Tag Archives: Media

Marauding minotaurs, more CloverPit and other new indie games worth checking out

Posted on by

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As always, we're here to tell you about a bunch of new games you can play this weekend, as well as several upcoming titles. 

The latest edition of the Triple-i Initiative showcase was packed with cool stuff, including a first peek at the fascinating next game from 1000xResist developer Sunset Visitor, word of a Don't Starve follow-up, a release date for stealth title Thick as Thieves and an announcement of when pirate survival sim Windrose will hit early access.

We also got a release window for Neverway, a life sim with gorgeously creepy pixel art. The prologue is available to play now on Steam, and it doesn't take long at all before things become delightfully strange. I'll run through a few of the other Triple-i highlights below.

Before we get to the new releases, though, I want to touch on something I spotted a little too late to include in last week's roundup. On Reddit, the developer of mixed reality game CoasterMania shared a video showcasing an update that lets players use their hands to build and interact with rollercoasters. I think this looks just swell. This is the most I've ever been interested in picking up a Meta Quest headset (which I'd inevitably use for a grand total of about 45 minutes). 

I don't like to overwork my brain when I'm playing games. I’m focused all day at work and afterwards, I just want to switch off for a bit. That's a big reason why I play a ton of Overwatch and don't really gel too well with most puzzle games. Minos, though, hits the sweet spot of brain engagement for me.

In this roguelite from Artificer and publisher Devolver Digital, your aim is to stop glory-seeking adventurers from finding and killing a minotaur. You'll shape a labyrinth as you see fit in order to defend the beast from these warriors. You can set up the maze by building and knocking down walls, and setting traps. The adventurers will follow a set path to the minotaur's lair, then make a beeline for the monster when they discover it's hiding elsewhere. 

There are a lot of ways to dispose of the interlopers and you'll need to be thoughtful about how to set everything up to take out each wave of attackers. Many traps can only be placed on certain spots, so it's important to work around those. You'll need to adjust your setup after every wave — you’ll gain more traps and have to re-arrange them to fend off different types of enemies. 

Minos is more active than a lot of tower defense and strategy games I've played, as the minotaur can reset certain traps after they trigger and, if need be, try to kill the adventurers head-on. I found myself spending quite a bit of time thinking through each enemy's path through my domain and how I was going to eliminate them. Sometimes, I miscalculated and brought my run to an end. Being able to improve the minotaur's stats and unlock new powers between runs helped me keep coming back for more. 

I'm really enjoying Minos, and I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being one of my favorite games of the year. You can snap it up on Steam now for $18. A demo is available too.

Spring has finally bloomed in my neck of the woods. I planned to spend a chunk of my weekend outside after a long winter. But now I might need to bring my Steam Deck with me, because the first DLC for CloverPit, one of my favorite games of last year, suddenly arrived during the Triple-i Initiative showcase. 

CloverPit is a Balatro-style incremental roguelite from Panik Arcade and publisher Future Friends Games. It tasks you with breaking the rules of a slot machine to meet increasingly high coin targets in order to pay off a debt. You can pick up charms that modify the machine, and the Unholy Fusion DLC is all about those totems. You'll be able to use a new device called the Surgery Machine to fuse charms into more powerful items (à la Ball x Pit). It seems like that will free up valuable space for more charms too.

The DLC adds 30 fusion charms, 11 new base charms, a secret ending and other features. I've played CloverPit for dozens of hours (I'm far from the only one, as the game's pulled in more than 5 million players). I suspect I'm about to sink a whole lot more time into this DLC.

The Unholy Fusion DLC usually costs $3, but there's a 10 percent discount on Steam until April 23. The base game is typically $10, though you can get 30 percent off on Steam until the same date. You'll save an extra five percent if you buy a bundle with both. CloverPit is also on Game Pass, and you can buy a bundle of the base game and DLC on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Xbox on PC for $11.49. On iOS and Android, you can snag CloverPit for $5 and the DLC for $2.

Another title had a surprise, sudden release during the Triple-i Initiative showcase: battle royale typing game Final Sentence. I really enjoyed the demo for this one, even though I'm not the fastest or most accurate typist around — I made four typos in this sentence alone. Make too many mistakes or fail to beat everyone else who's bashing away at a typewriter and it's curtains for you, courtesy of a creepy figure with a revolver that’s standing by your desk.

Final Sentence, from Button Mash and Polden Publishing, is available on Steam. It'll typically cost $10, but if you pick it up before April 23, you'll save 10 percent. (Sidenote: I enjoyed a Steam review that read, “finally… a way for millennials to beat Gen Z at a battle royale game.)

