with four more to unlock, 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.

Players take on the roles of said Smiling Critters, the dead-eyed toy line with gaping smiles first introduced in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3, and explore classrooms, warehouses, testing labs, and the dark corridors connecting them all.

Each run sends teams into a dynamically changing section of the facility to find and transport resources for a mysterious Voice. The materials are needed to help build a promised home for toys who prove their loyalty and usefulness. Simple enough, except the factory is filled with rejected Playtime Co. creations stalking the halls. Players must search quickly, choose when to split up or stick together, and know when to retreat.

The post ‘Escape From Playtime’ Launches Into Early Access on October 21 [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Alongside a glimpse at several new gameplay mechanics that build upon the game’s exploration-driven action and progression systems, the trailer features new characters, diverse environments, and plenty of new enemies.

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 Gameplay Trailer for ‘Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement’ Drips With New Content [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Driven by a legend proclaiming that an irrefutable wish shall be granted to those who collect the four artifacts of desire, you are a Knight of the Crimson Clan embarking on an uncertain journey into an ancient labyrinthine crypt. Armed with a sword and pistol that uses your own blood for ammunition, you must overcome four brutal trials to obtain your wish and confront God.

As mentioned, Concrete Burial is a short, first-person horror game designed to be completed in a single sitting that should last you 1-2 hours. If that’s not fast enough for you, you can unlock the game’s Speedrun Mode after completion.

Keep in mind that your pistol uses your own blood for ammo, so plan your shots accordingly.

The post First-Person Horror Adventure ‘Concrete Burial’ Out Now on Steam [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 aims to deliver an action-packed, no-holds-barred, single-player campaign pitting Rick and his allies against the merciless Saviors and relentless hordes of the undead. Play as iconic survivors Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne, or play as the vicious 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.

You can spring for the Standard or Deluxe digital versions of The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival, with the Deluxe Edition including the Arcade Apocalypse Pack (which is also available separately), featuring additional weapon and character skins, the game’s digital soundtrack, The Walker Pit endless survival mode, and the exclusive Hell On Earth Difficulty mode with no checkpoints.

Meanwhile, the physical version of the Deluxe Edition will be available at major retailers on October 2 in EU regions, and October 16 in North America.

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The filing, which is dated September 10, is simply the phrase ‘Wonders of O’. As for what ‘O’ could mean, fans have pointed to the ending for Lies of P (which, if you haven’t played it yet, spoiler alert) as evidence that it’s referring to Oz.

Lies of P ends with an alchemist called Paracelsus saying he plans to return to Krat to find someone named Dorothy. The game then cuts to someone walking on a rooftop in Krat, who clicks their heels three times a la Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”.

This is all pure speculation, as neither NEOWIZ or NOUGH Studio have elaborated on their next title outside of that it would be a Survival Horror game, and whether it would in fact be a sequel to Lies of P. However, as mentioned above, the devteams have been dancing around it, rather than outright saying.

Lies of P is currently available on PC via Steam, the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series, and the Nintendo Switch 2.

The post NEOWIZ Files Trademark for Potential ‘Lies of P’ Sequel Involving “The Wizard of Oz” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After Chelsea Krause revealed earlier that she was the one providing voice work for Laurie Strode in the game’s single-player and multiplayer modes, it turns out that The Dead Meat Podcast’s own Chelsea Rebecca did some voice acting herself for the game.

Amongst the various citizens of Haddonfield, Rebecca also voiced the ill-fated Judith Myers.

Chelsea spilled the beans yesterday after Halloween: The Game launched for PC and consoles, taking to Instagram with the news.

“THRILLED to finally say I voice horror’s most iconic big sister (and lots of hapless victims) in Halloween: The Game, out today,” says Rebecca. “Thank you to the best session directors ever, [Halloween: The Game writers] Elyse Willems and James Willems, the team at IllFonic, and Sandy Johnson for making Judith so legendary in the first place. Let me know if you somehow fail the “Kill Judith” mission like I did the first time, something I did not even realize was possible.”

