A hot topic in the gaming community is the development of sequels, especially in the context of roguelike games. Casey Yano, co-creator of Slay the Spire and co-founder of Mega Crit Games, has shared his thoughts on this challenge. Initially, Yano leaned towards an approach similar to that of the Dark Souls series, where players can replicate character builds across different installments. However, the playtesters of Slay the Spire 2 expressed their desire for new experiences instead of a repetitive one, leading to significant changes in the game’s design
A hot topic in the gaming community is the development of sequels, especially in the context of roguelike games. Casey Yano, co-creator of Slay the Spire and co-founder of Mega Crit Games, has shared his thoughts on this challenge.
Initially, Yano leaned towards an approach similar to that of the Dark Souls series, where players can replicate character builds across different installments. However, the playtesters of Slay the Spire 2 expressed their desire for new experiences instead of a repetitive one, leading to significant changes in the game’s design.
It is relevant to mention that Slay the Spire 2 will not include an infinite mode, to avoid “unlimited strategies,” although Yano suggests that “maybe a modder will find a way to make it work.” As player expectations evolve, adaptability in video game development becomes crucial for the success of future releases.
Fortune’s Run is a video game in development that has captured the attention of fans due to its similarities with renowned titles like Thief and Deus Ex. However, the progress of this project was interrupted for over a year due to legal difficulties faced by its developer, known as Dizzie. In an unexpected turn, Dizzie was sentenced to three years in prison, an event that significantly affected the development of the game during that period. A major life setback Recently, Dizzie has regained his freedom and has resumed work on Fortune’s Run. However, the situation remains […]
Fortune’s Run is an upcoming video game that has caught the attention of fans due to its similarities with renowned titles like Thief and Deus Ex. However, the progress of this project was interrupted for over a year due to legal difficulties faced by its developer, known as Dizzie. In an unexpected turn of events, Dizzie was sentenced to three years in prison, an event that significantly impacted the development of the game during that period.
An important vital gap
Recently, Dizzie has regained his freedom and resumed work on Fortune’s Run. However, the situation remains complicated, as he is currently in a halfway house and under pressure to meet development deadlines. Despite these obstacles, Dizzie has expressed his intention to make significant progress on the project, hoping to launch a demo in six months and an official version of the game in about a year.
During his time in prison, Dizzie was not inactive; he dedicated himself to writing a roguelike in C++ on paper, demonstrating his ongoing passion and creativity in video game development despite adverse circumstances. In a statement shared on Steam, he expressed his desire to complete some key levels of the story and improve the existing content before reaching a full commercial version of the game.
Ted Litchfield from PC Gamer has covered Fortune’s Run on several occasions, describing it as “the Jedi Knight 4 we never had.” With gameplay mechanics that evoke the essence of immersive titles, Fortune’s Run presents itself as an experience that combines fast action and smart level design, offering players the opportunity to tackle challenges in various ways.
Behaviour Interactive has announced a revision in its release cadence of new killers for Dead by Daylight. The next chapter will focus on a rework of the system instead of introducing a new killer, marking a significant change in how game updates are developed. This approach aims to improve quality of life and accessibility for players, deemed essential after 10 years of constant updates. By focusing on balance, the decision not to release a new killer in each chapter will allow the studio to experiment with reworks and new features, […]
Behaviour Interactive has announced a revision in its cadence of releasing new killers for Dead by Daylight. The next chapter will focus on a rework of the system instead of introducing a new killer, marking a significant change in how game updates are developed.
The decision not to release a new killer in each chapter will allow the studio to experiment with reworks and new features, thus enriching the gaming experience.
Behavior plans to make significant changes to the mechanics, such as the customization of Aura colors, which were released in the recent All-Kill: Comeback update. This type of adjustment aims to make the game easier to understand for new players, making the experience more accessible.
Despite the fact that some players, especially fans of the killers, may feel disappointed by the reduction of new characters, the studio justifies this decision by the density and complexity of the current list of over 40 killers.
Instead of focusing exclusively on new characters each quarter, Behaviour aims to balance releases by introducing meaningful works and diverse content in each chapter.
According to creative director Dave Richard, the goal is to maintain a constant cadence of updates, ensuring that there is always fresh content. We are open to experimenting, he stated.
This could include new game modes or types of events, leaving room for innovation within the Dead by Daylight universe. This new strategy could impact the structure of future chapters, but the most important thing is that players will always receive something new in each update.
