ReportWire

Tag: Xbox Series X|S

  • Towerborne’s Full Game Update is Available Today – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • Following its Xbox Game Preview release this past April, Towerborne is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam, PlayStation 5, Game Pass (Premium and Ultimate), is handheld verified and supports Xbox Play Anywhere.
    • Towerborne will be available as a premium game for $24.99 for the Standard Edition and $29.99 for the Deluxe Edition.

    From the creators at Stoic, Towerborne is a cooperative, side‑scrolling action RPG brawler that blends fast, satisfying combat with deep customization and a hopeful, heroic tone. Venture across a crumbling world, uncover the mysteries of the City of Numbers, and fight back the corruption threatening humanity—solo or alongside friends.

    The full game launch delivers:

    • A complete story‑driven campaign
    • New biomes, enemies, and bosses
    • Offline story play with optional online co‑op
    • Hundreds of missions, bounties, and side quests
    • A premium, one‑time purchase experience

    Check out our last Xbox Wire post from Stoic’s CEO & President Trisha Stouffer for more information on what’s gone into this full game update.

    As a thank you for their great support, Towerborne Founders will also get a special treat at launch with Day 1 access to unlock Brutal Mode — the ultimate endgame challenge, deadlier AI, elite Vanguard enemies, harsher encounters, and a less forgiving battlefield built to test true combat mastery.

    • High risk, high reward, unlock after completing the Campaign to earn increased loot and prove your build, skill, and execution against the game’s toughest fights.
    • Brutal from scratch is the ultimate proving ground! Start a new save, re-earn gear and skills, and fight through the full campaign under Brutal rules. Built for players chasing peak mastery, every victory reflects smart builds, sharp execution, and true command of the combat system.

    Whether you’re returning from Early Access or stepping into the Belfry for the first time, now is the perfect time to become an Ace.

    Towerborne is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam, PlayStation 5, Game Pass (Premium and Ultimate), is handheld verified and supports Xbox Play Anywhere.

    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Towerborne

    Xbox Game Studios

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    221

    ★★★★★

    PC Game Pass

    Xbox Game Pass

    Towerborne is an exciting side-scrolling Action RPG Brawler. Rise again as an Ace, an immortal warrior reborn to defend the Belfry against the darkness beyond its walls. Journey across a crumbling world, uncover the mystery of the fallen City of Numbers, and push back the corruption threatening humanity’s survival.

    Master the Mayhem
    Experience classic combo-based brawler combat combined with a modern RPG. Customize your Ace with powerful gear, experiment with diverse combat styles, and refine your skills through relentless battles. Every fight makes you stronger, every victory opens new strategies, and every weapon reshapes your journey.

    Fight Your Way
    Whether you want quick pick-up-and-play sessions or intricate systems to master, Towerborne lets you choose your play style. Its fast-paced, responsive combat rewards timing and creativity, making every encounter feel fresh and challenging as you grow stronger.

    Grow Stronger Together
    Join forces with up to three other Aces* or venture solo with Umbra lending unique abilities to your side. Teamwork amplifies the chaos and the thrill, where synergy and strategy make the difference between victory and defeat. Rally together to fight as one.

    Take an Unforgettable Journey
    Towerborne expands beyond combat with a compelling Story Campaign designed to spark excitement and fuel unstoppable action. For players who crave more than battles, Towerborne’s full story campaign brings to life the lore, characters, and stakes of the Belfry’s survival. Explore, progress, and uncover the world at your own pace and take your Ace’s journey offline then reconnect online to fight alongside friends without missing a beat.

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    Danielle Partis, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Radical News – Alopex Enters the Fight in TMNT: Splintered Fate! – Xbox Wire

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    Alopex joins the fight as our latest playable character in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate! She’s ready for action… and to get back at Shredder.

    Our mutant arctic fox brings all her ninja assassin powers to the brawl. She swings her sickle-like kama around her, slicing foes with ease. She tosses kunai at close range to deal a major blast of damage. And the best part: she can briefly become invulnerable while targeting multiple enemies in rapid succession. Ninja powers that modify shuriken also affect her kunai, so try her out with the Ninja, Flame, and Water Powers for major impact.

    TMNT Splintered Fate
    TMNT Splintered Fate

    Without further ado, here are some of the team’s highlights to watch out for:

    Speed and power combos. Alopex is an agile and fast assassin – get in and out of combat to deal heavy damage then get back to safety. Play around with different Ninja Powers that modify her Kunai for extra elemental damage.

    Power up with Artifacts. Alopex also comes with 5 new artifacts. The team’s particular favorite is Buddy the Wraith – the first ever companion in TMNT: Splintered Fate. Equip this artifact and Buddy joins you as an allied Utrom Wraith! Buddy levels up and evolves as you progress through your run – Buddy will pack a punch by the time you reach Shredder.

    More Challenge. Alongside this update we have also introduced new 4-Pepper Challenges to the Arcade Mode. These will really ramp up the difficulty setting for experienced players. We have also added Ninja ranks, letting you showcase your victories with a new prestige system.

    TMNT Splintered Fate
    TMNT Splintered Fate
    TMNT Splintered Fate

    And to help you get the best out of Alopex and the new update, here are 5 top tips from the team:

    Buff Alopex’s special. Alopex’s special hits several enemies. Elemental damage increases like Flame, Water and Utrom can add significant incremental damage to your special.

    Use your special invulnerability. Alopex’s special also provides a brief window of invulnerability. Use it offensively and defensively! This can really help in causing an extra burst of damage while you’d be otherwise dodging and/or running away.

    Beat the Mondo Metropoloso challenge (City 3). New Challenges require you to beat the Mondo Metropoloso challenge (City 3) before you can unlock them. Checking this box is a great way to start.

    Max your Dragon Upgrades. These new challenges are harder than any other challenge that we’ve had in the game. Having fully levelled-up Dragon Upgrades is a great way to get ready for them.

    Complete the campaign to help your ranking. The Ranking system updates with complete runs in the regular campaign and/or beating level-4 Challenges (new with this update). If you want to start with a higher ranking, completing the campaign is a great start.

    TMNT Splintered Fate

    With more heroes and challenges, now is a great time to jump into the portals of Splintered Fate. The Alopex Character DLC is available for purchase now, and the update with 4-Pepper challenges, ninja ranks, and more is free for all players. All content is available for Xbox Series X|S. Cowabunga!


    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate

    Super Evil Megacorp

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    124

    ★★★★★


    $29.99

    $7.49

    Unleash Turtle Power!
    Grab your friends, pick your favorite Turtle and jump into an adventure to save Master Splinter from the Foot Clan! Master ninja skills, unite in bodacious online and local co-op gameplay, and conquer iconic NYC locales.

    Looking for a more immediate, high-intensity challenge? Dive into the brand-new Arcade Mode packed with unpredictable runs, the Hex and Flex system, new biomes, fearsome Wraith enemies, and even more chaotic fun with friends.

    Bodacious Co-Op Gameplay
    Brace yourself for fast-paced, roguelike action where no two runs are the same. With randomized power-ups, room layouts, and boss modifiers, the excitement never ends. Take control of all four Turtles, each wielding unique powers, and team up with friends for bodacious co-op gameplay. Explore iconic NYC locations, upgrade your Turtle powers, and prepare to face off against formidable enemies.

    Build Your Power
    Master the powers of water and fire, utrom and ooze, light and darkness, robotics and -most importantly- Ninja to create unique and bodacious builds for your Turtles. Every run brings new challenges and opportunities – explore and perfect your favorite builds, and combine them with allies to conquer your enemies.

    A Thrilling Story
    When Splinter is kidnapped by Shredder, mysterious portals appear across NYC and the Turtles will battle to recover their father from the clutches of the Foot Clan. However, an even greater threat lingers in the shadows…

    With additional settings, balance and tuning enhancements for PC, Splintered Fate promises to keep you engaged in the FIGHT, ADAPT, REPEAT portal loop. Be ready to restore peace to the city!

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • How Beastro is Cooking Up a Stew of Your Favorite Cozy and Card Games – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • Beastro is an upcoming cozy/crunchy fantasy restaurant game from Timberline Studio.
    • Director Lindsey Rostal told us about its thoughtful blend of cozy games with deckbuilding and traditional, trick-taking card games.
    • It arrives on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC this spring, including day one on Game Pass Ultimate.

    Start by sautéing a cozy base of “what if I got to be the cat chefs in Monster Hunter?”  

    Add diced WarioWare and Slay the Spire for crunch.

    Season with Paper Mario and a dash of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

    Simmer in a broth of traditional trick-taking card games. Cover and cook.

    Baby, you’ve got a stew going!

    I recently sat down with Timberline Studio Director Lindsey Rostal at a coffee shop in our shared home of Los Angeles to discuss their upcoming fantasy restaurant game, Beastro, after playing the opening hour or so in a PC demo. It’s the studio’s sophomore effort, following their 2020 debut narrative dogsledding game The Red Lantern, which she described as “a sort of narrative Oregon Trail with run-based replayability, where it’s more about the journey than the ending.”

    Cozy/Crunchy

    Rostal told me that the essence of Timberline Studio’s games is “cozy/crunchy—a vibrant world that offers a cozy space, but something with a little bit more meat, a little bit more crunch for your gameplay.” Like well-prepared food, it’s all about balance: charming and low-stakes enough to be inviting and relaxing, but with enough mechanical crunch to stay engaging where many other cozy games coast on pleasant vibes alone.

    In Beastro you play as Panko, an anthropomorphic caracal cat serving as apprentice to the idyllic village of Palo Pori’s chef, whose disappearance is the game’s inciting incident. In taking over the restaurant you have to grow and gather ingredients, learn and prepare recipes, and feed the community, most importantly the Caretakers who go beyond Palo Pori’s walls to defend the community against monsters.

    Beastro screenshot
    Beastro screenshot

    I was immediately taken by Beastro’s vibrant color and interesting visual design. Like the best cozy games, Palo Pori seems like a pleasant place just to hang out.

    Cozy classic farming and life sims like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing inform the various gardening, fishing, and gathering systems that generate ingredients for you to use. As the game unfolds you employ the town’s blacksmith and other merchants to upgrade your kitchen and whatnot. To cook for the villagers every night you chop, boil, and sauté ingredients in WarioWare-inspired minigames that will gradually increase in complexity as the game goes on. All of these interlocking systems are relatively simple unto themselves, stripped down to avoid unnecessary complexity and maintain overall flow and balance.

    Beastro screenshot

    Everything Changed When the Salty Nation Attacked

    As mentioned above, the seed for Beastro came from wanting to play as the Monster Hunter series’ adorable Palicoes that prepare food for the players between hunts in impossibly cute cooking animations. That’s more than just a charming elevator pitch—it’s about what kinds of heroism we choose to valorize. “You don’t have to be swinging the sword and lopping off the heads of your enemies to be a hero,” Rostal says. “They’re made more powerful because they’re being supported by others, and to me that’s just such an important conceit, that strength doesn’t necessarily have to come from the big sword, but it can come from being there, in showing up and supporting other people, in building that foundation for others.”

    The animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” came up as an influence, both for this collaborative, stronger-together ethos, but also for Beastro’s worldbuilding. Where Avatar uses the four classical elements of earth, fire, wind, and water to structure the peoples and metaphysics of its world, Beastro uses the five core flavors: Salty, Bitter, Sweet, Sour, and Umami. “It’s these different food cultures coming together. It’s them not being as powerful alone.”

    Beastro screenshot
    Beastro screenshot

    Each flavor corresponds to one of the regions of the world, as well as to the peoples that live there, including the game’s Caretakers. “It was really important for us that when we did the flavor factions that they didn’t linearly assign to a culture because those flavors exist across all cultures, Umami is a flavor that’s used in cooking all across the world in various forms, it’s not limited to one place. So for me it was really about trying to anthropomorphize the flavors themselves. For instance, when I think about Bitter, I think about black coffee, right, and I think about kale, and this conceit of like healing, and a little bit of pompousness. Kalan is bitter caretaker and he’s very much focused on the mission, plays by the rules. He’s very principle-defined and acts a bit like he knows better than everybody.”

    Beastro screenshot

    The Heart of the Chard

    The masterstroke that I think really elevates and ties the whole thing together is that the flavors also serve as suits in the card game for Beastro’s other major component. Each night you feed one of the Caretakers, with each ingredient that you use contributing cards to their deck for battles in their adventures outside of town. All ingredient cards have a flavor suit and a numerical value, and some have additional special effects when played.

    The card battles are framed as if being told after the fact by the Caretaker in a puppet theater, with a really charming paper cutouts lifted directly out of the Paper Mario RPG series, which Rostal also said informed the light, witty tone of the writing. This papercraft aesthetic led to some unexpectedly delightful moments in my playthrough, such as when a monster breathed fire on me, which actually singed the cards in my hand, but the cards in the sweet suit caramelized, giving them an additional effect. This kind of clever attention to detail defined my time with Beastro.

    Beastro screenshot

    Rostal loves and pulled liberally from the thriving roguelike deckbuilder genre, but ended up going with a deceptively simple, classic core for the card game, in part out of consideration for not scaring off more casual players. “I love Magic, Pokémon, obviously Slay the Spire, your Monster Trains, etc., but I understand that looking at some of those can feel daunting for a player that’s maybe mostly been playing Animal Crossing who’s drawn to the cozy vibes of Beastro. So we pulled it towards more traditional card games, which a lot of people grew up playing with their families. We got really into playing a lot of trick-taking games like Spades, Hearts, Euchre, Bid Whist, etc. It was very fun to take a deep-dive into global trick-taking games.”

    We spoke about how recent indie darling roguelike Balatro made something extremely successful out of the building blocks of poker hands, and how much untapped value is still to be gained from iterating on traditional games. “These foundations have stood the test of time for a reason.” As something of a card game sicko myself, I thought the taste I got of Beastro’s card battles was very promising. The trick-taking core made it easy to just jump in and play hands, but there was clearly a lot more to wrap my head around as I unlock more recipes and Caretakers, and thus more deckbuilding possibilities.

    Beastro screenshot

    Go Outside and Cook Something

    One of Beastro’s biggest influences wasn’t from other games or media at all, but the city we live in. “Los Angeles is a food city. It’s a city that has a lot of cultures where everything is kind of fused together and we have these neighborhoods that are incredibly vibrant and different. I’ve thrown a few item shoutouts into our menu that are definitely from places around the city, as my homage to this place.” Rostal gave me several recommendations of places to check out in the neighborhood where we met and clearly knows her stuff. The inclusion of real, beloved LA dishes in the game’s recipes speaks to a sense of warmth and care that permeates Beastro.

    She hopes that this material grounding can extend forward from the game as well. “One thing that I like with games is the ability to also inspire people to maybe look outside or learn something they didn’t know before. We tried to use the flavor pairings as exactly as we could, so if you didn’t know that salty balances sweet, you can take and use that in the real world. Or maybe you didn’t know what aguachile is and want to go try it.”

    It’s actually already started—she told me that play testers on their Discord have been excitedly posting pictures of new recipes they’ve cooked, inspired by the game to expand their horizons. I can see why—I was thoroughly charmed by Beastro and its thoughtful blend of ideas and influences into a world all their own, and I am excited to see more of what Rostal and her team at Timberline are cooking.

    Beastro arrives on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC this spring, including day one on Game Pass Ultimate.


    Beastro

    Beastro

    Timberline Studios

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    Palo Pori is a beautiful and peaceful village of artisans and tastemakers. Beyond the village’s protective wall, darkness has begun to stir. Ravenous monsters have claimed the land and threaten to sink their teeth into this final morsel of hope and happiness.

    Play as Panko, a young, talented chef, helping to run the local eatery. When Panko’s teacher goes missing, a mysterious visitor arrives with warnings of the dangers beyond the wall. It’s up to Panko to step up and take over the restaurant and tend to the ingredients and patrons. But that’s not all, Panko also finds himself serving the Caretakers, brave adventurers, sent to save the world. In this adventure, preserving peace starts in the kitchen!

    FEATURES – WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

    FROM TOWN TO TABLE
    In Palo Pori, fresh is best! Gather ingredients and resources, care for animals and grow your own fruit and veg to build up your very own cozy town to table restaurant. Forage for wild herbs and unlock new seeds to grow to expand your meals.

    SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY
    Chop, flip, and sizzle your way through mouthwatering mini-games as you whip up delightful dishes for the townsfolk. Good food is always better with company, so work hard to improve your cooking and experiment with ingredients, to keep your patrons happy.

    Tailor your restaurant to the tastes of your community, develop new meals, progress your know how through a skill tree and adjust the decor to increase your restaurant’s appeal.

    FEED THE CARETAKERS
    You’ll also need to feed the hungry Caretakers; these brave denizens of the land will venture out into the wilds to fight the ravenous monsters threatening the peace of Palo Pori. Each Caretaker hails from their own flavour region, affecting their own tastes and preferences: some like it bitter, some like it sweet and some are just looking to fulfil their craving of the day! Craft thoughtful meals and balance the flavour profiles to boost their spirits, sharpen their skills, and unlock new abilities. Because let’s face it… Who can save the world on an empty stomach?

