M2, the emulation wizards who are responsible for multiple Sega Ages titles, Virtual Console ports, and the excellent Castlevania Advance and Dominus Collections, has shared a brand new trailer for its upcoming game, Night Striker Gear, which is coming to Switch in 2025.
The clip was shared on Bluesky by ohfivepro (via Time Extension), with a timestamped version of the stream viewable on YouTube, and this is our first look at the game.
One of the original dungeon-crawling board games that sought to recreate the excitement and danger of tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, HeroQuest was first released more than 30 years ago. Putting players into roles like the mighty Barbarian and spell-slinging Elf, HeroQuest let a group of friends play out their heroic fantasies right at the kitchen table in a matter of only a couple hours compared to the afternoon-long sessions a traditional TTRPG may take. With its massive amounts of plastic miniatures that came packed in its iconic box and multi-quest long story, HeroQuest established a passionate fan base that would continue to sing its praises decades later and rally behind it when Hasbro asked if folks wanted it to return through its HasLab crowdfunding platform.
And here we sit, several years after the campaign, and new and old fans alike have plenty of HeroQuest to enjoy in the form of the new release and all of its expansions! To help folks who may be interested in working together to slay the evil Zargon and stop his machinations in their tracks, this buyer’s guide will help you plan adventures!
HeroQuest Game System
MSRP: $134.99 USD
1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
Before anything else, you must secure yourself a copy of the main game, the HeroQuest Game System. Every additional piece of content released so far requires you to have this first – no stand-alone expansions here!
HeroQuest First Light
MSRP: $49.99 USD
1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
Ages 14+
Contents
Quest book w/ 10 unique quests
Game system rulebook
Double-sided gameboard
Game Master’s screen
5 miniatures
1 pad of character sheets
6 combat dice
2 movement dice
39 cardboard pieces
102 cards
52 plastic movers
31 monster tokens
15 furniture tokens
41 cardboard tiles
21 dungeon door tokens
As much fun as HeroQuest is, for new players who are interested in checking the game out, the hefty price tag can be a big deterrent. But now with HeroQuest: First Light, that bar to get into the system is easier than ever. First Light provides fresh faces with a perfect chance to try out the core game system of HeroQuest while slimming things down a bit on the production side of things to cut the cost.
Outside of the core cast of hero characters for players to pick from and the impressive dragon miniature, much of the game that had previously been represented as plastic minis are now cardboard tokens instead. For fans who already own the core box of HeroQuest, there isn’t much of a reason to pick up First Light unless you’re a completionist, you’re desperate to check out the unique quests, or want more hero figures to paint.
To sweeten the deal even more, First Light is fully compatible with all other HeroQuest content that has been released in the past few years, making this smaller box the recommended jumping in point unless you already know you love HeroQuest.
The App
MSRP: Free
For player groups that can’t decide/ don’t want to have a game master or adventurers that enjoy dungeon-diving solo, the official HeroQuest companion app for phones automates that roll of Zargon. With fully voiced descriptions, the app is a great way to experience the game and all of its expansion modules, too. The best part is that it’s free, so no harm in checking it out.
The Online Quests
MSRP: Free
Avalon Hill has released online a number of free to download special quests that add the lore and backstory on the world of HeroQuest and your heroes such as the prequel quest, “A New Beginning.” These special one-off quests are fun little bonuses that utilize the resources from different HeroQuest products and are great ways to get a little extra HeroQuest goodness.
As the first of the expansions for HeroQuest, Kellar’s Keep is one of the lighter offerings among the options available today and its a faithful rerelease of the Kellar’s Keep expansion for the original HeroQuest from the 90s. Kellar’s Keep feels very much like a continuation and extension of the base HeroQuest, thanks in part to a lot of similar monster minis being included. It’s still a fun time and an easy way to understand how expansions work. Kellar’s Keep is the perfect offering for anyone who isn’t necessarily looking for a spike in difficulty but just more HeroQuest.