One of the most interesting things about People of Note is that Iridium Studios tried to make this musical adventure as approachable as possible. It's an RPG with turn-based battles, but you can skip the fights if you like. That's appealing to someone like me, who enjoys story-driven games but often struggles to engage with turn-based combat. Puzzles are skippable too. Great! People should be able to play non-competitive games however they want.

I dug the demo when I played it a while back. The approach to battles here is interesting, as the protagonist, pop singer Cadence, recruits other musicians to join her band — in other words, your party. The combat is based around music, and you can create mashups of battle tracks based on the genres that your collaborators specialize in. 

People of Note, from publisher Annapurna Interactive, will normally run you $25, though there's a 10 percent launch discount. It's available on PS5 (the discount on that platform is only for PlayStation Plus subscribers), Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Tamashika is a fast-paced first-person shooter with a neat twist. The game only has one level available at any time. There are no checkpoints, and it'll take about 10 minutes to complete a successful run. The level gets a procedurally generated revamp once per day.

A tantō blade, a pistol, your movement and your aim are the only weapons you have to defeat the enemies and reach the goal. I had to watch the trailer a few times to get it, but the quirky hand-drawn aesthetic is growing on me.

Tamashika — from QuickTequila and publisher Edglrd — is available on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch for $20.

A Hidden Object Fest is running on Steam until April 13, and a few new games have debuted as part of that. One of those is Nippets by Blink Industries. It's a hand-drawn game with lots of secrets and, at least judging by the trailer, charming animations. It seems like a very relaxing counterpoint to some of the more intense games out this week. It's pretty digestible too, as it has around two to three hours of gameplay, depending on how sharp your observation skills are.

Nippets is available on Steam and Itch for PC and Mac. It costs $13, though there's a 10 percent discount on Steam until April 21. A demo is available on both storefronts too.

Dead As Disco has some momentum after 1.2 million players checked out the demo, and this rhythm-based beat 'em up now has an early access release date. It's coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 5.

At the jump, you'll be able to play the first arc of a larger narrative and be able to take out bad guys to the beat of a soundtrack that has more than 30 songs, including original tracks, covers and licensed tunes. You can load in your own music as well, though I can't imagine being able to adeptly play this to the rhythm of Angine de Poitrine's wild time signature swings. 

Brain Jar Games expects the game to remain in early access for around a year as it adds new bosses, moves and other features, and makes adjustments based on player feedback. A co-op mode is planned too. You can get a taste of Dead As Disco now by checking out the Steam demo, though I would argue that disco is still very much alive.

Those looking for a puzzle game of a Lovecraftian persuasion may be interested in Call of the Elder Gods, a sequel to 2020's Call of the Sea. The follow-up is bound for Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2 on May 12. It'll be available on Game Pass and it's priced at $25 on the eShop.

You seemingly won't need to have played Call of the Sea before diving into the sequel, though you'll surely get more out of Call of the Elder Gods if you have. You'll switch between two characters — professor Harry Everhart and student Evangeline Drayton — to solve puzzles from a first-person perspective and try to find out what happened to the pair's missing loved ones.

I'd seen Long Gone at another showcase some time ago, but the name of it slipped from my memory. No such issues after it made an appearance in the Triple-i Initiative stream though, as this project from Hillfort Games and co-publisher Outersloth is now firmly on my Steam wishlist.

It's a narrative-driven game set amid a zombie outbreak in which you'll solve environmental puzzles to learn about the lives of people who are no longer around. It's ostensibly a point-and-click adventure that looks very heavily inspired by a certain post-apocalyptic series from Naughty Dog, right down to the backpack-wearing protagonist. There are platforming sections too.

I'm absolutely going to be interested in any game that smooshes together The Last of Us and the Monkey Island series. I'm really looking forward to playing Long Gone sometime next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/marauding-minotaurs-more-cloverpit-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110000480.html?src=rss

Marauding minotaurs, more CloverPit and other new indie games worth checking out

Posted on by

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As always, we're here to tell you about a bunch of new games you can play this weekend, as well as several upcoming titles. 

The latest edition of the Triple-i Initiative showcase was packed with cool stuff, including a first peek at the fascinating next game from 1000xResist developer Sunset Visitor, word of a Don't Starve follow-up, a release date for stealth title Thick as Thieves and an announcement of when pirate survival sim Windrose will hit early access.