    DELICIOUS DECK BUILDING
    Now it’s time to put your meal to the test! This is where taste meets tactics. The dishes you serve will build your Caretaker’s deck – each ingredient unlocking a card. And once they’ve eaten, they’ll venture into the wilds to fight the monsters. Upon their return, they’ll recount their journey and play out their battles through a charming puppet theatre sequence. They might even bring you back some MONSTEROUS ingredients from their ventures. Fight the monsters in turn-based deck building combat, inspired by traditional trick-taking card games. Outplay the monsters, by matching their flavour magic or neutralising it with a balancing card. Add an enhancing card to power up your moves! Your magic can turn the tables!

    Utilize the unique effects of your ingredients to put your enemies to sleep, blow away their cards, and more, but watch out, you’re not the only one with special abilities. If you’re not paying attention, you might get burned.

    In this food-based fantasy adventure, it’s time to give peas a chance! – Are you ready to get cooking?

    Unlock the magic in food.

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • How David Lynch, Alien, and Slumber Parties Inspired the Creation of Reanimal – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • Producer Andreas Johnsson and Narrative Director David Mervick share how they built their new horror game Reanimal around co-op to support being scared together.
    • They also cite some of their formative horror influences, including “Alien,” “Jaws,” and the works of Astrid Lindgren and David Lynch.
    • Reanimal is available today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC with support for Xbox Play Anywhere.

    When I was five years old, unbeknownst to my babysitter at the time, I snuck out of bed to watch “Poltergeist” while hiding beside the couch, utterly terrified. The scene where the clown doll comes to life and drags the little boy under his bed stuck with me in particular. I had a clown marionette in my room at the time, which I tangled up irrevocably and buried in the back of the closet. Being scared out of my mind is one of my earliest memories.

    The things that frighten us as little kids can have a lasting impact. I came late to appreciating horror movies as an adult, in no small part because of that early, scarring experience. Maybe if I’d had a friend there with me, things might have gone differently.

    Being scared together is a central pillar of Reanimal, the latest meticulously crafted horror game from Little Nightmares creators Tarsier Studios, available today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC. Last week I was able to play the game and speak with two of its key creatives: Producer and Studio Co-founder Andreas Johnsson, and Narrative Director David Mervick. We discussed how the game both iterates on and breaks away from their beloved Little Nightmares series, as well as some of the formative experiences that shaped their relationships to horror.

    Formative Fears

    In Reanimal you and up to one other player control two small orphans, a nameless boy and girl, who find themselves on a drab, mysterious island full of ruined buildings and utterly nightmarish creatures that sort of resemble adult humans, but in the most unsettling and wrong way possible. Much like in Tarsier’s previous Little Nightmares games, you spend a lot of time actively hiding and hoping that some large, awful creature going about its weird and terrible business doesn’t notice you. Or nervously making your way through creepy spaces, doing some light puzzle-solving while expecting something to jump out at you at any moment. I found that I could only play in relatively short sessions, because the experience was so tension-inducing.

    Since they are once again making a game about small children navigating a big and terrifying world, I asked Andreas and David about their formative experiences with horror.

    “In Sweden, all of us have been brought up with Astrid Lindgren,” said Johnsson, “and it’s not horror, per se, but it’s horrific stories about kids, but also very gripping and moving and heartwarming stories.” Both of them mentioned “Jaws” and “Alien” as important early movies, which stood out to me as films famous for their restraint, often at their best when building tension about what you don’t see, rather than what you do. Johnsson in particular saw “Alien” “way too young” at around 10 on a sleepover with friends. Mervick, however, had us both beat when it came to stories about scary movies at inappropriate ages:

    Reanimal screenshot

    “This isn’t a story I’ve told many people outside of my family, but probably my earliest memory is I grew up around Liverpool, and there was a guy… It sounds so dodgy now, but for all of the kids’ parties, we’d get this guy, an old fella, who had a projector and a projection screen, and he would just set up his projector, and we’d all sit in front of it, and he’d show clips of movies, except some of them were terrifying.

    “We were watching the ‘Incredible Melting Man,’ when Quint gets eaten by the shark in ‘Jaws,’ and like that. But we were like six and seven and younger. Some of the most horrific things you’ve ever seen, like, you know, ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’ ‘Driller Killer.’ He just had these clips, and you’d see it for like a minute. And the weirdest part of it was it was interspersed with, like, the dogs eating spaghetti from the ‘Lady and the Tramp,’ ’Pete’s Dragon,’ ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks.’ It was just this big smushing together of stuff, and we loved him. We were begging our parents, ‘can we get the film guy?!’ And then you look back and I would not let that guy within inches of my kid, but we’re fine—we made it.”

    Maybe the social setting of their early exposures is what helped inoculate them against horror better than me. I also just didn’t happen to have a lot of friends very into the genre growing up, and horror is a social experience for many people, as Johnsson and Mervick learned from releasing Little Nightmares.

    Reanimal screenshot

    Friends to the End

    Andreas told me how the idea for co-op in Reanimal emerged from observing the community of players in the Little Nightmares games. “They talked about pass-and-play with their partner, or playing with their kid watching, and we saw that a lot of people really resonated with having someone else to experience the game with. Part of that is probably because it’s a bit tense, a bit scary, so you need some kind of way of relieving that, so it’s a great way of having someone with you that you can grab,” as Johnsson playfully pawed at Mervick’s shoulder from across the table and they laughed. “So, we really liked that idea of having something scary that you can actually play together, but also for people to be able to play alone as well. That came in quite early on in discussions about the game, and has obviously informed the whole thing. That’s a central pillar of Reanimal: being scared together”

    An important key for maintaining that same experience whether you’re playing by yourself or with someone else is the camera. “When you play co-op, both local and online, it’s the same camera in all game modes,” Johnsson explained. “There’s no split-screen, and that was to enhance this pillar even more. It needs to be the same experience. It needs to be about these two characters—these two players—being scared together.”

    Reanimal screenshot

    Mervick added that the camera was also one of the most important ways in which Reanimal is different from the Little Nightmares games, which had a mostly fixed, side-on perspective. “The camera was a big liberator this time around, because we weren’t confined to that dollhouse camera. Then you can only show scenes in a certain way, which isn’t always the best way.”

    Reanimal’s camera is much more cinematic, sometimes pulled far back out to make the kids look insignificant against the imposing environment, sometimes pushed in claustrophobically close as danger looms nearby. The more free-ranging camera allows them to explore a wider range of “memorable moments” as they put it, describing one of the fundamental building blocks of their games, which are short, focused, and considered, so as to best respect the time of their players. Its more capable camera allows for every moment of the game to feel special and bespoke, without any repetitive gameplay filler for the sake of padding the playtime.

    Reanimal screenshot

    Exploring the Inland Empire

    An unexpected cinematic evocation that came up several times in our conversation was the late, great filmmaker David Lynch, whom Mervick described as a big influence throughout his life. Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, Mervick was the perfect age to be hit by “Twin Peaks,” which for him “is just this perfect combination of like, every-day, kitchen sink drama and some of the most dreadful stuff I’ve ever, ever experienced. ‘Fire Walk with Me’—I just think it’s a phenomenal horror movie, but so emotionally draining as well. It’s not just that kind of gore and constant trauma, which I think apart from ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ doesn’t really work.
But with ‘Fire Walk with me,’ you want to cry as much as you want to hide. I don’t think it did that well either, but I just think it’s one of the pinnacles, for me. Just the dread he can create out of nothing.”

    I didn’t necessarily sense a lot of Lynch’s direct influence in the game itself (aside perhaps from the weird industrial spaces and monsters of “Eraserhead”), but I was struck by how much Lynch’s style of intuitive art-making informed Mervick and the studio’s approach to their work in general. Regarding his book of interviews, “Lynch on Lynch,” Mervick was struck by how “he said how you don’t know where an idea comes from, but you’ve got to grab it, because there’s a reason it’s come to you, and then you don’t know why you’re making all these artistic choices. I found that really inspiring, because it’s like letting the idea lead the way, rather than ‘here’s the next beat, and here’s the next thing that needs to happen if you’re a Joseph Cambell devotee,’ and all these things. And Lynch is instead like, ‘I thought of this while I was dreaming and it means something to me, and I don’t understand what that means to me yet, but I’m going to take that as what it is.’ Going on instinct.”

    Reanimal screenshot

    Commercial games, much like film, are typically a collaborative medium, and there’s a real skill to successfully navigating that kind of intuitive creative process not just as a solo artist, but as a whole team. “We’re a bunch of people, obviously, so you can’t just go ‘I’m doing this.’ You still have to listen to everyone, but there’s a whole bunch of things we’ve done where we don’t know one hundred percent why we love it, but we know we do. Animals themselves were one, like why do feel animals belong here, and in that form? Why is that resonating with people? But you’ve got to listen to it, you’ve got to listen to how people react to this stuff, because there’s something there. It’s very cool.”

    Learning that the team at Tarsier made Reanimal under this sort of Lynchian ethos of trusting their intuition and not needing to explain everything, even and especially to themselves, made perfect sense with my experience of the game. I recently previewed the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem, which was also a lot of fun, but felt inspired by a fundamentally different universe of horror, all blood and guts and delightfully camp. Reanimal has the unsettling quality of a nightmare, where I don’t fully understand everything I’m seeing juxtaposed, but it’s hauntingly coherent and much more likely to wriggle into my subconscious, just like Lynch’s work.

    Reanimal screenshot

    Reanimal enchanted me with its unsettling and evocative imagery and never stopped surprising me. At the start I’d never guess the places it goes, but in retrospect it all feels coherent and of a piece. I had a great time being scared by Reanimal by myself, and I look forward to doing it again with a friend soon, as soon as I can find someone up to be scared together with me.

    Reanimal is available today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, with support for Xbox Play Anywhere.


    REANIMAL - Digital Deluxe Edition
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    REANIMAL – Digital Deluxe Edition

    THQ Nordic GmbH

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    153

    ★★★★★

    $59.99

    The End is only the beginning in this mystery horror adventure!

    Get the Digital Deluxe Edition of REANIMAL to get the Season Pass for all three chapters of DLC that expand the world of REANIMAL. Uncover long dead secrets, and cast new light on old friends. The roots of violence go deep.

    Disguise yourselves with the exclusive Foxhead and Muttonhead masks DLC. Friendship can be hell and sometimes a mask is the only protection!

    Season Pass includes:

    REANIMAL: Foxhead and Muttonhead Masks

    REANIMAL: The Expanded World – Chapter 1 (Summer 2026)

    REANIMAL: The Expanded World – Chapter 2 (Fall 2026)

    REANIMAL: The Expanded World – Chapter 3 (Early 2027)


    REANIMAL
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    REANIMAL

    THQ Nordic

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    152

    ★★★★★

    $39.99

    WHAT IS REANIMAL?
    The original creators of Little Nightmares™ & Little Nightmares™ II have returned to take you on a more terrifying journey than ever before. In this co-op horror adventure game, you play as a brother & sister who go through hell to rescue their missing friends. Exploring by boat and on land, you must use your wits to survive, work together to escape the hellish island, and the dark secret that haunts you.

    HORROR WITH HOPE
    In this unsettling tale, the emphasis is on tension and thick atmosphere, as you join the two orphans on a desperate search for hope and redemption in the direst of circumstances.

    ACROSS A DARK AND TWISTED WORLD
    Traverse an intriguing but terrifying world, where the main path is only one part of the fragmented story. Discover all sorts of mysterious locations on your perilous journey, each with its own story to tell.

    A DREAD-FILLED ADVENTURE
    Tarsier Studios is bringing their unique visual style to bear on a whole host of new twisted monsters and broken, yet resilient, child characters. Fragments of the children’s troubled past have been used as inspiration for their character design, and for the monsters that now torment them.

    SHARE THE SCARE
    Nobody should be forced to go through hell alone! Fully playable in single player and local & online co-op, REANIMAL has a shared, directed camera, designed to maximise claustrophobia and tension.

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Quirky Indie Games We’re Crushing On: Indie Selects for February – Xbox Wire

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    Every Wednesday, dive into the Indie Select Hub — your gateway to a fresh, curated indie collection plus four themed spotlights that rotate weekly! You can always find this collection hub in the Xbox Store and on Xbox.com/IndieSelects.

    The ID@Xbox team felt February’s peculiar sparkle in the air, so we curated 6 offbeat adventures that match that delightfully strange charm. From a hand‑drawn British comedy to a psychological race against time to save a plague‑stricken town, this slate delivers bold hooks for every mood. Fight fairytale capitalism, settle into a magical farming life, brave a dread‑tinged fishing odyssey, or command a retro JRPG party through dungeon‑delving action. Whether you crave calm, comedy, chaos, or a fight for survival, we’ve got something uniquely – and unexpectedly – perfect for you this month (in no particular order):

    Humor in video games is notoriously difficult to pull off, but the team at Panic may have cracked the code with Thank Goodness You’re Here! a comedy adventure game that lands joke after joke with remarkable confidence and impeccable timing.

    Thank Goodness You’re Here! is a lively, hand-drawn comedy adventure game in the art style reminiscent of Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python’s and other surreal British animation from the 1960s and 70s, and it pairs this visual with sharp distinctly British humor. The result is a game that appears crude on the surface, but it’s clearly well designed with genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. 

    From the opening cutscene, the game establishes its bizarre premise and rarely lets up. You play as a small, mostly silent salesman wandering the fictional Northern English town of Barnsworth. Progress is driven entirely by interaction: poking, pulling, slapping, and getting into increasingly absurd and strange situations. The game rewards curiosity, timing, and the willingness to lean into the absurd.

    The voice acting is superb, including the unmistakable presence of Matt Berry who delivers the game’s tone perfectly. Thank Goodness You’re Here! trusts you to find the humor without over-explaining and handing you the control to let the comedic timing do the work.

    Charming, strange, confident in its own silliness, and never overstaying its welcome, Thank Goodness You’re Here! stands out as one of the most memorable comedy games in recent years. Ta-ta for now. – Oscar Polanco

    Pathologic 3

    Pathologic 3 is a game that lingers long after you put the controller down. The cult-classic psychological survival series from Ice-Pick Lodge returns with a new entry that reimagines its haunting world for modern hardware, while staying true to what makes Pathologic so distinct. This isn’t survival-horror built on reflexes or fear alone. It’s about pressure — the kind that builds quietly as time moves forward and the town refuses to wait for you. From the moment you arrive, the world feels hostile in subtle ways. Conversations are uneasy. Information is fragmented. Even simple decisions feel loaded. Playing Pathologic 3, I was constantly aware that every choice — where I went, who I helped, what I ignored — carried consequences I wouldn’t fully understand until much later.

    You play as a doctor navigating a plague that can’t simply be cured. Resources are scarce, and the town’s residents feel less like quest-givers and more like people trying to survive alongside you. Saving one life often meant neglecting another, and there were moments where doing “the right thing” only made the situation worse. Combat is not the focus here. Survival comes from managing hunger, exhaustion, infection, and trust, both your own and the town’s. The tension doesn’t spike; it simmers. More than once, I found myself hesitating before making a decision, knowing the game wouldn’t stop me from making a mistake — it would just remember it.

    On Xbox Series X|S, Pathologic 3 benefits from faster load times and enhanced lighting and environmental detail, keeping the experience uninterrupted and deeply immersive. The town feels oppressive, alive, and uncomfortably close. Pathologic 3 is a game that trusts players to sit with discomfort, ambiguity, and consequence. The plague is back on Xbox — and it’s watching how you choose to face it. – Steven Allen

    Escape from Ever After title art

    Escape from Ever After is a cozy, whimsical experience that proudly wears its inspirations on its sleeve. What begins as an atypical hero-goes-to-slay-the-dragon story quickly shifts into a buddy-cop-esque journey about capitalism, evil conglomerates, and climbing the corporate ladder to destroy a company from within. It’s very unserious and silly — yet somehow the most genius thing I’ve played in a while.

    The premise is centered around hero Flynt Buckler, villain Tinder the Dragon, and their temporary truce to thwart Ever After Inc. — a “real-world” conglomerate bent on infiltrating beloved fairytales and folklore to farm resources and characters for labor. As a result, you’ll find Pinocchio working a desk job, Red Riding Hood manning a receptionist’s desk, the Three Little Pigs as an evil construction company, and Dracula as a… tailor. You’ll also see things like printers as save points, gold coins referred to as “wages,” and coffee as your mana pool. I love how much it plays into the theme of the corporate world blending into fantasy, and it left me eager to see what stories would be included and how they’ve been impacted by Ever After.

    As for the core gameplay, it’s an approachable RPG with platforming, puzzles, and exploration balanced into the mix. The combat is turn-based but leverages timing-based mini games to enhance actions. Historically, I’ve never really been a big turn-based RPG person, so this helped keep the combat engaging and definitely felt satisfying to pull off. There’s also a bit of party management as you recruit characters from different stories, a leveling system, abilities to unlock, and mild customization through costumes and such.

    This game is awesome, and I had an absolute blast playing it. Through its story, gameplay variety, and approachability, this feels like a game I can easily recommend to anyone. – Deron Mann

    Wylde Flowers

    Wylde Flowers is a standout farming life sim that breaks from genre norms with its fully voice‑acted cast and story‑driven approach. Instead of creating your own avatar from scratch, you step into the shoes of Tara, who returns to her quiet island hometown after twenty years to help care for her grandmother’s farm. It doesn’t take long before Tara learns that her grandmother is actually a witch and that she may actually share the same abilities.

