Members of this site (and dark fantasy enjoyers in general) have been keeping tabs on this project for quite a while, so I ventured into the Entropy-ridden land of Faelduum thanks to Mandragora’s last preview build ahead of its April 17 launch. This wasn’t my first rodeo, however. I’d already played the demo released late last year, so I was eager to find out how the good stuff could feel even better and whether its rougher edges had been smoothed out ahead of the long-anticipated full release.

Publisher Knights Peak and developer Primal Game Studio don’t try to evade the easy comparisons in the official Steam description of the game: “Slash, burn, and rage your way through Mandragora, a 2.5D side-scroller action-RPG with deep Metroidvania and Soulslike elements.” Move to the next sentence and there’s even talk of a special lantern capable of transporting the player to a different realm. Lords of the Fallen, anyone?

As the gaming industry as a whole (aside from some gigantic “whales”) struggles to stay afloat, too many studios are convinced they need to reinvent the wheel to succeed. Look back at surprising hits in recent years outside the AAA realm (such as Balatro, Vampire Survivors, or Helldivers 2), and you’ll notice they simply were clever riffs on formulas that had evolved (and continue to do so) for years if not decades. Sure, uncompromised visions and bold design swings gave them their sauce and made them stand out, but they partially were the result of iterating on already-established subgenres.

The truth is innovation in gaming (and art as a whole if we look at the bigger picture) never happens in total isolation from what other artists and developers are doing. Even the strangest, most off-beat video game has been influenced by many others in both its own and entirely different genres. The faster an aspiring creative accepts this, the better. In the case of Mandragora, I think it’s fair to say everyone involved had extremely clear references. More importantly, they had a vision that could make it stand out despite how derivative it might sound on paper… plus the required level of craft to land their swings.

First of all, I must underline Mandragora feels great to play. A disappointing amount of takes on the Soulslike and/or Metroidvania formulas look the part, but completely fail to “feel good” in the moment-to-moment experience. It’s hard to convey with just words, but the amalgamation of the right mechanics, systems, controls, and feedback is even more important when dealing with this type of video game. It doesn’t matter that a big dark fantasy (or sci-fi) adventure is crushingly hard as long as there’s a solid loop and most actions are satisfying to perform. As far as I can tell, Primal Game Studio nailed this. Every trailer of Mandragora I watched looked weighty and crunchy, and my two hands-on experiences with it didn’t disappoint on that front.

There’s also a distinct (if a bit familiar) look to the Faelduum-set action-RPG; the various locales I’ve been able to visit are gloomy and menacing, but the artists never sacrificed the vibrancy of its colors nor the depth of the backgrounds to create the dark atmospheres. It’s also the right amount of hazy; there’s a softness to the overall visual presentation that almost gives it a nightmare-like touch which is sort of perfect given the matters at hand. The traditional Unreal Engine “shader stutters” are as terrifying as the many monsters lurking around, though.

Related: Wanderstop Is Already One of the Cozy Gaming Greats [Review]

Faced with the choices of re-rolling a knight-like class in this preview or checking out the mage and rogue-like options, I opted to grab some magic with one hand and hold a blade with the other. To the shock of almost no one, sorcery seems to be very OP in this game, too. The “Spellbinder” skill/perk tree isn’t too restrictive either; certain nodes allowed me to build a tankier spellcaster instead of a glass cannon. Mandragora’s progression is quite straightforward and works exactly like you’d expect from a game sticking close to FromSoftware’s teachings. That said, the equipment and skill layers are closer to the Diablo breed of ARPGs. An enticing mix indeed.

There’s a specific rhythm to the combat too even if you think you know how it’s gonna behave. It’s not a relentless, fast-paced Metroidvania because of its perspective, but it’s not as tactical and flexible as your average Soulslike title, either. It’s important to read and act smartly on the enemies’ moves (and their numbers), but you won’t be seeing them wait for an opening for too long. Making the most of the space you’re given is quite important, it seems. That’s why I was more than happy to blast away smaller evildoers and cursed creatures with a magic beam while drinking mana potions that weren’t super expensive.

Perhaps my biggest gameplay-related question before the full game launches is whether resource management and having the right consumables on you (beyond HP/MP drinks) will be essential to beating the game. Some investments paid off big time when facing a few annoying mini-bosses, but I also could get past a good number of roadblocks with just my raw ability to pull back and evade at the right moment. Maybe I’m overthinking the loop and possible tactics here. In any case, Mandragora has enough going on (and the lively world factors into it) to accommodate a large number of playstyles, and that makes me hopeful for what’s to come beyond its starting areas.

I’ll also have to wait until the full release to figure out if I care about this “chosen one” narrative, which may or may not have darker undercurrents than what we can see at a quick glance. I doubt its quality will “make or break” the game, but here’s hoping for something serviceable at least. We’ll know soon enough.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is launching on April 17 on PC (Steam & Epic Games Store), PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Spanish studio Alkimia Interactive has been developing the remake for roughly four years. THQ Nordic acquired the now-deceased original Gothic studio Piranha Bytes back in 2019, and soon, a “playable teaser” was assembled to gauge interest in a full remake of the original game in the series. The response was largely positive, yet one request from longtime fans popped up time and again: Making it more faithful to the original and less modernized. This didn’t shock anyone.

Much has been written about the key differences between remasters and remakes, and if the line that separates both approaches to refreshing old games is sometimes too blurred to really matter. For example, look momentarily at the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy or the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Under the hood, structurally, mechanically… they were the same games. But they also were fully rebuilt and weren’t just the result of adding extra graphical shine on top of what was already there. However, they also were quite different from even bigger efforts such as Resident Evil 2 (2019), which completely reworks the original games into something more modern and approachable.

