Elden Ring on the Steam Deck has long enjoyed a smoothness that desktop play has lacked. Not so much in simple framerate terms – the handheld spends far more time around the 30fps mark than it does bumping into Elden Ring’s 60fps cap – but thanks to a Proton compatibility update back in 2022, it’s drastically less prone to the flow-breaking stutter that still plagues the RPG in 2024. That now goes for Shadow Of The Erdtree as well, judging from my portable time in the new expansion.
There’s a wonderful charm to the nature of print-and-play board games. Whether free or available for a small fee, these do-it-yourself designs offer full experiences that rival professionally published titles. In fact, many hit games started off as print-and-play offerings, including The Resistance, Monikers, and Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs. Clearly, this minified format does not hold back a stellar game or stifle its creativity.
The nine games on this list are some of the best print-and-play offerings currently available. This is a genre that boasts thousands of options, so whittling the list down to a select few proved quite a challenge. The end result is an array of titles that will suit varied tastes and proficiencies. So fire up the inkjet and pull out the scissors.
TL;DR: The Best Print-and-Play Board Games
A large swathe of print-and-play games target solo play, and Deep Space D-6 is one of the best. This game puts you in the role of captaining a United Earth’s Fleet starship responding to a distress call. Warping into the sector, you quickly realize it was a trap and have now been ambushed. Your only response is to start rolling dice.
Each turn you roll crew dice and assign them to various stations on your spacecraft. You must split your concentration between internal and external threats, as you will face boarding parties as well as opposing ships. With several ship options, a multitude of threats, and various tactical considerations, Deep Space D-6 boasts a solid amount of depth in a little package.
This is the most complex and rich board game on this list. Bloc by Bloc is a semi-cooperative political experience about fighting a revolution. Players control factions of workers, students, neighbors, or prisoners, and utilize their force to combat the State. It’s a very fierce affair that embodies the use of violence to curb tyranny.
This is a multi-layered design that features hidden agendas, area control, and a high degree of asymmetry. Play occurs over multiple nights, with each participant executing actions and then bracing themselves for the game-controlled police response. It’s a fascinating game, and one that bears a striking theme. The cute facade and buffer between realistic depictions provide a touch of levity and blunt the game’s edge. This is a fantastic example, however, that board games can tackle serious topics and themes beyond surface-level violence and adventure.
For Northwood presents the novel concept of a solitaire trick-taking game. The trick-taking game genre, epitomized by titles such as Spades and Euchre, is a classic style of card game that has seen a huge resurgence in recent years. For Northwood takes this idea and translates it to a single player experience that is surprisingly effective.
The goal here is to peacefully unify the kingdom of Northwood. Each trick represents a conversation with Northwood’s rulers, playing out as a series of tense negotiations. This is such a clever format to present this idea, and it works wonderfully to inject a bit of drama and context to the card play. The approach is ultimately playing cards against a mindless opponent, the challenge level can get very high. You’re forced to make difficult decisions about when to use special once-per-game abilities, and you must manage your hand deftly to succeed. This is a winner, and a very easy game to print out and assemble.
The popular roll-and-write genre of games has players rolling dice and then marking up personal sheets to cross off boxes, mark off numbers, or color in spaces. Voyages has players use dice rolls to sail a ship across an open sea. The goal is to visit different islands and gather goods to deliver to various destinations.
Like many roll-and-write games, the experience shifts substantially with new sheets and layouts. There is a wide variety of sea maps to choose from, creating unique strategic challenges that demand clever sailing. This is a breezy game that is playable by a large number of players simultaneously. It requires a very modest amount of effort to print and assemble, and is one of the most accommodating games on this list. The gameplay is more worth the trouble, as Voyages is an excellent print-and-play design.
Magic: The Gathering designer Richard Garfield released the two-player cyberpunk hacking CCG Netrunner in 1996. It was later re-envisioned by Fantasy Flight Games as Android: Netrunner in 2012, cementing its legacy as one of the best card games ever made. Unfortunately, it officially went out of print in 2018, closing the doors on any future development and leaving a huge fanbase hanging in the wind. Or so we thought.
A group of fans has revitalized Netrunner in a completely free-to-play format, offering professionally illustrated card sets that continue the legacy of this astounding game. While the new card sets are free to print on your own, you can also purchase professionally printed decks online. The quality of artwork and game design is remarkable. It’s as if the game never died. Additionally, you can even acquire reworked versions of old cards, making for a very complete and nuanced game that is completely accessible from your computer. System Gateway is the starter set, a wonderful collection of cards that plays superbly.
Amabel Holland is an enigmatic designer who has produced dozens of quirky and unusual titles from her co-owned studio Hollandspiel. Table Battles is one of her most successful systems, offering a light and streamlined war board game that is flexible to cover many different eras of history. It’s fueled by a central dice activation system where players allocate rolled dice to unit cards in order to later activate and attack with them.