    The gameplay blends farming, daily chores, witchcraft, and socializing with the townsfolk, delivering a satisfying loop that stays approachable but rewarding. You’ll harvest resources, upgrade tools, craft practical and magical components, and unlock new potions and spells. One especially clever design choice is the way seasons advance: they don’t run on a timer but instead shift only when you decide. That small twist removes a lot of pressure, giving you all the time you need to gather materials and finish tasks before moving on.

    But the real magic of the game lies in its cast of unique characters. The town is filled with everyday villagers as well as a few supernatural‑leaning residents, all of whom initially see you as an outsider which means you will have to win them over. Each character has distinct stories, quirks, secrets, and requests, and the more time you spend with them, the more your relationships deepen, with some even blossoming into romance. These connections aren’t just optional side flavor; they actively push the story forward as you piece together what’s truly happening in the community and who’s genuinely on your side.

    If you’re an Animal Crossing fan craving something with richer narrative layers wrapped in cozy farming gameplay, this one is absolutely worth your time. – Raymond Estrada

    Loan Shark

    Quite possibly the most indie game to ever indie without being in voxels or 2D, in Loan Shark you play as a sad sack fisherman who owes a lot of money to a loan shark just waiting onshore to do serious damage to you and your loved ones if you don’t meet the payment deadline. To make a dent in a seemingly impossible debt ceiling, you just have to keep fishing like your life depends on it… because it does. Because this is a horror fishing game.

    As a hapless fisherman desperate to pay off a debt, you’ll have to fish, fish, fish stuff out of the ocean from your ramshackle boat, gut your catch, and toss it in a chest for a payment that slowly chips away at an enormous bill you’ve racked up with the local crime-lord-slash-loan-shark. The waters are dark, the visuals are murky in a PS2 kind of way, and the controls are both simple and clunky at the same time. Don’t dive into this one expecting to marvel over technical gymnastics or pristine presentation – this is a game about making choices, being accountable for them, and of course, a creepy talking fish who offers you some potentially easy answers (which is also a choice for you to make). And that’s really it. Each run lasts around 45-ish minutes and, depending on how you handle yourself, can result in very different endings. I don’t really want to dish out any more info in order to avoid spoilers, as you kind of have to go into this one with an open mind, a willingness to persist with little to no guidance, and a robust imagination (to make up for those technical rough edges). But please do, fish away!

    Hero Seekers title art

    This game hits me with all the nostalgia dopamine. Late‑’90s and early‑2000s turn‑based JRPGs were absolutely my thing, and Hero Seekers takes that classic formula and elevates it with a clever premise, strong characters, and stylish presentation. Memory drives both the story and gameplay: you awaken in a world where humans have been enslaved by demons, and major historical events have been rewritten. You’re the only one who remembers the true past, and it’s up to you to recover forgotten heroes, restore what was erased, and save humanity.

    Combat is turn‑based and built around smart party choices and resource management. You can field up to five unique heroes, and while most battles are straightforward, tougher enemies and status effects occasionally demand more strategy. Routine encounters can be handled automatically.

    Where the game really shines is in its hero collection. You gain access to a wide roster early on, encouraging experimentation as you mix and match characters, build unique parties, and optimize skills so they complement one another. Along the way, you’ll meet several standout heroes with distinct backstories that unfold as you help them reclaim their memories.

    Hero Seekers scratches that old‑school JRPG itch with intuitive gameplay and strong presentation, while adding its own twist through its hero‑collecting focus and memory‑driven narrative. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves memorable, classic‑style JRPGs. – Raymond Estrada



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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor
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  • Experience FragPunk’s Paint-Splattered Future in the Pigment Realm – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • FragPunk celebrates its first anniversary on February 1 with Season 4, Full Spectrum Bash, adding a major new mode and a new Lancer.
    • Pigment Realm is a new PvE mode that signals the future direction of FragPunk’s development, focused on replayability and progression.
    • Heiress/graffiti artist Wildstyle joins the Lancer roster with abilities based on spray paint and the “Stained” effect.

    In the fast-paced world of FragPunk, players are used to the tactical chaos of Shard Clash. But for the game’s first anniversary, Bad Guitar Studio is Making more attempts. With the launch of Season 4, “Full Spectrum Bash,” The team is dedicated to enhancing the depth and replayability of PvE, introducing a fresh new play mode.

    “The Full Spectrum Bash will be the ultimate playground for all FPS players to enjoy,” says Xin, Producer at Bad Guitar Studio. The centerpiece of this update is the Pigment Realm, a mode that moves away from pre-configured decks to embrace the unpredictability of a true roguelike experience.

    Enter the Pigment Realm: From Chaos to Creation

    The transition into Season 4 isn’t just a mechanical update; it’s a narrative culmination. Following the Toy Frontline incident, Kepler successfully retrieved several toy monsters for study. However, a high-stakes swap occurred: a portion of the monsters destined for the Pathojen Laboratory vanished, only to reappear as a “mysterious package” at Wildstyle’s studio.

    “This is where the chaos begins,” Xin explains. “Wildstyle, completely unaware of Kepler’s loss, mistook these monsters for harmless craftwork and used them as inspiration for her art.” The turning point came when she applied her signature paint. Infused with glunite, the paint acted as a catalyst, accidentally activating the monsters.

    “We want to provide a gameplay mode that offers rich replay value,” Xin explains. “The Pigment Realm places a greater emphasis on a single-player experience where the core deck is constructed during gameplay rather than outside of matches.” This shift in philosophy is defined by four pillars: enhanced randomness, extended progression through talent trees, a rewarding “grind” with leaderboard rankings, and a richer loot experience.

    FragPunk screenshot

    Designing the Mechanics: The Roguelike Evolution

    In the Pigment Realm, the traditional pre-match strategy is being replaced by real-time adaptation. Lancers will no longer use pre-configured card decks from outside the game. Instead, they must rely on an in-game card backpack, where power is earned through combat.

    “We wanted the growth to feel organic to the fight,” says Xin. “Every monster you defeat has a chance to drop a card, and that drop rate actually scales with the number of players in your team. It encourages a squad-based momentum where you are constantly picking up and activating new abilities on the fly.”

    FragPunk screenshot

    To deepen this system, the team introduced several layers of strategy:

    The Shard Card Crafting System: Players can spend Crystals to draw and select new Shard Cards. Unlike traditional modes, these cards have no usage limits or resource restrictions — if it’s in your hand slot, it’s active.

    Card Synthesis: Lancers can combine three cards of the same name and level to create a more powerful version. The system even allows for “direct synthesis” from the ground if a dropped card completes a three of a kind with cards already in your hand.

    The Blessing System: After completing a set number of waves, players must choose one of three powerful blessings to further define their build.

    Strategic Exploration and Resource Management

    The map itself requires resources to unlock gradually. In the Pigment Realm, certain zones are restricted at the start. “Venture forth and explore every uncharted zone to your heart’s content!” Xin encourages. This creates a tactical trade-off: do you spend your Crystals on drawing new Shard Cards, or do you use them to open up the map? Notably, enemies will not spawn in an area until it has been officially unlocked, giving players some control over the flow of the battle.

    FragPunk screenshot

    Persistent Growth: The Out-of-Game Build

    While the in-game experience is about immediate survival, the new Perk System ensures that every match contributes to a Lancer’s long-term power. Each character now has a dedicated Character Level that can only be increased by using that specific hero in PvE mode.

    “The progression is designed to reward your time and skill,” Xin explains. By leveling up, players earn Talent Points used to develop a permanent out-of-match talent tree. According to the developers, three key factors determine how much experience you gain:

    Hero Used: Experience is character-specific to the hero played in that match.

    Match Duration: The longer you survive, the more experience you accumulate.

    Waves Cleared: In Endless mode, your progress is directly proportional to the character experience earned.

    FragPunk screenshot
    FragPunk screenshot
    FragPunk screenshot
    FragPunk screenshot

    3 brand new maps (Acme Underpass, Art Town, Collège Alpin) will be used for Pigment Realm, and also a new map (Caesarea) for Shard Clash!

    FragPunk key art

    Meet Wildstyle 

    Background

    While the Pigment Realm offers new ways to play, the new Lancer, Wildstyle (Melody Lovelock), offers new ways to win. Despite her prestigious family background, she is a legend in the underground graffiti scene, a fact the Lancer Association keeps a “quiet” secret. Her kit is built around the “Stained” effect:

    Mechanics and Skills

    Coat of Many Colors: Wildstyle sprays paint on herself or her teammates, granting 15 extra HP. This extra health continuously regenerates for the duration of the skill.

    Spray Paint: Wildstyle fires paint from her graffiti gun that splatters on the ground. Enemies who enter the paint zone are slowed, exposed, and take increased damage. This Stained effect persists for a short period after leaving the paint zone, and the zone itself is temporary.

    Wonderwall: Wildstyle places a graffiti device on the ground or on a door, creating a paint waterfall that blocks vision in one direction. The paint does not block bullets or projectiles. Enemies passing through it get covered in paint and are Stained. The waterfall disappears if the device is destroyed, or after a set period of time. This skill automatically recharges.

    FragPunk key art

    The Anniversary: It’s Raining Gold

    Beyond the new content, the anniversary event is a “thank you” to the community. Lancers can earn up to 2,500 coins and a free Extreme-tier weapon skin set simply by participating in activities.

    Looking ahead, the studio remains committed to its core philosophy. “We will expand with more creative Arcade matches and even bolder experimental content,” Xin concludes. “Through continuous updates, we aim to turn FragPunk into the ultimate playground — where you can experience everything you’ve ever wanted to play.”

    FragPunk is available for free on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, with Xbox Play Anywhere and Cloud Gaming, and included in all tiers of Game Pass.


    FragPunk
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    FragPunk

    Bad Guitar Studio

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    335

    ★★★★★

    PC Game Pass

    Xbox Game Pass

    Break the Rules with Shard Cards
    Dive into the action of FragPunk and break the rules with countless Shard Cards! Wanna give your allies some “motivation”? Shoot at them to increase their speed and fire rate! Need some HP? Just crouch, lay an egg and eat it! With Shard Cards, no rule stands in your way. They can also combine and counter each other, adding an exciting tactical layer to the classic bomb-defuse experience. And every Shard Card is completely and forever free for all players—no paywalls in sight! Jump in and unleash endless possibilities in FragPunk!

    Be Any Lancer You Want to Be
    Numerous diverse Lancers, each with unique skills, personalities and outrageous dialog and to suit your preference. Blow up your enemies with a rocket launcher, set traps, backstab while invisible, pilot a drone tank and more!

    The One and Only Duel!
    In FragPunk, you can be your own Lancer and a team player at the same time. The action reaches its peak when the exhilarating Duel phrase starts after a tie! In this intense 1v1 showdown, it’s all about your mastery as players face off in a true test of skills. Jump in and fight! Duel can also be played as an individual mode in the Arcade.

    Variety that Fuels Replayability
    Find your favorite guns, many of which have special abilities! Are you a sword, sniper or pistol fan? Explore and develop your personal combat style!
    Every game lets you slap stickers on the guns. But what about on your name card, or even your Lancer’s head? Sticker-bomb every corner for that extra flair, before you step into the battlefield and showcase your style!

    Explore Various Modes
    With so many game modes available, the Arcade offers weekly rotations to keep the action fresh and exciting each time you play! Defend humanity, or turn as many humans as possible into zombies in the “Outbreak” mode! Or test your weapon skills in a variety of single-weapon-type modes, from melee battles to sniper duels, to pistol showdowns and rocket skirmishes.

    Immersive Maps & Vibrant Visuals!
    Maps in FragPunk are designed to immerse players in a vibrant multiverse, offering an array of different environments to explore. Feast your eyes on bold colors, sharp shapes and dynamic lines to provide you with diverse visual experiences while the bullets fly. Prepare to be captivated by the rich aesthetic and thrilling gameplay that await you in FragPunk!

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Overwatch: The New Year-Long Narrative, Explained – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • Overwatch narrative lead Miranda Moyer tells us more about The Reign of Talon: the first complete, year-long story arc for Overwatch. 
    • The new narrative launches with immediate global conflict as Talon challenges Overwatch, and will introduce 10 new heroes, each woven directly into the unfolding story. 
    • Get ready for an Overwatch story that keeps you at the edge of your seat, with non-stop action, evolving characters, and plot twists. 

    Today, Blizzard’s Overwatch Spotlight announced the start of an exciting new story‑driven era for Overwatch, highlighted by a year-long narrative arc called The Reign of Talon, all‑new UI/UX design, and much more. Be sure to check out the full video for all of the details. As an extra treat, we’re joined by Lead Narrative Designer Miranda Moyer to dive deeper into what this new story‑driven chapter means for Overwatch. 

    For the first time in Overwatch’s history, we’re telling a complete story.   

    I don’t say that lightly. Over the past decade, Overwatch’s narrative has been about possibility – introductions, hints, and setups. We’ve met heroes, discovered conflicts, and learned just enough to know there was something bigger happening beyond the edges of the screen. But this year, we’re doing something we’ve never done before: telling a story with a clear beginning, middle… and yes, an end.  

    That means things move. When something happens in the world of Overwatch now, it doesn’t sit untouched. Objectives are set, and met. You’ll see outcomes unfold across seasons. We’re finally seeing payoff for parts of the Overwatch world that you’ve maybe wondered about for years. This evolving story will be brought to life through a variety of mediums – including Hero Trailers, motion comics, and more – so you can experience each chapter in unique ways. All these pieces will be available on our dedicated narrative viewer, organized in chapters that guide you through the year’s epic narrative.  

    At the center of this year’s Overwatch narrative is a global conflict that’s impossible to ignore. Vendetta has seized control of Talon, overthrowing Doomfist and rejecting the clandestine nature in which he operated. Where Talon once skulked in the shadows, Vendetta believes in acting loudly, decisively, and without restraint. Her goal is explicit: she wants the world, and she believes Overwatch is the only force standing in her way. Because of that, we’re not winding up to conflict: we’re starting with it. Talon strikes early, attempting to remove Overwatch from the equation.

    What’s fresh about the way we’re telling this story is how deeply our heroes are embedded in it. Every new character plays a direct role in the narrative. Those new faces are also a great vehicle to continue the stories of established ones. We’re touching so many parts of the world of Overwatch, and the more stories we develop, the more opportunities we’ll have to progress the journeys of heroes both new and longstanding.

    One of the biggest highlights for Overwatch this year is the introduction of 10 new heroes. In Season 1, which begins February 10, you’ll meet five of them at once: each with their own narrative thread which helps set the tone for what’s to come. 

    • Domina operates on the edges of Talon’s chaos, not publicly aligned with Vendetta (for fear of unsavory headlines), but more than willing to profit from the destruction she causes.
    • Emre is caught in a far more dangerous position, coerced into cooperation under the threat of catastrophic loss.
    • Mizuki finds himself torn between old obligations and the people who have become his family. 
    • Anran enters the fight on Overwatch’s side, driven and connected to the story in deeply personal ways.  
    Overwatch Concept Art
    • And then there’s Jetpack Cat, a long-running meme turned mobile support. She’s worth keeping an eye on, both for the future of her curious tale (tail?), as well as to make sure she isn’t knocking anything off counters. 

    This year’s narrative is about convergence—threads coming together, tensions peaking, and long-running questions colliding in ways that matter. Both established and new heroes will see movement in their stories, evolving amid this conflict. For Overwatch, this is the most ambitious narrative we’ve taken on. Each piece builds on the last, pushing characters and conflicts forward. 

    Join us on this new journey, and jump into Season 1 on February 10 and see it unfold for yourself. 


    Overwatch®

    Overwatch®

    Blizzard Entertainment

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    2000

    ★★★★★

    Xbox One X Enhanced

    Xbox Game Pass

    Overwatch® is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based hero shooter game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 or 6v6 battlefield brawl featuring new heroes and maps, different ways to play, and unique cosmetics! Lead the charge, ambush your enemies, or aid your allies as one of Overwatch®’s 40+ distinct heroes. Team up with friends, take them into battle across 25+ futuristic maps inspired by real-world locations, and master multiple unique game modes.

    Overwatch® – Season 20: Vendetta

    Give the Gift of Vengeance

    Embrace the season in a flurry of festivity with a new DPS Hero, Winter Wonderland modes, holiday event, merry Mythics, and more!

    Season 20 carves a cold path with Vendetta, the ruthless new melee DPS villain fueled by ambition and revenge. But it’s not all frosty edges—celebrate the holidays in the return of Winter Wonderland! Make some merry Mischief & Magic on a whimsical new wintery map, with a midway mode twist where the props fight back in Mischief & Magic Wonderland. Earn Winter Tokens through the Winter Wonderland event to unlock festive holiday skins for Tracer, Junkrat, and Torbjörn, then step into Stadium for a fresh map with new Heroes, updates, and prizes. Top it all off with Mythic Divine Desperado Cassidy and Orisa’s Mythic Capsule Cannon packing a cascade of cheer, plus more frosty skins as you jingle all the way through Battle Pass tiers. ‘Tis the season to deck your enemies’ halls, claim your vengeance, and unwrap your rewards!

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    Joe Skrebels, Xbox Wire Editor-in-Chief

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  • Why WWE 2K26 is the Right Time to Bring CM Punk’s Story Back to WWE Video Games – Xbox Wire

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    CM Punk is no stranger to the cover. He first graced it in WWE ’13, marking the start of a new era for the franchise. Shortly after WWE ’13 launched, Punk stepped away from WWE, but 2K continued building and evolving the WWE 2K series in the years that followed.