Around one hour with Gothic 1 Remake’s Next Fest demo and my vague memories of the original were enough to know I was playing a very very traditional take on Piranha Bytes’ iconic action-RPG. This is great news for the diehard fans that were asking for a “return to basics” following Gothic 3 and Arcania’s being less-than-ideal continuations of the first two games, but it also makes me wonder if there’s an audience for it beyond the sort of player that has a very low opinion of modern AA/AAA releases only because they’re newer and not as unwelcoming. After all, the still-infant Soulslike subgenre is thriving due to its hostile demeanor, so maybe Gothic 1 Remake has a fighting chance.

Well, you see, the main thing with Soulslikes is that they generally have solid, addicting combat loops. And that’s the one thing Gothic always struggled with and something that hasn’t changed (as far as I can tell after playing the demo) in Gothic 1 Remake. Battling even the simplest creatures in the Valley of the Mines just feels clunky and outdated in a way that isn’t even charming. I appreciate the commitment to the actual difficulty of the game and the lack of hand-holding, but there are ways to execute that while making the overall experience not as miserable in the moment-to-moment gameplay.

Related: Promise Mascot Agency Is Super Weird But Surprisingly Easy to Digest [Preview]

There’s also the weird decision of making this demo “a standalone experience” with no proper narrative hook that sells the casual crowd on the actual game that’s supposed to be launching later this year. Yes, I’ve been able to visit a few areas that are key to the full Gothic journey, but the demo ultimately feels like a tech showcase rather than an actual chunk of the game. Of course, no tech demo actually runs for more than a few minutes and even lets you take on several quests and tinker a fair bit with the systems, but the very nature of this preview makes me wonder what the real state of the game is this late into development.

“It is important to note that this experience does not feature the intended progression, freedom, simulation, and immersion that the full game will provide,” the press release states. If so much of it doesn’t resemble the actual game, developmental phase aside, maybe it will do more bad than good?

Personally, I didn’t have a great time with the demo. Some extra UE5-powered sheen aside, the most modern game it resembles is The Witcher 2… which isn’t exactly what you want from an expensive remake set to come out in 2025. Movement is sluggish; combat feels a tad too slow even by Gothic standards; and all the graphical glow-up can’t hide the fact that it’s all restricted by the early 2000s level design that has been painstakingly recreated.

Regardless, some of Gothic’s unique, slightly off-beat soul shines through the rust: For the most part, the setting still feels refreshingly oppressive, and there’s a commitment to letting players figure things out for themselves and not filling the screen with markers. I don’t think, at this stage, that it’s enough to make up for how bland everything else can be, but perhaps the aforementioned “hardcore old-school RPGs” crowd will appreciate the return to this style of game design.

There’s also the slight possibility of the full game landing a critical hit with its retelling of the original story, which directly dealt with the themes of penal labor and rebellion against a decaying monarchy. But that’s just speculation and wishful thinking, as this demo offers none of that beyond some expository dialogues from prisoners who have seen better days.

God knows I can put up with “janky” combat systems and unforgiving worlds which tell players to adapt or perish, but there has to be more juice to Gothic 1 Remake (plus some proper responses to feedback) by the time it releases to convince me and RPG enjoyers without nostalgia for the veteran series to return to the Khorinis mines.

Gothic 1 Remake will release at some point in 2025 on PC (Steam & GOG), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

To fully understand what’s going on here, we have to return to 2020, a year that, in spite of the pandemic, delivered a handful of bangers, both big and small. Kaizen released the open-world murder mystery adventure game Paradise Killer in September and quickly gained a cult following. I’ll admit I’ve yet to play through its entirety (something I plan to fix before Promise Mascot Agency launches), but a quick glance will tell you it looks and feels unlike anything else in the crowded modern indie market. The same applies to Promise Mascot Agency.

Whereas the pitch behind Paradise Killer was solving a huge murder case on an island governed by immortal beings who worship dead alien gods (won’t spoil the rest of the setup here), Promise Mascot Agency presents itself as a narrative adventure with heavy management elements, sort of. Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: It’s quite hard to classify Kaizen’s latest, and that’s good.

As many voices in the gaming space (rightly) argue a full pivot to indie development won’t save a crumbling industry, it’s becoming increasingly easy to notice that many independent video games just look too similar nowadays. Whether they’re good or bad, it’s hard to catch players’ attention nowadays when those of us who are interested are already spread too thin. You might get lucky with a pixel-art roguelite or yet another cozy farm sim starring a witch, but the indie space is even more saturated than the bloated AAA portion of the market at this point.

Honestly, this is the main reason why something as odd as Promise Mascot Agency is instantly eye-catching. You just haven’t seen it before. You’re eager to find out more about it and see whether it’s your jam or not. That alone is a huge victory for any indie developer. “We like big, bold character games,” said Kaizen co-founder Phil Crabtree back in 2020 while discussing Paradise Killer. More than four years later, that’s an apt way to describe Promise Mascot Agency as well. But, you know, the production values aren’t AAA-level and make sense for the type of game the team is going for here. Too often, even indie developers forget a “big, bold” game needn’t be cutting-edge or huge.

This doesn’t mean Promise Mascot Agency has dropped the open-world angle. It very much feels like a forgotten PS2-era genre-bending sandbox title from Japan that caused a studio to close almost immediately after its launch. Luckily for Kaizen Game Works, one of the positives of the gaming era we find ourselves in is that people are much more into extremely weird stuff.

Related: Two Point Museum Upholds the Franchise’s High Standards [Review]

The generous Next Fest demo jumps straight into the bulk of the game, saving the intro for the full release, which is set for April 10. A quick explainer of who Michi, the grave retired yakuza who’s exiled to the cursed town of Kaso-Machi, and Pinky, an energetic human-sized living finger, are is provided before the demo starts so the player can hit the ground running and get a solid idea of what the gameplay loop is and how the plot could potentially unfold.

