The Wildermyth Omenroad DLC will be released on May 16:

Wildermyth's second DLC, Omenroad, is coming!!!

Wildermyth: Omenroad is coming May 16th!

Embark upon the Omenroad!
We have been hard at work at bringing you a new campaign and a new gameplay mode! And a huge thank you to all of our beta testers who have been helping us polish Omenroad for the best experience possible.

Wishlist it Now!

Omenroad DLC will be available on May 16th for $9.99. We'll be sharing more as release approaches.

Also, New Pins! :)
We turned some of Wildermyth's most popular pets into pins! You can now upgrade your accessories with a Critter, Fire Chicken, Shadow Cat, or Avenger Rabbit! Get your own here

Wildermyth: Omenroad
The Omenroad DLC gives you a new way to play Wildermyth. For the fighters, we have a roguelike ​​tactical challenge mode with progression across runs. And for the lovers, we have A Walk in the Unlight, a huge new story campaign that uses the Omenroad format to take your heroes past the edge of the Yondering Lands and into worlds beyond.

[...]

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The full recording of the Star Rail Live Concert 2024:

"Star Rail LIVE 2024" Concert Full Recording | Honkai: Star Rail

0:44 Kafka Theme
4:29 March 7th Theme
8:43 Interstellar Journey
12:15 Himeko Theme
13:29 Space Walk
15:29 fReeStyLE
16:52 Silver Wolf Theme
18:18 Topaz Theme
22:12 Doomsday Beast Theme
33:23 Seele Theme
34:56 Serval Theme
41:01 Cocolia Theme (Wildfire)
49:41 Samudrartha
56:56 Jingliu Theme
58:39 Blade Theme
1:00:55 Thundering Chariot
1:06:44 Huohuo Theme
1:11:17 Phantylia Theme
1:17:36 Jing Yuan Theme
1:33:53 If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking
1:37:21 Sway to My Beat in Cosmos
1:42:55 Nevermore
1:45:01 Sparkle Theme
1:48:03 White Night
1:53:32 Menu Theme

The action RPG Reynatis will be released on September 27:

Reynatis - 2nd Trailer

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Gematsu reports that Stray Gods will get a DLC called Orpheus:

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical DLC ‘Orpheus’ announced

Due out on June 27 for PC.

Publisher Humble Games and developer Summerfall Studios have announced Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical downloadable content Orpheus. It will launch for PC via Steam on June 27, and for consoles “soon.”

Here is an overview of the downloadable content, via its Steam page.

Starting Over is Hell.

When the Fates themselves have always written your story, what happens when you pick up the pen?

Play as Orpheus in this brand new story for Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical! Orpheus’ story is arguably finished—until Hermes brings him back to the world of the living. With their help, you’ll guide Orpheus through the depths of mortal decision making – who to date, what to hope for, what instrument to rock out on…

[...]

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Atlus published a "complete guide" - an overview of the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance:

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance - Complete Guide | NSW, PS5/4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Steam, PC

Learn more about the Pirate RPG Flint - Treasure of Oblivion:

What challenge awaits you as a pirate captain in Flint: Treasure of Oblivion?

This year, players will be able to dive into Flint: Treasure of Oblivion, an all-new tactical RPG designed by Savage Level and published by Microids.

Here, we tell you about the location, the period and the goal of this epic pirate adventure!

Where and when does Flint: Treasure of Oblivion take place?
To learn about the historical and geographical setting of Flint: Treasure of Oblivion, we reached out to Savage Level.

Maxime Josse, the French studio’s CEO sets the scene: “The game takes place in 1715. These were tough times for the people, who faced widespread disease and insecurity. At the same time, the world’s great powers were at war, fighting over the Caribbean among other places. For the pirates on the fringes, this was a golden age! They bowed to no governments and made their own laws. At sea, life was even tougher, but there was also plenty of comradeship and solidarity.”