Return of the Witch Lord
MSRP: $33.99 USD
1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
That dastardly Witch Lord you dealt with in the base Game System is back with his armies of the undead! Return of the Witch Lord is very similar to the Kellar’s Keep expansion, giving players more miniatures from found in the base game, but this pack also includes some pretty cool looking new tiles that are used in over the course of its 10 quests – including the menacing skull on the ground! Return of the Witch Lord is a classic quest that longtime players of the game will recognize and brings about a nice feeling of conclusion carried over from the Game System an Kellar’s Keep storylines. The three together really feel like the beginning trilogy of the HeroQuest series.
Prophecy of Telor
MSRP: $33.99 USD
1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
Previously one of the two expansions exclusive to the Mythic tier during its crowdfunding phase on Haslab, Prophecy of Telor is now available to everyone in this new premium release. With a menacing set of translucent orange monsters, dice and a brand new character class in the Warlock to play as, the Prophecy of Telor expansion give all players a chance to experience this story. The new Warlock class is particularly fun, being able to change into a demonic form to do battle, making for some wonderful new party composition options for all of your HeroQuest adventures.
Spirit Queen’s Torment
MSRP: $33.99 USD
1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
Spirit Queen’s torment is very much similar to the Prophecy of Telor – both being premium mass market releases of previously mythic tier exclusives, awesome translucent monsters and die (this time in an icy teal), and a brand new character class with the Bard. You will deal with dark magics and explore mysterious locations like the Wyvern Keep over the course of the 15 adventures included. And now, at long last, you can play out all your greatest bard fantasies in HeroQuest, singing your magical tunes that will put your enemies to sleep, heal your friends, and grant bonus attack dice to your friends. You will need to homebrew rules to try and seduce monsters though, so be sure to work with your Zargon for all your flirty needs.
Against the Ogre Horde
MSRP: $44.99 USD
1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
Ages 14+
Contents
Quest book w/ 10 new quests
New Druids class
28 miniatures
2 sheets of cardboard tiles
29 cards
For the group that likes to fight and kill a lot of enemies, Against the Ogre Horde will be right up your alley. This latest expansion to release is also a remaster of one the classic modules released for the original HeroQuest back in the day. For fans of the original, much of it will feel incredibly familiar, but there have been slight tweaks and adjustments to account for modern tastes. The miniatures included are some of my favorite offerings so far, with the giant Ogres and massive throne that are included. The new enemies help make this a fun box to snag if you enjoy creating homebrew quests to send your friends on too.
The Mage in the Mirror
MSRP: $44.99 USD
1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
Ages 14+
Contents
Quest book w/ 10 new quests
33 miniatures
Sheet of cardboard tiles
35 cards
With the Realm of Reflection to explore, the Mage in the Mirror expansions tasks your heroic group of heroes with saving a princess, finding a legendary sword, and contending with an evil archmage – basically some good ol’ classic high fantasy goodness. Mage in the Mirror includes a new body type and set of cards for the Elf class that comes with the base Game System in addition to a number of highly detailed environment objects, new tiles, and monster minis. This expansion tells the first part of a story that concludes in the Rise of the Dread Moon set, so it may be worthwhile to get both at once.
Rise of the Dread Moon
MSRP: $44.99 USD
1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
Ages 14+
Contents
Quest book w/ 10 new quests
New Knight class
29 miniatures
Sheet of cardboard tiles
58 cards
Picking up where The Mage in the Mirror questline left off, Rise of the Dread Moon brings with it a number of brand new mechanics like the Elven mercenaries but also a new character class as well with the sword-and-board wielding Knight. With a bunch of cool new tiles, objects and monster minis, Rise of the Dread Moon is great for fans that like to make their own quests too. However, if you plan to play through the story and not just utilize the pieces the come in the box, be sure to get and playthrough the Mage in the Mirror expansion first to get the best experience!