Let’s talk about the latter first: I have no freakin’ clue, and I mean this as a compliment. Promise Mascot Agency will seemingly keep us on our toes and always guessing what comes next, and that’s a good feeling to have while exploring a new indie game. During the time I spent playing through the demo, the most normal character I met was an old corrupt mayor who kind of hates mascots but was willing to give the main characters a chance to rebuild the agency and make Kaso-Machi a bit less depressing (the promise of money under the table certainly helped their case).

This leads to Michi and Pinky meeting mascots like To-Fu (a tofu cube who won’t stop crying) and heroes like Captain Sign, “Japan’s only road-sign superhero.” It’s not only about the mascots; the run-down town is home to all sorts of colorful citizens and other helpful individuals. The end goal seems to be restoring both the place and the Promise Mascot Agency to their former glory, helping as many people as possible in the process and allowing mascots to take on different kinds of jobs. But I feel like anything could happen before the end credits roll.

With the narrative and management angles put front and center in the trailers and other marketing materials, you’d expect Promise Mascot Agency to be on the simpler side of things, but I was actually surprised by the amount of “video game-y” elements it has. It might have strong “collectathon” vibes, as none of its systems appear to be cutting deep, but its open world has refreshing PS2/Xbox-era DNA in both the way it looks and how the traversal and exploration loop feels. The strong Showa-era art and general aesthetics that drench the entire thing are just the cherry on top.

You can clean shrines, pick up lost purses to earn extra money, run into folks that need some help, and find more hero cards, among other things (and that’s just within the area the demo was limited to). As for the “meat and potatoes” of the game, you’re meant to hire mascots, negotiate their working conditions, and send them on “missions” that may or may not go well. If the latter happens, it’s time to go hands-on and send heroes (such as the aforementioned Captain Sign) to help; the card-based mini-game built around the RPG-y mechanics doesn’t seem too complicated, but it’ll be interesting to see how it all comes together in the full release and as the overall progression advances.

Regardless, the quality of the comedic chats between all sorts of eccentric characters and the management (and customization) possibilities of the agency feel like the “core” of a game, which ultimately is approachable and breezy, no matter how weird it looks at first. Michi and Pinky driving (and jumping) around with an old rusty truck is just what happens in between those bits.

Promise Mascot Agency launches on April 10 on PC (Steam & Epic Games Store), PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Artificial Nexus

A point-and-click mystery visual novel, Artificial Nexus strands you, a conveniently amnesiac Susan, in a recently attacked tech facility owned by potentially sinister corporation COEUS. Aided by a voice through the security cameras belonging to Hank, you must figure out who you are, why you are there, and what exactly happened. You click on items and explore a variety of rooms, learning about yourself and your surroundings as you go. Puzzles are clever and require deep reading and consideration of your environment to solve. Characters have simple but interesting designs, and the voice acting lends them personality. What really stands out is the writing though, building intrigue and depth to the setting.

Artificial Nexus has no official release date.

Draculesti

Nervous lawyer Roger Renfield must navigate the pitfalls and dangers of a mysterious Romanian countryside populated by charismatic otherworldly creatures — and maybe even find love with one of four suitors (including the mythical Dracula himself). Draculesti, a Dracula dating sim visual novel, comes alive with its writing. Appropriately drawn-out description flows flowery across the screen like the trails of a Romantic novelist’s quill. It’s sharp where it needs to be and takes its time where it wants. It feels like proper Draculaic fiction, albeit with a contemporary flair that makes it accessible. Coupled with lavish background and character art and a ponderous strings-heavy soundtrack, Draculesti captures the feeling of a haunted Romanian castle.

Draculesti has no official release date.

The Drifter

Drifter Mick is returning to the city for a family funeral when armed men shoot up his train, killing a fellow drifter and kidnapping a journalist. It ends with Mick tied up and drowned in the river. Inexplicably, Mick is thrown back in time to just before his murder. Investigating murder is never easy, doubly so when it’s your own. This pulpy, pixel art point-and-click murder mystery follows Mick’s journey to the truth of his death, the kidnapping, and a series of mysterious disappearances in the local homeless community. Fully voice acted in a delightfully gravelly Australian drawl and with vibrant and evocative pixel art, The Drifter takes the traditional point-and-click formula and applies a layer of modern grit and grime.

The Drifter is set for a 2025 release.

The Last Werewolf

The Last Werewolf is a 3D interactive fiction adventure game where main character Lachie, who has recently discovered she is a werewolf, is trying to find out what she is and where she belongs. On this quest for self-discovery, Lachie explores several small locations over a set period of days, discovering clues that will hopefully lead to answers – all the while trying her best to avoid any inconvenient transformations. Monochrome in presentation, this light noir-style adventure game has a touch of Twin Peaks vibe by way of Life is Strange. It’s perhaps too gentle on the puzzle and mystery aspect in its current state, but there is promise of a compelling story, and the protagonist Lachie is likeable and well-written.

The Last Werewolf is currently in Early Access. It has no official release date.

My Arms Are Longer Now

In My Arms Are Longer Now, your arms are longer. Why? Because. As a hand attached to a long arm, you must navigate your appendage through isometric vignettes, worming around various obstacles to extra-legally acquire various items. Winding through chair legs and handrails can and will snag you up as you tie yourself in literal knots. Armed with stretchiness, crawly fingers, and a pinch and a slap, you must pick up and use the right items at the right time to thieve the best loot. It’s all very tongue-in-cheek, with an awkwardness in controls reminiscent of something like Octodad that adds to the quirky fun. The clever writing, funny voice acting, and funnier physical comedy make for a weird and charming experience.

My Arms Are Longer Now has no official release date.

Those tasks are also some of the most important for the grieving process.

Fishbowl, by two-person indie studio imissmyfriends, is a slice-of-life coming of age story about 21-year-old Alo, on her own in the big city with her first real job, living away from her family and friends for the first time ever. I played the demo at PAX Australia 2024 and came away in awe.