While this game is easy to pick up and learn, there is a degree of depth through tactical options such as counterattacking, utilizing strategic reserves, and screening attacks to cancel them. It’s a tense game where thoughtful maneuvering is paramount to success. This base set includes battles ranging from 1458 to 1776, but there are follow-up titles that cover the War of the Roses, the American Civil War, and even fictional setups such as Dinosaurs and Kaiju.
Another Hollandspiel title, Heading Forward is a very weird game about recovering from a brain injury. This solitaire design has players exploring rehabilitation from a terrible accident. You must relearn skills such as planning, shopping, and returning to work. All of this must be accomplished in a limited time as your insurance company will only fund your recovery for a defined timeframe.
To develop these skills you must rotate and swap out cards. They upgrade from weak level one skills all the way up to level four. Improving your acumen requires managing emotional and physical energy, as well as other resources. The road is fraught with setback, however, as hiding in the deck is a trigger card. This reignites the trauma of your accident and marks a major setback. This game one again displays that board games can reach for something greater. It’s based on designer John du Bois’ own recovery, and is a very intimate and memorable experience.
Two Rooms and a Boom is one of the best social deduction games ever designed, and it’s thankfully available in a print-and-play format alongside the professionally published version. This is one of those party games that works best with a large crowd. It excels with groups of 10 or more, as players are dealt secret cards that split them between two teams. All of the players are then divided between two rooms which are isolated from each other.
The blue team wants to protect one of their own, the President. The red team wants to ensure the player on their team that occupies the role of the bomber ends up in the same room as the President at game’s end. Over multiple rounds, each room will select players to be exchanged with the other location. At the end of the game, if the President is in the same location as the bomber, then the red team wins. If this doesn’t happen, the blue team succeeds. It’s simple but wildly entertaining. Players can secretly or publicly reveal their role cards. Cliques are established quickly and much negotiation occurs. Everything radically changes when new roles are added, such as players which are not allowed to show their role, ones which may only lie and never tell the truth, and ones with alternate private victory conditions. This is a fantastic game with a large amount of depth and variability that is sure to please a large crowd.
This head-to-head card game has players developing their own prosperous town. The core of the game hinges on a unique draft system, where available cards are placed in a circle at the center of the table. Players take turns plucking cards from this circle and placing them in their own personal towns.
One wrinkle of the game is a set of three cards at the center of the circle. This trio dictate bonus ways to score when building towns and should not be ignored when formulating strategy. This is a clever little game that is enhanced by a large degree of variability. There is a plethora of combinations in card placement, and each session doesn’t quite work out the same way.
Charlie Theel is a tabletop games freelancer. You can follow him on Twitter @CharlieTheel.
“Of all the sensations, pain is the purest”.
Once thought lost to time, Kronos Digital Entertainment’s PlayStation cult hit Fear Effect is at last getting a rerelease in 2025, and it’s coming to Switch.
Limited Run Games announced that the 2000 action-adventure, which is known for its striking cel-shaded visuals and motion video, as part of its LRG3 2024 showcase earlier today. The publisher is partnering with Square Enix — who took over former publisher Eidos in 2009 — to release the game physically and digitally.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) have revolutionized the way players interact with games by breaking the fourth wall, blending fiction with reality, and creating immersive experiences that extend beyond traditional gaming boundaries. Trust No One epitomizes this innovative approach, engaging you on a deeper level by integrating real-world elements into its narrative.
In traditional media, breaking the fourth wall refers to characters acknowledging the audience’s existence, thereby disrupting the imaginary “wall” separating them from the viewer. Trust No One pushes this further by dissolving the boundary between the game and the real world. Players are not just passive consumers of a story; they become active participants, influencing the narrative and engaging with real-world elements to advance the plot.
Trust No One, developed by Triomatica Games, is a prime example enhancing player engagement by breaking the fourth wall. Set in Kyiv, you take on the role of a journalist investigating a mysterious AI company. You must use external resources such as internet searches and real-world clues to solve puzzles, creating a seamless blend of digital and physical realities.
This immersive approach to gameplay makes you feel like you are part of the game’s world. By stepping outside the confines of the game itself, you engage more deeply with the narrative, experiencing a sense of involvement and urgency that traditional games often lack. The real-world interaction fosters a connection to the game’s story, making the experience more personal and impactful.
ARGs often rely on community collaboration to solve complex puzzles and uncover hidden narratives. Trust No One encourages players to share discoveries and work together to piece together the story. This collaborative aspect builds a sense of community among players. Online forums, social media groups, and dedicated websites become integral parts of the gaming experience, where players can exchange information, theories, and solutions.
The social dimension of Trust No One transforms the gaming experience into a collective journey, where you feel part of a larger effort. But what if your cooperative mate is one of the game’s characters? You are going to communicate with one of the game characters via real email in order to progress in Trust No One.