Immersing themselves in this fascinating period, players will set sail for several destinations, such as the French town of Saint-Malo, the Caribbean islands, and the deep jungles of Central America.

“We wanted to create a world that’s as authentic as possible,” the creative director, Aurélien Josse, told us, “because, like many players out there, we are fans of the pirate world. So we studied maps of Saint-Malo during this period, and went to the Caribbean to take photographs. We read lots of encyclopedias and historical novels, and spoke with researches specialized in piracy.”

Savage Level’s aim is to immerse you in a believable eighteenth-century environment, with its buildings, clothing and everyday life.

Who is the main character and what is his goal?
Now you have an idea of the setting for your adventure in Flint: Treasure of Oblivion; but who will you play as, and what will you set out to accomplish in this tactical RPG? Aurélien revealed that “players will step into the boots of James Flint, an English pirate from the novel Treasure Island. Here, we explore his past, his youth. As shown in the first trailer, Captain Flint begins his adventure stranded at sea after his ship has been sunk. A warship picks him up however and takes him to Saint-Malo. This is where our hero will learn of the existence of a huge treasure trove, beyond imagination.”

For Flint, the call of adventure and riches is irresistible. So he leaves Saint-Malo – where there is a bounty on his head – to recruit a new crew and make his way to the New World.

It will be no easy journey, as the French, English and Spanish armies have all declared war against pirates! What’s more, captains always face difficult choices to make, and mutiny is a constant threat.

“At first, it appears to be nothing more than a treasure hunt... But a whole lot more lies in wait,” Maxime told us. “Firstly, on a personal level, James Flint will learn much about himself as the adventure progresses. But also, as in any good pirate story, there will be elements of the supernatural. We won’t say any more than that; you’ll have to play the game to find out!”

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Couchpotato spotted a new mod release for Skyrim:

Shumer and the Priest Kings Mod

Explore the new continent of Shumer and learn of its past and present mysteries.

This is the Full Release of my Shumer Mod and replaces the Wip version, Shumer and the Fall of Allagard SSE. If you had that mod this version requiries a clean save.

Update 8 May 24: I have uploaded Version 1.1 of the ShumerPKUpdate file which fixes a few bugs notably with the player homes.

Update 6 May 24: I have added an updated Facegen file in the optional section - it is now a bsa, which because of the number of files is supposedly better for performance.

Description

Visit the Wiki here: Shumer specifically the quest guide here. The maps section has maps of Shumer, Barbella and Althira.

This is a mod translating a large D&D campaign of mine into Skyrim. The story is set on the continent of Shumer which has its own history, religion and myths, stretchng back 4000 years. This is a narrative mod telling the story of Shumer, a story the player will learn that by completing quests, reading the books, journals and letters and talking to people.  The mysteries of the past still have a relvance to present day Shumer.

[...]

Couchpotato spotted a new devlog for the roguelike Stoneshard:

Devlog: Denbrie and Global Map Changes

Hello everyone!

Today’s devlog is dedicated to changes to the global map and a new settlement of the Grand Magistrate - Denbrie! Let’s tackle it one thing at a time.

Denbrie

“By the time the truce was settled, Denbrie had already been turned into ruins. The Council’s army razed this quiet fishing village twice: first during their initial advance, and then - while retreating from their defeat under the walls of Brynn.

Right now the only thing keeping this settlement afloat is the garrison sent here by the Magistrate to oversee its western border.”

Side note: the list of planned settlements present in the current version of the game is no longer relevant and will be updated in Rags to Riches.

Denbrie is situated in the south-western region of the Brynn March and will be the third and final village of the Grand Magistrate. Its few remaining inhabitants - a couple fishermen and a merchant, who was driven insane by the horrors of war, eke out a miserable, poverty-stricken existence. The only reason why Denbrie still exists is its salt-producing infrastructure, which is being slowly rebuilt by workers from Brynn.