Told from a top-down perspective similar to Stardew Valley or To The Moon, Fishbowl takes place in Alo’s house over the period of a month, according to the developers. It is primarily a narrative experience in a small and intimate space, told through Alo’s reactions to her belongings and thought processes during day-to-day life.

It is Alo’s encounter with a mechanical talking fish – a present from her childhood, delivered via parcel from her mother – that serves as the crux of this healing experience.

The slice-of-life elements are front and center here, as you explore your apartment and take care of the daily necessities. Choosing to shower, what to eat, when to drink water, or simply reminiscing with your belongings. There are no food/hydration/sleep meters – just you deciding whether you want Alo to be a healthy, normal human being.

There are brief segments of more traditional gameplay on offer, like sliding block puzzles or Tetris-esque block-falling segments, and they feel obviously gamey. Nothing is too complex here, but they serve as a reminder that you are, in fact, playing a video game. I could take or leave these sections – they interrupt the narrative flow but in a benignly intrusive way that can feel like a short break.

More important are railroaded exploration sections. Dreams of hospital visits and childhood games are laid out as linear set pieces where you wander from point to point listening to Alo’s thoughts or memories of what happened. As Alo progresses, she also regresses, remembering childhood pillow forts and days spent in the park with her grandmother.

There is the clear sense that Alo wants to live in the past, back when days were simple and love was all-encompassing. It’s touching, but also melancholy and a little cynical in a way that only age and adulthood can be. Growing up is, after all, harsh.

Conversations with family, friends, and new colleagues at her video editing job – handled through visual novel-style video call segments – reveal details about Alo’s life and personality and those of the people closest to her. Her mother and her best friend check up on her, knowing of her grief and helping her through it, in the largely unspoken way only those closest to us know how to. Through these interactions, we get the sense of Alo’s deep feeling of loss and how she is doing her best to live with it. It plays out through her small hesitations when the topic is broached, in the way she insists that everything is fine. In the way they know she’s not but support her pretense anyway.

It has been a whole month since her beloved Jaja – grandmother – died, but for Alo the pain is still fresh.

The pastel palette pixel art and lo-fi 8-bit chiptune soundtrack lend a charming vibrancy and light to the experience, ensuring that Fishbowl’s themes of grief and loss are offset by the moments of cheer and happiness that nostalgia brings.

Fishbowl is a contemplative exploration of how we relate to people through objects and memory. The single day included in the demo is a bold promise of things to come, and, if the sharp writing and deft handling of theme are anything to go by, the final game is set to be something special.

Fishbowl has no official release date, but it will be coming to PlayStation 5 and PC. You can play the free demo on Steam right now.

The demo was similar to the one seen at Gamescom but added a few new weapons and an Extreme difficulty mode. I personally played on the Hard difficulty and watched a braver colleague than I play on Extreme. If you missed what Phantom Blade Zero was all about during its announcement, it’s a bloody, fast-paced action RPG with a darker atmosphere developed by S-GAME, a studio based out of China. They call it a Kungfupunk game, though I’m not quite sure what that means.

The demo featured three sections: a tutorial that taught me the basics, a small explorable area that ended in a boss fight, and then a difficult boss fight to wrap things up.

The crux of Phantom Blade Zero‘s combat is Ghost Steps, which can be activated on a perfect parry against a strong attack or a perfect dodge against an unblockable attack. This allows your dark-clad character to slow down time and flip behind the enemy, opening up a window to deal massive damage and break their stance gauge.

There’s a bunch of different weapons to try along with a handful of ranged weaponry as well. 

After the tutorial, I went up against a boss called Tie Sha the Frenzy. This axe-weilding brute threw strong attack after strong attack at me, allowing me to flip behind him and make short work of him. Here, I got to use the regular sword and dual swords, swapping between them with the flick of the D-pad whenever I wanted, though it didn’t look like I could combine their movesets to extend combos. Regardless, I found the quicker dual swords much more potent than the slower regular sword – a recurring theme in the demo.

Next up was a small explorable area with a dozen or so regular enemies to take on. Unlike in other action RPGs, they had a bit of weight to them, requiring me to break their stance before I could deal significant damage unless I was able to Ghost Step behind them. Taking down Tie Sha with ease gave me too much confidence because, as you’d expect, multiple enemies made short work of me especially from range, as arrows stunned me and allowed the mob to tear me to shreds. This was the first of two deaths I experienced.

Related: Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Was Like a Nostalgic Ki Blast to the Face [Hands-On Preview]

They then threw me into a boss fight against an even bigger brute lovingly named Captain Cleave. As you’d expect, he stood a couple heads taller than my avatar and wielded a massive curved sword one-handed. Here, I had an even longer sword that my avatar wielded with two hands, creating a flowing fighting style with wide-arcs of blood upon connecting with Mr. Cleaver.

I found this fight a little more difficult as the weapon attacks were slower, meaning I had to wait to Ghost Step to get any real damage in. Once I did, though, it seemed like Captain Cleave was stun-locked for quite a while, allowing me to whittle down half his health in one go. I came away from that fight believing Phantom Blade Zero was a bit more forgiving of a game than its peers.

Finally, the demo threw me up against Huangxing, the Sunken Pillar of Kunlun, which you might’ve seen from trailers and the like as he wields a massive shield on a chain that rips off the protagonist’s head in gruesome fashion. This is exactly what happened to me, resulting in my second death.

Huangxing almost got me a second time as I had equipped what looked like Captain Cleave’s weapon, a powerful thing that I found far too slow for a boss fight. Switching weapons, I discovered I also had equipped a pair of chakram-like discs. These were by far the speediest weapons I used, and they were able to put Huangxing on the backfoot long enough for me to break his stance and slice down his health bar. At the end of a certain combo, I also found I could whip them from a distance, making them also the most satisfying weapons I used.