Dead Meat Podcast co-host James A. Janisse chimed in via a YouTube Short, stating how they had been sitting on this news for “so long.” And as a bonus, over on Dead Meat Games, James, Chelsea and the crew livestreamed a session playing Halloween: The Game, which you can check out here.

 

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Following the hugely successful launch of the game’s playable demo, which has surpassed 700,000 downloads, Invokyr will head to Early Access, giving players more ways to explore the manor, survive the Game Master’s increasingly dangerous challenges, and uncover the secrets surrounding the board game.

Upon launch, players will have access to four unique themes: Classic Board Games, Jungle, Icy Mountain, and Desert. Players will encounter 15+ monsters and 20+ events as they progress through increasingly dangerous boards on their way toward the ultimate Invokyr Board. The game’s dynamic rule system creates ever-changing combinations of challenges and unexpected situations, ensuring that no two runs are quite the same.

Players will also be able to master more than a dozen chaotic dice and cursed idols, each offering powerful and sometimes dangerous effects. At the same time, a dedicated shop allows them to purchase upgrades, furniture, and gadgets to improve their chances of survival. Beyond the board itself, secrets hidden throughout the manor will gradually reveal the mysteries surrounding the cursed game and its mysterious Game Master.

“We’ve been incredibly excited to see how players have responded to Invokyr so far, and Early Access is the next big step for us,” says Ludogram CEO Edouard Gaudel. “We want players to experience the world we’ve created, experiment with its systems, play together, and help us shape the game as development continues. We can’t wait to see what happens when the Game Master welcomes everyone to the table.”

Set within the creaking walls of a long-abandoned home, Invokyr has players uncover the sinister history of a 1970s board game that should have remained forgotten. What begins as a nostalgic curiosity quickly spirals into a desperate struggle for freedom as each roll of the dice unleashes grotesque creatures, traps, and twisted biomes that defy reality. A cursed Gamemaster, voiced by Amelia Tyler (Baldur’s Gate 3, Hades 2), will be their host as they try to leave the game or forever be lost to the shadows.

The post Cursed Board Game ‘Invokyr’ Launches Into Early Access on October 8th [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

According to the SteamDB stats, Halloween: The Game currently sits at a 24-hour peak of just over 33,000 players. Again, this is still just after one day, but that’s still good enough for landing the game among the more popular titles this week on Steam.

[Related] ‘Halloween: The Game’ Day One Patch Notes – Here’s the Full List

Furthermore, it’s also among the top new releases in terms of player count behind last week’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword and The Blood of Dawnwalker.

That’s not all. Drilling down into the debuts of other asymmetrical multiplayer horror titles, Halloween: The Game comes out on top in terms of debut player counts on Steam. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre debuted to 17k players, Friday The 13th: The Game launched with 16k players, and Dead by Daylight garnered 18k players on its launch.

Halloween: The Game beat all of them with over 22,000 players at launch.

Admittedly, 500,000 players isn’t quite the same as Onimusha: Way of the Sword selling one million units on launch day, but it’s a different genre, and a different audience. The real test will be a month from now, when the physical release launches on October 6 for those who are holding out for a disc. We’ll see if IllFonic is able to retain and grow the player base.

As the devteam states, the game’s launch is only the beginning of the Boogeyman’s journey…

In addition to Steam, Halloween: The Game is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, as well as the Epic Games Store. The disc version will be available for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series.

[Related] Chelsea Krause Voices Laurie Strode in ‘Halloween: The Game’

The post ‘Halloween: The Game’ Gets Over Half a Million Players at Launch; Most Popular Asym Horror Launch Ever on Steam appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

While Thousand Hells may look like a standard visual novel, it immediately sets itself apart by not just being about telling one branching story. Each time you start a new run of the game, which generally takes about sixty to ninety minutes, you combine one of ten quests with one of four hells.

From there, you’ll create your character and assemble your team of Hell-Farers departing from the Eternal City, a Byzantine-flavored fantasy world with close proximity to the underworlds. On the way, you’ll run into randomized story beats, featuring meaningful choices and impactful consequences, making it feel like a unique tale each time.