The close vicinity to the Magistrate’s borders makes Denbrie an important strategic spot, vital for controlling large swaths of the borderlands - this duty is performed by a squad of soldiers stationed in the village’s crumbling chapel. At the same time, the garrison is woefully understaffed and is struggling to maintain order, so the local captain will eagerly accept any help.

[...]

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Games Industry talked with Borislav Slavov and Gustavo Santaolalla about the golden age of music in games:

From The Last of Us to Baldur's Gate 3: The success of the Game Music Festival

We talk to Borislav Slavov and Gustavo Santaolalla about the new golden age of games music

Two years ago, the Game Music Festival was held at London's Royal Festival Hall for the very first time, after five editions in its Polish homeland.

At the time, we noted how the venue, which can seat 2,700 people, was well attended, but not full. But the audience gave the two scores performed (Cuphead and both Ori titles) a very warm reception, and the event was undoubtedly a great success.

The Game Music Festival returned to London last Saturday, welcoming Larian's composer and music director Borislav Slavov for a concert presenting Baldur's Gate 3's music, and Oscar-winning Gustavo Santaolalla to perform The Last of Us' score. Both concerts featured the Philharmonia Orchestra and, in the case of BG3's performance, the Hertfordshire Chorus.

And the atmosphere was beyond anything we've previously witnessed at a games concert.

Santaolalla, one of the most revered film composers and musicians out there, was given a standing ovation before even playing a single note. His performance, changing instrument with almost every track alongside soloist and long-time collaborator Juan Luqui, explored every emotion, from tear-jerking instrumental pieces straight from TLOU's score, to electric songs from his repertoire extending that universe (if you've never listened to Ando Rodando, this is your sign to do so).

Later in the day, the Baldur's Gate 3 concert was filled to the brim, with the game's cast in the audience alongside many cosplayers, enjoying performances from solo soprani Ilona Ivanova and Mariya Anastasova on some of the game's iconic tracks, and the energy rising exponentially until a terrific finale that saw actor Andrew Wincott join Slavov on stage for a surprise performance of Raphael's Final Act.

[...]

Slavov says video games music has reached a "very special" stage that he calls a "romantic period," with the music crossing boundaries beyond its core community.

"The moment where video game music crosses the border between the industry and media, and goes into everyday people's lives... This is very, very special and makes me incredibly grateful, and lucky to be able to witness [it], and to be part of [it]."

He adds: "And this is the proof and strongest indication that video game music is a thing in its own right. It's one thing to be part of the medium, as good as it is, but it's a completely different story when one day you realise that this particular element from the video game development is crossing the boundaries and becoming part of the people's everyday lives."

[...]

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Mortismal Gaming checked out V Rising:

My Thoughts On V Rising

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Skycaptin5 interviewed Stephen Russell - a Fallout 4 voice actor:

Fallout 4 Interview [Stephen Russell] Nick Valentine Voice Actor [Codsworth, Garrett, Corvo Attano]

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Tim checked out roleplayer GamesOnHardMode:

This Is How You Roleplay

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Henriquejr spotted an update announcement for Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms:

A new massive update on its way and a summer full of surprises!

Hello Champions!

Just returned from Reboot Develop in Croatia, we've had the final meetings to draft the roadmap for the last part of our epic journey. The anticipation is palpable as we gear up for the next big update, dropping no later than June! But this time, we're keeping the details close to our chests: no teasing, just a massive surprise waiting to be unveiled alongside the update. Summer is upon us, heralding a season of events and announcements. And we're pulling out all the stops to ensure Alaloth finds its place on the main stages, where we can share the future of our beloved RPG with you. You know the story, and to be honest, we're doing our best to secure a proper launch of version 1.0. The launch we didn't have the chance to do back then, dealing with the worst people in the industry, who almost killed our studio and business. Being as small as we are, it's very hard to wear ten different hats every day, but the fire is still burning, and the support we've received along the way has been the reason why we didn't fall, despite some very tough times. Alaloth sustained the studio since its EA launch, but of course, it's time to move on and raise the bar, delivering what we've always envisioned since we started thinking about it, in a small room in a shared space back in 2016. We are human, and we are incredibly happy about what we've achieved so far, but we have to say, we're tired and need to take a step forward in this adventure, as devs. Thank you for being the lifeblood of our studio.