We also got a release window for Neverway, a life sim with gorgeously creepy pixel art. The prologue is available to play now on Steam, and it doesn't take long at all before things become delightfully strange. I'll run through a few of the other Triple-i highlights below.

Before we get to the new releases, though, I want to touch on something I spotted a little too late to include in last week's roundup. On Reddit, the developer of mixed reality game CoasterMania shared a video showcasing an update that lets players use their hands to build and interact with rollercoasters. I think this looks just swell. This is the most I've ever been interested in picking up a Meta Quest headset (which I'd inevitably use for a grand total of about 45 minutes). 

I don't like to overwork my brain when I'm playing games. I’m focused all day at work and afterwards, I just want to switch off for a bit. That's a big reason why I play a ton of Overwatch and don't really gel too well with most puzzle games. Minos, though, hits the sweet spot of brain engagement for me.

In this roguelite from Artificer and publisher Devolver Digital, your aim is to stop glory-seeking adventurers from finding and killing a minotaur. You'll shape a labyrinth as you see fit in order to defend the beast from these warriors. You can set up the maze by building and knocking down walls, and setting traps. The adventurers will follow a set path to the minotaur's lair, then make a beeline for the monster when they discover it's hiding elsewhere. 

There are a lot of ways to dispose of the interlopers and you'll need to be thoughtful about how to set everything up to take out each wave of attackers. Many traps can only be placed on certain spots, so it's important to work around those. You'll need to adjust your setup after every wave — you’ll gain more traps and have to re-arrange them to fend off different types of enemies. 

Minos is more active than a lot of tower defense and strategy games I've played, as the minotaur can reset certain traps after they trigger and, if need be, try to kill the adventurers head-on. I found myself spending quite a bit of time thinking through each enemy's path through my domain and how I was going to eliminate them. Sometimes, I miscalculated and brought my run to an end. Being able to improve the minotaur's stats and unlock new powers between runs helped me keep coming back for more. 

I'm really enjoying Minos, and I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being one of my favorite games of the year. You can snap it up on Steam now for $18. A demo is available too.

Spring has finally bloomed in my neck of the woods. I planned to spend a chunk of my weekend outside after a long winter. But now I might need to bring my Steam Deck with me, because the first DLC for CloverPit, one of my favorite games of last year, suddenly arrived during the Triple-i Initiative showcase. 

CloverPit is a Balatro-style incremental roguelite from Panik Arcade and publisher Future Friends Games. It tasks you with breaking the rules of a slot machine to meet increasingly high coin targets in order to pay off a debt. You can pick up charms that modify the machine, and the Unholy Fusion DLC is all about those totems. You'll be able to use a new device called the Surgery Machine to fuse charms into more powerful items (à la Ball x Pit). It seems like that will free up valuable space for more charms too.

The DLC adds 30 fusion charms, 11 new base charms, a secret ending and other features. I've played CloverPit for dozens of hours (I'm far from the only one, as the game's pulled in more than 5 million players). I suspect I'm about to sink a whole lot more time into this DLC.

The Unholy Fusion DLC usually costs $3, but there's a 10 percent discount on Steam until April 23. The base game is typically $10, though you can get 30 percent off on Steam until the same date. You'll save an extra five percent if you buy a bundle with both. CloverPit is also on Game Pass, and you can buy a bundle of the base game and DLC on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Xbox on PC for $11.49. On iOS and Android, you can snag CloverPit for $5 and the DLC for $2.

Another title had a surprise, sudden release during the Triple-i Initiative showcase: battle royale typing game Final Sentence. I really enjoyed the demo for this one, even though I'm not the fastest or most accurate typist around — I made four typos in this sentence alone. Make too many mistakes or fail to beat everyone else who's bashing away at a typewriter and it's curtains for you, courtesy of a creepy figure with a revolver that’s standing by your desk.

Final Sentence, from Button Mash and Polden Publishing, is available on Steam. It'll typically cost $10, but if you pick it up before April 23, you'll save 10 percent. (Sidenote: I enjoyed a Steam review that read, “finally… a way for millennials to beat Gen Z at a battle royale game.)

One of the most interesting things about People of Note is that Iridium Studios tried to make this musical adventure as approachable as possible. It's an RPG with turn-based battles, but you can skip the fights if you like. That's appealing to someone like me, who enjoys story-driven games but often struggles to engage with turn-based combat. Puzzles are skippable too. Great! People should be able to play non-competitive games however they want.

I dug the demo when I played it a while back. The approach to battles here is interesting, as the protagonist, pop singer Cadence, recruits other musicians to join her band — in other words, your party. The combat is based around music, and you can create mashups of battle tracks based on the genres that your collaborators specialize in. 

