Apologies if I’m starting to sound like a broken record these days, but here I am, back with another edition of “Have you heard about this cool new roguelike deckbuilder?” I swear I’ll find a new/another niche one of these days, but listen, Pyrene is very cool indeed, and I lost a good hour to its free demo last week on Steam. On the surface, this might look like your typical fantasy dungeon crawler, but Pyrene has some neat tricks of its own, combining its own blend of resource gathering and roguelike citybuilding with Inscryption‘s number-crunching battles and a dash of Foretales‘ card-based exploration. And it has a lovely piano soundtrack to boot, too.
After being announced for ‘consoles’ last September, The Media Indie Exchange Games (The MIX Games) today not only revealed that the NES-inspired puzzle platformer Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland will be taking its first steps in March, but also confirmed that the game is headed for Switch.
Based on the titular ’90s cartoon series, Adventures in Gameland will see you heading out on a platforming adventure with Tommy, Chuckie, Phil and Lil across six of the gang’s make-believe worlds.
Every day, online games are a way for young people to connect with others. They’re engaging, creative spaces where players interact and build community. At Xbox, we strive for every player to have an inclusive, welcoming experience — and an important step in that is creating environments where players feel safe. Together, we can foster thriving digital communities.
Online environments have their own unique challenges compared with real-world scenarios, and they require different digital skills, especially for our youngest players. Ahead of Safer Internet Day, Minecraft Education has created a new addition to the CyberSafe collection of immersive Minecraft worlds designed to help young people stay safe, happy, and thriving online.
CyberSafe: Good Game is a fun, story-based adventure that helps players understand the responsibilities, tools, responses, and strategies that enable healthy online interactions, collaboration, and rewarding digital experiences, whether those are part of multiplayer gaming or other online activities.
Minecraft Education users can find CyberSafe: Good Game in the in-game lesson library. The world is also available for free for Minecraft Bedrock players in the Minecraft Marketplace.
An Adventure Through Online Gaming
CyberSafe: Good Game takes place just before summer break, as a group of friends discusses how to level up in their favorite game together. Unfortunately, one of their friends can’t play because they broke their controller after a series of frustrating encounters with online bullies.
To help their friend, players create a Good Game Guide. This guidebook will provide helpful strategies for managing challenging online situations in support of a safer, more enjoyable gaming experience.
In CyberSafe: Good Game, players encounter common problems they might experience in online spaces, including online bullies sabotaging their success, excessive distractions from the in-game chat, inappropriate screen names and language, and more. In each scenario, they’ll have the chance to use the right tools to address the issue. Players can choose to ignore, correct, mute, or report a behavior.
After each challenge, players will reflect on what they’ve experienced and add an entry into their Good Game Guide. At the end of the adventure, they’ll be able to use this guidebook as a code of conduct for their future online gaming experiences.
Building a Better Online Community for Everyone
CyberSafe: Good Game emphasizes responsibility and treating others with respect, kindness, and consideration when online. The game’s challenge-based framework allows players to apply effective tools and strategies to the gaming space, giving them opportunities to practice appropriate responses, normalizing their use, and fostering empathy and responsible digital behavior.
“Good Game is the latest learning adventure in the CyberSafe series where players are given the tools to be agents on their safety journey. In a world that deeply needs more collaboration and dialogue, what could be more important than sparking a cultural shift to foster healthy and respectful communities,” says Carlos Figueiredo, Director of Player Safety on Minecraft.
As the world becomes more infused with technology, it’s critical that young people learn to look at digital spaces as forums they can use to make the world better.
Research shows the role that parents and educators can take to help young people navigate the online world. Microsoft’s annual Global Online Safety Survey found that 87 percent of children surveyed reported talking to their parent about an online risk. That means young people often trust their parents for support on these issues, and speaking with parents, caregivers or trusted adults is an important part of creating safer online habits.
Start the conversation early. Discussions about digital citizenship can start as soon as young people begin using technology. By the time they’re in elementary school, children often already know about security, privacy, and online risks, and they’re eager to learn how to stay safe.