Back to next steps: let's not keep you in the dark about what's to come! Brace yourselves for a brand new crafting system, a feature we've been eagerly anticipating since a while. Plus, get ready for updates and tweaks to the combat system and a slew of other exciting features as usual: new quests, chars, weapons, items, enemies, areas and much more. You may have noticed our ongoing proofreading marathon, a labor of love aimed at making localization a breeze. We've already trimmed the word count from a hefty 400.000 to a sleek 345.000, with our sights set on hitting 300k without compromising quality. Because making Alaloth accessible to all is just as important as the adventure itself. In the meantime, gear up for all of this by seizing the opportunity to grab all DLC for the game right now, available at an incredible 50% discount! Also, 500 handcrafted Limited Edition War Chests will be back in stock again soon!

[...]

Mortismal Gaming and GamingBolt checked out Hades II:

Check Out: Hades 2

HADES 2 Early Access Review - JUST FANTASTIC

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The vampire RPG V Rising has been released:

V Rising - Launch Trailer

Awaken as a Vampire. Hunt for blood in nearby settlements to regain your strength and evade the scorching sun to survive. Raise your castle and thrive in an ever-changing, open world full of mystery. Gain allies online and conquer the land of the living.

Couchpotato spotted a demo for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden:

A free demo of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is now available!

Tell your friends

Aye Banishers!

Good news number one: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden now offers a free demo playable on all platforms.

If you liked Banishers and won't play the demo because you already played the game, tell your friends to give it a try!

In this demo, you can play the first mission of the game and get to know Antea and Red's story as ghosts hunters sent to lift the mysterious curse of New Eden...
The demo save files can be transferred to the full game, allowing you to carry your progress over.

[...]

GameSpot checked out No Rest for the Wicked:

No Rest For The Wicked Is Brutal And Ambitious, But A Little Confused | Early Access Impressions

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Tim talks about player archetypes:

Bartle's Player Archetypes

I talk about the Bartle taxonomy of players and how I have used that in my games.

Book I reference: Mind at Play: The Psychology of Video Games by Loftus & Loftus

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The strategy RPG Hidden Path is now on Kickstarter:

Hidden Pass - Daring 4X Strategy/Squad Tactics fusion

Chart a course for mystical adventure in this fusion of Tactical Turn-Based RPG and 4X Strategy. Build a team of skyfaring heroes, wield techno-magical devices and construct automatons as you explore uncharted sky-islands rich in secrets and powerful, dangerous Elyrium crystals. Here is the showcase of our gameplay and the beginning of Hidden Pass story.

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The tactical RPG King Arthur: Legion IX will be released today:

A Brief Summary of King Arthur: Legion IX

Ave!

On the 9th of May, 2024, King Arthur: Legion IX will be released on Steam, which means there are only two days left. Before that date, we would like to give you a quick summary of the game, with helpful links to the more detailed blog posts about various features.

King Arthur: Legion IX is a dark fantasy tactical role-playing game that takes place in the universe of King Arthur: Knight's Tale. It tells the story of an undead Roman Legion, whose members traverse the Underworlds of Tartarus and end up in a strange Avalon, twisted by the mad nightmares of Arthur. See our latest trailer to get a feel for the atmosphere!

The protagonist of the game is Gaius Julius Mento, the tribune of the Ninth Legion, and he will be able to tackle various missions in a party of five combatants that could include the Flamen of Orcus, the Flamina of Vesta, the Praetorian, Sicarius, and the Centurion - you will get to know them better through dialogue and exploration.