People of Note, from publisher Annapurna Interactive, will normally run you $25, though there's a 10 percent launch discount. It's available on PS5 (the discount on that platform is only for PlayStation Plus subscribers), Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Tamashika is a fast-paced first-person shooter with a neat twist. The game only has one level available at any time. There are no checkpoints, and it'll take about 10 minutes to complete a successful run. The level gets a procedurally generated revamp once per day.

A tantō blade, a pistol, your movement and your aim are the only weapons you have to defeat the enemies and reach the goal. I had to watch the trailer a few times to get it, but the quirky hand-drawn aesthetic is growing on me.

Tamashika — from QuickTequila and publisher Edglrd — is available on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch for $20.

A Hidden Object Fest is running on Steam until April 13, and a few new games have debuted as part of that. One of those is Nippets by Blink Industries. It's a hand-drawn game with lots of secrets and, at least judging by the trailer, charming animations. It seems like a very relaxing counterpoint to some of the more intense games out this week. It's pretty digestible too, as it has around two to three hours of gameplay, depending on how sharp your observation skills are.

Nippets is available on Steam and Itch for PC and Mac. It costs $13, though there's a 10 percent discount on Steam until April 21. A demo is available on both storefronts too.

Dead As Disco has some momentum after 1.2 million players checked out the demo, and this rhythm-based beat 'em up now has an early access release date. It's coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 5.

At the jump, you'll be able to play the first arc of a larger narrative and be able to take out bad guys to the beat of a soundtrack that has more than 30 songs, including original tracks, covers and licensed tunes. You can load in your own music as well, though I can't imagine being able to adeptly play this to the rhythm of Angine de Poitrine's wild time signature swings. 

Brain Jar Games expects the game to remain in early access for around a year as it adds new bosses, moves and other features, and makes adjustments based on player feedback. A co-op mode is planned too. You can get a taste of Dead As Disco now by checking out the Steam demo, though I would argue that disco is still very much alive.

Those looking for a puzzle game of a Lovecraftian persuasion may be interested in Call of the Elder Gods, a sequel to 2020's Call of the Sea. The follow-up is bound for Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2 on May 12. It'll be available on Game Pass and it's priced at $25 on the eShop.

You seemingly won't need to have played Call of the Sea before diving into the sequel, though you'll surely get more out of Call of the Elder Gods if you have. You'll switch between two characters — professor Harry Everhart and student Evangeline Drayton — to solve puzzles from a first-person perspective and try to find out what happened to the pair's missing loved ones.

I'd seen Long Gone at another showcase some time ago, but the name of it slipped from my memory. No such issues after it made an appearance in the Triple-i Initiative stream though, as this project from Hillfort Games and co-publisher Outersloth is now firmly on my Steam wishlist.

It's a narrative-driven game set amid a zombie outbreak in which you'll solve environmental puzzles to learn about the lives of people who are no longer around. It's ostensibly a point-and-click adventure that looks very heavily inspired by a certain post-apocalyptic series from Naughty Dog, right down to the backpack-wearing protagonist. There are platforming sections too.

I'm absolutely going to be interested in any game that smooshes together The Last of Us and the Monkey Island series. I'm really looking forward to playing Long Gone sometime next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/marauding-minotaurs-more-cloverpit-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110000480.html?src=rss

Marauding minotaurs, more CloverPit and other new indie games worth checking out

Posted on by

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. As always, we're here to tell you about a bunch of new games you can play this weekend, as well as several upcoming titles. 

The latest edition of the Triple-i Initiative showcase was packed with cool stuff, including a first peek at the fascinating next game from 1000xResist developer Sunset Visitor, word of a Don't Starve follow-up, a release date for stealth title Thick as Thieves and an announcement of when pirate survival sim Windrose will hit early access.

We also got a release window for Neverway, a life sim with gorgeously creepy pixel art. The prologue is available to play now on Steam, and it doesn't take long at all before things become delightfully strange. I'll run through a few of the other Triple-i highlights below.

Before we get to the new releases, though, I want to touch on something I spotted a little too late to include in last week's roundup. On Reddit, the developer of mixed reality game CoasterMania shared a video showcasing an update that lets players use their hands to build and interact with rollercoasters. I think this looks just swell. This is the most I've ever been interested in picking up a Meta Quest headset (which I'd inevitably use for a grand total of about 45 minutes). 