While much of the game is about picking between options as they’re presented, which is compelling enough on its own thanks to the game’s sharp writing, there are a few mechanical wrinkles that make this a bit crunchier than your standard narrative game. You have access to a pair of resources in the game, flashbacks and inventory, that will allow you to make specific challenges easier. Worried about crossing through the dangerous forest? Spend a flashback to have a guide prepared to meet you there. Don’t know how to cross the sea? Good thing you can spend an inventory and have a magic boat with you.

It’s a mechanic that I’ve seen used extensively in tabletop RPGs, particularly those derived from the Blades in the Dark ruleset, and Thousand Hells finds elegant ways to make it work in video game form.

Conflict Resolution With a Tabletop Twist

Anytime you run into a challenge, the game shifts into its conflict resolution mini-game, which again feels like it borrows a lot from tabletop RPGs. At the start of the challenge, you’ll pick which of your four party members will lead the challenge, which will then shuffle tiles into two bags. One of them is full of tiles representing all the traits of that character, while the other has a limited set of tiles pulled from the traits of other characters. You can draw four tiles at a time, choosing from whichever bag you’d like.

The game then presents you with a series of three challenges to address that are related to the situation, and your job is to pick which trait tile to play on which challenge. Perhaps it’s as simple as seeing a challenge that says “demon attacks” and using the “Gvuzu is Combat Trained” tile, but sometimes you’ll have to make other intuitive leaps. Will my “Dess is Poetic” be enough to help “Talk to the Plague Victims”? Depending on how well your tile matches the challenge, you’ll have certain odds in the dice roll to resolve it. To see these percentages prior to commiting, you can spend Insight, but it’s a pretty tight resource, maybe to the game’s determent, so you’ll want to save it for critical moments. If you get four wins, you complete the challenge, but if you get three losses, you fail.

Sometimes challenges have little modifiers on them that will change up their difficulty with specific conditions. Certain challenges can be easier if you’ve already completed other ones, or approached the situation as a whole in a specific way. Options can also include supply costs, adding another thing for you to weigh as you make your choices. Occasionally, a narrative beat will add a third bag that has story tiles that represent rewards you’ve received for other challenges, like “Blessed by the Gods” or “Fine War Armor,” which often have better success rates.

Choice, Consequence and Replayability

While all these choices are happening in the conflict, it continues to be narrativized in the game’s text, making it feel like gameplay and narrative are directly intertwined. While it does occasionally feel bad if you don’t draw applicable tiles or don’t feel like you’re prepared for a specific type of challenge, this does help remind you to build a more balanced party. The dice can be a bit cruel, especially when you get a bad roll on a tile selection that you feel is a perfect fit, so I wish there were a couple more ways for you to put your thumb on the scale before rolling. Randomness can be the secret sauce to emergent storytelling, but it’s a fine line to walk without making it feel punishing or unfair.

Fortunately, failing a challenge, which you will do very often, rarely halts progress. Instead, you will continue forward with different consequences that you will have to reckon with. Losses in a challenge will result in negative character traits or injuries being applied to a character, and these can complicate your story going forward. Characters can die if you take enough injuries, and losing your captain will result in the end of your tale, but for the most part, things just move the story forward, even in a failure. The idea of failing forward is another one that’s popular in modern tabletop RPG design, and it’s wonderful to see it translated so well.

The process of putting together your team at the start of a run is an interesting one with more wrinkles than I expected. Based on your mission, you’ll want to try to optimize your party for the type of objective you’re pursuing, but given the long journey, you’ll still need to make sure you have a broad set of skills. As you’re interviewing the cast of characters you can choose from, you can spend a limited number of Connection Points to reveal more of their traits; otherwise, you are only able to see a scant few, leaving the rest to be discovered in the heat of the moment. The traits they have not only give them utility, but they also give them personality, making them feel well-sketched right off the bat.

Recruiting the Right Team

In addition to their positive and negative traits, each person has requirements for being recruited, which need to be navigated if you want to keep your party happy. Some don’t want to work with another specific person, while others want to make sure the journey won’t feature any spiders. I’ve had some real blunders while setting up the party, but they made for some of the most interesting stories. In my latest run, I was proud of how I balanced my team, satisfying everyone’s request, but then the first thing we wanted to do was conduct research at a library. Turns out, no one in my party was literate, so I was forced to make other arrangements, spinning the story out in unexpected directions.