As he travels Avalon searching for the lost members of the Legion, Gaius makes various decisions that will push him towards a morality stance. He could either embrace his demonic urges or he might regain his humanity. It's all up to you, the player, however! These decisions will drastically alter the narrative, including the endgame portion.

There is also the matter of establishing a flourishing Roman colony on Avalon: you will rebuild Nova Roma and set out to make it the centre of a potential Eternal Rome. This city will serve as your headquarters, here you can build and upgrade various buildings (like the Lararium) that will provide items, bonuses and titles for your characters. You should make preparations here between missions to ensure swift victory against all kinds of enemy types, for Avalon is full of dangerous mythical creatures and vicious opportunists. Not to mention, the Lord of Camelot is still around...

In essence, you will get a complete new story with a 30-hour campaign, a challenging endgame mode, multiple side events, arena fights, and the branching story also encourages players to go for an alternate playthrough. It is a standalone release at the starting price of $19.99, and while this game does not require owning and knowing King Arthur: Knight's Tale, returning players will certainly benefit from it (and can prepare for a little surprise at launch).

Eligible supporters of our original Kickstarter campaign will be receiving codes for Legion IX at release, make sure to check your e-mails! Also don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

And if you haven't done this yet, please wishlist the game, and make sure to check back when the date arrives!

To Nova Roma!

First impressions of Slandered Gaming:

Learn more about Lawrence Schick on Eurogamer:

From creating D&D to making Baldur's Gate 3: meet the man who coined the term XP

"We were inventing a whole art form at the time."

A photograph of a white man with a pointed, Van Dyke white beard, and long white hair neatly swept back over his head, holding a magnifying glass up to some ancient document or other in the background.

"Role-playing games are only 50 years old. We're still inventing them every day. That's what's really exciting about it. We haven't found the boundaries of it yet, if there are any. We're still pushing out. That's what keeps me doing this stuff, years after most of my peers have retired or passed on."

Do you believe in fate, that there's an invisible force steering us through our lives and that we end up in certain places for certain reasons? Perhaps after hearing Lawrence Schick's story, you will.

It's not a name I expect you'll recognise, but you'll know some of the things he's responsible for. Take the term XP, for example. It's ubiquitous in gaming and possibly beyond it, and Lawrence Schick created it. It's primarily the reason I set out to track him down, to hear how that came to be, because it fascinates me to think of a gaming landscape where there's no established term for experience points, and possibly no such thing as experience points at all. I find it really hard to even conceive of that, given where we are now.

But it's not all I learn from Lawrence Schick when I do track him down. I discover a passion within him that has helped shape role-playing games in the past, and a passion that continues to shape role-playing games into the future.

[...]

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Blues News thinks Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will be released early 2025.

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Fextralife checked out the Early Access version of Hades II:

Hades 2 Early Access Review - Is It a Worthy Sequel? First Impressions and Gameplay

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IGN reviewed the current version of Stardew Valley:

Stardew Valley Review (2024)

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The DLC A Dance of Masks will be released on June 13:

A Dance of Masks DLC Date Reveal

Greetings, Pathfinders! The long-awaited A Dance of Masks DLC will be released on June 13! Wishlist the DLC to be the first to go on this new adventure. And if you have Season Pass 2, the DLC will automatically become available on release day.

A Dance of Masks is the sixth and final premium DLC for Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous in Season Pass 2, one last love letter to the Knight Commander and their loyal companions. Gather all your companions and travel back to where it all started – the city of Kenabres, destroyed and now risen from the ashes. Visit a festival, celebrate your victories, socialize with friends and loved ones, watch the fireworks… And thwart the plans of villains trying to spoil the fun!

What can you expect from the DLC?