I don't like to overwork my brain when I'm playing games. I’m focused all day at work and afterwards, I just want to switch off for a bit. That's a big reason why I play a ton of Overwatch and don't really gel too well with most puzzle games. Minos, though, hits the sweet spot of brain engagement for me.

In this roguelite from Artificer and publisher Devolver Digital, your aim is to stop glory-seeking adventurers from finding and killing a minotaur. You'll shape a labyrinth as you see fit in order to defend the beast from these warriors. You can set up the maze by building and knocking down walls, and setting traps. The adventurers will follow a set path to the minotaur's lair, then make a beeline for the monster when they discover it's hiding elsewhere. 

There are a lot of ways to dispose of the interlopers and you'll need to be thoughtful about how to set everything up to take out each wave of attackers. Many traps can only be placed on certain spots, so it's important to work around those. You'll need to adjust your setup after every wave — you’ll gain more traps and have to re-arrange them to fend off different types of enemies. 

Minos is more active than a lot of tower defense and strategy games I've played, as the minotaur can reset certain traps after they trigger and, if need be, try to kill the adventurers head-on. I found myself spending quite a bit of time thinking through each enemy's path through my domain and how I was going to eliminate them. Sometimes, I miscalculated and brought my run to an end. Being able to improve the minotaur's stats and unlock new powers between runs helped me keep coming back for more. 

I'm really enjoying Minos, and I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being one of my favorite games of the year. You can snap it up on Steam now for $18. A demo is available too.

Spring has finally bloomed in my neck of the woods. I planned to spend a chunk of my weekend outside after a long winter. But now I might need to bring my Steam Deck with me, because the first DLC for CloverPit, one of my favorite games of last year, suddenly arrived during the Triple-i Initiative showcase. 

CloverPit is a Balatro-style incremental roguelite from Panik Arcade and publisher Future Friends Games. It tasks you with breaking the rules of a slot machine to meet increasingly high coin targets in order to pay off a debt. You can pick up charms that modify the machine, and the Unholy Fusion DLC is all about those totems. You'll be able to use a new device called the Surgery Machine to fuse charms into more powerful items (à la Ball x Pit). It seems like that will free up valuable space for more charms too.

The DLC adds 30 fusion charms, 11 new base charms, a secret ending and other features. I've played CloverPit for dozens of hours (I'm far from the only one, as the game's pulled in more than 5 million players). I suspect I'm about to sink a whole lot more time into this DLC.

The Unholy Fusion DLC usually costs $3, but there's a 10 percent discount on Steam until April 23. The base game is typically $10, though you can get 30 percent off on Steam until the same date. You'll save an extra five percent if you buy a bundle with both. CloverPit is also on Game Pass, and you can buy a bundle of the base game and DLC on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Xbox on PC for $11.49. On iOS and Android, you can snag CloverPit for $5 and the DLC for $2.

Another title had a surprise, sudden release during the Triple-i Initiative showcase: battle royale typing game Final Sentence. I really enjoyed the demo for this one, even though I'm not the fastest or most accurate typist around — I made four typos in this sentence alone. Make too many mistakes or fail to beat everyone else who's bashing away at a typewriter and it's curtains for you, courtesy of a creepy figure with a revolver that’s standing by your desk.

Final Sentence, from Button Mash and Polden Publishing, is available on Steam. It'll typically cost $10, but if you pick it up before April 23, you'll save 10 percent. (Sidenote: I enjoyed a Steam review that read, “finally… a way for millennials to beat Gen Z at a battle royale game.)

One of the most interesting things about People of Note is that Iridium Studios tried to make this musical adventure as approachable as possible. It's an RPG with turn-based battles, but you can skip the fights if you like. That's appealing to someone like me, who enjoys story-driven games but often struggles to engage with turn-based combat. Puzzles are skippable too. Great! People should be able to play non-competitive games however they want.

I dug the demo when I played it a while back. The approach to battles here is interesting, as the protagonist, pop singer Cadence, recruits other musicians to join her band — in other words, your party. The combat is based around music, and you can create mashups of battle tracks based on the genres that your collaborators specialize in. 

People of Note, from publisher Annapurna Interactive, will normally run you $25, though there's a 10 percent launch discount. It's available on PS5 (the discount on that platform is only for PlayStation Plus subscribers), Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Tamashika is a fast-paced first-person shooter with a neat twist. The game only has one level available at any time. There are no checkpoints, and it'll take about 10 minutes to complete a successful run. The level gets a procedurally generated revamp once per day.