    When Punk made his long-awaited return to WWE in late 2023, our team immediately began exploring how to welcome him back into the game. That moment came with his return to the roster in WWE 2K24 through the ECW Punk Pack. From there, the focus shifted to something bigger as we looked for the right moment to meaningfully celebrate Punk’s legacy, impact, and industry-changing voice within WWE 2K.

    That moment arrived in April 2025, when CM Punk headlined WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. For us, it was clear. WWE 2K26 was the right stage to bring Punk back to the forefront and honor his journey as only WWE 2K could.

    Building the Themes For The Best in The World

    CM Punk is known for his rebellious, anti-authoritarian demeanor, never shying away from speaking his mind or doing whatever he wants, such as his infamous “Pipe Bomb” promo when he broke the fourth wall and shared his unfiltered thoughts to the world on Raw. His no-nonsense approach endears him to the WWE fans, but not necessarily within the establishment of WWE; once leaving Money in the Bank with the WWE title held hostage, his contract having expired that same night after defeating John Cena.

    We wanted to play within these themes in WWE 2K26 this year starting with the era that owned the term “anti-establishment”, The Attitude Era. It was an era that took shape out of necessity during the Monday Night War at the turn of the millennium while rival company WCW was on a 52-week streak of winning the TV ratings, riding the wave of popularity from the nWo (Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash) and rising stars like Goldberg and Booker T.

    WWE finally began turning the tide with the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Undertaker, Kane, and Triple H to name a few, to eventually break that streak and turn Monday nights into must-see TV.

    Beyond the themes of rebellion and anti-establishmentarianism, we still wanted a more direct link between CM Punk and this era of WWE. This is when we approached WWE with the idea of the WWE 2K26 King of Kings Edition, with Triple H on the cover. Triple H is the perfect bridge, as a staple of the Monday Night War and Attitude Era, as a founding member with Shawn Michaels and Chyna, and then redefining the group as leader of D-Generation X with the addition of the New Age Outlaws and X-Pac, together invading WCW on live TV and then later in his career feuding with CM Punk during Punk’s initial run in WWE before Triple H played an important role in bringing Punk back to WWE in 2023.

    Bringing CM Punk’s Story To Life

    WWE 2K26 brings the themes of CM Punk’s career, nods to WWE history, and the Monday Night War era to the game.

    2K Showcase for WWE 2K26 is another captivatingly curated list of matches from CM Punk’s career, brought to you by CM Punk, who worked with Visual Concepts to bring his story to life for this mode, similar to John Cena for his WWE 2K23 Showcase. This Best in the World 2K Showcase traces Punk’s story across multiple decades, reliving his rise, rebellion, and return. Players can experience iconic rivalries and explore fantasy scenarios that imagine a world where Punk never left WWE or if he faced his heroes from the Attitude Era.

    Bringing The Attitude to Our Gameplay Updates

    The Attitude Era also comes to life in our gameplay dates for WWE 2K26 with the inclusion of extreme match types such as the Inferno Match made famous between Undertaker and Kane’s notorious storyline, the Dumpster match, 3 Stages of Hell and the I Quit match. New weapons including thumbtacks and the ability to stack tables will enable players to heighten the stakes of the mayhem they create in WWE 2K26.

    WWE 2K26 will release with four different editions – Standard Edition with CM Punk as the cover star, the King of Kings Edition featuring Triple H on the cover, the Attitude Era Edition paying homage to multiple WWE stars of that era, and The Monday Night War Edition.

    The Monday Night War Edition is the most premium offering for a WWE 2K title to date, including all the content included in the Attitude Era Edition as well as the Monday Night War Edition Pack and WrestleMania 42 Pack.

    WWE 2K26 is coming to Xbox Series X|S on March 13, 2026. The Monday Night War and Attitude Era Editions include 7-day early access, starting March 6.

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    Danielle Partis, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • World War Z x The Walking Dead Lurches onto Xbox Today – Xbox Wire

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    When two of the most iconic zombie universes collide, the result is something uniquely intense, atmospheric, and unmistakably thrilling. Today we’ve launched World War Z x The Walking Dead, bringing four legendary survivors into the heart‑pounding co‑op action of World War Z.

    Players on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One can step into the boots of Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Michonne, and Negan as they fight through three new story chapters inspired by some of the most iconic locations in AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”

    The Prison

    Once a symbol of stability and hard‑won peace for Rick’s group, the Prison became one of the earliest and most dramatic battlegrounds in AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” In the crossover’s opening chapter, players return to this fortified correctional facility as a rescue mission spirals into a desperate fight for survival. Narrow hallways, cell blocks, and open yards create a mix of tight encounters and massive swarms — a perfect showcase for the new Walkers.

    World War Z x The Walking Dead
    World War Z x The Walking Dead
    Walkers – The Walking Dead – Season 3, Episode 4 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

    The Alexandria Safe Zone

    Alexandria has long represented hope — a walled community striving to rebuild civilization. But when Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and Negan arrive in this chapter, they find the settlement engulfed in flames and overrun by Walkers. Players will navigate and extinguish burning structures, defend panicked survivors, and push through increasingly dire challenges as the Safe Zone teeters on the brink. It’s a homecoming turned nightmare.

    World War Z x The Walking Dead
    World War Z x The Walking Dead
    Walkers – The Walking Dead _ Season 6, Episode 9 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

    Grady Memorial Hospital

    The final chapter takes the survivors to Grady Memorial Hospital, a location remembered for tense standoffs and its inhabitants’ moral flexibility. In World War Z, the hospital becomes a claustrophobic maze of dark corridors, abandoned wards, and sudden ambushes. Players will desperately search for much needed medicine — but will they make it out alive?

    World War Z x The Walking Dead
    World War Z x The Walking Dead
    – The Walking Dead _ Season 5, Episode 4 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

    A New Breed of Undead

    This crossover doesn’t just bring iconic characters — it transforms the battlefield. The standard Zeke that you face are now replaced by the slower, more methodical, and menacing Walkers from The Walking Dead, creating a threat that forces players to rethink every corridor, choke point, and fallback plan. A new special enemy, the Spiked Walker, adds even more tension. Armored, relentless, and capable of inflicting bleeding damage, it demands precision and teamwork to bring down safely.

    World War Z x The Walking Dead
    World War Z x The Walking Dead
    Gino Crognale as Walker – The Walking Dead _ Season 7, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

    A Crossover Years in the Making

    By blending WWZ’s frenetic Swarm Engine technology with the atmospheric dread of “The Walking Dead”, we’ve aimed to create a crossover that feels both familiar and entirely new. The result is hopefully a campaign that honors the legacy of both franchises while offering Xbox players a fresh, high‑stakes survival experience. If you own a copy of World War Z, you can pick up World War Z x The Walking Dead right now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One!


    World War Z

    World War Z

    Mad Dog Games, LLC

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    515

    ★★★★★


    $29.99

    $9.89

    Xbox One X Enhanced

    Xbox Game Pass

    Humanity is on the brink of extinction. From New York to Moscow and Jerusalem, the undead apocalypse continues to spread. As the end looms, a hardened few bands together to defeat the horde and outlive the dead.

    World War Z is a heart-pounding co-op third-person shooter for up to 4 players featuring swarms of hundreds of zombies. Based on the Paramount Pictures film, World War Z focuses on fast-paced gameplay while exploring new storylines from around the world.

    Battle swarms of hundreds of zombies – the Swarm Engine™ seamlessly renders hordes of zombies in incredible firefights. Advanced gore systems offer gruesomely satisfying action.

    Co-op story-driven campaigns – survive around the world, as unique groups tell their stories of perseverance.

    Fight other players for survival – several intense Player vs Player vs Zombies game modes complement the co-op campaigns.

    Grow stronger – unlock powerful weapon upgrades and level 16 character classes to take on greater challenges.

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • People of Note Welcomes Joe Zieja, Erika Ishii, Debra Wilson and More to the Cast! – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • Musical turn-based RPG People of Note launches later this year for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
    • Check out one if its newly revealed musical numbers, Mashup.
    • The star-studded cast of actors and singers now includes Erika Ishii and Amanda Angeles (Synthia), Joe Zieja (Sharp), Heather Gonzales and Lexxe (Cadence), Jason Charles Miller (Fret), and Debra Wilson (Martell).

    The cast of People of Note, our upcoming musical turn-based RPG, just got bigger!

    Today, we’re happy to announce the rest of the cast joining our pop diva protagonist on her grand adventure into stardom.

    To celebrate this announcement, we’re unveiling the next musical number from the game: Mashup, where Cadence tries recruiting old garage rocker Fret into her band:

    As you can hear, People of Note’s cast includes not only massively talented voice actors, but an equally dazzling lineup of singers and musicians! As not every voice actor is a singer (and vice versa) there were moments where we had to find a matching pair to bring a single character to life. This was an additional challenge most productions don’t face: even if their voices sounded similar, we needed their natural energies and attitudes to match both the characters AND each other.

    Erika Ishii (from Halo: Infinite and Deathloop), who voices our EDM bandmate Synthia, is a great example: she brings her orchestral music background and general JRPG nerddom into perfect harmony with vocalist Amanda Angeles, who comes from a traditional musical theatre background.

    “As a lifelong devotee of musical theater, Final Fantasy fan, cosplayer, and orchestra nerd (or orc dork, as we dubbed ourselves), I’m thrilled to be part of my dear friend’s vibrant and clever game,” Erika explained. “Jason and the team have been working passionately to make the game we always wanted to play, and I can’t wait for everyone to discover the world of Note.”

    People of Note screenshot

    Joe Zieja does it all in People of Note, both acting and singing as the snobby music manager and politician, Sharp! Joe is known for voicing Bruce Banner in Marvel Rivals and Wriothesley in Genshin Impact, but as a longtime musician, he’s more than capable of belting out the powerful notes required of such a mainstay in the political scene of Chordia!

    “When they asked ‘can you play a British ‘80s pop star in his 50s, and sing like one too?’ my answer was an enthusiastic ‘maybe?’ Trusting myself behind the mic as an actor is one thing – trusting myself behind the mic as a singer was a totally new experience for me in a video game. I came out of our sessions PUMPED. I can’t wait for fans to meet this insufferable has-been!”

    People of Note screenshot

    As seen in the Mashup clip above, Cadence (played by Heather Gonzalez and Lexxe) recruits Fret, an old-school garage rocker, to the band. Fret is voiced and sung by Jason Charles Miller, but you might be surprised to learn he also literally wrote and produced the song you just heard, in addition to most of the musical numbers! You’ll meet Fret as he’s fending off Martell, voiced by Debra Wilson of The Outer Wilds 2 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, second-in-command of the Homestead forces.

    Debra Wilson taps into that internal song when channeling her dangerous and driven character. “Everything in the known Universe is sound and vibration… and so it is with music!” waxes Debra. “This game was a privilege to be part of to tell this ‘funky’ story that places music at the forefront of every character, and captivates our own ‘song of life!!’ Play on, baby! Play on!”

    People of Note screenshot

    We’re so excited for players to witness all the spectacular performances from our cast above, and the many more we’re highlighting on our socials. In case you missed it, we previously released Under the Lights, People of Note’s jaw-dropping opening musical number:

    We’ll be rolling out more musical performances in the future, which you don’t want to miss!

    Find out more by checking out Annapurna Interactive on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, YouTube, and online at https://annapurnainteractive.com/en/games/people-of-note .

    People of Note launches later this year for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud as an Xbox Play Anywhere title. Add People of Note to your wishlist on the Microsoft Store below.


    People of Note

    People of Note

    Annapurna Interactive

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    In this turn-based RPG musical, join Cadence as she recruits an ensemble of musicians on her quest for stardom. Experience turn-based combat like never before, where each battle is a musical performance with evolving combat conditions and genre-bending mashup attacks!

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Indie Selects Anniversary Celebration – Our Yearly Selects, a Huge Indie Sale, and Xbox Dynamic Backgrounds – Xbox Wire

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    Jump Space 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale The Sinking City remastered 85% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Killing Floor 3 33% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale I Am Your Beast 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale 30 Birds 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale 3D Don’t Die Mr Robot 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale 9th Dawn Remake 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale A Pizza Delivery 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Above Snakes 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Achilles: Survivor 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Afterlove EP 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Amanda the Adventurer 2 10% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Amazing Frog? 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Anima Flux 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Antarctica 88: 4k Remaster 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Anvil Saga 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Arctic Awakening 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Atomfall Story Expansion Pack: The Red Strain 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Aureole – Wings of Hope 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Axis Football 2026 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Bad Cheese 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale BAD END THEATER 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Baki Hanma: Blood Arena 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Beacon of Neyda 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Beyond the Ice Palace 2 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Biped 2 33% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Bloodshed 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale BOULDER DASH 40th Anniversary 35% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Boxes: Lost Fragments 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Boxville 2 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Brews & Bastards 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Bridge Constructor Studio 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Brotherhood 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Bulterier Training Pack 67% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Cabernet 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Candy Rangers 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Captain Blood 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Carnival Survivors The Parade 70% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Cat God Ranch 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Cat Needs 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Cats and Seek: Dino Park 33% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Centum 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Chickenhare and the treasure of Spiking-Beard 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Chocolate Factory Simulator 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Chronicles of the Wolf 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale City Bus Manager 35% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale CLAWPUNK 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Construction Simulatro – DAF & Meiller Pack 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Contraband Police 15% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Cooking Companions 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Copycat 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Coralina 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Crowns and Pawns 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Cubic Odyssey 35% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Cute Puppy Academy 90% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Dark Atlas: Infernum 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Dark Deity 2 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Dark Quest 4 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Dead of Darkness 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Dead Reset 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Deadzone: Rogue (Base Edition) 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Deathless. 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Mika and the Witch’s Mountain 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Mind Over Magnet 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp XXL 15% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip XXL 15% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Monument Valley 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Monument Valley 2 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Monument Valley 3 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Morkull: Ragast’s Rage 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Mostroscopy 55% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Moving Houses 35% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale My Little Universe 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale NanoApostle 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale No Sun To Worship 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Noctuary 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Node: The Last Favor of Antarii 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale One Military Camp 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Oppidum 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Pacify 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Paper Bad 33% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Parking World: Build & Manage 35% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Pet Shop Simulator 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Pilo and the Holobook 70% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Pinball FX – Williams Pinball: Elvira and the Party Monsters 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Pinball FX – Williams Pinball: Scared Stiff 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Pinball FX – Williams Pinball: Volume 9 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Pocket Bravery 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Police Simulator: Patrol Officers: Adventurer Police Vehicle DLC 33% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Police Simulator: Patrol Officers: Contraband Expansion 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Porcelain Observer Pack 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale PowerWash Simulator 2 15% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Preserve 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Psychroma 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Ra Ra BOOM 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Railroads Online 35% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Rain World: The Watcher 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale RATSHAKER 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Ray of Sunshine 67% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Recycling Center Simulator 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Relic Hunters Legend 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Relic Hunters Legend – Heroic Content Upgrade Pack 35% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Relic Hunters Legend – Legendary Edition 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Republic of Pirates 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Reus 2 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Reus 2 – Ice Age 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Revival: Recolonization 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Rise Eterna 2 33% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Robobeat 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale RoboDunk 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Robots at Midnight 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Rocket Rats 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Rocket Rats Windows 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Rogue Loops 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Rogue Waters 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Rue Valley 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Ruffy And The Riverside 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Samurai Academy: Paws of Fury 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sea Fantasy 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Secret Paws – Cozy Offices 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution – Deluxe Edition 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Silly Polly Beast 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sir Whoopass: Immortal Death 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sir Whoopass: Immortal Death – Digital Deluxe Edition 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sir Whoopass: Threads of Mass Whoopery Skin Pack 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sir Whoopass: WholeAss Emote Pack 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sir Whoopass: Whoop and Chill – The Fluff Awakens 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Skelethrone: The Chronicles of Ericona – The Jewel in the Skull 35% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sledders 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Slopecrashers 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Snezhinka 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley – Fuddler’s Courtship 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Songs of Conquest – Roots 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sorry We’re Closed 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale SOS OPS! 70% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale SOS OPS! – Guns’n’Ops 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale SOS OPS! – Trials 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Soulstone Survivors & Supporter Pack 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Space Chef 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Spacepunk Survival 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Spell Disk 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Spelunking For Your Life Pack 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Spirit of the North 2 Deluxe Edition 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Starship Troopers: Extermination – Galactic Victory Edition 35% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sticky Business 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sticky Business – Book of Shadows 10% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sticky Business – Camp Zinnias 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sticky Business – Plan With Me 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Sticky Business Complete Bundle 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Still Wakes the Deep 75% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Still Wakes the Deep: Sirens Rest 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale SubwaySim 2 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Super Mining Mechs 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale SUPPORTER PACK 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Suzerain 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Suzerain Expanded Edition 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Suzerain Expanded Edition 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Taboo Trial 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Terrified Toddler Pack 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Terrifier: The ARTcade Game 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale The Alters 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale The Cabin Factory 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale The Last Camp 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale The Last Camp Ultimate Edition 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale The Last Hero: Journey to the Unknown 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale The Legend of Cyber Cowboy 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale The Stone of Madness 67% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale The Stone of Madness – Special Edition 67% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale The Stone of Madness – Special Edition Content 67% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Thrill Penguin 60% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Through the Nightmares 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale To the Moon: Sigmund Minisode 1&2 (Holiday Special) 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Tormented Souls 2 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Train Sim World® 6: BR Class 86/2 & Mk2F Coaches 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Train Sim World® 6: Manchester Airport Commuter: Manchester – Alderley Edge 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Train Sim World® 6: MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line HSP46 Pack 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Train Sim World® 6: Peninsula Corridor – MP15DC Switcher 60% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Train Sim World® 6: Peninsula Corridor – MP36PH-3C Express 60% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Train Sim World® 6: Peninsula Corridor – San Jose 60% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Train Sim World® 6: Standard Edition 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Train Sim World® 6: West Coast Main Line Birmingham – Crewe 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Turbo Overkill Ultimate Edition Upgrade 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Twins of the Sun 80% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale UFL Federico Valverde Edition add-on 70% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale UFL Raphina Edition 70% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale ULTIMATE GAMER PACK 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale UNDYING 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Universe For Sale 25% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Unwording 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale VALVERDE | RAPHINHA EDITION add-on 70% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Vanity Fair: The Pursuit 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Vessels of Decay 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale VIDEOVERSE 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Vlad Circus Curse of Asmodeus 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Wander Stars 33% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Westild’s Law 60% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Wildfrost 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Wildgate – Renegade Pack 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Wildkeepers Rising 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Windswept 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Wings of Endless 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Witch It 75% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale WitchSpring R – Fluffy Peach Set 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale World of Heavyweights Pack 50% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale XENOTILT 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale XIII A final Game of Tarot 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale XIII A final Game of Tarot (Window) 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale XIII A final Game of Tarot (Xbox One) 40% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Yet Another Zombie Survivors (Game Preview) 35% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale ZOE Begone! 30% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Mutant Football League 2 15% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Bendy: Lone Wolf 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale Bendy: Ink Demon’s Collection 20% Indie Selects Anniversary Sale

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Highguard Is Out Today – and We’ve Played a Lot of It – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • Highguard is a free-to-play 3v3 first-person raid shooter, available today on Xbox Series X|S.
    • It is the independently published debut of Wildlight Entertainment, a new studio comprising veterans from Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Call of Duty.
    • Wildlight told us about their ambitious plans to support the game with monthly content updates, adding new characters, maps, modes, and more.