I came away certain that Phantom Blade Zero faces the same problem of many similar titles: slow, big weapons are generally worse than quick ones that let you maintain mobility. Furthermore, it seemed like it was a rather easy experience overall. In fact, when the staff came over to congratulate me for finishing the demo it felt rather patronizing. 

On the other hand, I watched a colleague try the Extreme mode, and it looked like the bosses didn’t do anymore damage and health bars weren’t extended, but rather parry and dodge windows were much narrower. Furthermore, it definitely seemed like the bosses wouldn’t just take abuse like they did with me, recovering from Ghost Steps far quicker. 

Speaking with the staff, they told me that Extreme mode wouldn’t be available until after you beat the game once. Take that as either a blessing or a curse, as depending on how good you are at these types of games, you may find your first playthrough far too easy.

Regardless, I’m looking forward to seeing if Phantom Blade Zero can set itself apart in an increasingly crowded genre and whether or not they can tune the difficulty but that’ll have to wait for the far future – fall of 2026, to be exact.

Phantom Blade Zero doesn’t have a release date.

As much as I wanted to take on a random Japanese Dragon Ball fan, the demo provided was single-player only. In it, I could select up to three heroes to add to my team. And while I knew Sparking Zero had pretty much every Dragon Ball character and all their forms, I was a little overwhelmed scrolling through the 50 Goku and 35 Vegeta forms.

Once I found them, I went with a team of my childhood favorites – Future Trunks, Android 18, and Piccolo – and chose Planet Namek as the locale I wanted to destroy. When the match immediately began against a standard Vegeta, I was surprised – I thought I would be able to select the enemy team (we’ll come back to that.)

Regardless, I jumped right into the frenetic 3D action. For those who haven’t played a Budokai game, you control your character from an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective and are automatically locked onto your opponent. In proper Dragon Ball fashion, I could power up, fire ki-blasts, and pummel my Vegeta hundreds of feet through the air. I also made use of new mechanics like short dashes, though I would have to go back and play a few more rounds to get a proper feel of new additions like the revenge counter system.

New mechanics or not, it was like riding a bike after so many years. Future Trunks used his trademark (and badass) sword to slice up his father from the past with most of his attacks, though I was at that point mostly button-mashing.

This version was running on a regular PlayStation 5, so the cell-shaded graphics didn’t struggle to output a smooth 60 frames per second. Massive cliff faces crumbled as Vegeta kicked Trunks into them, and seizure-inducing light flashed with each beam of energy fired. Just as I was getting the hang of things, however, the demo ended with Vegeta’s defeat — it seemed I had only one opponent.

Related: Is Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Crossplay? Answered

Upon reloading the demo, I realized my mistake: after I selected my three heroes, I had to select three more for my opponent by pressing a shoulder button rather than pressing next.

This time around, I picked the strongest fighter in the universe: Captain Ginyu. Backing him up were Videl (in place of the recently revealed Master Roshi, who I couldn’t find scrolling through so many characters) and Mr. Satan. Our opponents were Majin Buu, Perfect Cell, and Frieza. An even match, right?

I set the stage for Destroyed Planet Namek – which, I think, is from when Goku defeated Frieza. Like I said, it’s been a while.

I fell into a flow as the battle started, and while I don’t fully understand how the in-universe power levels of characters translate into the game, Majin Buu was a tough fight. Luckily, I managed to create some distance from the perky pink blob, fully charge Ginyu’s Ki Gauge, and use his trademark Body Change ability, swapping my nearly defeated Ginyu for a much more powerful Majin Buu.

From there, I made short work of Perfect Cell and Frieza as the eccentric villain. While I was button-mashing less, I found I still didn’t truly know what I was doing – but boy was it fun, flashy, and most importantly incredibly true to the series.

Much like Dragon Ball FighterZ before it, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero takes its source material incredibly seriously. While it’s been a while since I watched Dragon Ball Z, the characters’ moves were immediately recognizable. More than anything, it felt like I got a Kamehameha of nostalgia right to the face as the demo concluded.

I didn’t get to try other game modes from this Tokyo Game Show demo, like the Story Mode with “What If” scenarios that play out if you finish battles differently than in the anime, along with custom game modes and the like. Fortunately, I won’t have to wait long to do so, as Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero releases fairly soon.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero releases on October 11 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.

I’ll admit up front I’ve been a Sonic enjoyer but never a Sonic fan, with my love of the series pretty much beginning with the Sonic Advance games and ending with Sonic Adventure 2, so I went into the all-new Shadow Generations full of skepticism. Instead, I came away pleasantly surprised, mostly because what I played reminded me a lot of the Radical Highway level from Sonic Adventure 2.

Taking control of the edgy Shadow, I darted around a sci-fi landscape reminiscent of a space station, slamming into enemies, bouncing off springs, and grinding on rails. For the most part, this was as exhilarating as ever, almost like playing a high-speed racing title. However, running into a wall and mistiming a jump still halts the action – a frustrating mainstay of the series since the beginning.

I could see plenty of alternate paths and out-of-reach rings that would definitely have prompted level replays if I had more time with the game, some of them possibly tied to Shadow’s Chaos Control ability, which slows down time. This ability allowed me to dodge massive pistons and slow platforms enough to make use of them.

It also came into play during a quick time event where I had to slow time as an unavailable missile flew toward me. Then, Shadow launched into a quick-time event where I mashed a button as he whacked the slowed missile until it flew off into the distance when time resumed, exploding and creating a new path. Simple? Sure. Fun? Definitely.

Related: All Pre-Order Bonuses & Editions For Sonic X Shadow Generations

However, slowing time also muted the awesome techno soundtrack that kept the action moving along. An odd choice – I would’ve much preferred to keep the beat but warp the music in some other way.