At the recent Video Game Developers Conference, Microsoft presented early specifications of its upcoming console project, known as Project Helix. Although details are still limited, the company is committed to incorporating cutting-edge technologies that will shape the future of the next generation of consoles. A console powered by AI Driven by a custom AMD SoC, Project Helix will be designed in collaboration with the next generation of DirectX and FSR, promising a significant leap in graphical performance. According to Jason Ronald, vice president of Xbox, a “magnitude leap” in ray tracing capability is expected, […]
Although details are still limited, the company is committed to incorporating cutting-edge technologies that will shape the future of the next generation of consoles.
Xbox Project Helix | GDC 2026 Keynote:
▫️ Plays both Xbox and PC games ▫️ Test units will go out to developers starting in 2027 ▫️ BC confirmed with all four Xbox generations ▫️ "New ways to play" iconic games coming later this year ▫️ Seamlesss cross-device play with a… pic.twitter.com/UUC6Uai5TS
Powered by a custom AMD SoC, Project Helix will be designed in collaboration with the next generation of DirectX and FSR, promising a significant leap in graphical performance.
According to Jason Ronald, vice president of Xbox, a “magnitude leap” in ray tracing capability is expected, along with improvements in texture compression through artificial intelligence, which could result in a smaller installation size for games.
Ronald highlighted that these innovations will allow developers to load data directly from the SSD, thus reducing the dependence on RAM and improving resource efficiency during gameplay. The combination of technologies like DirectStorage and Zstd will facilitate data access and increase the operational capacity of systems.
The development kits for Project Helix will be sent to developers in 2027, suggesting that the full details and capabilities of the console will be available later. However, some analysts have pointed out that this project could be Microsoft’s last attempt to make its hardware business viable. “There is no one in this industry who believes there will be another Xbox if this next machine fails,” noted an industry expert.
With a strong investment in rendering and simulation technologies, Microsoft seeks to differentiate itself in a highly competitive market, trying to galvanize interest ahead of the console launch. Expectations are high, and the gaming community is closely watching the developments around Project Helix.
Capcom has reached an important milestone with its new science fiction game, Pragmata, which has led to two million players downloading the free demo titled “Sketchbook.” In this demo, players take control of Hugh, a human astronaut, and his AI companion, Diana, facing mechanical enemies in a lunar facility. Capcom has highlighted the enthusiasm generated by the game, noting that it has reached two million wish lists and downloads. Pragmata is already on its way to being a success. The demo offers 20 minutes of intense action and a varied combat system, […]
Capcom has reached an important milestone with its new science fiction game, Pragmata, whose interest has led to two million players downloading the free demo titled “Sketchbook”. In this demo, players take control of Hugh, a human astronaut, and his AI companion, Diana, facing mechanical enemies in a lunar facility. Capcom has highlighted the enthusiasm generated by the game, noting that it has reached two million wishlists and downloads.
Pragmata is on its way to being a success
The demo offers 20 minutes of intense action and a varied combat system that encourages experimentation through the use of various weapons and hacking upgrades. Facing enemies like the Walkers and the Watchers, in addition to a powerful Sector Guard, provides a clear sample of the game’s mechanics. Players can choose different combat strategies, allowing them to customize the gaming experience according to their preferences, whether using a controller or keyboard and mouse.
The end of the demo, which includes a confrontation against the Guard Sector, has been highlighted as one of the most exciting parts, where players can feel the power of the weapons and the hacking skill. However, the brief period of 20 minutes leaves many wanting more, creating expectations for the full game release.
With Pragmata, Capcom seems to be on track to capture the public’s attention, and the growing interest could indicate the start of a new successful franchise. However, uncertainty remains about how the game’s narratives and mechanics will develop in its final release.
Disco Elysium is one of the most revolutionary and groundbreaking video games of the last decade. Saying this is nothing strange or new: it has been said since before its release. It is such a special and unique game that it is inevitable that it causes a stir and many people want to imitate it. Even if so far there have hardly been any imitators. Although there is a logical explanation for that: making a video game takes time, now more than ever, and time has had to be allowed for the imitators of this great success to arrive. But they are starting to come. With more or […]
Disco Elysium is one of the most revolutionary and groundbreaking video games of the last decade. Saying this is nothing strange or new: it has been said since before its release. It is such a special and unique game that it is inevitable that it causes a stir and many people want to imitate it. Even if so far there have hardly been any imitators. Although there is a logical explanation for that: making a video game takes time, now more than ever, and time has to be allowed for the imitators of this great success to arrive.
But they are starting to arrive. With more or less grace, understanding better or worse what made the original game by ZA/UM special, many are inspired by it to create their own RPG. And perhaps the most notable of the first wave of games clearly inspired by Disco Elysium, ironically, has no connection to anyone who worked on it. Its name is Esoteric Ebb and, even more surprisingly, it is the work of a single developer: Christoffer Bodegård.