    Lots of games offer intense, competitive, squad-based action, but I can’t think of any besides Highguard where I can sling spells and bullets from the back of a majestic, galloping bear as I charge in to destroy an enemy fortress.

    Highguard turned a lot of heads with its flashy reveal at the end of the Game Awards last month, but many were left wanting to know more about this mysterious debut from Wildlight Entertainment, a new studio of Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Call of Duty veterans. The developers are first to admit that the intervening month has been quiet, but are confident that the game they’ve toiled over in secret for four years will speak for itself on release today.

    I spent a whole day playing the game and interviewing its lead developers and studio founders last week, and I am here to tell you exactly what we’re all about to play with Highguard.

    Ready to Raid

    As a “PvP raid shooter,” Highguard is built around a new and interesting gameplay loop in which two teams of three players fortify bases, ride out on mounts to gather resources and gain power, and initiate a series of raids to try and destroy the opposing team’s base first. It’s a little bit MOBA, a little bit survival shooter, and a little bit Capture the Flag, among other influences.

    Game Director and studio Co-Founder Chad Grenier tells me that the mode’s genesis came from team members enjoying the thrill of raiding an enemy base in multiplayer survival classic Rust, and wanting to distill that into a refined, competitive, repeatable experience. “Every match is about escalation: fortifying, venturing out, clashing, then mounting coordinated raids and defenses until only one base is left standing.”

    Each round starts with a minute locked in your base to selectively fortify walls, before being cut loose to find better gear and harvest crystals that can be turned in at shops all over the map to also change and upgrade your kit. The maps are wide open, and I very rarely ran into members of the other team until after several minutes into a match, when a storm would form over one of several predetermined locations, where the Shieldbreaker soon materialized. This magical sword is your key to victory—teams fight to grab it first and run it to the enemy base (“like reverse Capture the Flag,” according to Grenier) and insert it into one of several slots around their magical perimeter shield, initiating a raid.

    Highguard

    A siege tower immediately materializes from a portal, which cracks a segment of the base’s shield for the invaders to enter, also serving as their forward base for respawns during the raid. The invading team’s objective is then to breach the base (which is full of breakable walls), plant bombs on one of three key spots, and defend them until they go off. Two of the points will do substantial damage to the base’s life total, while successfully destroying the main, centrally fortified point will take it out entirely. The match ends when only one base remains standing.

    If both bases are still there when the raid ends, the match resets and another Shieldbreaker starts to form, but with new and improved gear found scattered around the map and in shops. Each of these phases is on a tight timer, on which respawns for both teams will be capped until the next phase begins, which keeps things moving. My matches ran anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, with some of the longer ones being quite dramatically swingy.

    The tempo variation between the phases and escalating power over the course of the match gave it a distinct and pleasant rhythmic cycle of rising anticipation in preparation leading into tense raids with higher and higher stakes. Lead Designer Mohammad Alavi says that this was deliberately tuned to make it enjoyably sustainable, where the same number of hours of nonstop PvP deathmatch would be more exhausting for most players.

    Highguard

    Need for Steed

    Most of Wildlight’s creative leadership and design team worked on Apex Legends, and it shows in how buttery smooth the action feels.

    There are 10 weapons available at launch, all of which will feel familiar to a seasoned FPS player. With slots for two at a time, I tended to use the Ranger sniper rifle and Paladin automatic shotgun to cover long- and close-range engagements, as matches would inevitably include both. You also have one of three raid tools (a rocket launcher, an explosive sledgehammer, or a zipline gun), which provide limited-use tactical utility or base destruction. Everything looks and sounds as good as you would expect from so many genre veterans, and the difference in approach between each piece of the arsenal is immediately noticeable.

    Respawn games are also famous for their movement tech, and Highguard carries that legacy confidently. In addition to the expected running, jumping, sliding, and mantling, the big new mobility addition is mounts, which you can summon and dismiss at will in most parts of the map. There were horses, bears, panthers, and gryphons available to choose from, though the differences are cosmetic. I rode a large, brown bear clad in bone armor, and I loved my chonky, beautiful son.

    Mounts are a necessity for covering the maps’ huge distances efficiently, and also lend themselves to fun gameplay moments that I’ve never experienced in a shooter before, like being able to mount up and dramatically gallop off to head the enemy off at the pass as I see the Shieldbreaker icon on the minimap moving up towards our base.

    Highguard

    Choices, Choices

    Adding to the sense of flexibility and choice, players also choose to play as one of eight Wardens available at launch, with more coming later. They are unique characters, limited to one per team, each with a passive ability, a tactical ability on cooldown, and an ultimate that slowly charges up. The two I ended up spending the most time with both had powerful area denial abilities.

    Atticus is a proud, armored warrior that throws lightning spears as his tactical ability, which spark damage to nearby enemies like a Tesla coil until destroyed. When covering an imminently forming Shieldbreaker or a ticking-down bomb, I liked throwing these in corners or above doorways at strategic choke points, peppering the enemy team with additional damage as they tried to come in.

    Highguard

    Una, on the other hand, is a masked shaman who summons adorable little nature spirit buddies (not unlike like Zelda’s Koroks), which throw stunning grenades to pester passing enemies as well as occasionally popping up to give her loot. Her ultimate summons a huge tree spirit that can really lock down an important spot in a crucial moment. Both characters reminded me of how much I enjoy playing as Symmetra and Torbjörn in Overwatch, finding the trickiest and most obnoxious spots possible to stick their turrets. Kai was perhaps the character I saw the most in my matches, a monk fused with a frost demon that summons a big wall of ice as his tactical ability, which proved clutch time and again for controlling space.

    The bases themselves are also a sort of character choice, as players on each team will vote for one the six total in the game at launch, which will then slot into any of the maps. The bases have distinct advantages and vulnerabilities that interact with the Wardens’ abilities in all sorts of interesting ways. For instance, Hellmouth is a fortress suspended over a lava chasm with narrow bridges that are perfect for shutting down with Kai’s wall.

    The Wardens, bases, weapons, and items in the game at launch already provide a fun and wide range of possibilities to explore in how they can remix to synergize or counter one another, giving a lot of dimensions around which the gameplay meta can evolve. Moreover, Wildlight already has a robust plan in place for infusing the game with a generous, steady drip of new content in all of those areas and more.

    Highguard

    Eyes on the Horizon

    Highguard’s live service additions will come in the form of two-month chapters, divided into two halves. That means that every single month they intend to release some combination of new Wardens, bases, maps, weapons, raid tools, and more. The first update, coming in just a few weeks, will introduce ranked play, and Grenier tells me they have lots of alternate gameplay modes in the works that will cycle in and out – such as Mario Kart-inspired mounted racing. All gameplay content will be added for free, with monetized elements strictly cosmetic.

    That’s an ambitious plan, but one for which this team is extremely well prepared. Wildlight CEO and Co-Founder Dusty Welch tells me that, while the Respawn team were very happy with the initial launch of Apex Legends (which arrived as a total surprise), they hadn’t started to plot out any post-release content until after it had come out, leaving months of lag time before they could release anything new. Wildlight and Highguard were conceived with this hard-earned experience in mind to be oriented around live-service production from the very beginning.

    Highguard

    “Starting this company, Chad [Grenier] and I knew we have to think about building it differently,” Welch told me, “and the people we hire, the mindset that we have, the pipelines that we set up, the tools, the technologies, the external partnerships and relationships, so that we’re thinking from day one how to successfully operate a live service and have an ongoing, meaningful dialog with our player base, and constantly be delighting and surprising them with content. We didn’t do that well with Apex at launch, and we are extremely well-prepared as we sit here today.”

    That whole year of new content for Highguard is already deep into development. Both Welch and Alavi gave the same sly look and non-answer when asked about their favorite Wardens to play, since they’re not in the game yet at launch (Welch confirmed it’s the same one). The standards and expectations for live-service games are higher than ever, but this team comprises people who have been doing it for a very long time already, and they’ve come about as correct as any studio I’ve yet seen chase this model.

    Highguard

    Highguard surprised and impressed me. I’m not great at fast, competitive shooters as a baseline, but its vibrant aesthetics and thoughtful design have absolutely piqued my interest. The market for live-service shooters is crowded, but Highguard has the advantage of offering an interesting new gameplay mode that doesn’t map onto any of the existing genres like battle royale or extraction. This may be Wildlight’s first game, but that belies a deeply confident and passionate team at the top of their form, excited to make the best game they can without the constraints of a major publisher.

    You don’t have to take my word for it: try Highguard today for free, available on Xbox Series X|S.

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Xbox Developer_Direct 2026 Recap: Everything Revealed, Including a Surprise New Double Fine Game – Xbox Wire

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    Developer_Direct kicked off 2026 with new gameplay and developer insights for four games coming to Xbox, all of which players can enjoy this year.

    The development teams at Playground Games (who brought two games to the show), Game Freak and Double Fine showed off Fable, Forza Horizon 6, Beast of Reincarnation, and surprise announcement, Kiln. Each brought extended new footage, looks behind the development curtain and, of course, information on when you’ll be able to play the games yourselves.

    All the games in our show are Xbox Play Anywhere titles, meaning when you buy them through the Xbox or Windows store, they’re yours to play on PC, Xbox console, or supported gaming handhelds at no additional cost – and you can pick up where you left off with all your saves, game add‑ons, and achievements.

    Here’s a summary of everything we brought to Developer_Direct today:

    Beast of Reincarnation – Launching Summer 2026

    Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, Handheld Optimized, or play it day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (see developer website for other platforms)

    Launching this summer and available day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Beast of Reincarnation promises an unforgettable blend of action, strategy, and mystery. Game Freak gave us more details on Emma and her companion Koo’s adventure in a haunting, post-apocalyptic Japan.

    We learned that Emma has been afflicted by “blight” – which has removed her memories and emotions, but given her the ability to manipulate plants – and led her to meet Koo, a dog that’s become a “malefact.” Emma’s role is to hunt down malefacts, but she forms an unusual bond with Koo, setting her off on a journey through Japan circa 4026 AD.

    Game Freak call Beast of Reincarnation a “one-person, one-dog action RPG”, and have created a unique combat system to match – Emma provides classic, fast-paced action game attacks in real-time, but Koo offers added skills that can be used from a menu that slows time, more like a turn-based RPG. It makes for a game that offers a very different feeling to other action titles, adding tactical complexity to high-speed combat – which can be tweaked to your liking with three difficulty settings.

    You can learn much more about the characters, combat, world, story and the game’s dynamic tempo in our Xbox Wire article, and wishlist the game now ahead of its launch this summer.

    Fable – Launching Autumn 2026

    Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, and launching day one with Game Pass Ultimate – also available on PlayStation 5 and Steam

    The Fable team at Playground Games took us to the fairytale world of Albion, for the first in-depth look at the studio’s brand new open world action-RPG – and revealed that the game will be coming to players in Autumn 2026. Developed by a dedicated team at the UK-based studio, Fable is set to deliver everything players love about the original trilogy – choice and consequence, dry British wit and playful moral chaos – all reimagined for a new generation of players in an unmistakably Playground way.

    During the show, we learned how your story in Albion begins, how character customization will work, learned more about the game’s new take on Fable’s morality system and saw brand-new gameplay that showcased combat – with enemies old and new – as well as the game’s unique living population of NPCs. Fable will be a fresh new beginning for this much-loved franchise and will be coming Autumn 2026 to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, Steam, PlayStation 5 and Game Pass Ultimate.

    Check out our in-depth interview with Fable GM & Game Director, Ralph Fulton here.

    Forza Horizon 6 – Launching May 19, 2026

    Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, Steam, Xbox Play Anywhere, Handheld Optimized, or play it day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at launch – coming to PS5 later in 2026

    Forza Horizon 6 is speeding towards players in 2026, with the announcement that the much-anticipated next instalment of the Horizon series will be landing on May 19 this year. As part of the Developer_Direct show,  the Forza team at Playground Games revealed first-ever gameplay showcasing the breathtaking landscapes of Japan in all their glory, and lifted the curtain on the spectacular cars that will be gracing the cover of the game – the 2025 GR GT Prototype, which is making its video game debut in Forza Horizon 6, and the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser.

    Forza Horizon 6 will feature the largest and densest map of any Horizon game to date, full of verticality, diverse biomes, seasonality and breathtaking driving experiences – all elevated by Japan’s unique car culture. And just when you thought things couldn’t get better, the team provided an overview of the new features players will enjoy as part of Forza Horizon 6 – including Customizable Garages and The Estate, an overhauled car roster (with 550 cars to collect and customize at launch) as well as new shared experiences, Drag Meets and Horizon Time Attack Circuits.

    For an in-depth look at what’s new in Forza Horizon 6, check out our interview with Design Director, Torben Ellert here.

    Kiln – Launching Spring 2026

    Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, Handheld Optimized, or play it day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – also available on PlayStation 5 and Steam

    We joined Double Fine in their game-turned-ceramics studio in San Francisco, California to learn more about Kiln, an Online Multiplayer Pottery-Party Brawler (say that ten times fast!), arriving this spring.

    Double Fine’s new foray into fun asks the question: what would it look like for a game to combine the beautiful expression of creation with all of the chaotic fun of destruction? Turns out it’s a team-based arena battle game which asks you to craft ceramic battle armor on a realistic pottery wheel, and where your abilities are determined by the kind of pot you make.

    We took a turn on the clay-splatted wheel to learn all about the 4v4 action of Kiln, the wide variety of crafting tools at your disposal, and what each size and shape of crafted pot means for your combat abilities.

    You can catch more of the action in their smashing Announce trailer now and get fired up for the ultimate throwdown by wishlisting Kiln today. Help the team sculpt the game before it launches this Spring by signing up for their upcoming closed beta test, and joining the Double Fine Action Insiders. Find out about the game’s story, mechanics, and more in our hands-on preview on Xbox Wire.

    Looking Ahead

    As with every Developer_Direct, today’s show marks just a selection of the games coming to Xbox this year. 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and offers a moment to honor the games, creators, teams, and players that have inspired play for decades  – and we’ll be celebrating that all year long. With the likes of Gears of War: E-Day and Halo: Campaign Evolved still to come, we’ll be returning to some of our most beloved franchises, not to mention introducing new worlds of our own, and those from our incredible third-party partners. It’s going to be an incredible year – make sure to stay tuned to Xbox Wire and Xbox social channels to keep up to date with everything we have to show you.

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    Joe Skrebels, Xbox Wire Editor-in-Chief

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  • Fable: Answering the Big Questions After that Long-Awaited Developer_Direct Deep-Dive – Xbox Wire

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    The Living Population of NPCs is a fascinating addition – what does that offer the player?

    Fulton: The Living Population is our cast of over 1,000 NPCs, each with roles, personalities and routines. That whole concept of persistent NPCs, each of whom is unique in a whole bunch of ways that you can go and interact with and mess about with, is incredibly complex.

    When you start working on it, you realize that every settlement has to have enough houses with enough beds, for everyone in the settlement to go and sleep in at the end of the day. It was a fun day when we explained that particular requirement to our environment art team [laughs], but they rose to the challenge like they do with everything.

    In games, you don’t normally have to connect the dots quite so precisely. You know, you’re just building a nice-looking town. But in Fable it also has to be a functional town.