This stage concluded with a Cthulhu-like starfish monster appearing and warping reality into one with sprawling, twisted buildings far below. This sent Shadow off into a finale equal parts trippy and exhilarating. 

The remake of Sonic Generations, on the other hand, played pretty much exactly like you’d expect. I didn’t experience any of the “modern” Sonic stages, which are 3D, but I did play through Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant as “classic” Sonic, which is the 2D Sonic you know and love. There’s truly nothing more to expect here: it ran flawlessly on the high-end PC they had it running on and exactly like the Sonic games of yore.

This then begs the question: how long will the all-new Shadow sections be? Sonic Generations is rather short, clocking in at about 3 hours, and if Shadow Generations isn’t much longer, this is a collection that might leave Sonic fans hungry.

As such, if this was just a remaster of Sonic Generations, I think this wouldn’t be a collection worth checking out unless you’re really into speedrunning Sonic games. On the other hand, the addition of a whole new Shadow-led adventure makes this feel more like a love letter to fans and an enticing pickup for even the hedgehog-curious. It definitely revitalized my interest in the long-running series, and I’m looking forward to seeing how well it’s received – and how much content is here – when it releases on October 25.

And while I stand by the gauntlet I’m throwing down, I’ll lay a caveat beside it, too. Seven hours is a long time to spend with a game, but the sections I previewed were highly curated. I got the context of the early missions, two companion recruitments, and the mission that leads up to the end of Act 1. Built into this were boss fights, the chance to chat and flirt with the extremely eligible set of bachelors and bachelorettes, and a smattering of side quests. While I got a good look at some of the broad strokes of the game, many of the finer details were missing, leaving the picture pretty but ultimately fragmented.

The Character Creation Is Everything I Hoped It Would Be

With all that out of the way, Veilguard is a game that starts off gorgeous and just doesn’t stop. The character creation is everything I wanted in Baldur’s Gate 3 but could only get through mods. You’ve got the standard face and body sliders, but Veilguard goes deep, adding hooded eyes, ear height and types, and even the option to include ear asymmetry and cauliflower ear. Makeup, scars, tattoos, and body paints are all options you can use to really make your character your own. And yes, tattoos and body paints are very separate things.

But the real highlight is the hair. If you love playing long-hair characters, you know the torment of only being able to choose between the mid-length bob or long hair that floats awkwardly over the shoulder. But Veilguard brings us into the future. With long hair, Rook’s silky strands are ludicrously luxurious. Curls likewise look fantastic, and even short hair is crisp. But you really only get this experience if you opt for the best hair graphics available.

With credit given where it’s due, it’s time to acknowledge the awkward horned elephant in the room. The option to be a Qunari is a welcome addition to character creation, and it’s what I’m going to select for my main Rook. But after a gameplay preview showcased a now notorious male Qunari, I found myself worried I wouldn’t be able to make the muscle babe of my dreams. And after toying around with character creation for some time, I found most of my concerns addressed.

The horn options are fantastic, offering a variety of shades of black, brown, and white, with a variety of ornaments. And you can certainly reduce the Megamind-like forehead that was showcased in the game clips, which was a huge relief. The only issue that was left for me was some minor visual bugs that occurred where the horns meet the base, as some don’t quite line up.

The World Is Beautiful – And There Is So Much Loot

Dragon Age: Origins introduced us to the color brown. But Dragon Age: The Veilguard paints with a full palette and offers an endless array of environments, from the dark and gritty city of Minrathous to the glistening, Venice-like city of Treviso. These environments are immediately distinct and recognizable, but if you really look closely at any area, you start to see how much love and effort was poured into each scene. Market stalls feel realistic; the flora and fauna are carefully curated. And each city, forest, and dungeon feels like its own living, breathing entity.

Likewise, there are plenty of details in the environment that build into the greater narrative of the games. Themes of regret, the corruption of power, choice, and consequence, are baked into the very DNA of Veilguard, and the execution is artfully articulated in the very landscapes you explore.

But perhaps more importantly, there’s lots of loot. Each area has plenty of items and chests to discover. Most large chests are marked on the map and include a mini puzzle to unlock. But there are also so many caches, resources, and tiny sacks of gold scattered around each level that reward exploration and prove to be a delight for anyone who’s a treasure-hoarding goblin. And if you’re reading this, I’m probably talking about you.  

Your Choices Have Consequences

Like many fans of the franchise, I came to adore Dragon Age because of the array of choices it set before me. And Dragon Age: The Veilguard takes the concept of choice and consequence and brings it to the next level, with devastating and delightful results.  

I won’t spoil anything. But there are so many decisions you can make in the game, and each has its impact. Choosing to send one character into a dangerous situation, for example, might mean that they’re injured (complete with bruises that linger) and can’t come with you on your next mission.

And while some decisions are minor, other choices foisted on you are absolutely brutal, with no right or wrong answer. With one decision I made, I was forced to trawl through the destruction I’d wrought, and it left me with a sickly feeling of guilt. But my feelings underlined just how much I loved the game after only a day of playing it. I was fully immersed in the world, in its people, and in its story. The culmination of the beautiful, detailed settings, fantastic writing and voice acting, and the agency of choice brought me fully into the game.

Related: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Will Live or Die by Its Companions

The Combat Is Fast-Paced But Probably Not for Everyone

While I’m sure most everyone will love the story and characters, the one area I think will separate the community is combat. If you enjoy games like Elden Ring, Wukong, and God of War, you’re more than prepared for what Veilguard will throw at you. But if you come to the game a little unfamiliar with dodging and blocking, you might find yourself overwhelmed.

If you’re a turn-based fanatic, you might struggle to really get into the combat. Alternatively, if you love crushing buttons and bludgeoning your opponents to death, with the only build you need being “unga bunga weapon does bleed damage,” you might find the skill trees to be overly involved.