As mentioned, there are ten premises that the game randomizes your story from, though you can actively select it after you’ve played it once. While they all have a similar structure, a journey to a hell followed by a mission in hell and ending with a return trip, there’s enough variation in the setups that all of them feel distinct. Each has its own built-in twists and turns that often present a moral quandary, meaning they can be replayed to see different results.

My favorite tale involved escorting a person who was (allegedly) secretly a killer named the Mangler Man to Soulflense Prison under the guise of pulling a job with him, but my real assignment was to deliver him to the prison itself as their latest captive. It provided a ton of emotional depth as I got to know him while also figuring out when to let my other teammates in on the impending betrayal. Importantly, the setups are not only great stories, but also great spaces for you to make meaningful choices, which is what the game is all about.

Every Run Tells a Different Story

The other ingredient in your tale is the underworld you’re travelling to, which is pulled from a set of four. They each have their own mythology, complete with different environments and demons. Hells in this world don’t always have a concept of punishment, but they are populated by shades of the dead who all have some sort of baggage to deal with. Each of them feels rich and distinct, allowing you to revisit previously played stories with a different twist on them.

On your journey from the Eternal City to the underworld and back, you’ll have a random selection of story beats that will crop up. These can range from encounters with strange and horrific mythical creatures or struggles with surreal and dangerous environments.

Moments in these sections were the ones that I saw repeating most frequently, probably because they aren’t associated with any particular hell and can show up on any playthrough, but for the most part I didn’t mind the repetition because there were at least a couple of ways to resolve them.

I wish there were a few difficulty options included in the game, as I think repeat playthroughs would probably benefit from more guaranteed successes when you’re trying to test where you can push the narrative. You can always replay your previous story right after you complete it if you just want to see the branching paths off that, but the random number generator can still get in your way.

While I feel satisfied with my journey even when my mission is unsuccessful, which happened to me more often than not, having an easy mode that tips the dice in your favor would make exploring different options a little smoother.

Rich Mythology and Memorable Writing

Overall, all these narrative elements have uniformly top-notch writing, with wonderfully surreal mythology that implies so much history through its lavish prose. I’m a big sucker for great proper nouns, and when I read about things like the Locus of Chains, a mobile prison that’s the manifestation of the concept of bargains, or have an encounter with the Audience, a group of unblinking occultists that hosts poetry contests where the loser is torn limb from limb, I’m all in. Even with all its demonic strangeness, there’s a lot of beauty among the horror, and the dialogue between characters captures warm, human moments that make everything feel lived-in.

To go along with the words, there’s a simple yet elegant hand-painted art style, with a different image depicting each scenario. These are often impressionistic enough that they leave some of the details up to the player’s imagination, efficiently crafting a unique visual hook. This is paired with some great music that fits the interesting setting, making encounters feel exciting, even though they are words and static images. While I understand that there’s a ton of words in the script, I do wish there was voice acting in the game, as it would help bring to life the storybook quality that the game as a whole possesses.

One of the best measuring sticks I have for narrative games is how many screenshots I take of great passages, and Thousand Hells has a healthy folder full of odd scenarios and unsettling quotes. Any time I open up the media section on my Steam Deck, I can be reminded of things like the bridge made of toenails and claws or the nine-foot-tall consul of the Infernal Chancery that smells of death and camphor.

The conflict resolution system was extremely clever at closely marrying mechanics and narrative, even if sometimes the dice rolls end up being frustrating when they don’t go your way. While certain story elements may show up a few too frequently, the branching paths help alleviate the repetition, making for a malleable narrative that feels like your own.

Thousand Hells succeeds as an efficient short story generator, giving you the tools to craft surreal and strange tales of hellish heists, full of clever twists and intriguing characters.

Review code provided by publisher. Thousand Hells: The Underworld Heists is now available on PC via Steam.

The post ‘Thousand Hells: The Underworld Heists’ Review: A Clever Narrative RPG Of Hellish Heists And Consequences appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Players will step into the sodden boots of The Fisherman, who sits alone locked in a desperate battle with the ocean. He has nothing but a couple of beers, his dwindling fishing gear and a burning, all-consuming fixation with his trade.