A tantō blade, a pistol, your movement and your aim are the only weapons you have to defeat the enemies and reach the goal. I had to watch the trailer a few times to get it, but the quirky hand-drawn aesthetic is growing on me.

Tamashika — from QuickTequila and publisher Edglrd — is available on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch for $20.

A Hidden Object Fest is running on Steam until April 13, and a few new games have debuted as part of that. One of those is Nippets by Blink Industries. It's a hand-drawn game with lots of secrets and, at least judging by the trailer, charming animations. It seems like a very relaxing counterpoint to some of the more intense games out this week. It's pretty digestible too, as it has around two to three hours of gameplay, depending on how sharp your observation skills are.

Nippets is available on Steam and Itch for PC and Mac. It costs $13, though there's a 10 percent discount on Steam until April 21. A demo is available on both storefronts too.

Dead As Disco has some momentum after 1.2 million players checked out the demo, and this rhythm-based beat 'em up now has an early access release date. It's coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 5.

At the jump, you'll be able to play the first arc of a larger narrative and be able to take out bad guys to the beat of a soundtrack that has more than 30 songs, including original tracks, covers and licensed tunes. You can load in your own music as well, though I can't imagine being able to adeptly play this to the rhythm of Angine de Poitrine's wild time signature swings. 

Brain Jar Games expects the game to remain in early access for around a year as it adds new bosses, moves and other features, and makes adjustments based on player feedback. A co-op mode is planned too. You can get a taste of Dead As Disco now by checking out the Steam demo, though I would argue that disco is still very much alive.

Those looking for a puzzle game of a Lovecraftian persuasion may be interested in Call of the Elder Gods, a sequel to 2020's Call of the Sea. The follow-up is bound for Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2 on May 12. It'll be available on Game Pass and it's priced at $25 on the eShop.

You seemingly won't need to have played Call of the Sea before diving into the sequel, though you'll surely get more out of Call of the Elder Gods if you have. You'll switch between two characters — professor Harry Everhart and student Evangeline Drayton — to solve puzzles from a first-person perspective and try to find out what happened to the pair's missing loved ones.

I'd seen Long Gone at another showcase some time ago, but the name of it slipped from my memory. No such issues after it made an appearance in the Triple-i Initiative stream though, as this project from Hillfort Games and co-publisher Outersloth is now firmly on my Steam wishlist.

It's a narrative-driven game set amid a zombie outbreak in which you'll solve environmental puzzles to learn about the lives of people who are no longer around. It's ostensibly a point-and-click adventure that looks very heavily inspired by a certain post-apocalyptic series from Naughty Dog, right down to the backpack-wearing protagonist. There are platforming sections too.

I'm absolutely going to be interested in any game that smooshes together The Last of Us and the Monkey Island series. I'm really looking forward to playing Long Gone sometime next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/marauding-minotaurs-more-cloverpit-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110000480.html?src=rss

The Metal Gear Solid movie is back on, with Final Destination: Bloodlines directors in charge

Posted on by

A film adaptation of Metal Gear Solid is in the works again, this time from filmmakers Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, the directors of Final Destination: Bloodlines, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The duo are reviving the project at Columbia Pictures as part of a new first-look deal with Sony, the latest attempt in what's been multiple decades of work to turn the blockbuster stealth game into a blockbuster film.

"Metal Gear Solid was nothing short of a groundbreaking cinematic masterpiece that forever revolutionized video games," Lipovsky and Stein said in a statement. "We are thrilled and honored to bring Hideo Kojima's iconic characters and unforgettable world to life."

Lipovsky and Stein's horror bona fides helped make Bloodlines a critical and commercial hit when it came out in 2025, and the directors have a variety of other IP-focused genre films in the works, including a sequel to Gremlins for Warner Bros. and an animated Venom movie for Sony. It remains to be seen how exactly the duo will translate Metal Gear Solid's unique quirks to film, though.

Metal Gear Solid is heavily indebted to director Hideo Kojima's own taste in action and spy cinema, while also being in conversation with video games themselves in a way that wouldn't naturally translate to film. And even if you removed those metatextual rough edges, can it really be Metal Gear Solid without Kojima's equal parts charming and awkward writing? 