• A new adventure will take you back to Kenabres and beyond: to a new enemy's stronghold!
• Personal events for every companion — you’ve seen them fight, now watch them have a day off;
• A new romantic event with every romanceable companion;
• An otherworldly arena where you can test your might against some truly mythic enemies;
• 11 new character archetypes, a new weapon type and the ability to switch your grip on the weapon from one-handed to two-handed!
• Fully voiced dialogues!

Take a look at the teaser trailer:

[...]

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Age of Wonders 4 celebrates the first anniversary:

Celebrating One Year of Age of Wonders 4!

Dear AoW Community,

Today, we celebrate the first anniversary of Age of Wonders 4! This milestone could not have been achieved without you, our fans and players. Our journey with Age of Wonders began nearly three decades ago when Triumph’s co-founder, Arno van Wingerden, and I envisioned creating a genre-blending strategy role-playing game. This dream allowed players to govern a fantasy realm set within an expansive, magical world.

Age of Wonders 4 is our most successful execution of this vision to date. It offers unprecedented freedom in faction creation and strategic development, enriching both the core gameplay and role-playing experiences. This first year since release, with its intense development and feedback cycle has made the game even better.

A heartfelt thank you to our talented developers and to you, our community, whose ongoing support and feedback have been integral to this success.

A Gift of Appreciation

In gratitude, we’re excited to announce a gift: an update that includes both a standard and exotic Raptor Mount and a Dragon Scale Interface skin. This update will automatically be available on all platforms starting May 2nd.

Looking Forward

And there’s more good news. Triumph will continue to develop Age of Wonders 4 beyond the current Premium Edition. We are working on more free updates and thrilling premium content. We're eager to share more details with you after the summer. But first, get ready for the Eldritch Realms expansion in June!

Thank you once again for your support!

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A new version of Archmage Rises is available:

Rivals Beta Released!

RIVALS COMBAT BETA NOW AVAILABLE!

It’s finally here! You can now find and fight your rivals. They won’t go down easy though and will put up a good fight, with mages from each school of magic bringing it’s own unique challenges and strategies to the battlefield. We released the beta on Friday of last week, and so far early feedback from the weekend has been positive.

Here are a few of the new things that come with this update:

• New enemy types to fight: Fire Mage, Ice Mage, Earth Mage, Storm Mage. Each mage type has it's own unique challenges to face
• New option to attack your rival when you meet them
• Rivals are now more difficult to locate. NPCs will not easily divulge their locations.
• Bribe or schmooze Conclave Chapterheads to discover the location of your rivals
• New NPC greetings - now NPCs comment on you based on a variety of factors (your appearance, their relationship with you, how long ago they last saw you, etc)
• Gain additional legacy bonuses for eliminating a rival
• You can now hunt down and kill your primary rival in the Mabren's Tower quest after you've completed the quest
• New combat arena - Town Street
• New death animation over rival portrait after killing that rival
• Plus other improvements and bug fixes

You can now try out the new Rivals update by switching to the Beta branch in Steam. We’ll be Beta testing it for at least the next week or two for some extra polishing and optimizing before we release it to the main Steam branch.

Emily and Alex, our new hires from last week (with some support from Phil), will be taking on the Rivals beta through to it's official public release. If you try it out, let us know what you think, we’d love to get your feedback on it!

EXPLORATION:

Mark and the rest of the team are continuing to plow forward on the next big Exploration update. For those of you who ready our last weekly dev update, this list hasn’t changed much, but we’re continuing to make progress on all of these areas:

Michal, James, Nolan, Mark - Exploration Events/Encounters.
Tyler - Revised Skill/Stat System
Zach - Dynamic Quests
Jessi, Phil, Jonathan, Andrey - Continuing on UI/UX Overhaul + Controller Support

OTHER NEWS:

By request of some in our Steam and Discord communities, we’re working on putting together a “Known Issues” list that will be publicly available on both the Discord server and the Wiki (which we can hopefully now put a little more attention too now that we’ve got some additional help).

Just a reminder, if you do try out the new Rivals beta, let us know what you think!