By breaking the fourth wall, Trust No One also enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills. You must think creatively, analyze real-world information, and connect disparate clues to progress. You are going to analyze in-game clues and connect them to real-world information, like addresses of real places in Kyiv. By the way, all game locations have their real-world prototypes and even have their real addresses, so you can check them all on Bing Maps.
In Trust No One, the puzzles are designed to be challenging and require you to engage with various external sources. This level of complexity and the need for real-world research encourages you to develop a more analytical and resourceful mindset, benefiting your problem-solving abilities both within and outside the game.
Would you Like to Try It?
Breaking the fourth wall in Trust No One significantly enhances your engagement by merging the fictional world with reality, fostering community collaboration, and encouraging critical thinking. This unique and immersive experience will captivate you and keeps you invested in the narrative long after you’ve put down you controller. By continuing to innovate and blur the lines between game and reality, Trust No One is at the forefront of interactive storytelling, offering you new ways to engage with and influence the worlds you explore.
Only you decide what your next step will be. Trust No One has a completely open world with more than 300 locations to explore. Try it and see where it leads you.
Feel like a journalist in the real Kyiv, unravelling a mysterious web of clues that lead you to an unexpected finale.
Available on Xbox Series and Xbox One Today.
And remember: Trust No One.
Triomatica Games
The post Breaking the Fourth Wall: Fiction Meets Reality in ARG Trust No One appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Picture a himbo tent. Now, see if you can get your mind around the concept of a flirtatious windmill. What exactly are the key architectural qualities of dwellings you might wish to go to bed with? Actually, don’t bother stretching your grey matter – you can just play Building Relationships, which is sort of A Short Hike but also, Love Island for anthropomorphic toy houses. There are demos on Itch and Steam. Be warned that you will be asked whether you’re a rooftop or a bottom floor.
Ubisoft officially announced its long-expected Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition on Thursday, but the publisher deleted its post on X/Twitter about 20 minutes after going live.
Still, it didn’t take long for the news, which you can see a screenshot of below, to circulate on social media. According to the since-deleted post, it’ll arrive pretty soon as well, set to release on all platforms on June 25.
It’s likely the announcement was the subject of a scheduling mishap, as the remaster had been expected to be revealed at the Limited Run Games Showcase later on Thursday at 11am Pacific. IGN has reached out to Ubisoft for comment.
The announcement also arrived with the trailer, which announced that the 20th Anniversary Edition would include a new treasure hunt, an anniversary gallery, a re-orchestrated soundtrack, support of up to 60FPS, and other “exclusive new content.”
There had been mentions before of Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary, first surfacing in November 2023, when Microsoft accidentally published (and later pulled) a store listing for the unannounced project. Last week, achievement and trophy database website Exophase spotted a list of trophies for Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary.
Most recently, on Wednesday, Beyond Good & Evil was pulled from Steam ahead of the expected remaster announcement.
Beyond Good & Evil was originally released in 2003 for the PS2, PC, Xbox, and Gamecube, created by Michel Ancel, the creator of the Rayman series. The original Beyond Good & Evil is set in a third-person perspective where players control Jade, who is uncovering the dark secrets of her government. Beyond Good & Evil would see an HD re-release in 2011 for Xbox 360 and PS3.
In our review of the original Beyond Good & Evil, IGN wrote: “Ultimately, for all its similarities to Zelda, this is where Beyond Good & Evil finds its own ground. Not only does it avoid many of the frustrations of the games it draws from (and yes, that includes Zelda‘s flat story and tedious item-chasing), but it is pierced throughout with humor, intelligence, and humanity.”
Beyond Good and Evil 2, which will serve as a prequel to the original game, was initially revealed in 2017 at E3, but Ubisoft has kept a tight lip in the years since. In February 2022, we learned that the game was still in pre-production. In August that same year, we learned that Ubisoft hired Sarah Arellano as the game’s lead writer.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
The new big bad in town.
If you’ve been following the development of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond since its initial announcement in 2017, then chances are you’ve heard the name ‘Sylux’ mentioned in passing along the way.
If you’re not completely up-to-date on your Metroid Prime history (and not everyone is, that’s okay), then you might not know who this enigmatic bounty hunter is. Given that it shows up at the end of the latest gameplay trailer for Beyond, however, it’s clear that Sylux is due to play a pretty prominent role in Retro Studio’s upcoming FPS.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
The post Microsoft Flight Simulator Releases City Update VIII: Las Vegas appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Rise, Tarnished. Your time has come again.
After a long wait, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree launches tomorrow on PS5 and PS4. With a massive new world to explore, weapons to be found, skills to master and, of course, bosses to face, FromSoftware’s latest expansion could seem like a daunting undertaking. But fear not, Tarnished, as our tips – spoiler-free and covering the first few hours – will help set you on the right path. To begin, a crucial step: what’s required to enter the Shadow Realm.