The Frozen Horror
MSRP: $44.99 USD
1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
Ages 14+
Contents
Quest book w/ 10 new quests
23 miniatures
Sheet of cardboard tiles
35 cards
6 combat dice
2 movement dice
1 pad of character sheets
Bundle up heroes as the Frozen Horror will send you into the Frozen Wastelands. For Barbarian fans, this expansion will be for you, being a very focused experience tailored to the class – even including a new barbarian miniature with a new body type. There are a bunch of really neat monster sculpts present too with icy blue war bears, and the incredibly imposing title monster, the Frozen Horror, along with a host of mercenaries too. One particularly interesting aspect to the Frozen Horror expansion is that the adventure starts with a series of solo character quests before the group quests resume. If smacking things really hard is your style (and you want a cool new set of blue dice to play with) then The Frozen Horror expansion may be for you.
Jungles of Delthrak
MSRP: $44.99 USD
1-5 players (solo play requires the free HeroQuest companion app)
Poisonous snakes, menacing spiders, and ruins aplenty await heroes that wish to journey into the Jungles of Delthrak. This quest pack takes players tasks players with retrieving a powerful artifact and get to the bottom of the Dread Blight that has seeped its way into the roots of the jungle. In addition to a bunch of brand new enemies to face and some pretty nifty new effect parts (the green fire a personal favorite), Jungles of Delthrak introduce the new Berserker and Explorer hero classes to pick from. With its 16 quests to check out, this quest pack offers a lot of value for those that want to take their Hero Quest game out of the dungeons and under canopies of trees instead.
Character Packs
Hero Collection: Rogue Heir of Elethorn
MSRP: $14.99 USD
Contents
New Rogue class
2 miniatures (2 different body sculpts for the Rogue)
13 cards (12 game cards, 1 story card)
Every good adventuring party needs the sneaky stabbing rouge character, and with the Rouge Heir of Elethorn character pack, that’s exactly what you get. This box comes complete with models and cards featuring two different body types and has skills that utilize throwing daggers, attacking multiple times, and dealing more damage when a foe is already engaged with a teammate. The only downside is the lack of any real story or quests that explore more of the character.
Hero Collection: Path of the Wandering Monk
MSRP: $14.99 USD
Contents
New Monk class
2 miniatures (2 different body sculpts for the Monk)
8 game cards
1 scroll prop
One with the elements and with fists as deadly as any blade, the Monk is one of the more unique classes you can pick from in HeroQuest. By utilizing the elements of wind, water, earth and fire – each with two special effects associated with each element – the monk has a lot of utility that can prove helpful in a pitch. From sailing over traps with the power of the wind to blasting an energy blast from their hands with the power of fire which can hit a large number of enemies at once, the Monk could fill that spot as a last-ditch trump card. In order to use those powerful Fire attacks though, will have required you to have the other three elements expended first. As a master of unarmed combat, the monk doesn’t come with starting armor or a weapon, but with three defend dice and getting two attack dice when attacking unarmed, doesn’t mean they are a pushover. Much like the the Rogue Heir, the main downside to this small character pack is that it doesn’t come with a quest or two that dives into their story.
The End
Hasbro and Avalon Hill show no signs of slowing down their support for the heroes and their questing anytime soon. A whole new generation of players are getting to dungeon dive and learn from the wise Mentor, creating memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives. While HeroQuest may be a bit light on mechanics for an older and more experienced crowd trying out this legacy for the first time, the community has created a wealth of custom rules and unique quests that may help with that.
HeroQuest remains a classic in the board gaming hobby, and its future looks bright.
We’re almost three months in, and we haven’t had a single Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game lined up for Switch in 2025 — which, after the trio we got last year, feels like a long time. One that we’d expect to see make its way over at some point, however, is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, an upcoming turn-based title from developer Strange Scaffold (Sunshine Shuffle, An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs) which will be skating onto PC on 22nd May.