    As an example, early in development we couldn’t work out why one town was so empty during the day. And when we zoomed out into debug mode, it was because NPCs were getting up to go to work, but they lived too far away from their jobs. So, they started walking to work, but didn’t get there before their schedule told them to turn around to go back to bed.

    It’s required a lot of working through, but it pays off because, honestly, as you play the game, you get to know the names of the individual NPCs. You get to know what they like, what they’re looking for in a partner, where they live, where they work, all that kind of cool stuff. It’s an extra dimension to traditional NPCs.

    Does the Living Population tie into the main quest?

    Fulton: Tying the main quest and the Living Population together in a really overt way didn’t seem like the right way to go, so we’ve deliberately linked them in the lightest possible fashion. You know, there are some times when characters in the main quest will reference your reputations, or the things you’ve done previously – but we never want to force a player to have to go and interact with those things in order to progress the main quest.

    We know there are some players – we call them ‘Bards’ – who are just going to play through the main story. They’re going to start at the start, and they’re going to get to the end, and that’s going to be their experience. That’s entirely fine, that’s a totally respectable way to play.

    But there are some players, who we call ‘Architects’, who we know are going to go and mess around with the systems and just see where they can push them, see what they can achieve with it, and we want them to have the freedom to do that at any point as well.

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    Joe Skrebels, Xbox Wire Editor-in-Chief

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  • Techmarine: Dive Into Space Marine 2’s Upcoming New Class – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 lands on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, and PC Game Pass on January 29, with Xbox Play Anywhere support.
    • Several weeks later, Patch 12 introduces the Techmarine as the game’s seventh playable class.
    • Techmarines specialize in crowd control and area defense, with a powerful turret and mechanical arms bolted to their armor.

    As you’re set to bolster the Imperium’s ranks next week, Space Marines, we wanted to reward your ultimate commitment with exclusive details about our upcoming new playable class, the Techmarine.

    Set to release with our Patch 12 “Techmarine Update” in just a few weeks, it’ll join its Tactical, Assault, Sniper, Vanguard, Bulwark and Heavy Battle-Brothers as the game’s seventh playable class. Of course, it’ll come with its own unique brand of Xenos and Heretic purging, and that’s what we’re here to discover!

    New to Space Marine 2? Follow the Guide

    Before we do, let’s go over some basics if you are looking to jump into the grim darkness of the far future for the first time next week: The new Techmarine class will be available for Space Marine 2’s PvE and PvP modes (i.e., Operations, Stratagems, Siege and Eternal War), where you get to customize and play as your very own Space Marines. Even better, it’s free for everyone! No DLC or in-game purchases required.

    Operations, Stratagems and Siege modes will have you team up with up to 2 players to fight as loyalist Space Marines and defeat the enemies of the Imperium. Eternal War however, also allows you to play as a Chaos Space Marine as it pits you against other players in ferocious 6v6 PvP matches where the Imperium faces off against its Chaos archenemy.

    The new Techmarine class will be available across all of these modes, with the only exception being the Narrative Campaign, as it centers around the story of Ultramarines Lieutenant Demetrian Titus himself.

    Now, let us tease how the Techmarine actually PLAYS!

    Space Marine 2: Techmarine

    Techmarines Have a Few Tricks up Their Power Armor Sleeve

    At their core, Techmarines in Space Marine 2 are specialists in crowd control and area defense. They’ll shine with their combat prowess as much as they do with the technology they bring to the fight.

    In melee, they’re able to take on large groups of enemies with wide swipes of their Omnissian Axe — an upcoming Patch 12 weapon available to them only — while their arsenal and armor augmentations grant them solid efficiency in ranged combat, especially at short and medium distances.

    Like all classes, the Techmarine comes with a unique Combat Skill (an “ult,” so to speak) and his own perk tree with 25 levels to unlock. But more than anything, what makes him special are the mechanical arms and automatic turret bolted directly onto his Power Pack.

    While you’re busy swinging and smashing opponents around with your mechanical arm, your Combat Skill will put your turret to good use: Activate it with the Y button to unleash the Techmarine’s mounted Servo-Gun and rain divine retribution onto your enemies with a barrage of heavy fire. No need to aim: just watch as Tyranids and Thousand Sons get vaporized before your very eyes.           

    Another feature of the automatic Servo-Gun is that it frees you up by executing Gun Strikes for you! When other classes must do it themselves following Perfect Dodges or Parries, Techmarine players will be free to continue aiming at other targets while their turrets stagger or kill their most pressing assailants.

    And that’s not even everything! With Techmarines being master engineers and technicians within their Chapter ranks comes a unique ability to locate and service Tarantula Sentry turrets during missions. Though they can’t be carried or placed freely, these can provide much welcome support to your Combat Squad by attacking your enemies automatically until they either run out of ammunition or get destroyed.

    Will you be running it?

    Space Marine 2: Techmarine

    Before You Go! A Quick Patch 12 Breakdown

    You know, the Techmarine and his Omnissian Axe are far from being the only gameplay additions to come with Patch 12! We’re working on adding a 12th mission to Operations and Stratagems modes, a new mission pick-up type, 3 new Hero weapon variants and new customization options for Space Marine helmetless heads! We’ll reveal more as we get closer to release, so stay tuned to our channels if you don’t want to miss it.

    If you own the Season Pass 2 of course, you’re also set to receive a brand-new Assault Champion skin celebrating the Raven Guard and a unique Cosmetic Pack for the Carcharodons, a first for this Chapter! But that may be a story for another day…

    Looking forward to seeing all of you on the battlefield, Techmarines. The Emperor protects.

    Heed the call of war on January 29, 2026 when Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 releases on Xbox Game Pass, with Xbox Play Anywhere support.

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Keeping Classics Alive: Arcade Archives Reaches 500 Titles with Space Invaders – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • With Space Invaders, The Arcade Archives series reached a milestone of 500 titles on December 25, 2025.
    • Launched in 2014 and released across various platforms, the Arcade Archives series has continued for 11 years.
    • We look back on the journey so far and discuss the importance of preserving classic games as a cultural heritage.

    If you’re new to the Arcade Archives series, one key thing to know is that its creators are deeply committed to preserving arcade games by making them available on modern platforms.

    The series reached a major milestone with its 500th title, Arcade Archives 2 Space Invaders, which launched on December 25, 2025 (originally released by Taito in 1978).

    The Arcade Archives series, first started in 2014, has been running for 11 years across multiple platforms, featuring titles from 24 different game publishers. It has even earned a Guinness World Records title for being the longest-running series to release new games on a weekly basis.

    In this article, we look back on the journey so far and explore the behind-the-scenes development of the series through interviews with the staff. For the team, Arcade Archives is not simply about re-releasing classic games; it represents a clear commitment to preserving video games as cultural heritage for future generations.

    “Arcade Archives has two defining features,” explains Satoshi Hamada (Producer and CEO). “One is the weekly release schedule, and the other is the breadth of the lineup.”

    From the very beginning, despite the challenges involved, the goal of the series has been to deliver excitement to players every single week. The games people feel nostalgic about vary greatly from person to person, so the lineup spans from well-known, iconic titles to lesser-known games that are being re-released for the first time.

    For its 500th milestone, the series chose Space Invaders. Hamada explains the reasoning behind this decision:

    “In 1978, when Space Invaders was released by Taito in Japan, it caused a massive boom. There is even a famous legend that Japan ran out of coins because of it. I believe the enormous success of Space Invaders became a major catalyst for the dramatic growth of the gaming industry. Incidentally, the very first video game I ever played was Space Invaders. For all of these reasons, I felt it was the most fitting title to commemorate the 500th release.”

    There is no doubt that Space Invaders was the perfect choice for the occasion. However, as one of the most iconic games in history, it has already been ported many times before. This raises the question: what sets Arcade Archives 2 Space Invaders apart from previous versions?

    In two words: improved playability. One of the key features of the Arcade Archives series is its highly detailed screen settings, which are deliberately designed to recreate the feeling of staring into a dusty arcade monitor, reviving the excitement of those original play sessions. “To bring players as close as possible to that original sensation, even if not perfectly, is our mission today,” says Tetsu Masuda (Director).

    Arcade Archive

    “We also implemented ‘Caravan Mode,’ where players compete for high scores within a five-minute time limit,” Masuda explains. “This introduced a new type of fun that didn’t exist in previous versions of Space Invaders.”

    Accurate sound reproduction was another major challenge. “We collected multiple original arcade boards and recorded the ‘real’ sounds directly from them,” he adds. “The team worked extensively to reduce input lag and improve responsiveness, aiming to create the most playable version of Space Invaders ever.”

    This makes Arcade Archives 2 Space Invaders a faithful and carefully crafted preservation of the original. Every option and mode exists to bring players closer to that sensation back then.

    Arcade Archive

    Satoshi Hamada (Producer and CEO) views Arcade Archives as an effort to preserve gaming culture. Arcade games originally ran on physical boards, and since some of these titles are over 40 years old, fewer and fewer boards remain in working condition.

    “That is why we believe it is extremely meaningful to preserve classic arcade games by making them playable on modern hardware. We will continue striving to preserve as many titles as possible, to share them with as many people as we can, and to pass them on to future generations.”

    On Xbox, the Arcade Archives series is especially recognized for its ACA NEOGEO lineup, featuring legendary series like Metal Slug and The King of Fighters. Since the announcement of Arcade Archives 2 last year, new titles from the series continue to launch on Xbox every week.

    “Arcade Archives will continue releasing as many titles as possible on Xbox, so please look forward to what’s to come!”


    Arcade Archives 2 SPACE INVADERS

    Arcade Archives 2 SPACE INVADERS

    HAMSTER Corporation

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    4

    ★★★★★

    $9.99

    “SPACE INVADERS” is a shooting game released by TAITO in 1978.
    The origin of the masterpiece that once captivated all of Japan has finally arrived on Arcade Archives!
    This title includes both the black-and-white and color versions, and the sound has been reproduced to the limit of how it sounded back then.
    Experience the timeless legend once again!

    The “Arcade Archives”series is developed with the concept of faithfully reproducing classic arcade games. It also includes convenient features such as difficulty and screen settings, rewind, rapid-fire, and multiple save slots. In addition, players can compete for the best scores with players around the world through online rankings.
    “Arcade Archives 2” adds a new “TIME ATTACK MODE” to the lineup of “ORIGINAL MODE,” “HI SCORE MODE,” and “CARAVAN MODE” included in the Arcade Archives series. In “TIME ATTACK MODE,” players compete to clear the game as quickly as possible, regardless of the score achieved. VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) support has also been added, allowing gameplay to be reproduced even closer to the original arcade experience.

    Please enjoy these iconic arcade games that defined an era with the “Arcade Archives” series!

    *The options menu and manual are available in Japanese, English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Next Week on Xbox: New Games for January 19 to 23 – Xbox Wire

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    Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!

    2XKO

    Riot Games

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    12

    ★★★★★

    2XKO – January 20
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Welcome to 2XKO, the free-to-play fighting game from the makers of League of Legends and Valorant. League of Legends’ iconic champions take the stage with fresh movesets inspired by the MOBA and reimagined for fighting games. Immerse yourself in the world of Runeterra with beautifully crafted stages, cutting-edge 2D graphics, and original music tracks that bring your battles to life. Fight solo to control both champions on your team, or grab a friend to duo with.


    【Limited early purchase edition】 FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE Digital Deluxe Edition
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    【Limited early purchase edition】 FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE Digital Deluxe Edition

    SQUARE ENIX

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    28

    ★★★★★

    $59.99


    【Limited early purchase edition】 FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    【Limited early purchase edition】 FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE

    SQUARE ENIX

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    28

    ★★★★★

    $39.99

    Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade – January 21
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

    The award-winning Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade retells the original story up to the escape from Midgar, with breathtaking visuals, fast-paced gameplay, and additional story elements. This RPG delivers unforgettable characters, a powerful narrative, and a hybrid battle system that blends real-time action with strategic, command-based combat. It also includes FF7R Episode Intermission, a side story starring Yuffie Kisaragi that offers a fresh perspective running in parallel to Cloud’s journey.


    Pathologic 3

    Pathologic 3

    HypeTrain Digital

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★


    $34.99

    $27.99

    Pathologic 3 – January 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Bachelor Daniil Dankovsky is a young doctor from the capital. His search for the secret of immortality brings him to a remote town, gripped by a mysterious plague that will destroy it in 12 days. Now it’s up to him to explore the town itself, its past, present, and future — to find answers to his numerous questions and try to stop the relentless epidemic. (At least… that’s what he thinks this story is about. What it’s supposed to be about. What it’s always been about.)


    MIO: Memories in Orbit
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    MIO: Memories in Orbit

    Focus Entertainment

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★


    $19.99

    $17.99

    Mio: Memories in Orbit – January 20
    Game Pass / Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere / Handheld Optimized

    A mesmerizing, intertwined, decaying world awaits. Awaken Mio, a nimble robot with extraordinary abilities, and unravel the mysteries of the Vessel, an enormous technological ark overgrown with lush vegetation and machines gone rogue. Nobody knows why the Pearls, The Vessel’s AI caretakers, have ceased functioning. Forgotten by all, the Vessel faces imminent shutdown. Dive into its depths to revive its lost memories, as you unravel your true past and destiny, in this mesmerizing metroidvania. Will you rise to the challenge and save the Vessel from destruction? Will you dare to seek and wake its memories?


    Primal Dungeon Adventure

    Primal Dungeon Adventure

    Old School Vibes

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    Primal Dungeon Adventure – January 20
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    Explore dangerous corridors and face unique enemies across 10 challenging platforming stages. Discover hidden areas, avoid deadly traps, and search for the legendary wolf stones. Unlock powerful upgrades like Rock Attack, Fire Rock Attack, and the devastating Wolf Special. Master precision jumps, sharpen your throwing skills, and survive the rising difficulty of this mysterious dungeon.


    Hextreme Void
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Hextreme Void

    Eastasiasoft Limited

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    Hextreme Void – January 21
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere / Handheld Optimized

    Are you ready for a brick breaker with a twist? In Hextreme Void, you can’t lose! Instead of lives or game overs, the challenge comes from progression and optimization in order to complete all levels within a certain time limit. Each playthrough takes you through one of five distinct Voids, with 50 levels per Void. Stages are presented in high-def 2D style with hexagonal bricks arranged in increasingly complex patterns. Your ball moves automatically, but it’s up to you to decide how released powerups are used.


    Prison Escape Simulator

    Prison Escape Simulator

    Playway S.A.

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★


    $7.99

    $6.79

    Prison Escape Simulator – January 21
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Too long in this prison, time to get out of here. Pull the carpet and start digging with a teaspoon. Watch out for the guard, sell him the junk you find. Trade toilet paper with the prisoners. Get better items and improve your stats. Expand the tunnel, use glow sticks and dynamite. Will you escape?


    Desvelado

    Desvelado

    Purple Play LLC

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    Desvelado – January 22
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Desvelado is the first Bed-Time-Vania game in history! Help our hero Vampy fight insomnia one last time by turning off every light in the castle before going to sleep in his cozy coffin.


    Dustland Delivery
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Dustland Delivery

    Happy Player

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    $14.99

    Dustland Delivery – January 22
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

    Grow your trading empire in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Dustland Delivery is a post-apocalyptic survival business simulator, featuring over 40 hours of gameplay content. Scour the wastes for profit, complete missions to grow your trading empire, and assemble a rag-tag band of adventurers to turn your city into the capital of the Dustlands. Danger lurks around every corner — but no risk, no reward!


    Horror Tale 1: 4k Remaster

    Horror Tale 1: 4k Remaster

    EpiXR Games

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    $9.99

    Horror Tale 1: 4k Remaster – January 22
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    In this horror game, you’ll have to immerse yourself in a thrilling and exciting adventure together with the main characters! Children have been missing for a long time in Lakewitch, and you are destined to solve this creepy mystery. Who is the kidnapper, and why is he doing it? Where are the children disappearing to, and how to save them? You can solve all the puzzles and find out the answers… if you don’t get scared!


    THE LAST TRAIN: Baquedano

    THE LAST TRAIN: Baquedano

    Pdpartid@games

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★


    $7.99

    $7.19

    The Last Train: Baquedano – January 22
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Last stop of the line. All passengers must exit In The Last Train, a first-person psychological horror game, routine turns into nightmare when you fall asleep on the subway. Upon waking, you discover you’ve reached the end of the line, an abandoned station shrouded in darkness. But you’re not alone; something else waits in the shadows, watching you and following your every move.


    Look Mum No Computer

    Look Mum No Computer

    Headup

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    Look Mum No Computer – January 22
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Brace yourself for a wild ride where music meets mayhem! Look Mum No Computer takes you to the quirky, pixel-art universe of Soldersworth, as you join Sam and his Synthesizer sidekick, Kosmo, in this twin-stick shooter action-RPG to battle rogue household items and fix them from the inside — one electrifying beat at a time!


    MAVRIX by Matt Jones (Game Preview)

    MAVRIX by Matt Jones (Game Preview)

    Cascade Interactive

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    Mavrix – January 22
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    The ultimate multiplayer open world designed by riders. Discover mountains and trails with limitless control and build your own career. Pull huge tricks or race through the global rankings! Nail challenges to secure sponsorship deals with real world brands. Are you ready?