Attempts to create a film version of the game date back to 2006, when Kojima first shared that an adaptation was in the works. Columbia Pictures announced a new version of the film in 2012, with Avi Arad, former head of Marvel Studios, producing. In 2014, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the director of Kong: Skull Island, was attached to direct that adaptation. And six years after that, Oscar Isaac was reportedly cast as Solid Snake. Arad and his son Ari Arad are still producing this latest take on the game, but with Lipovsky and Stein in charge, that older version of Metal Gear Solid is likely dead. Still, hope springs eternal that we’ll get to see a man hide in a cardboard box on the big screen someday.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-metal-gear-solid-movie-is-back-on-with-final-destination-bloodlines-directors-in-charge-214914374.html?src=rss

Netflix adds three Jackbox games to its TV app

Posted on by

Netflix has added a heavy hitter in party activities to its gaming lineup. The streamer announced that Jackbox Party Essentials is joining the Netflix Party Games collection. This move makes three of the popular Jackbox group games available for free to Netflix subscribers: Fibbage 4, Quiplash 3 and Drawful 2. Each one supports up to eight players. 

Netflix has been refocusing its interactive strategy to highlight family-friendly and party games. The company has even offered tie-ins to its original content; for instance, playing Overcooked through Netflix will let you use a member of Huntr/x from Kpop Demon Hunters as your in-game avatar. We also saw Netflix's Game Controller software, which turns any mobile device into a gamepad for its game library, take the crown as a top-downloaded iOS app around the Easter holiday weekend. That performance could indicate that many families were at least thinking of trying out the streamer's games as part of their festivities.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/netflix-adds-three-jackbox-games-to-its-tv-app-190220143.html?src=rss

Rhythm Heaven Groove comes to Switch on July 2

Posted on by

A large chunk of Nintendo’s 2026 plans remain a mystery (that is, unless you take the insiders and leakers at their word), but we have been waiting on release dates for a couple of previously announced first-party titles, including Rhythm Heaven Groove, which officially arrives July 2.

Seemingly announced first on the Nintendo Today! app before making its way to the company’s various social channels, the first new entry in the Rhythm Heaven series in more than a decade is technically launching on the original Switch, but should also be fully playable on Switch 2. Currently the game’s Switch 2 compatibility status is listed as “Untested” on its official store page, but it’s hard to imagine there being any issues there.

If you’ve never played a Rhythm Heaven game before, the series is a bit like a (slightly) less wacky WarioWare, but all the minigames are based around rhythm and beat-matching. The challenges are rarely especially complex in terms of what's required of you, leaving you free to enjoy the always excellent original pop and electronic music.

Rhythm Heaven is one of Nintendo’s less prolific series’, with the upcoming Groove being only the fifth entry in two decades. The series debuted on the Game Boy Advance in 2006 in Japan as Rhythm Tengoku, with Rhythm Heaven arriving on the DS two years later in the US. That was followed by Rhythm Heaven Fever on the Wii, and the most recent entry was 2015’s Rhythm Heaven Megamix for the 3DS, which was something of a best-of collection.

Rhythm Heaven Groove is notable not only for being the first Rhythm Heaven game of the Switch generation, but also likely one of the console’s last games, as Nintendo prepares to shift its full focus to the Switch 2. Before then we’re also getting the typically charming Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (Switch 2-only) on May 21 and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, which launches on both platforms next week, April 16. 

Rhythm Heaven Groove is available to pre-order now for $40.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/rhythm-heaven-groove-comes-to-switch-on-july-2-155715068.html?src=rss

Google introduces AI-generated avatars to YouTube Shorts

Posted on by

A new feature that lets you create an AI avatar with your likeness is now live on YouTube. First announced in a blog post earlier this year, avatars are designed to be used in Shorts (provided you still allow them to show up), allowing you to insert yourself into video content in a way that YouTube deems to be safe and secure.

YouTube’s approach to combatting the AI sloppification of the internet and the proliferation of deepfakes appears to be adding more and more AI features to its platform, framing this latest addition as a tool that gives creators more control of their digital identities. Any video generated using an avatar will feature YouTube’s AI disclosure and include visible watermarks and labels like SynthID and C2PA.

YouTube has published a pretty in-depth explainer on how to create and use an avatar in either the YouTube or YouTube Create app, but here’s a brief summary of how to do it using the former. Once you’ve opened AI Playground, you’ll be taking a "live selfie" that also records your voice. You can then preview your photorealistic virtual self and either proceed with it or redo the process if you’re unhappy with anything. Creating an avatar in the YouTube Create app is broadly similar, but you have to navigate to the My Avatar homepage first.

YouTube recommends that you hold your phone at eye level and keep yourself centered as much as possible. Lighting is also important, as is ensuring your whole face is visible, you’re in a quiet area, and there’s nobody else in the background. You also have to be the account owner to create an avatar, and over the age of 18.