Set on a damp and foggy dock just off the Californian coast, Hookeye tells a tragic, twisted tale of obsession, loss, sacrifice – and questionable bait. The beautiful, yet maddening call of the legendary siren rings out from beneath the waves – but if players have any hope of reeling in the prize, they’ll need to sacrifice more than a couple of hooks and experience a surreal and meditative descent through one man’s psyche.

Rendered with the now-familiar PSX-inspired aesthetic, Hookeye invites players to perpetuate the thrilling cycle of risk and reward: bait their hook, cast their line out into the salty sea, then reel in their prize. Each fish they land can be used to bait bigger fish as they work towards the illustrious siren.

However, as the obsession takes hold, your resources dwindle and sanity begins to falter, what will you be willing to risk to keep fishing?

The post Battle the Seas in Search of The Siren in Psychological Horror Fishing Title ‘Hookeye’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Free for current owners of The Outlast Trials, reagents can also take on two new MK-Challenges, unlock rewards through the new Chemical Leak Limited-Time Catalog, and experience a new round of improvements, balancing updates, and quality-of-life additions across Invasion, Escalation, and the wider therapy experience.

In the new Limited-Time Event “Chemical Leak”, a chemical leak is filling the Trials with toxic gas. Reagents must locate valves throughout the environment and shut them off to clear the air from each area. In addition, a brand-new Catalog is available for the duration of the Chemical Leak Limited-Time Event. Spend your Event Tokens before the air clears.

As for the two new MK-Challenges, players have Change the Program, where you are the crier who knows that news does not have to be journalism; it only has to be new. Spread our truth, change the program, and you’ll be set free. There’a also Fund the Campaign, where you are the hammer in the hands of a child, to shatter the fragile swine who would separate success from the government it created. Money is the future of speech. Fund the campaign, and you’ll be let you out.

Season 7.1 also brings a fresh round of bug fixes, balancing updates, and improvements across The Outlast Trials, with particular attention to Invasion, Escalation, online stability, and player settings.

Speaking of Invasion and Escalation, both modes have been given updates, with Season 7.1 further improving the experience for players. Invasion receives several updates designed to improve fairness, readability, and flow during high-pressure encounters. Reagents remain focused on the hunting and the escaping; Murkoff takes care of the rest.  For Escalation, community feedback helped improve stability, and players’ progress is saved in the event of a lost connection.

Season 7.1 also introduces broader improvements across the game. Check out the patch notes to read the full list of upgrades.

The Outlast Trials is available on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox.

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That might not seem like a lot, but you have to consider the last major title in the series was Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, which was released back in 2006 for the PlayStation 2.

In the press release, Capcom credits their marketing initiatives prior to the launch of Way of the Sword, which included multiple demo releases and hands-on exhibitions, which no doubt helped to push the one million units on the day of its release.

And once again, much like what happened after the release of 2024’s Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, Capcom is reiterating its goal of “re-activating IPs” that have been dormant for some time. “The company is working to further maximize corporate value by leveraging its rich library of content, including [Onimusha].”

Does this mean that long-suffering Dino Crisis fans will finally get their moment in the sun? One hopes that will be the case.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword transports players to a twisted vision of Kyoto. Set during Japan’s Edo period, the game features real-life locations, local myths, and historical figures within a dark fantasy world. Among the cast of characters is protagonist Miyamoto Musashi, a fierce and striking young samurai, who today we now know as one of the most legendary figures in Japanese history.

In the game, Musashi’s path takes an unexpected turn after a run in with the demonic Genma. He soon finds himself armed with an Oni Gauntlet, a mystical artifact that grants abilities beyond human limits. While this power allows Musashi to slay these monsters from the underworld, he desires to fight with his strength alone. In his quest, he’ll face many gritty, blood-soaked brawls.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is available now on PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series, the Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

And check out Aaron’s review of the game and its “exhilarating” combat.