However, build crafting is a major component of combat in Veilguard. Each time your Rook levels, you’ll get a skill point, which you can dedicate into a sprawling skill tree, which you’d ideally synergize with your equipment. Equipped items can have certain abilities, which you can unlock over time, and you can further enchant or upgrade them to further empower them. The companions have their own skill trees, but these are much more simplified.

What’ll probably throw most players for a loop, though, is controlling your companions. Each companion has abilities and can be told to focus their attacks on enemies. To do this, you’ll need to open up a menu that essentially pauses the combat and lets you select your abilities. Abilities that synergize to do more damage are clearly marked, and your companions will even tell you when their abilities are off cooldown so you’re not constantly checking the team tab.

Coming into the preview, I expected the companion menu to be clunky in combat. And while it felt awkward at first, by the end of the day, it felt like second nature. What wound up being far more of a thorn in my side was the camera. While it’s generally fantastic, if you’re ever too close to the wall, the camera can freak out. This turns a fight incredibly dicey on harder difficulties when dodging and blocking are the only things separating you from a meeting with the floor and possible game over screen.

Should You Play Veilguard If You Never Played Dragon Age?

I’ll admit, it can feel intimidating to get into Dragon Age: Veilguard. The game is definitely a continuation of a broader story in a world that’s already been established. But a lot of effort has been made to make it clear what certain terminology is and what the stakes are.

You’ll enjoy it the most if you’ve played Inquisition, but it’s not essential to get into the game. And the further you go, the more it feels like a new game. Ultimately, if you’re really into story-driven games and epic adventures, it’s absolutely a game you should try out.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be available to play on October 31.

Travel and accommodations were provided by the publisher for the purposes of this preview and without the expectation of positive coverage in exchange.

A Beautiful & Haunting World Awaits

While games such as Until Dawn and The Quarry have helped push the narrative horror genre to new heights over the years, this is my first genuine experience with a Supermassive Games title. Akin to a “choose your own adventure” novel, my journey started in the year 1963 in Cedar Hills, Oregon. Moody lighting and haunting imagery filled my mind while a stunning musical arrangement swept me off of my feet, setting the tone for what I could come to expect during my time with The Casting of Frank Stone.

Taking control of Sam, I set out on my investigation to find a missing infant, with all clues pointing me in the direction of a possible destination — the Steel Mill. After meeting up with a Veteran who has found respite from his previous life and current drinking problem by becoming the night watch for the Mill, it was time for the investigation to start. Questions and answers are exchanged, depending on the choices that I make that can affect the relationships that I form with these characters, and I’ve earned enough good faith to enter the Mill on my own.

It was time to fully start my investigation, and I planned to uncover the mystery of the missing child, no matter what got in my way. As I received complete control of Sam, I began searching every nook and cranny, encountering Trinkets along the way, small pieces of lore that would help me understand who I was searching for, and even a few scares along the way.

The masterful lighting and sound design kept every corner of this mill plunged in the darkness of the night, with only my trusty flashlight illuminating the path before me. I stumble upon a room and am immediately overcome by the stench of death — something isn’t right here. I explore further and further until I encounter Merlin, the nightwatch’s trusty pooch, gorging on a pile of unidentified flesh and bone. That explains where the smell was coming from, and I’m gagging in real life as Sam reaches into the pile to start examining what it may be.

Supermassive Games has done a respectable job of bringing this world to life, with incredible voice acting paired with beautiful character models filled with expression. Each choice I make affects the outcome of the story, with realistic reactions depending on the actions I decide to push forward with. While I may have started stern and sour with Sam, I slowly began to be kinder toward the nightwatchman I realized that I was going to need his help if I was to solve this case.

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The Dead by Daylight Universe Needed This

While The Casting of Frank Stone may not immediately scream Dead by Daylight, the further I investigated the seedy Steel Mill, the more the inspiration became apparent. In a later segment of the hands-on preview I played, Sam crept through a small crack in the wall coated in steam. As a valve broke, the familiar Skill Check meter burst onto the screen, and muscle memory kicked in to nail it in the white alongside the familiar sound I’d heard for countless hours.

As I crept through a muddy, terrifying hallway, I also uncovered a morbid creation called a Rellik, a small doll in the shape and visage of the Hillbilly — one of the original Killers from the Dead by Daylight universe. Sam is confused by this terrifying creation, and I’m on the edge of my seat because I don’t know what is coming next.

As my demo came to a close, I finally had the opportunity to face off against Frank Stone himself, with the action taking place as Quick Time events and Skill Checks. It’s a tense showdown and wraps up with a cliffhanger that has me wanting to go into a cryogenic sleep until September 3. At least I can play through it again and try out a few different options to see what I can expect from the alternate choices and how much they affect the overall outcome.

The world of Dead by Daylight is shrouded in mystery and intrigue, and this little taste has already left me wanting more. Without going into too many spoilers, there are plenty of homages to Dead by Daylight in the latter half of this demo, and The Casting of Frank Stone has already hooked itself into my mind.

It’s easy to see why Supermassive was brought in for this title — while my time with The Casting of Frank Stone may have been short, the world that they’ve created and drew me into was incredibly captivating. They’re typically considered masters of their genre and their craft, and it’s exciting to see what they’re going to do with one of my favorite game universes when I finally have full access to this adventure.

The Casting of Frank Stone will be available on September 3, 2024, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The publisher provided a code for the sake of preview. Previewed on PC.

When you first start The Plucky Squire you’ll be invited into a unique storybook-style world with gameplay that should feel familiar for old-school action-adventure fans and platforming diehards alike. Flipping the pages of this story, the player is introduced to new challenges and unique ways to solve them.

Before reaching the 2D to 3D transition, The Plucky Squire introduces its unique puzzling elements some of which come in the form of sentence forming. On the ground, you will find words that can be carried and swapped with dialogue on the page to change the environment and allow access to paths previously blocked. The first time you do it you’ll instantly catch on, but it’s how this tool is mixed with more traditional puzzling elements that feels great.