You read that right, Tactical Takedown sees the Turtles go turn-based. Playing against the usual heroes in a half-shell hack-and-slash gameplay, Strange Scaffold’s upcoming release is more about strategy than slashing. In it, you’ll help Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey on a mission to take down the Foot Clan (what are the odds?), with a campaign for each hero.
When I was in high school, I would stay up ‘til all kinds of ungodly hours of the night playing PC games. I even stayed up five days straight once, just to get to the end of Baldur’s Gate II ‘Throne of Bhaal,’ but what fascinated me about PC games most was how inventive they could be.
One that struck my imagination powerfully was Red Faction, which caught my eye because it had some of the hallmarks of DOOM (a high-tech, first-person shooter set on Mars, you say?) yet it added an essential wrinkle; terrain deformation. Red Faction is set in the mines of Mars, and I could fire explosive weapons at walls, creating holes or destroying them, and even tunneling through rock to circumvent checkpoints. It was all about charting your own course and finding your own path to accomplish your goals. It was incredible.
Unfortunately, not a lot has been done with that idea in the intervening years, but when Rainbow Six Siege came out, the ability to freely climb and rappel up and down buildings, and shoot through or destroy walls and ceilings sent a delightful little tickle through my Red Faction-loving brain.
While Siege began as a far more focused (and less exploratory) affair than the old Volition shooter, that (and quite a bit more) is about to change with the arrival of the upcoming Siege X update. Apart from gameplay, graphical, auditory, and UI enhancements, it introduces what is shaping up to be a fantastic new permanent multiplayer mode: Dual Front.
In Dual Front, a predetermined seasonal Operator pool will dictate who you can play, and team sizes are bumped up to six per side. Instead of spawning directly inside (or outside) one target area, there are three large areas to choose from, each with its own objective, so your team of six will need to split up to focus on both defending and attacking different locations simultaneously.
While the scope has expanded, much of the great core gameplay remains the same. When a match starts, each team will spawn in their squad HQ and one of two locations in your team’s sector will start a countdown to a Defend mission. The is true for your opponents, so each team will need to defend one spot while attacking another. How you handle that, and where you decide to go, is up to you.
What’s more, there is a neutral zone in between the mirrored zones held by each team, and extra objectives will appear there. Completing those objectives, such as rescuing a hostage and getting them to an extraction point, will give your team a big boost in the back-and-forth struggle for supremacy, so even if you fail to defend your first location or attack the enemy base, victory is still possible.
Since Dual Front expands the contested space so significantly, I was moving between attacking and defending to suit the team’s needs, creating a more free flowing experience with way more variation between matches than your standard Siege match. What results is a fluid, chaotic mess I had a blast with.
Dual Front Mode is, so far, a fluid, chaotic mess I had a blast with.
The seasonal Operator pools will be updated every month, and because your squad will need to do a little bit of everything, you’ll have access to both Attacker and Defender Operators on the character select screen. When you die during a match, you’ll quickly respawn and re-select your Operator, so changing strategies on the fly to counter your enemies is a central (and delightfully fun) part of the game now.
Several times during my preview, it looked like my current (attacking) team was in a great spot, so I would rush across the map to help my other beleaguered comrades who were fighting for their lives to defend our own base objective. Sometimes, everything was as it seemed: I arrived in time, and our team brought home a victory. Other times, I got separated from my team only for them to be ambushed by reinforcements. Each match was tense, because in maps as large as Dual Front’s, it’s difficult to know where the enemy is until they become a capital “p” Problem.
Speaking of navigating larger areas, I should mention some of the new gameplay additions. You can now rappel around corners of buildings and even sprint while rappelling, so it’s easier to poke around and find ways to get inside structures. New fire extinguishers create concussive blasts and visual obfuscation when destroyed, gas pipes can be shot or damaged to create jets of fire before exploding and scattering fire around on the ground, and metal detectors can be disabled temporarily or permanently. Overall, it’s more fun to play in the space, and there is a lot more space to play in on Dual Front’s mirrored map.