Talk it out to help young people navigate online spaces. Parents might hesitate to bring up online privacy and security because they don’t feel like they know enough. But when children talk to their parents, they become more knowledgeable, even if the conversations aren’t highly technical—just topics like online activities and making good choices.
Understand how young people see the digital world. Children tend to see online privacy and security as within their control, and they understand that different risks come with different situations. On the other hand, parents tend to see most online activities as risky, so they often enforce restrictions instead of discussing positive behaviors and outcomes.
If you’re looking for more resources and tips for family gaming, visitxbox.com/family.You canlearn more about what Xbox offers for families, including information about privacy and access to privacy tools, the Xbox Family Settings app, and our Community Standards. Finally, explore the Family Online Safety Toolkit to find further guidance and support for safe, fun, and healthy digital communities.
Welcome to the first Players’ Choice poll of 2024! Let’s welcome the new year by picking your favorite title for January among the heavy hitters, indie knockouts, and virtual bangers.
How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation.Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. Soon thereafter, we’ll close the polls, tally your votes, and announce the winner at PlayStation.Blog. PlayStation Store will also showcase some top Players’ Choice winners throughout the year.
What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? In keeping with our long tradition in the Game of the Year Awards, remastered or re-released games won’t qualify. Ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds and remakes like Shadow of the Colossus and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy will.
How are nominees decided? The PlayStation.Blog and PlayStation Store editorial teams will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. Write-in votes will be accepted.
I’ve never been a true “Football Enjoyer”. I’ll weirdly get into it at certain times, like when the World Cup is on and I get suckered into the belief that, “It’s actually coming home this time”. But maybe I could be a football enjoyer, now that there’s a roguelike out there that combines football skills with room-clearing. I’d give Footgun Underground‘s demo at least 90 minutes of your time.
When it comes to game night, it’s always a great idea to have a variety of board games around for people to choose from. Unfortunately, building that collection of games can oftentimes cost you more than you’d expect. Have no fear, though, as we’re here to help you out with a variety of deals on board games that are worth picking up.
TL;DR – The Best Board Game Deals
This doesn’t just cater to events like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday, either. We try to find deals on the best board games all throughout the year, so you can buy your favorites without breaking the bank. Below, you can find a selection of the best board game deals at the moment.
The Best Board Game Deals
Board Games: Budget to Best
For when board games aren’t on sale, it’s nice to know you still have options that don’t cost you tons of money. Here, we’ll point you in the direction of more affordable board games that are still worth the investment for your next game night.
When Is the Best Time to Find Board Game Deals?
Board games go on sale at sites like Amazon, Target, Walmart, and even GameStop fairly regularly — you can generally find special discounts every month or two. In addition, they absolutely get big discounts during major sale events like Amazon’s Prime Day and Black Friday.
While Prime Day is primarily an Amazon shopping holiday, other retailers always put on competing sales events at the same time. Those are great times to look for board game deals.
As for Black Friday, it’s not just a one-day event: you can often find deals on board games the whole week of Black Friday, as well as on Cyber Monday and throughout that whole following week. Keep in mind that stock runs out (particularly at Amazon), so if you see a good price on a board game you want during one of these major sale events, grab it before it’s gone.
How to Know if it’s Really a Good Board Game Deal
At online board game retailers like Amazon and Walmart, prices are always in flux, to say the least. Many of the board games in the board game section will be discounted to some degree from their MSRP. But there are a few ways to know when a board game is on sale for a notable discount.
For one, you can check Amazon’s daily deals page, where you’ll occasionally find an actual sale on various board games. Sometimes these are from one company, sometimes they’re on the whole category of board games. Target also periodically runs sales on board games, so check their deal page, too.
If you’re looking at a board game and are wondering if the sale price is good, copy the URL and paste it into the search field at camelcamelcamel. That’s an Amazon price tracker that shows you price history. Better yet, it works for any item, not just board games.