    Outpath

    Outpath

    Silver Lining Interactive

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    Outpath – January 22
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    Taking Satisfactory, Forager and the gratifying gameplay loop of clicker/idle games as references, Outpath would be just that. Exploit your environment, craft, build and automate your base in this 3D first-person platformer! Gather. Craft. Build. Explore. Relax. No time limits, no pressure, play at your own pace and style.


    EBOLA VILLAGE

    EBOLA VILLAGE

    Axyos Games

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    $19.99

    Ebola Village – January 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    A classic horror inspired by the original survival games of the 90s, Ebola Village is a modern take on a first-person adventure where the main character, Maria, investigates a series of mysterious events. While sitting in her apartment and watching her favorite TV series, the broadcast is suddenly interrupted by a live report about a biological threat. Concerned for her family, Maria travels to a remote village to visit her mother and her ex-husband, Ruslan… and soon, terrible things begin to happen.


    Escape from Ever After

    Escape from Ever After

    HypeTrain Digital

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★


    $24.99

    $19.99

    Escape from Ever After – January 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Escape from Ever After is an adventure RPG inspired by the classic Paper Mario games, where fairytale and storybook characters must fight back against capitalism! When Flynt Buckler, a classic fairytale adventurer, storms the castle of his evil dragon arch-nemesis Tinder, he finds the once intimidating fortress has been converted into… corporate offices? It turns out that storybooks are an untapped market ripe with valuable resources, cheap labor, and profit to be had — so naturally, real-world conglomerate Ever After Inc. found a way to intervene! Flynt Buckler must team up with his former nemesis Tinder in order to climb the corporate ladder and take down Ever After Inc. from the inside!


    GrassGames Hearts
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    GrassGames Hearts

    GrassGames

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    $19.99

    GrassGames Hearts – January 23
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    GrassGames’ Hearts brings the beloved strategy card game to life with smooth gameplay, smart opponents, and plenty of ways to compete. Whether you play for fun or to climb the leaderboards, every match is designed for depth, replayability, and pure enjoyment. Face clever AI opponents, challenge your friends locally, or compete online with players around the world. Play quick casual games or intense ranked matches — it’s easy to jump in and find your perfect game style.


    Guts 'n Grunts Jr.

    Guts ‘n Grunts Jr.

    Cascadia Games LLC

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    Guts ‘n Grunts Jr. – January 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    AUG 12, 2045. The Technate has ruled for 15 years. Its robotic army, Slaughterhouse AI, roams the Earth in search of all processable flesh. Pigs everywhere remain in hiding. One small boar takes matters into his own hands. He is unusually fast and armed with a blaster. His name is Gunnar Harsvin. His message: the pigs will fight for their lives. Gunnar must destroy the machines of the evil technocracy and rescue his fellow pigs. Play a missing classic from the genesis of the 16-bit era. Roll like a hedgehog! Shoot like a soldier!


    Haunted House Renovator

    Haunted House Renovator

    PlayWay S.A.

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★


    $19.99

    $17.99

    Haunted House Renovator – January 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Set out on a path of a ghost-hunting renovator. Your task – restore haunted houses to a usable state! This is not an easy job, applying new wallpaper won’t be enough to render a house safe. You also need to deal with whatever is haunting it. Accept requests to renovate haunted houses from various eccentric owners. Scout abandoned mansions and look for signs of any paranormal activity. Make sure you’re ready for the job by preparing a set of tools to aid your work.


    Ho Ho & Move
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Ho Ho & Move

    Everynot Games Studio

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    Ho Ho & Move – January 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

    Plan Santa’s route and solve 40 festive logic puzzles in this cozy holiday adventure. Before each level begins, place directional tiles to map out how Santa will move. Once the route is set, watch him follow your plan — collecting every gift on the way and delivering them to the waiting child. With limited tiles available, every decision matters, turning each stage into a fun little brain teaser.


    I'm in Love With Your Dead Grandmother
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    I’m in Love With Your Dead Grandmother

    Kimulator’s Films inc

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    $4.99

    I’m in Love With Your Dead Grandmother – January 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere / Handheld Optimized

    Hello, I’m Noah. I’m 28 years old and still haven’t got a single date in my life, I’m looking for a life coach who can help me figure out the hard choices in my day-to-day life, you know? I’m sad and single, I have some friends online, but that’s it. I thankfully got a date with a girl named Michelle. She’s a bit too young for my liking, I prefer people that are over 70 years old. Just a preference, but I’m willing to give her a try.


    The Monty Mole Collection

    The Monty Mole Collection

    Pixel Games

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    The Monty Mole Collection – January 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Experience the story of Monty Mole, British subterranean mammal turned international criminal, in this fantastic collection of six games. All Monty wanted was a quiet life, but when faced with an unbearably cold winter found himself stealing coal to survive, and that led to a life on the run from the authorities, a journey that would take him all across Europe! The Monty Mole series of adventure platformer games for home microcomputers were the brainchild of Peter Harrap, the teenage son of a mining inspector, and inspired by the 1984 mining strikes in the UK.


    Tropicalia

    Tropicalia

    Ratalaika Games S.L.

    ☆☆☆☆☆

    ★★★★★

    Tropicalia – January 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    You will play as Kaique, a brave Guarani warrior whose girlfriend, Kerana, is kidnapped by an evil god named Tau. Collect materials to craft new items, grind through fast-paced battles, and test your strategy against challenging bosses. Hunt, fish, swim, dive, jump, and explore the jungle! In this fantasy game you won’t find Dragons and Elves. But you will face Curupiras and Boitatas.

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • How to Watch Xbox Developer_Direct 2026 Next Thursday – Xbox Wire

    [ad_1]

    Developer_Direct returns next Thursday, January 22 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK, and will kick off Xbox’s 25th anniversary year with a look at some of the incredible games in store for players.

    As we shared previously, the show will include exclusive gameplay and developer insights for Playground Games’ Fable and Forza Horizon 6, as well as Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation – all presented directly by the people making the games, and recorded in their studios.

    Here are all the details on how to tune in:

    When is Developer_Direct? Thursday, January 22 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK.

    How do I watch Developer_Direct? Developer_Direct will be streamed live on official channels, including:

    The show will also be streamed simultaneously on regional Xbox channels around the globe, as well as on Steam. It will air on China’s Bilibili platform later the next day.

    The YouTube stream will be broadcast in 4K/60, and as with any live broadcast, there may be dips in streaming quality based on your bandwidth.

    Is the event available in languages other than English? Developer_Direct will be streamed live on YouTube.com/Xbox with English captions, and our other live languages will be available via regional Xbox channels.

    The languages we will support live on our Xbox channels are: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Castilian Spanish, LATAM Spanish and Turkish.

    Shortly after the broadcast concludes, we will add the following additional languages to YouTube.com/Xbox: Arabic (MSA), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Filipino, Canadian French, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Hindi, Māori, Persian (Farsi), Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Thai, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.

    The easiest way to find your preferred language is to go to your region’s Xbox page, or by viewing on the official Xbox YouTube channel and clicking the gear icon in the lower right corner.

    Is Developer_Direct going to be Accessible to those with low/no hearing or low/no vision? There will be a version of the show with Audio Descriptions (AD) in English on the Xbox YouTube channel, American Sign Language (ASL) on Xbox’s YouTube channel and the /XboxASL Twitch channel, and British Sign Language (BSL) on Xbox On’s YouTube channel.

    I’m not going to be able to watch, where can I find out what was announced? A full recap will go live on Xbox Wire immediately following the show (including localized versions in Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, LATAM Spanish and Japanese following later). Xbox Wire will also publish detailed articles about every game from the show with extra information.

    Notes for co-streamers and creators: We at Xbox greatly appreciate any co-stream efforts and aim to ensure you have a smooth experience if you choose to do so. However, due to forces beyond our control, we cannot guarantee that glitches or disruptions by bots and other automated software won’t interfere with your co-stream.

    For those planning to create full post-show breakdowns of Developer_Direct in the form of video-on-demand coverage, we recommend you do not use any audio containing copyrighted music to avoid any action by automated bots, and to also consult the terms of service for your service provider.

    We’ll see you for Developer_Direct on Thursday, January 22!

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    Joe Skrebels, Xbox Wire Editor-in-Chief

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  • This Year, We’re Leveling Up with Indie Games: Indie Selects for January – Xbox Wire

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    Every Wednesday, dive into the Indie Select Hub — your gateway to a fresh, curated indie collection plus four themed spotlights that rotate weekly! You can always find this collection hub in the Xbox Store and on Xbox.com/IndieSelects.

    Our goal for 2026? Make it the best year yet for Indie Selects! Late November and early December indie releases often fly under the radar, so this month we’re giving them the spotlight they deserve. Our collection is stacked: a stylish tactics RPG, a challenging roguelite creature collector, a retro-inspired metroidvania with modern twists, a gripping text-based political sim, a mind-bending 47-minute time loop adventure, and yes—the psychic-powered baby simulator you never knew you needed. Here’s what we’ve got for you this month (in no particular order):

    Demonschool is a joyride of a tactical RPG that follows the charismatic demon hunter Faye, on an apocalypse-preventing quest filled with gangsters, quirky teachers, classmates, and, well… demons. Players are tasked with exploring a mysterious island and college campus through various missions and minigames, managing relationships and school schedules, discovering new skills, and constantly fighting waves of enemies. While all of it was fun, I think the combat captivated me the most! It features a two-phase turn-based structure that leverages action sequencing in a way that feels like solving choreography puzzles. Each character has different abilities, and if moved to the right space and triggered in the right order, you can maximize damage during the action phase. This carries a similar depth and level of player expression to that found in its peers, but its unique presentation enhances the satisfaction when successful. Paired with various enemy types, a mission rank system, and a forgiving rewind feature, the experience felt exciting, challenging, rewarding, and approachable.

    Aside from combat, I was delighted by the detail shown through interactivity and easter eggs within each environment. Pet the dog and it might give you something. Throw a coin in a fountain. Talk to an NPC at the docks and learn how their great-grandpappy died as a demon-hunting fisherman. I found myself interacting with everything I could to find another mini-game or read another hilarious one-liner, like the kid who claimed they “marked their seat” during orientation. As a gamer who doesn’t normally play RPGs, I ironically found myself glued to this. The soundtrack is FIRE, the modern-retro aesthetic is beautifully designed, and the storytelling through its varied character personalities and charm kept things fresh and entertaining.

    – Deron Mann


    Demonschool

    Demonschool

    Ysbryd Games

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    9

    ★★★★★

    $24.99

    Demonschool is a new-style tactics RPG where motion equals action. Defeat big weirdos in between the human and demon worlds as Faye and her misfit companions, while navigating university life on a mysterious island.

    Morsels

    My first few runs in Morsels taught me an important lesson: getting too attached is a fast track back to the start screen. Developed by Furcula and published by Annapurna Interactive, Morsels is a roguelike action game that rewards flexibility, experimentation, and the ability to admit when your current plan isn’t working. Rather than committing to a single character, players collect multiple “Morsels,” each with its own abilities and combat style. I quickly realized that success depended less on picking the “best” creature and more on knowing when to switch. Stubbornness, it turns out, is not a viable strategy.

    The game follows familiar roguelike conventions, including procedurally generated rooms, escalating difficulty, and persistent progression between runs. What helps Morsels stand out is its intentionally strange visual style. Creature designs are unsettling in the best way, and the gritty environments feel like they were designed to keep you slightly on edge—just in case the enemies weren’t already doing that. Progression is driven by unlocking new Morsels and card-based modifiers. Some of these systems took a few runs to click, but experimenting with different combinations often led to those satisfying moments where things suddenly start going your way—right before they don’t.

    Morsels doesn’t reinvent the roguelike genre, but its focus on adaptability gives it a clear personality. For Xbox players who enjoy learning through trial, error, and the occasional laugh at their own expense, it’s an engaging and memorable experience.

    – Steven Allen


    Morsels
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Morsels

    Annapurna Interactive

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    17

    ★★★★★

    $14.99

    You are a hungry mouse, scrounging for scraps in the sewers, when you meet a magical sentient fatberg who teaches you to transform into a mighty little Morsel. With your new powers, set off to dangerous upper worlds where you battle against the cats’ oppressive forces and collect new Morsels, strategically swapping as you go.

    From developer Furcula, Morsels is an oddball top-down, creature collector roguelite with a rotating roster of playable characters you switch between at will. Packed with frenetic action and personality, players use magical cards to transform into little monsters, collect and nurture a troop of your own monster friends to battle cat dominance, and persist at all costs to survive.

    Gigasword

    Let’s be honest: hauling around a giant sword is about as impractical as it gets for an adventurer—especially when vertical traversal is involved. I could write a hundred-page thesis on why that’s absurd, but honestly, GigaSword says it all. This action-puzzle Metroidvania from single-developer-led Studio Hybrid, feels like it leapt straight out of an NES classic collection, challenging your combat and strategy skills while confronting the harsh reality of our childhood dream: “the biggest sword ever.” Spoiler alert: swords are heavy, and you’re nowhere near as agile as Cloud Strife led you to believe.

    Once you dive in, you’ll quickly realize the GigaSword’s weight is both a blessing and a curse. Combat feels straightforward yet fair—every swing is deliberate, and that extra wind-up means you’ll need to time attacks carefully or risk eating damage mid-swing. Things escalate when you face massive bosses that demand pattern recognition and precision.

    But the sword isn’t just for fighting—it’s central to the game’s clever environmental puzzles. Detaching from it becomes essential as you navigate obstacles, using its heft to trigger pressure plates or even as a makeshift lever to shift platforms. The vibe? Think Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest meets the inventive puzzle mechanics of Legend of Zelda.

    The game doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to its stiff combat, but unlike its NES predecessors, you’ve got save points to preserve your sanity. The sword’s weight constantly reminds you that speedrunning isn’t an option—but then come those moments when you tackle an entire dungeon without the blade, introducing a whole new layer of challenge. If you’re a fan of intricate puzzle platformers like Animal Well, this is a distinctive experience worth adding to your collection.

    – Raymond Estrada


    GIGASWORD

    GIGASWORD

    Akupara Games

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    8

    ★★★★★

    $14.99

    Balance the weight of the GIGASWORD, battling between brain and brawn in this action-puzzle metroidvania where the might of the sword will determine all. As tensions rise in Thoenhart, a city plagued by famine and disease, the humans within set their hopes on a final solution: invade the ancient tower Nestrium, slay the Nocturne, and take the God Crystal, Gnosis, for themselves. Said to grant prosperity to those who wield it, Gnosis has been long sought after by humanity for generations. However, upon raiding its resting place, the disturbance of this ancient power awakens an evil capable of destroying the very fabric of reality. Can Ezra reach the top of the Nestrium in time to stop this cataclysm, or will humanity’s ignorance lead the world to its doom?

    Goodnight Universe

    Oh baby! What a game!  Not enough people are talking about this one.  Goodnight Universe is not a baby sim… it’s a supernaturally gifted baby sim. You take on the role and perspective of Isaac who’s a smart, keenly aware, and capable infant, able to tackle surprisingly complex problems.  That and the telekinesis ability, of which an evil corporation is very aware and want to use for their own purposes.

    Before we even touch gameplay, the voice acting and writing are superb and captivating.  The narrator connects with the player as we both witness so many performances between fully fleshed out characters highlighting their family dynamics, their struggles, and their successes. The writing is heartwarming and fun, exploring themes of the messiness of domestic life and what it means to be human.  The overall narrative is, for me, the highlight of the game.

    Gameplay starts out simple, seen through the baby’s eyes in first person. You click on objects for narration or interaction, but once powers kick in, that’s when things get interesting.  You will be able to move objects with your mind or even dive into someone’s thoughts. As the game progresses, you unlock new powers and tackle sequences where you must use your powers at the right time. 

    The console version lacks the eye-tracking feature Nice Dream introduced in Before Your Eyes. I tested it on Steam, and while the mechanic adds an intimate twist to the first-person experience, albeit with occasional awkwardness, it isn’t essential here. Unlike Before Your Eyes, skipping it doesn’t compromise the core gameplay. The game took me about 4-5 hours to complete and I can’t recommend this enough, especially for anyone that loves unique, narrative-driven games… and babies.  Gamer dad approved.

    – Raymond Estrada


    Goodnight Universe

    Goodnight Universe

    Skybound Games

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    19

    ★★★★★

    $19.99

    From the creators of Before Your Eyes. You are Isaac, a 6-month-old baby, developing mysterious psychic powers. What you want most is to be loved and accepted by your family, but a secretive tech corporation wants you for their own.

    Suzerain

    Suzerain is a critically acclaimed, narrative-driven government simulator that’s far more addictive than its niche genre suggests. At 11 p.m., I reminded myself that I was only supposed to play for a few hours. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure where you’re the newly elected president of a fictional nation, tasked with shaping its future. Will you lead with integrity and build a brighter tomorrow or plunge into corruption, spark wars, and line your own pockets? The choice is yours.

    This is a text-based adventure, so expect plenty of reading as events unfold and characters speak, followed by dialogue choices that shape your path. But it’s not all dry policy.  Beyond signing bills or reviewing economic reports, you’ll navigate scandals, shady deals, and moral dilemmas. The intro alone lays out 50 years of rich lore for your homeland, and once I got into it, it felt like reading a truly great novel. Thankfully, the writing, presentation, and UI are top-notch.  Otherwise, I honestly haven’t read this much since my deep dive into Blue Prince.