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted a new development update for Xenonauts 2:

Xenonauts 2 Monthly Development Update!

Hello everyone! April is now over and it's time for our monthly Xenonauts 2 progress update.

Sound Design
Last month we brought an experienced sound designer onto the team to work on the game audio, as earlier in development we hadn't had the time and funds to give it the attention it deserved. Audio is sometimes an unappreciated part of game development, as the benefits of good sound effects can be quite subtle but are nonetheless very important.

This month we've updated the strategy UI, creating nicer sounds for the standard click / hover / error actions and then adding new clips so give subtly different feedback for different actions a click can cause (like confirming an action, closing a window, opening a tooltip, etc). There's still a bit more work to be done on the UI sounds, but after that we'll be moving onto the tactical combat sounds and trying to give the different alien species a bit more character.

As a side-effect of this process, we've also noticed various places the game didn't have sound but needed it. Some of these are already fixed and will deployed in Milestone 4, e.g. now Medikits and the Automed Unit play a sound when healing a unit, and melee weapons play a sound if they miss the target.

Levels & Environment Art
We've also brought on a fulltime freelance environment artist to help us improve the variety and quality of our tactical environments. We worked on an assortment of smaller tasks last month ranging from improving the ATLAS Base command room assets (wall screens and the command table) to fixing up some of the assets for the Alien Base maps, but once those were complete we began to focus on the Farm biome.

Our plan is to add some new terrain objects and update some of the ground textures for the Farm to try and make the maps feel a bit more like a real agricultural environment, and then we'll be moving onto the Tropical biome to do the same thing (as there's not really enough tiles to do the inhabited areas of the Tropical maps properly right now). Once that's done, we'll be able to move onto our final biome - the Soviet Town terror maps!

Alien Crews
This month we updated the crews for all the various UFOs / alien ground missions to ensure there was a steady escalation of new enemies throughout the campaign. We now have enough units to group the alien races together, so each species now has a dedicated secondary support unit and a terror unit.

As part of this task we've added "heavy" variants of the Mentarch, Servitor, and Cyberdrone that are tougher and have more powerful weapons, which start appearing towards the end of the campaign. We'll be adding new artwork and 3D models for these units in the next month or two.

General Improvements
We've also made an assortment of improvements to other parts of the game. The air combat now supports weapons that are capable of shooting down missiles and we've added a new late-game escort UFO that provides an alternative to the alien Interceptor. We've added support for transferring scientists and engineers between bases. We've added a new soldier module that gives soldiers a 180-degree vision arc. We've made further improvements to the loading times, added many small usability features, and added various small new bits of content to the game.

Milestone 4
Last but not least, I just wanted to share that we've now done the bulk of the work on Milestone 4 and we've started internal testing on the updated campaign. Assuming there's no major issues we'll probably be releasing an early version of the build to the public early soon to get feedback - but initially this will be on our Prototype branches, as the build is currently too rough even for the Experimental branches. After a couple of weeks of polish the build should migrate to the Experimental branches, and and then we'll look towards a full public release.

So overall it's been a busy month for us, with lots of good progress made. Thanks for reading, see you next month!

GamingBolt can think of 10 ways to improve Fallout 4 -> text version:

10 Ways Fallout 5 Should Improve On Fallout 4

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Tim talks about game prequels:

Prequels

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Couchpotato spotted several Early Access reviews for Hades II:

Hades II - Early Access Reviews

• The Escapist: Hades 2 Is the Best Underworld Homecoming I Could’ve Asked For
  
  
• EuroGamer: Hades 2 early access review - polish and terrifying power from some of the best out there
  
  
• Gamesradar: Hades 2 review: "The roguelike DNA at the heart of this sequel remains as tight and cutthroat as its predecessor"
  
  
• PC Gamer: Hades 2 is absolutely worth playing in early access right now
  
  
• Rock Paper Shotgun: Hades 2 early access review: a roguelike of witchy crowd control with a sparkling new cast
  