Once you have an avatar you like, you simply type in a prompt and wait for the AI to generate a video, which according to 9to5Google can be up to eight seconds long. Alternatively, YouTube will also let you add an avatar to existing "eligible" Shorts by tapping "Remix" and then "Reimagine" with your avatar selected.

Avatars can be deleted or retaken whenever you like, as can any video with your avatar in it. You can also limit who’s able to remix your videos, but deleting a video with your avatar in it won’t also delete the original video, or that avatar from your account. YouTube will automatically delete any avatar that hasn’t been used to create new video content for three years.

The new avatar feature will roll out gradually, and is the latest in a long line of AI-centric tools and updates YouTube has added to the platform in the last year, including automatic upscaling for low-res videos, automatic editing for creators and an AI-generated carousel for search results.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/google-introduces-ai-generated-avatars-to-youtube-shorts-140222368.html?src=rss

Spotify now lets you turn off all video

Posted on by

Sometimes, you just want your dang music streaming app to play music. Spotify, which has increasingly incorporated video features through the years, is finally giving us the option to turn that mess off. Behold: universal video toggles.

Spotify's video settings control several areas. First, the old Canvas toggle (videos on the Now Playing screen) is still there. But now you'll find two additional switches alongside it. One lets you control whether the app plays music videos. The other, "all other videos," covers video podcasts, vertically scrolling videos and artist clips.

You'll find the controls under Settings > Content and display. Once you choose your preferences, they'll apply universally across all platforms. And if you're a family account manager, you can toggle video settings for all members on your plan.

Spotify has increasingly leaned on video in recent years. The Canvas video loops arrived back in 2018. Then came video podcasts in 2020, as the format was enjoying a pandemic-era boom. The platform added music videos in 2024 (though they didn't arrive in the US until late last year). Then there are artist clips, the 30-second vertical videos where creators can send intimate (promotional) messages to their fans.

The company claims that over 70 percent of its users say more video content would enhance their experience. So, don't be surprised if more video features arrive in the future. Fortunately, Spotify recognized that certain (perhaps older?) users don't want or need a TikTok-ified music app.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-now-lets-you-turn-off-all-video-130000034.html?src=rss

Google bakes NotebookLM, its research tool, into Gemini

Posted on by

Google has fully integrated NotebookLM, its AI-powered research tool, into the Gemini app. The company launched a standalone NotebookLM app last year, but as it said in its announcement, “keeping track of everything can be a challenge.” It added NotebookLM as a source in the Gemini app last year, but now you can create notebooks right inside the chatbot.

You can now find the option to create a new notebook in Gemini’s side panel and then select “Add sources” that the tool can use, such as PDFs, documents, website URLs, YouTube videos and even copy-pasted text. NotebookLM will use information from those sources to create a searchable repository of information for you, and you can ask Gemini to create things like reviewers, infographics and video and audio overviews that turn your uploaded information into an easy-to-understand format. Take note, however, that Google warns users within the NotebookLM interface that it can be inaccurate, and that it’s best if you double-check information it puts out.

The company is rolling out NotebookLM’s full integration into Gemini this week for Google AI Ultra, Pro and Plus subscribers on the web. It will be available on mobile, in more locations and to free users over the coming weeks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-bakes-notebooklm-its-research-tool-into-gemini-101850634.html?src=rss

How to watch the Triple-i Initiative showcase on April 9

Posted on by

The latest Triple-i Initiative Showcase is nearly upon us, as the indie-focused event returns for its third consecutive year on Thursday, April 9 at 12PM ET / 9AM PT. We’re being promised announcements for 40 games, including eight world premieres, so it’s well worth tuning in if you like your indies.

You’ll be able to watch the stream on The Triple-i Initiative YouTube channel, as well as Twitch, bilibili, niconico and on Steam. Co-streaming partners IGN and Gamespot will also host their own streams. The showcase will run for 45 minutes, and nine featured studios will also have post-show deep dives on their games if you want to know more. As previously, the mantra here is "no hosts, no ads, just games," so rest assured your attention will be rewarded. 

Confirmed featured games so far include Risk of Rain 2, the open-world survival game Windrose and Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. We also know that the studio behind the excellent sci-fi narrative adventure 1000xResist will be showing off what it’s been working on, and we can also expect news from Cairn developer The Game Bakers.

It sounds like a typically eclectic lineup, then, and given last year’s showcase gave us release dates for 2025 indie hits like The Alters and Rematch, you can be confident that plenty of notable news should come out of this one too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-watch-the-triple-i-initiative-showcase-on-april-9-170353957.html?src=rss