From just its first hours, The Plucky Squire has an immediate feeling of nostalgia. There’s even a mini-game styled like Punch-Out!! so players have that to look forward to. Nothing about the early game platforming feels particularly unique until you’re thrown out of the story into the 3D world.

The 3D world is where puzzle platforming becomes more prevalent. Here you’ll be jumping across structures, moving items, and unlocking paths to continue the story. To do this you’ll often need to jump between the 2D and 3D realms which couldn’t feel more smooth, and will be your ticket to survival more than one time.

While the opening chapters of The Plucky Squire are incredibly fun, it hasn’t felt particularly difficult, even on the game’s hardest setting. These challenges may come later in the game, but for now, expect to solve these problems with little to no hassle.

As far as the story goes it has been solid, but not memorable yet. It’s basically what you would expect from a narrated action-adventure, but we’ll have to finish things off to provide a true verdict Expect that to be included in our review.

Let’s get real. The biggest thing that has attracted gamers to The Plucky Squire is its visuals, and All Possible Futures has nailed this. There’s just no way that this game could look any more perfect both in its 2D and 3D portions. It remains to be seen if we’ll get a variety of environments as the game progresses, but so far it has a lot of promise, so we’re optimistic there’s more eye candy to come.

Overall our first few hours with The Plucky Squire have been great and if this quality is maintained through the rest of the game this could be one of the best indie games of the year. The Plucky Squire is scheduled to release on PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC on Sept. 17.

A PC preview copy of The Plucky Squire was provided to Escapist Magazine from Devolver Digital.

A Colorful and Dynamic Journey

In the world of Visions of Mana, all living beings are driven by Mana. This magical energy’s constant flow ensures that peace and balance will reign throughout the whole realm. But to keep everything in order, sacrifices must be made to the Mana Tree every year. These sacrifices are named alms and are personally chosen by the elementals, being all protected by the soul guard during their journey to the tree.

The game follows the saga of Val, the newest soul guard tasked with meeting and leading the alms to the Mana Tree in a journey filled with dangers, adventures, and life-changing discoveries in the vast, magical world in which they live. A classical but clever reason to make us travel the whole world. While it doesn’t look like anything different or unique at first, that’s exactly where its charm is at.

But it’s not like there are no stakes in Visions of Mana. Failing to bring the alms to the tree will condemn the world to absolute disaster, and you see more than enough proof throughout your journey that this is more than just a mere old wives’ tale. But this is by no means a reason not to enjoy the scenery while you’re on the road.

With its stunning visuals and very RPG-esque designs, it’s hard not to be reminded of some titles released during the mid-2000s and early 2010s. Tales of Symphonia and Dragon Quest VIII are good examples that come to mind, as they all share more than just similar art styles. It almost makes the game feel nostalgic, in a way, making it instantly appealing for fans of these older titles. And even if you weren’t a big fan of those, the game has a surprisingly amazing flow to it.

Random encounters are a good example. Fights are dynamic and will end as quickly as they started, to the point where you almost can’t feel the battle transition happening. In just a second, you’re back to exploring the pseudo-open world to find its many treasures, collectibles, and secrets. I didn’t care about grinding at any point and still ended up frequently above the zone’s average level. To me, it just felt natural to beat up those conveniently positioned monsters.

Related: Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Brings A Classic To A New Era (Hands-On Preview)

The storyline, albeit simple, can also be pleasing for the same reasons. Writing isn’t the best aspect of Visions of Mana, and certain lines feel somewhat out of place. But they work perfectly for this title, giving you a relaxing, laid-back tale about duty, self-discovery, and adventure in this fantastical world. Not every JRPG needs to have you fighting God (no matter how good this trope is).

Having tons of simple requests, such as killing monsters as side quests, fits here, but even those are somewhat modernized in certain ways. None of the systems are particularly hard to grasp either, making it an easy adventure to digest, as it doesn’t aim to be too ambitious and risk stepping on its own toes.

A Never Ending (And Extensive) Exploration

For a world this big, there will obviously be a lot of side objectives for those longing for more adventure. Each map is filled with treasures and secrets that often require you to come back later to uncover, not to mention the various ongoing side quests you find along the way. There are dozens of extra hours you can get by merely revisiting older locations, again and again, to discover what they’re truly hiding.

It feels even more satisfying, thanks to the map’s sheer size. While things feel huge at first, traveling in Visions of Mana is simpler than it seems and still maintains that feeling of traversing through obstacles and mountains to reach your long-desired goal. This is partly thanks to the free teleport system, which is available at all times. You can instantly travel to any city or save points on any map whenever you want, making those revisits much smoother than expected.

In-depth customization is also present and very much appreciated. A character’s move set can be fully customized using Ability Seeds found inside chests or obtained as quest rewards. They range from passive enhancements to completely new abilities that may or may not fit your characters. But going the extra length to obtain these is (usually) satisfying.

And if these are not enough, you also have a competent class system on top of that. All playable characters have multiple classes that focus on diverse aspects, making combat much more interesting to optimize and more fun. With special challenges scattered around the map and powerful enemies in the wild, it’s hard to find yourself bored.

But it doesn’t come without its downsides. Anything becomes a bit of a chore after a while, especially when most objectives are “defeat X monsters” or “obtain Y items.” These don’t bother me so much, but I would still want to see more engaging side quests.

However, this wouldn’t be enough to make me give up an amazing combat system and the comfortable pace it manages to set in stone. I always find myself eager for the next playing session, as both the exploration and the combat aspects are hard to put down.

If you enjoy combat freedom, a good story/progression flow, and tons of exploration, you should definitely be excited for Visions of Mana. It shows more promise than it might seem at first, and I would be more than happy if it makes the series once again worthy of new titles in the future.

Visions of Mana will be available on August 29 for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.