  
• Siliconera: Preview: Hades II Is Already An Improvement Over the Original
  
  
• The Gamer: Hades 2 Early Access Review - Supergiant Has Yet Another Masterpiece On Its Hands
  
  

Gamespot: Hades II - Early Access Floor 2 Gameplay

The Gamer Social Club reports that Microsoft is going to close several studios and Redfall will be cancelled:

Xbox Closes Multiple Studios, Including Hi-Fi Rush & Redfall Teams

More horrible cuts hit the industry, as Microsoft shutters multiple studios.

Developing story:

In an email sent to Xbox employees by Xbox Executive Matt Booty which IGN has obtained, Microsoft is closing multiple studios within Bethesda including Arkane Austin and Tango Softworks.

The email:

Today I’m sharing changes we are making to our Bethesda and ZeniMax teams. These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades. 

To double down on these franchises and invest to build new ones requires us to look across the business to identify the opportunities that are best positioned for success. This reprioritization of titles and resources means a few teams will be realigned to others and that some of our colleagues will be leaving us. 

Here are the changes going into effect: 

Arkane Austin – This studio will close with some members of the team joining other studios to work on projects across Bethesda. Arkane Austin has a history of making impactful and innovative games and it is a pedigree that everyone should be proud of. Redfall’s previous update will be its last as we end all development on the game. The game and its servers will remain online for players to enjoy and we will provide make-good offers to players who purchased the Hero DLC. 

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Thanks Dannoomen!

IGN reviewed the Early Access version of Hades II:

Hades 2 Early Access Review

Wccftech reports that Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 looks stunning:

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Animations Look Incredible in New Gameplay Footage; DLSS, FSR Support Confirmed

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is going to feature some impressive animations, judging from some new gameplay footage that is making the rounds online.

The new gameplay footage, which can be watched below, courtesy of @ASexyBiscuit, was shown on Czech television, providing a quick look at one of the game's cities, likely the royal city of Kuttenberg, where most of the game will take place, complete with some NPCs going around their business. Not only does the city look impressive, but the NPC's animations look incredible, highlighting even more how the next entry in the series will be a major step forward to its predecessor.

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Thanks Couchpotato!

The Turn Based Lovers checked out One Fenix Down:

RETRO-INSPIRED JRPG WITH 14 PLAYABLE CHARACTERS – ONE FENIX DOWN – OVERVIEW

ONE FENIX DOWN is an upcoming JRPG from indie studio Regalcraft Games that harkens back to the nostalgic ’90s era of gaming with its retro-inspired, classic turn-based gameplay. The game features an expansive world with 14 unique characters and a deep, multi-layered narrative set against the backdrop of war, betrayal, and a quest for redemption. Players will encounter a variety of enemies and can engage in complex combat that utilizes elemental magic, martial arts, and more.

The story revolves around the Kingdom of Torloria, which, seven years prior, defended itself against the beastly Goa Empire. As peace hangs by a thread, a young miner, haunted by his past and driven by a cryptic message, sets out to change his destiny and protect something called “Fate.”

With a rich array of items and strategic battles, ONE FENIX DOWN promises a legendary adventure that spans continents and tests the bonds of its characters. The game, still in development, is eagerly awaited with its release marked as “coming soon.” on Steam. Below an overview, screens and trailer.

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Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted patch 1.0.7 of Age of Shattering:

Patch 1.0.7 is out now! Auto-sorting inventory & boosting Unfair Difficulty

Greetings, Commanders!

It's been 54 days since we launched Zoria: Age of Shattering. The game was good at launch, but with all your feedback, we feel that it's really become great. We've implemented quality of life features and fixed some minor issues. As you're reading this, we're already working on our next Patch - stay tuned for that!

So, let's jump into the update. What's changed?

Patch 1.0.7

[Patch notes ...]