A game with the essence of Disco Elysium
Esoteric Ebb puts us in a very uncomfortable situation: we are a cleric who wakes up in the morgue after what we are convinced has been our death. We cannot take off our helmet, so we cannot know what our face looks like. And worst of all, we have no exact memories of what has happened.
Fortunately, we soon discovered a few things. To begin with, we might not be a cleric: it is perfectly possible that we are a rogue, a warrior, or a wizard. And that will be decided by what we ourselves choose to be through conversations. Also, our attributes speak to us. Strength, constitution, dexterity, charisma, wisdom, and intelligence will constantly intervene to give us advice and guide us, not always in the most accurate way possible, depending on the numbers we have in each of them. This adds a very interesting twist to Disco Elysium by associating it with the logic of Dungeons & Dragons.
But what is our mission? To discover why and who was behind the explosion of a tea room. And if possible, to find out why we appeared dead in the sea before being rescued by anonymous fishermen. We will have to do all of this within a very specific time limit: five days. Why? Because in five days, the first elections in the history of the city will take place, and such a serious situation cannot be left unresolved before the election results.
Being able to focus on the investigation case or get involved in the political life of the city, being able to support any of the political parties —which represent socialist, liberal, monarchical positions and, justly, also the possibility of being chosen as an all-powerful wizard king—, how much we get involved and to what extent is up to us. If we want to know more about our character, the world, and how they will evolve, it is in our hands, but we can also ignore it and focus on the investigation case. Something for which we will have the assistance of a goblin who will try to help us get through these five overwhelming days.
With a more cartoonish artistic style and less baroque writing than Disco Elysium, but equally brilliant, Esoteric Ebb stands out for knowing how to capture the spirit of the ZA/UM game while creating something unique with it. Creating a game with a strong personality of its own.
With its release scheduled for March 3, 2026, this could be one of the big surprises of the year. One of those games that redefines the path of upcoming RPGs, demonstrating that what Disco Elysium achieved was not a fluke. That it can be repeated. But it requires curiosity and interest and a desire to do something different with the elements that made the original game great. Because Esoteric Ebb, if it proves anything, is that the formula of Disco Elysium is not exhausted.
On February 25, the French independent studio Nerial will launch Reigns: The Witcher on Steam and GOG, a game that adapts the popular Reigns series to the universe of The Witcher. This collaboration with CD Projekt Red promises to offer an experience that respects the characters and narrative of the original video games, allowing players to interact with iconic figures like Geralt, Yennefer, Triss, and Regis. The Tinder mechanics applied to a greater good The new title introduces a decision-making system that influences Geralt’s popularity among different communities and his commitment to the hunter’s path […]
On February 25, the independent French studio Nerial will launch Reigns: The Witcher on Steam and GOG, a game that adapts the popular Reigns series to the universe of The Witcher.
This collaboration with CD Projekt Red promises to offer an experience that respects the characters and narrative of the original video games, allowing players to interact with iconic figures such as Geralt, Yennefer, Triss, and Regis.
The mechanics of Tinder applied to a greater good
The new title introduces a decision-making system that influences Geralt’s popularity among different communities and his commitment to the monster hunter path.
Every choice the player makes will affect four metrics that will measure their acceptance among humans, non-humans, and mages, as well as their status in monster hunting. This approach aims to align the game with the conflict present in the saga, where Geralt must balance his relationship with hostile factions and his own survival.
Additionally, Reigns: The Witcher incorporates a rhythmic minigame for fights, where the player must dodge attacks and strike their opponent, thus improving gameplay compared to previous versions of Reigns.
In a recent game test, the developers indicated that the combat system feels particularly suitable for portable devices like the Steam Deck, where it has been verified by Valve as compatible.
The narrative is enriched through the inclusion of various mythologies and tragedies that shape new stories within the world of The Witcher. Among the additional elements, it is mentioned that the developers have drawn inspiration from French mythologies, incorporating characters like a tarasque and guiding the story through ballads narrated by Dandelion.
With Reigns: The Witcher, Nerial seeks to expand the lore of The Witcher universe while maintaining the essence of its own gameplay mechanics. This title promises to be both a new adventure for Geralt fans and a fresh experience for lovers of the Reigns series.
Among the novelties in the world of video games is The Killing Stone, a card game that immerses players in the narrative of a witch apprentice who battles against a demonic contract. The game combines unique mechanics such as card reserving, combat effects, and play costs that affect strategy, allowing for a depth that, despite its complexity, is considered accessible for novice players. A game very focused on narrative Despite its intriguing concept and rich narrative, The Killing Stone has been released in early access […]
Among the news in the world of video games is The Killing Stone, a card game that immerses players in the narrative of a witch apprentice who battles against a demonic contract. The game combines unique mechanics such as card reserving, combat effects, and play costs that affect strategy, allowing for a depth that, despite its complexity, is considered accessible for novice players.