The post ‘Onimusha: Way of the Sword’ Sells One Million Units on Launch Day; Capcom Reiterates Commitment to Dormant Franchises appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Well Is Not Empty sees players descend into the village well after it has mysteriously run dry, only to happen upon a seemingly-abandoned underground structure. You know what happens next.

In other to discover the origins of this structure, you’ll need to dig your way through the rubble with your trusty spoon (seriously). Is it getting dark? Is whatever it is lurking in the darkness closing in on you? Not to worry, as you can use the backup hand-crank generator to bring light into these rooms. The light also keeps whatever is down here with you at bay, buying you enough time to run past these creatures before they get you.

However, you won’t have these generators at your disposal all the time. Meaning, you’ll need to hide and sneak past these creatures. If they see you, you’ll need to run for it, as you cannot fight back.

The post Subterranean Horror Game ‘The Well Is Not Empty’ Tests Your Digging Skills Today [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s Halloween night, 1978, and while unsuspecting families in the quiet suburbs of Haddonfield enjoy trick-or-treating, evil has made its way home.

Become immersed in the single-player story mode through six haunting chapters narrated by Dr. Sam Loomis to uncover how Michael Myers acquired his iconic blue jumpsuit, mask, and kitchen knife. Recreate the notorious babysitter encounter with a sandbox approach rewarding patient, brutal, and methodical playstyles alike.

Join 1v4 matches as either the Boogeyman himself or a Civilian trying to save the day. As Michael, stalk innocent residents using a nightmarish array of abilities, leveraging shadows and stealth to paint the town red. As a citizen of Haddonfield, alert other residents to the danger lurking in the dark and help them escape by calling the police, arming themselves with everyday household items, and overpowering the unkillable monster until everyone can escape.

Powered by Unreal Engine 5, Halloween: The Game aims to deliver the ultimate horror sandbox experience with an expansive array of dynamic map features, distinct gameplay systems, life-like NPC interactions, hauntingly realistic visuals, and endless scares just in time for Halloween.

“Everyone at Compass is thrilled to see this game get to longtime fans of the Michael Myers universe. It’s also been extremely exciting to see a whole new generation of fans find their way into Haddonfield. I cannot wait to see you all in the game,” says Malek Akkad, President of Compass International Pictures, Inc.

“Seeing Halloween: The Game finally in the community’s hands is the payoff of years of work honoring Moustapha Akkad and John Carpenter’s legacies,” said Jared Gerritzen, Chief Creative Officer at IllFonic. “For anyone who wants Michael Myers on their shelf as well as their consoles, the physical edition will be out just in time for Halloween. We hope fans have as much fun this October as we had recreating the terrifying events of 1978!”

And in case you missed it, here’s Harrison’s review of the game.

The post Stalk The Streets of Haddonfield Today in ‘Halloween: The Game’ on PC and Consoles [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In a recent interview with Ars Technica, Faliszek was interviewed about lines that were cut from Left 4 Dead 2. Along with discussing the lines, Chet revealed that Valve organized the leak for the game’s 2009 trailer in order to circumvent the ESRB, who wouldn’t let Valve release the trailer.

For those not in the know, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board at the time had strict guidelines for games to be allowed on store shelves. That also included the marketing for the games. Which, if you watch the “leaked” trailer now, you could see how back then it couldn’t get the Mature rating, and that in turn would affect the game being put on sale at Walmart or GameStop.

As a result, Valve decided to get around this by pulling a fast one and “leaking” the trailer to the internet. Which, as expected, did its job of spreading the trailer around and creating buzz for the game.

“You have to remember… Valve was in fights with the ESRB, with Australia, with Germany, with a bunch of countries about the profanity in the game, the violence,” said Faliszek. “I’ll just admit that [we leaked the trailer]. I think we can’t get in trouble for that now. It’s like 20 years ago.”

As Faliszek alludes to, Valve was having to deal with the ESRB over the violence in Left 4 Dead 2, as well as the game’s cover art, which originally had the hand on the cover having all but its index and middle finger torn off. Not to mention the ratings boards in Australia and Germany, which amongst other things, are particularly harsh on violence. In fact, L4D2 was never released uncensored in Germany until 2021.