    Suzerain’s greatest strength is its replayability. The depth of the characters around me and detailed lore make every choice impactful, with each decision reshaping the course of my presidency. My first run focused on economic and social reforms that aligned with my actual ideology, but in this new run I’m currently going full corrupt leader, bribing my way through scandals and taking every unsavory side-deal that comes my way. With a 6-to-7-hour campaign, multiple playthroughs can easily triple your time. If you love strategic decision-making without twitch reflexes, this is for you—board gamers, I’m talking to you!

    – Raymond Estrada


    Suzerain Expanded Edition

    Suzerain Expanded Edition

    Torpor Games

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    22

    ★★★★★

    $31.99

    The Expanded Edition includes the award-winning political drama Suzerain, and the Suzerain: Kingdom of Rizia DLC.

    Suzerain
    As President Rayne, lead the nation of Sordland in your first term of this text-based RPG. Navigate a political drama driven by conversations with your cabinet members. With looming war, rooted corruption, economic crisis and reform needed, the choices fall on your shoulders. How will you lead?

    Suzerain: Kingdom of Rizia
    Embrace the crown as King Romus Toras, and lead the Golden Kingdom to a new era. Reclaim lost territories through diplomacy or force. Engage with noble houses and oversee the resources of Rizia. How will you reign?

    Rue Valley

    Rue Valley is a cozy, narrative driven mystery adventure with a dash of life sim flavor—think gentle exploration, quirky character encounters, and environmental puzzles tucked into every corner. It’s a kind of small-town mystery sitting somewhere between Night in the Woods and Oxenfree, but carrying its own soft-spoken charm. You arrive as the town’s newest resident, slowly learning the rhythms, secrets, and oddball personalities that make you feel welcome… and it’s just uncanny enough to keep you leaning in. Oh, and of course you are trapped in a strange time loop that causes you to relive exactly 47 minutes in perpetuity.

    I’ve spent countless hours wandering Rue Valley’s winding streets—half exploring, half getting delightfully sidetracked by a neighbor who just had one more story to share. Somewhere between chatting up townsfolk and stitching together the town’s quiet mysteries, the game really pulls you into its world. The characters don’t behave like NPCs waiting to dispense quests; they feel like the familiar faces you always seem to bump into at your favorite café, each with quirks that make the town feel genuinely lived in.

    And yes, there’s a learning curve—especially when you’re juggling exploration with dialogue choices—but it’s the kind that feels like easing into a new neighborhood. A little confusing at first, then unexpectedly rewarding once everything clicks into place.

    What kept me hooked most was the atmosphere. Rue Valley is the kind of place where you sit down for “just ten minutes” and look up hours later. It’s cozy, a touch mysterious, and always ready with a gentle surprise when you least expect it. If you enjoy narrative adventures, small-town stories, or slow-burn games where the joy comes from noticing the little things—a flickering streetlight, a half-finished sentence, a lingering question—Rue Valley fits beautifully. It’s a world that invites you to slow down and let it reveal itself at its own unhurried pace.

    – Jessica Ronnell


    Rue Valley

    Rue Valley

    Owlcat Games

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    14

    ★★★★★

    $29.99

    Break free from a mysterious time loop! Embark on a journey of self-discovery and resilience. Delve into the enigmatic depths of the small godforsaken town: Rue Valley.

    Each day feels like an uphill battle against the shadows of your own mind. Along the way, you will encounter a captivating ensemble of characters, each wrestling with their own emotional complexities and revealing hidden depths as you get to know them.
    Can you muster the courage to unravel the secrets of this temporal anomaly? Can you discover the strength within yourself to rise above adversity and forge a brighter tomorrow?

    Craft your own personality in Rue Valley. You can be a cold-hearted loner who overthinks everything or a melodramatic loudmouth who always trusts their gut instinct.
    Whether you reflect your true personality or role-play someone entirely different, your character will shape your dialogues and interactions in the game.

    Store memories in a graph, unlocking intentions and mindsets as you progress uniquely through the story. Commit to quirky mindsets for unexpected and hilarious dialogues, and experience personality-altering Status Effects: become more outgoing when drunk, or extra sensitive when anxious.

    Experiment with different answers and timelines, because the loop will restart from the beginning anyway, won’t it?

    STAY TUNED: Indie Selects Anniversary is coming soon!

    Mark your calendars for January 28 and get ready for our big Indie Selects Anniversary Celebration, packed with giveaways, discounts, and plenty of surprises!

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Maybe the Real Code Vein II is the Friends We Make Along the Way – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • Code Vein II arrives on Xbox Series X|S on January 30.
    • Building on the first game’s rich combat, Code Vein II remixes its themes and imagery into an original story and setting.
    • The partner system of NPC companions returns as well, reworked and expanded as a central pillar of both the gameplay and narrative.

    The monstrous Metagen Remnant really had me on the ropes, crushing me repeatedly with a swipe of its tail, but that stoic, pink-haired woman just wouldn’t let me forget the power of duty, friendship, and anime.

    I recently attended a closed preview event for Code Vein II, upcoming sequel to Bandai Namco’s 2019 3rd-person action game with anime aesthetics and narrative. Hosted at a dramatic cathedral church in Los Angeles, I played several hours of a curated demo and took part in a group interview with series director Hiroshi Yoshimura and producer Keita Iizuka, both of whom are returning from the first game to make a bigger and better sequel.

    One of the original Code Vein’s main mechanical hooks was the variety of NPC partner characters that you could team up with to overcome the game’s challenges, and Code Vein II has doubled down on that. Yoshimura summed it up well that what he “think[s] defines Code Vein and its identity is really traversing these difficult dungeons and encounters with your partner, and that sense of achievement you get from overcoming them together. So that’s one [piece of positive feedback] we got from Code Vein, one that we’re definitely leaning into more in Code Vein II.”

    Same but Different

    If, like me, you never got around to the original Code Vein, you don’t need to worry about missing the story. Code Vein II remixes much of the first game’s imagery—powerful, vampiric beings called Revenants in a post-apocalyptic world—into an original setting and story. Fans of the first will no doubt find plenty of rhymes and resonance, but new players need not worry about studying up on the lore to understand what’s going on.

    That’s not to say that everyone will easily follow along with everything. A big part of Code Vein’s appeal is that it’s anime as all hell, with a plot that’s as melodramatic as it is convoluted and laden with proper nouns. This time around it’s a time travel story, no less. According to Iizuka that’s why they decided to have it be unrelated to the first game: “If we had done this as continuation of the previous world/character/game, then that could possibly mean players would affect and change events that have already happened in [the original] Code Vein. And we didn’t want to take away from that, because what players experience in Code Vein, we think, belongs to the players.”

    Code Vein II

    Josée and the Pussycats

    Code Vein II takes place in a world on the brink of collapse. Humans now live together with Revenants (vampiric beings that had long existed in the shadows). 100 years ago, Revenants worked together to try and defeat a cataclysmic force called The Resurgence but failed to seal it, creating a new entity known as Luna Rapacis. The result was that the Resurgence was only delayed, and Luna Rapacis is turning Revenants into mindless horrors that accelerate its progress.

    You play as a Revenant Hunter tasked with saving the world. In order to do that, you have to defeat Fallen Heroes of the Resurgence—the Revenants from 100 years ago that tried and failed to seal it away, and have since been corrupted into monsters and sealed into cocoons. With the help of another Revenant with a unique time travel ability, you must first go back into the past, meet these heroes in their prime, and help them out in their personal quests before returning to the present and defeating them in their monstrous form. According to Yoshimura, “the overarching mission is going to be to defeat all of these heroes, the order of which is up to the players themselves,” so in a very real way, the gameplay and story are structured entirely around these partner characters.

    Code Vein II

    For the demo session we played parts of the section for Josée Anjou, a short, fierce Revenant with a giant sword, pink hair, and an eyepatch. She’s a stoic protector, burdened by guilt from her past. In her present we were helping her cleanse polluted water from the Sunken City, a flooded urban ruin, by fighting our way down to defeat an enormous, sphinxlike beast called the Metagen Remnant. Our exploration down towards the boss was punctuated by flashback scenes in which I’d run past tableaus from Josée and her sister’s past, learning more about her personal story. Eventually I returned to the present to do battle with a monstrous (and monstrously difficult) Josée, burdened by the full pathos of knowing this creature’s tragic backstory as she pounds me into the tile over and over again.

    Code Vein II

    Formae and Function

    Combat is the real star of the show. Code Vein II comprises an intricate lattice of interconnected systems that I could only begin to wrap my head around in a few hours of play, but I imagine they’d be engrossing when built up over an extended game. The foundation of stamina management, light/heavy attacks, and dodging should be familiar to anyone who’s dabbled in the Soulslike genre. Code Vein II then heaps on layers and layers of customization.

    Rather than committing to fixed stats, Blood Codes return from the first game, acting as hot-swappable classes to rescale your stats for different builds. In addition to a variety of one- and two-handed weapons with different base move sets, Formae (a rework and expansion of the first games Gifts) are powerful special moves that you can find over the course of the game and slot into compatible weapons. These cost a resource called Ichor to use, which you replenish by landing special drain attacks.

    The resource for using your special abilities being generated by attacking adds a risk/reward dynamic to combat, and keeps it aggressive. In all ways, Code Vein II wants to empower you to experiment and play in your own style, with Formae and Blood Codes allowing you to completely rebuild your strengths and moveset at any time.

    Code Vein II

    And my Greatsword!

    Partners take a prominent role in that combat customization, each offering unique passive bonuses to you that improve as your relationship deepens. You can either Summon them to have them fight side by side with you as normal (and as any Elden Ring player knows, just having a summon pulling enemy aggro can make all the difference in a tough fight), or you can Assimilate them into you, absorbing additional power and stats. This enables proud players that want to Let Them Solo Her still engage with the partner system, as it’s so central to the game’s narrative.

    One of the biggest benefits I drew from my partner was the Restorative Offering, where they would sacrifice themselves to bring me back when my HP hit zero, before respawning soon thereafter to continue the fight. This brought me back from the brink countless times during the two extremely challenging boss fights in the preview, and can serve as a great buffer to keep you in the fight a little bit longer.

    Code Vein II

    When I asked about mitigating difficulty, Yoshimura emphasized the role partners played here too. When faced with a difficulty spike, you can explore to level up and find more equipment, Formae, and Blood Codes to experiment with. The leeway given by partners pulling attention and reviving you “increase[s] this trial and error cycle, [and] I think that will keep the difficulty balance in check in a way that the players won’t hit this wall or feel this huge level of frustration, because the partner opens up that window for different ways of exploring encounters.”

    The difficulty spike between exploration and bosses was enormous, and it’s clear that they will demand a lot, but Code Vein II provides so many different tools and levers for you to tweak that it will really feel like your own victory when you finally do overcome them, even if you did have a helping hand.

    You can meet and defeat Josée and all the other partner characters yourself on January 30 when Code Vein II arrives on Xbox Series X|S, available for pre-order now.


    CODE VEIN II Pre-Order

    CODE VEIN II Pre-Order

    Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    18

    ★★★★★

    $69.99

    Pre-order now to receive the following bonuses:

    • Stylized Forma Set
    – Forma Face Paint: A cosmetic item which applies a forma design to the corner of your eyes.
    – Twin Fangs of the Lone Wolf (Weapon): Twin blades engraved with a special forma. Cut through your enemies like a wolf sinking its teeth into its prey with a powerful, lunging slice attack.

    In a future world where humans and Revenants coexist…
    Due to the sudden appearance of the Luna Rapacis, Revenants have transformed into mindless monsters called Horrors. As a Revenant hunter, the player shall halt the world’s inevitable collapse by traveling to the past with a girl called Lou who possesses the power to manipulate time.

    An epic adventure awaits, where you and your chosen partners explore a post-apocalyptic world, face fierce battles against powerful enemies, and uncover an epic story that transcends time.

    • A Tale Across Time
    Embark on a journey that spans both the present and the past as you search for clues to prevent the world’s destruction. Alter the fates of key Revenant characters you encounter in the past, while uncovering lost histories and the hidden truths of the world.

    • Intense and Satisfying Combat
    Dive into adrenaline-fueled battles where reading enemy moves and mastering your arsenal are key to survival. Unleash powerful skills, adapt on the fly, and conquer relentless foes in fights that deliver both intensity and triumph.

    • Unique Battle System
    Experience Code Vein II’s unique gameplay mechanic, where the player drains and acquires blood from enemies to unleash a variety of skills. With the series’ new build system, you can freely customize weapons and skills to suit your own battle styles.

    • Powerful Partner Characters
    Explore the world with trusted and powerful allies who can fight alongside you or enhance your abilities. Each partner brings unique abilities and deep connections that shape your journey.

    *Other editions are also available. Be careful of duplicate purchases.


    CODE VEIN II Deluxe Edition Pre-Order

    CODE VEIN II Deluxe Edition Pre-Order

    Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    18

    ★★★★★

    $89.99

    Pre-order now to receive the following bonuses:

    • Stylized Forma Set
    – Forma Face Paint: A cosmetic item which applies a forma design to the corner of your eyes.
    – Twin Fangs of the Lone Wolf (Weapon): Twin blades engraved with a special forma. Cut through your enemies like a wolf sinking its teeth into its prey with a powerful, lunging slice attack.

    • Early Access (Deluxe/Ultimate Bonus)
    – Experience CODE VEIN II 72 hours* ahead of launch!

    The Deluxe Edition includes:
    • CODE VEIN II
    • Custom Outfit Pack: Contains 3 costume sets and 1 weapon
    • Expansion DLC: Mask of Idris

    In a future world where humans and Revenants coexist…
    Due to the sudden appearance of the Luna Rapacis, Revenants have transformed into mindless monsters called Horrors. As a Revenant hunter, the player shall halt the world’s inevitable collapse by traveling to the past with a girl called Lou who possesses the power to manipulate time.

    An epic adventure awaits, where you and your chosen partners explore a post-apocalyptic world, face fierce battles against powerful enemies, and uncover an epic story that transcends time.

    • A Tale Across Time
    Embark on a journey that spans both the present and the past as you search for clues to prevent the world’s destruction. Alter the fates of key Revenant characters you encounter in the past, while uncovering lost histories and the hidden truths of the world.

    • Intense and Satisfying Combat
    Dive into adrenaline-fueled battles where reading enemy moves and mastering your arsenal are key to survival. Unleash powerful skills, adapt on the fly, and conquer relentless foes in fights that deliver both intensity and triumph.

    • Unique Battle System
    Experience Code Vein II’s unique gameplay mechanic, where the player drains and acquires blood from enemies to unleash a variety of skills. With the series’ new build system, you can freely customize weapons and skills to suit your own battle styles.

    • Powerful Partner Characters
    Explore the world with trusted and powerful allies who can fight alongside you or enhance your abilities. Each partner brings unique abilities and deep connections that shape your journey.

    *Other editions are also available. Be careful of duplicate purchases.
    *Expansion DLC: Mask of Idris will be available by January 2027.


    CODE VEIN II Ultimate Edition Pre-Order

    CODE VEIN II Ultimate Edition Pre-Order

    Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

    ☆☆☆☆☆
    18

    ★★★★★

    $99.99

    Pre-order now to receive the following bonuses:

    • Stylized Forma Set
    – Forma Face Paint: A cosmetic item which applies a forma design to the corner of your eyes.
    – Twin Fangs of the Lone Wolf (Weapon): Twin blades engraved with a special forma. Cut through your enemies like a wolf sinking its teeth into its prey with a powerful, lunging slice attack.

    • Early Access (Deluxe/Ultimate Bonus)
    – Experience CODE VEIN II 72 hours* ahead of launch!

    The Ultimate Edition includes:
    • CODE VEIN II
    • Custom Outfit Pack: Contains 3 costume sets and 1 weapon
    • Expansion DLC: Mask of Idris
    • CODE VEIN Character Costume Set: Contains 6 costumes based on characters from the original game, CODE VEIN
    • CODE VEIN II Digital Mini Artbook & Soundtrack

    In a future world where humans and Revenants coexist…
    Due to the sudden appearance of the Luna Rapacis, Revenants have transformed into mindless monsters called Horrors. As a Revenant hunter, the player shall halt the world’s inevitable collapse by traveling to the past with a girl called Lou who possesses the power to manipulate time.

    An epic adventure awaits, where you and your chosen partners explore a post-apocalyptic world, face fierce battles against powerful enemies, and uncover an epic story that transcends time.

    • A Tale Across Time
    Embark on a journey that spans both the present and the past as you search for clues to prevent the world’s destruction. Alter the fates of key Revenant characters you encounter in the past, while uncovering lost histories and the hidden truths of the world.

    • Intense and Satisfying Combat
    Dive into adrenaline-fueled battles where reading enemy moves and mastering your arsenal are key to survival. Unleash powerful skills, adapt on the fly, and conquer relentless foes in fights that deliver both intensity and triumph.

    • Unique Battle System
    Experience Code Vein II’s unique gameplay mechanic, where the player drains and acquires blood from enemies to unleash a variety of skills. With the series’ new build system, you can freely customize weapons and skills to suit your own battle styles.

    • Powerful Partner Characters
    Explore the world with trusted and powerful allies who can fight alongside you or enhance your abilities. Each partner brings unique abilities and deep connections that shape your journey.

    *Other editions are also available. Be careful of duplicate purchases.
    *Expansion DLC: Mask of Idris will be available by January 2027.

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    Will Fulton, Xbox Wire Editor

    Source link