Finally, you can follow IGN Deals on Twitter, where we’ll always tweet any notable board game deals we come across.
How Do You Know if a Board Game Is Any Good?
IGN reviews board games fairly regularly, so you can always search to see if we’ve reviewed a game you’re considering picking up. Other websites do, too. We also have a whole lot of board game roundups, ranging from the best classic board games and the best cooperative board games to the best horror board games.
Outside of IGN, the best board game resource around (for my money) is Board Game Geek. It maintains a database of every board and card game you’d want to know about, with all kinds of news, stats, and user reviews all gathered together in one place.
I’ve played Apex Legends Season 20, and it might be the fastest and fiercest that the battle royale FPS has ever been – while also being the richest in tactical opportunities and metagame theorycrafting. It’s all thanks to a drastically expanded Evo experience system, one that now not only boosts your shield capacity, but unlocks the branches of a MOBA-style skill tree that permanently buffs your character for the duration of a match. Even for a season with no new playable Legend to headline, it’s an update that feels exciting and genuinely game-changing – if a little scary at the same time.
It’s official — Forever Entertainment has confirmed that Night Slashers: Remake is indeed coming to Nintendo Switch. The publisher confirmed the news over on Twitter, though no release date has been given.
Hi everyone, we are Elise Galmard, Lead Narrative Designer, and Simon Svoboda, Lead Level Designer at Don’t Nod. We’re a part of the team bringing you Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, a supernatural tale of two lovers and ancient secrets.
In this supernatural Action-RPG, play as two ghost hunters and lovers who face impossible choices that harbor dramatic consequences for the living… and the dead.
From February 13, you’ll get the chance to sift through the shadows of the past in New Eden, but before then we’d love to give you a glimpse into the world. Today we’re talking all about haunting cases, a common form of quest you’ll encounter in Banishers.
Behind The Veil
Our game universe is set in the world of the 17th century as we know it, with one major difference: the world is plagued with curses and ghost hauntings.
During a Haunting Case, you will find ghosts that are still attached to the world of the living, which you as a Banisher, will be asked to investigate and solve. Haunting Cases serve as side quests in our game.
A ghost is the lingering spirit of a dead person, holding onto some of their memories and feelings. Bound to the Incarnate world (the world of the living) by unresolved emotion that takes the form of an item called the Soul-tie, a ghost is also attached to one or more living beings, forever linked and wandering until you set them free. You must discover the truth behind each lingering ghost and why they’re here.
With time, all ghosts will decay and turn into specters: entities reduced to their base primal emotion, and with no memory or personality. This dilution of their humanity – also called paling – can be resisted if they feed from the surrounding life force. Indeed, the only way for a ghost to sustain themselves in the Incarnate is to feed on the essence of the living to keep their hold and grow stronger. That is the main reason as to why Banishers dispatch the dead: to protect the life force of the living, and to keep ghosts from paling into terrible, forever hungry spirits.
In the game you’ll encounter characters with deep secrets and concealed truth. For instance, you’ll uncover the story of an anxious wife awaiting her husband’s return, only to later realize that she had taken his life to escape an abusive marriage. As Banishers, a crucial choice awaits. Wil you blame her, seeking retribution for murder? Or will you banish the soul of her departed, abusive and revengeful husband?
Reveal The Unsaid and Bring Closure
To bring Closure, a Banisher needs to investigate and gather Hints on all people and ghosts involved in the case to understand everyone’s Intent.
In the case’s final moments, the Banishers will be presented with a choice to solve the situation. Three different solutions are available: releasing, banishing, or blaming the people and spirit involved. Ascending the departed souls allow them to find peace, whereas banishing lead them to infinite torment in a realm where souls wander without finding any solace. Blaming on the other hand, is a darker path where that involves a sacrifice: taking the life of the living to feed Antea with their soul.
Each decision that you take during the game will have a consequence on the remaining settlers. Each choice will have an impact and lead to different outcomes, especially for Red and Antea.
In Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, you’ll fall into a powerful and intimate narrative. We have put a lot of ourselves in each of the stories and narrative branches. We can’t wait for you to discover the game on Xbox Series X|S on February 13!
Until Then is an indie game with unexpectedly profound things to say and a breathtaking art style set among Philippine-inspired landscapes. Don’t mistake its simplistic controls for a lack of substance—from its addictively mundane minigames to its meaningful look at healing from trauma. This game has the potential to stand among the classics in the narrative adventure genre.
Until Then unravels a bittersweet story of mystery and tragedy, unpacking the trauma of loss through the eyes of the main character, high school student Mark Borja. In a world still recovering from catastrophe, Mark and his friends navigate the joys and woes of another year of high school—piano practice, homework deadlines, and school drama— as you reminisce about the daily insecurities of high school life.
That is, until a fateful meeting sets off a chain reaction, upending Mark’s life. People
disappear, and memories prove unreliable. You’ll work to uncover a hidden truth with Mark and his friends in this narrative adventure as you race to unravel the mystery before it’s too late.
An emotional rollercoaster blending tearful moments with delightful fun
Throughout Until Then, you’ll meet a diverse and achingly familiar cast of characters to converse with in person, over text, and through email. Watch how their personal stories unfold alongside yours as you get to know them, build relationships, and possibly flunk group projects.
Weave through familiar, busy corridors in your school uniform, wake to the roosters’ crows, and calls for Tahooooo! (a popular local sweet snack) and, of course, don’t miss the train for your morning commute. Immerse yourself in the sights and songs of the daily lives of Filipino students, barreling their way through high school in a rich and intricate city inspired by Metro Manila and the developers’ alma maters.
Attribution: Rizal Provincial Government
The game confronts you with philosophical issues as you walk alongside Mark as he makes mistakes and struggles to heal his wounds and let go of the past. Decide how Mark grows and strives to improve throughout the story.
Moments of relief from tear-jerking topics come in the form of comical and engaging minigames that you won’t want to put down. Insert a flash drive—oh wait, wrong way—nope, it was right the first time. Help Mark practice for his piano recital. Enjoy minigames inspired by Filipino life as well: Fight your friend for more fishballs at the food stand outside. Get in the groove to pay for the jeepney, a unique local mode of transport. Until Then lets you lose yourself in little games you play in everyday life.
Uncomplicated side-scrolling mechanics
You are seamlessly guided through the world of Until Then as you walk your character through the environment and interact with items and people. The dialogue—chatting with friends or texting with your in-game smartphone—often drives the story forward with new information and context for the strange occurrences Mark starts to experience. You can also explore the depths of social media, where your likes and comments may pose consequences. Scrolling through social posts, emails, and webpages might reveal further hints and clues about the people and world around you, so keep your eyes peeled.
Investigating the mystery will take you to all sorts of places, from a warm evening playing games at the local fair to the ruins of a coastal town marred by catastrophe. Take your time to walk around, see the sights, and interact with the environment to discover more about this bright and vivid world.
Concept Art provided by Polychroma Games
A love letter from the developers
Polychroma Games is a team of talented developers based in the Philippines, entwining the interactivity of play and the power of stories. Until Then was born from our desire to create stories that only games can tell.
The game itself is a love letter to youth in the Philippines. From small details in the background to major motifs in the setting of the fictional cities of Liamson and Bonifacio, we wanted to show a world that would celebrate the rich and diverse culture that shaped our own lives.
Attribution: Google Maps
We also wanted emotions that would resonate—a story familiar to everyone, which would resound in anyone’s heart even after playing. We wanted to tell a story of growing up, navigating relationships as time changes us, and coming to terms with loss.
Creating this game and its story wasn’t easy. It involved quite a few leaps of faith, and trusting that people would see and feel the heart we put into it, that people would want to see a story about some random kids in a Philippines touched by tragedy. Prepare to be swept off your feet into immersive storytelling, stunning pixelated visuals, intricate plots, and unforgettable characters when you come face-to-face with the mysterious world of Until Then. Wishlist Until Then now on PS5.