As one might expect, looking back now at the footage in the trailer and in the game itself, it seems downright tame compared to something like Resident Evil Requiem or Halloween: The Game.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, the ESRB did lighten up and eventually update their advertising principles to now explicitly allow trailers to include more violent content.

The post Valve Leaked Its Own ‘Left 4 Dead 2’ Trailer to Circumvent the ESRB, According to Former Writer [Video] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

DEPERSON follows Aaron, a man who wakes up in Indrija, a nation consumed by surveillance and fear, with no memory of who he is. As he searches for answers, reality begins to twist, forcing Aaron to confront things he may wish he could forget.

Players must observe their surroundings, use each character’s unique abilities, and manipulate the environment to overcome puzzles and dangers ahead. Their choices shape Aaron and the people around him, with the potential to make him stronger, crueler, or even more broken.

You’ll navigate a branching narrative, exploring themes of psychological horror, oppression, trauma, identity, memory, and emotional conflict. Every decision you make shapes the main character’s and people’s fate, leading to multiple, varied endings.

Combining the best of classic point-and-click adventures with new mechanics, including platformer-style challenges and dashing abilities, each character in DEPERSON offers unique skills, adding strategic depth to puzzle-solving and platforming challenges.

Look for DEPERSON when it launches on Steam later this year. You can currently play the first chapter as part of the game’s demo.

The post Navigate a Nation of Surveillance and Fear in Psychological Horror Game ‘DEPERSON’ [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“One of the things we really wanted to do with Voidwood was make team communication something you need to survive, but also your greatest liability,” explains Santa Barbara Games’ Founder & Creative Director, Shawn Seibert. “You have to group up, you have to whisper, and then at times you have to split up, and you can’t communicate. This footage is the closest we can get you to what that actually feels like without handing you a headset.”

Set in an inviting but cursed forest, Voidwood challenges you and your friends to explore and prepare by day, then survive the night, when the woods become hunting grounds. You and your friends are lost deep in the woods, and must venture out by day to scavenge supplies and craft tools, deciding whether to push deeper for greater rewards or attempt to get out while you can. The longer you search, the less time you’ll have to find your way back before the light gives out.

At nightfall, the forest will call in The Beast, an unstoppable apex predator. Twisted creatures prowl the dark, and you and your friends must hide, flee, and find your way out together, leaning on proximity chat to keep the group coordinated, even as every word risks drawing danger closer.

Every escape feeds the next attempt. What players carry out of the forest becomes camp upgrades, new tools, and new strategies, the kind of progression that keeps you coming back for more.

For those attending PAX West, you can get your chance to play Voidwood at Booth #744.

Voidwood heads to Steam in 2027.

The post New ‘Voidwood’ Footage Details Gameplay Mechanics [Watch] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Thanks to the recent data leaks from Valve’s Steam platform, it’s been discovered that Fatshark (the folks behind 2014’s Escape Dead Island and the Warhammer: Vermintide and Warhammer 40K: Darktide games) had been developing a video game adaptation of the Wes Craven series.

Spotted by Kotaku, a user on X by the name roly poly reaper posted about how they had been digging through the leaked data files, and had discovered the previously-unannounced Scream game. Not only that, but they were able to get a build of the game up and running, and had recorded some of the gameplay.

As for the gameplay, players take on the role of survivors trying to escape Ghostface, with one player actually playing as Ghostface. This would actually put it a full five years before Dead by Daylight launched in 2016, by the way.

Per the user, there were several builds of the untitled Scream game (six, actually) in the data leak, with the earliest build the one that they got to run. While it’s not clear yet what the story is behind this game, the user speculates from datamining that the game was only ever made as a pitch to try get the license to the actual franchise. According to the data, the final build was dated February 2011, which was only two months before Scream 4 hit theatres.

Obviously, the pitch was never approved, but had it been, we potentially could’ve had Ghostface terrorizing players before he made his debut in Dead by Daylight in 2019.

Meanwhile, Michael Myers (who was in Dead by Daylight) will be hunting civilians in Halloween: The Game on September 8 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

The post Unreleased ‘Scream’ Game Discovered as Part of Recent Steam Leak appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.