A game very focused on narrative
Despite its intriguing concept and a rich narrative, The Killing Stone has been released in early access instead of a definitive 1.0 version, due to pacing issues that suggest the title is still in development and may improve over time. Players can experience the game through a demo available on Steam.
This title stands out not only for its gameplay but also for its voice cast, which includes well-known actors like Emma Gregory and Liam O’Brien. Players have the option to choose dialogues in modern English or in a more archaic style, adding an additional layer of immersion to the experience.
As the game evolves, it is likely that improvements will be made to adjust the pace and complexity, which promises to enhance the overall experience. The Killing Stone is in the sights of card game enthusiasts and fans of current narratives.
ZA/UM, the studio behind the acclaimed RPG Disco Elysium, has announced its next project titled Zero Parades, a spy game scheduled for release in 2026. Although a specific date has not yet been set, the developers have decided to offer players an early glimpse through a free demo that will be available from February 23 to March 16, coinciding with the Steam Next Fest. Although no one from the original studio remains, it remains to be seen what it is about. The demo will allow users to try two missions and explore facets of the intriguing world […]
ZA/UM, the studio behind the acclaimed RPG Disco Elysium, has announced its next project titled Zero Parades, a spy game scheduled for release in 2026. Although a specific date has not yet been set, the developers have decided to give players an early glimpse through a free demo that will be available from February 23 to March 16, coinciding with Steam Next Fest.
Although no one from the original cast remains, we need to see what it’s about
The demo will allow users to try two missions and explore facets of the intriguing game world, which promises to follow a narrative structure similar to that of Disco Elysium, where every decision made by the player will influence the outcome of the story. Zero Parades will focus on a brilliant and tormented worker who must complete his final mission, facing influential NPC contacts, misleading dialogues, and characters with hidden motivations.
However, it is important to note that the team behind Zero Parades does not include the original creators of Disco Elysium. Labor tensions and conflicts over creative control between these developers and ZA/UM led the authors of Disco Elysium to part ways with the studio to found new companies, such as Red Info and Longdue Games. This split has raised questions about the creative direction of the new title and its ability to capture the essence that made Disco Elysium a phenomenon in the industry.
Despite these challenges, ZA/UM continues to move forward with Zero Parades, presenting a 15-minute gameplay video on YouTube that highlights some of the game’s mechanics. Players can expect encounters with “extravagant and questionable” characters in an environment that promises to be both surreal and intriguing, as they prepare to delve into a world full of complex decisions in a game that seeks to recapture the magic of its predecessor, albeit without the original talent at the helm.
The Fishing Shop Simulator is an innovative fishing simulator that transports players to a post-apocalyptic future. Developed by independent creator Sinqnew, the game is set in an environment marked by the ruins of a civilization devastated by war. Players take on the management of a fishing shop, where they must catch different types of fish and sell them to improve their business and evolve into a more advanced village. Why not go out and fish some mechs? Even in its demo phase, the game has generated notable interest due to its originality and mechanics […]
The Fishing Shop Simulator is an innovative fishing simulator that transports players to a post-apocalyptic future. Developed by independent creator Sinqnew, the game is set in an environment marked by the ruins of a civilization devastated by war. Players take on the management of a fishing shop, where they must catch different types of fish and sell them to improve their business and evolve into a more advanced village.
Why not go fishing for some highlights?
Still in its demonstration phase, the game has generated notable interest due to its originality and immersive gameplay mechanics. Players not only fish, but they also have to manage resources, hire employees, and pay taxes, which adds a degree of complexity and strategy to the game. The surreal setting includes elements from World War II, such as planes and mechs, creating a unique backdrop that challenges players’ expectations in the genre.
The demo allows players to experience the transition of the environment, which starts as a simple campsite and transforms into a more elaborate village as they increase their income and unlock new technologies within the game. Although in this initial stage the non-playable characters are limited, the visible progress of the city as improvements are made is a notable attraction.
Despite its simplicity, the interaction of elements in the game provides a palpable satisfaction, especially when players manage to catch rare fish and decorate their aquariums. The feeling of reward is reinforced by the additional challenge of regular tax payments, which requires players to engage in careful and strategic planning on their path to success.
The attention to detail and the blend of genres in Fishing Shop Simulator make it an intriguing title to watch in the future, as more features are developed and its world expands.