If you’ve ever played a FromSoftware expansion, you’ll know that gaining access is never a straightforward process. Shadow of the Erdtree continues this tradition. In order to enter the Shadow Realm, you’ll need to complete a few tasks in the base game.
On your journey through the Lands Between, you’ll firstly need to have defeated Starscourge Radahn, a notoriously challenging boss. To face him, traverse Redmane Castle in Caelid during the Radahn Festival and take the elevator down to fight him on the beach.
You’ll also have to have bested Mohg, Lord of Blood. He can be found at Mohgwyn Palace, reached by following Varré’s questline or using a Waygate hidden in the Consecrated Snowfield. Mohg is known for being a particularly tough fight, but other Tarnished have been setting up summon spots next to the battle to help shepherd fighters through and open the DLC.
At the back of the Mohg boss arena you’ll discover Miquella’s cocoon. If both foes have been conquered (and expansion downloaded) a new interaction option will appear when you stand by the cocoon. Accept, and you’ll enter the Shadow Realm and begin your journey into the Shadow of the Erdtree.
If you put dozens of hours into Elden Ring’s base game, it’s easy to forget that you originally had to collect map fragments in order to build up a picture of the world around you. In Shadow of the Erdtree, this feature returns, meaning when you first enter the Shadow Realm, your map will be blacked out, with one exception; a single bright spot somewhere in the darkness.
One of your first objectives should be to navigate to this point, where you will find a map fragment beneath a tall obelisk. Collecting this will reveal the region’s map, but be warned — Shadow of the Erdtree’s world design uses verticality on a scale unlike almost anything seen in the Lands Between, meaning there is still so much more to be discovered – both above and below – what the map can show you.
This world is dense with secrets, so be sure to explore every nook and cranny. You’ll no doubt be rewarded with weapons, spells and items for your effort.
The starting area of the Shadow Realm is full of friendly (and not-so-friendly) characters who can help fill you in on the story, point you in the direction of hidden areas, send you on missions or challenge you to a duel.
You’ll come meet warriors, tribesmen, worshipers and devotees among others within your first hour or so of gameplay. Speaking to them, bringing them items they require, or taking the correct action in front of them can help progress their story arc within the overall narrative. And of course, they may reward you with items, join you as companions in battle and more.
While you can still level up your character as before, within the Shadow Realm, character progression comes in the form of special blessings. Two new consumables, Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, can be found around the world and used at a Site of Grace to buff your character and their skills, so seeking them out during your first few hours is a worthwhile endeavor.
Scadutree Fragments: These increase both damage negation and attack power for your character, meaning you receive less damage from enemy attacks and deal more with your own.
Revered Spirit Ashes: These have a similar purpose but apply to your Spirit Ashes, granting your summons more survivability and power, so you can beef up your Mimic Tear or Black Knife Tiche before facing that next boss. (Other Spirit Ashes are available…)
Note that both of these special blessings only apply to the Shadow Realm, and therefore will have no effect in the base game.
Like all FromSoftware games, Elden Ring is chock-full of items and consumables, some useful, others mysterious. Alongside Shadow of the Erdtree, Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team have introduced a new quality of life feature that allows you to more easily explore the recent commodities you’ve discovered on your adventure.
This new feature, which is turned off as standard, will highlight new pick-ups with a “!” in your inventory, making it easier to survey your collection. It also offers an optional Recent Items Tab, where everything you’ve found recently is collated into one easy-to-understand menu. Both of these features make it simpler to uncover the use of the many new items in Shadow of the Erdtree, but the choice of whether to use them or the original system is entirely yours.
If you wish to turn these features on, they can be found under the Display section of the Settings menu. Here you can turn on either Mark New Items or Show Recent Items Tab, or use both together.
These tips should help you enter the Shadow Realm and make smooth progress during your first few hours. But there is still so much to be discovered when Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree launches tomorrow, June 21.
The newest trailer for The Alters has Jans asking himself, “What if?” about his life – a question we as players will get to see the answers to in 11 Bit Studios’ upcoming survival game in which you’ll pull in alternate-dimension versions of yourself (Jans) in order to try and survive a hostile mining planet. Watch it above, and you can see more about how the branching narrative will work in the video below.
We’ve been covering The Alters exclusively all June long as part of our IGN First editorial “cover story” initiative. We kicked off the month by announcing the playable demo before showing you exclusive footage from that demo before it dropped, and then posted the branching narrative explainer video below. You can also read our recent hands-on preview of The Alters.
Wishlist The Alters on Steam if you’re interested. We also have more exclusive IGN First coverage on The Alters coming next week to close out the month of June, so stay tuned!
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