Siege X also marks a shift in monetization. After the update, Siege will adopt a free-to-play model, and for casual versus competitive stuff, here’s the skinny: casual and onboarding playlists, unranked quickplay, and Dual Front are all free, and will grant access to up to 26 Operators and skins. Siege Cup and Ranked modes will be pay-to-unlock, and grant access to all 50 Operators. So if you are jumping in as a casual player, there are no barriers to entry, but new players who want to get more serious on the competitive side will need to fork over some cash. If you already have Siege, don’t worry; you will keep everything you have, and retain access to all modes (and as an added bonus, Siege players will get a badge showing off the year they started and a little bonus for each year of Siege they played).
Some other updates in the Siege X package include five modernized maps (Clubhouse, Chalet, Bank, Kafe, and Border), enhanced visuals, audio, first-person shadows, new menus, better player onboarding, the ability to inspect weapons, and a lot more. The dev team has also committed to introduce a new Operator (or remastering an existing one) each season, and a bunch more.
But all those enhancements pale in comparison to Dual Front, which is on track to become my favorite mode for Siege, and once Siege X launches, it’s likely to be the only mode I’ll play as Siege marks its upcoming tenth birthday in an incredibly fun way.
Alienware Area-51 gaming desktop is the kind of PC that makes console players jellous. It’s big, powerful, and costs as much as a used car. But if you’re dropping this kind of cash, you want to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 is officially in development.
Publisher Focus Entertainment and developer Saber Interactive have joined forces once again following the huge success of last year’s Space Marine 2, which has sold 5 million copies.
“We’re pleased to announce that the development for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 has officially begun at Focus Entertainment, Saber Interactive and Games Workshop,” reads a statement. “We’ll share updates on this new title when the time is right. For now, our focus remains on delivering the best possible experience for Space Marine 2 players.”
Focus said Space Marine 3 “promises an even more immersive experience, staying true to the Warhammer 40,000 universe, with intense, brutal, and spectacular gameplay.”
“We have been honored by the incredible response from fans following the launch of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. We will continue to support the game with exciting content and regular updates in the coming years. Today, we are thrilled to announce that the adventure will continue with Space Marine 3. Players can look forward to an immersive campaign, a multiplayer mode, and innovations that will redefine the standards of third-person action games. Developed in close collaboration with Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 will take the genre to new heights by introducing large-scale battles that are even more spectacular,” said John Bert, Deputy CEO of Focus Entertainment Publishing, a subsidiary of the PULLUP Entertainment Group.
“Space Marine 2 has proven to be a transformative game for Saber. It is the culmination of everything we have learned about game development in our 25 years in the business. We are now starting to develop Space Marine 3, a game that carries with it tremendous expectations from our rapidly expanding fanbase. While we will continue to support and grow the Space Marine 2 universe over the coming years, we will take all our learnings and apply them to an even bigger and more spectacular game for the third instalment. We view this as an opportunity to create a true love letter to the Warhammer 40.000 universe,” added Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive.
Developing…
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Teardown is one of those games that’s just fun to look at, with all of its completely destructible voxel environments. When it first got announced it kind of reminded me of those old Flash games where you had simple creatures you could shake around and chuck stuff at, the joy of it being to see how far you could push things.
Messing around like that is all the better with friends though, I reckon, and would you look at that, developer Tuxedo Labs have just announced today that a multiplayer update is on the way to the sandbox game.
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!
Switch eShop – Highlights
On Your Tail(Humble Games, 13th Mar, $29.99) – In this narrative life sim, you’ll play as the intrepid young detective Diana and explore the charming seaside village of Borgo Marina, where mysteries lie behind its idyllic exterior. Search the streets and shops for leads and collect Clue Cards to help unmask the thief who’s menacing this once-peaceful town. When you’re not solving mysteries, you can enjoy a personal seaside vacation by hitting the beach, hanging out with friends, playing games in the arcade, fishing and more!
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