Author: Game Infliction

New Label Knights Peak Reveals Colorful Platformer Nikoderiko, Shares Trailer for Soulslike Mandragora

It’s been another rough year for the games industry, with seemingly constant layoffs taking place and studios being shuttered. However, a new publishing label announced today hopes to help curb this trend by uplifting developers.

Today, European publisher MY.GAMES announced Knights Peak, its new publishing division “dedicated to supporting both emerging and established studios.” Knights Peak also revealed its diverse initial roster of upcoming games and re-releases.

Among Knights Peak’s announcements was the world premiere of Nikoderiko, a colorful platformer in the style of Banjo-Kazooie that’s in development at VEA Games. It’s headed to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC later this summer with music by Donkey Kong Country composer David Wise.

The previously announced dark fantasy Soulslike side-scroller Mandragora is also headed to Knights Peak. During a new trailer for the game, developer Primal Game Studio showed off the game’s massive skill trees and hinted at its story about lost humanity, with Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines writer Brian Mitsoda working as the game’s narrative lead. Mandragora is slated for release in late 2024 on PC, PS5, and Xbox X|S.

Knights Peak is also now publishing the long-awaited Starship Troopers: Extermination, which received an October release date and is now getting console ports as well as a lengthy singleplayer mode that features original movie actor Casper Van Dien.

The publishing label also revealed its back catalog, with the previously released action-adventure game Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread heading to Amazon Prime this summer and the classic RPG Pathfinder: Kingmaker – Enhanced Plus Edition slated for a release on Amazon Luna this year.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they’ve contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun, and they’re currently developing a game called Garage Sale. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Moonstone Island Launches On Switch Later This Month

Moon on a Switch.

Studio Supersoft’s creature-collecting, deckbuilding life-sim Moonstone Island is coming to Switch on 19th June.

As announced by publisher Raw Fury with the new trailer above, the game — which launched on PC last year — will be making the jump to Nintendo’s platform along with new collectible spirits and a new marriage component.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Destiny 2 Clan Completes the Final Shape Raid, Unlocks Incredible Final Mission for All

A Destiny 2 clan has completed The Final Shape expansion’s raid, unlocking a final mission for all players that brings to an end the series’ decade-long story that began back in 2014.

This article does not include any spoilers for Destiny 2 The Final Shape.

PC Gamer has a great rundown of events up to and including this moment, but for our purposes, we’ll just say that clan Parabellum completed The Final Shape raid before any other and in the process unlocked a 12-person final mission called Excision that acts as a fitting end to everything that has proceeded it over the last 10 years.

But it looks like there is an issue with Excision that is causing players in fireteams to be unable to view all cutscenes upon completion of the Excision activity. In a post on X/Twitter, Bungie recommended players complete the activity solo to ensure they experience all the cutscenes.

Now that The Final Shape’s main story has come to an end, Destiny 2 players are wondering what’s next. Excision leaves a number of story threads hanging out there in the galaxy, threads Bungie will probably pull at over the coming months. The developer has already announced a showcase set for June 10 at 8am PT in which it will reveal the next year of Destiny 2. That could mean it will touch on The Final Shape’s upcoming three episodes, the first of which kicks off next week. But perhaps Bungie will also hint at bigger things to come.

In previous videos, Bungie developers have teased that The Final Shape is not the end of Destiny 2 or even the series, with the developer — now owned by Sony — also working on multiplayer game Marathon. This week, in a series of X/Twitter posts marking the release of The Final Shape, Bungie executive creative director Luke Smith discussed the road to The Final Shape’s release and the effort its developers put in to make it happen. In one of the posts, Smith mentioned the word Hope three times, each capitalized, which was enough to spark Destiny 3 theories within the community.

For now, The Final Shape is going down well with fans, despite initial server problems Bungie ended up apologizing for. Check out IGN’s The FInal Shape review in progress to find out what we think.

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.

Wholesome Direct 2024: 15 Of Our Favorite Games

Showing off over 70 indie games with positivity and compassion at their core, today’s Wholesome Direct had quite a few neat games to keep an eye on, whether today marked their world premiere or just the debut of a brand new trailer. A handful of games even received surprise releases, and there are quite a few more demos out right now!

From a cheese-filled decorating simulator for mice to an exploration game where you play as a house on a date (and an impressive number of games with “lands” somewhere in their titles), here are 15 of our favorite games from this year’s Wholesome Direct.

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home

Receiving a world premiere at today’s Wholesome Direct, Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is an adorably named combination between a puzzle game and a decorating simulator. Players will solve furniture-shaped puzzles made of cheese, watch as the cheese turns into furniture, and then use it to decorate rooms for their mice. With hundreds of furniture items, stickers, and accessories available, I’m already determined to collect everything and be the best mouse parent I can be.

Squeakross doesn’t have a release window yet, but it’s headed to Steam (and will run on Steam Deck).

Fruitbus

In the upcoming adventure game Fruitbus, players will get to customize their own food truck, drive around and gather ingredients from an open world, and help adorable customers through cooking. While the core game loop is focused around cooking and experimenting with recipes, there’s also a narrative about the previous owner’s past to uncover, stirring up what looks to be a tasty balance between open-ended gameplay and story.

Fruitbus is headed to Steam and consoles this October, and it also has a demo out now.

Wax Heads

I’ve always been on the hunt for a game that authentically nails the feeling of just really caring about music, and Wax Heads seems to have it down perfectly. Set in the struggling store Repeated Records, players will help quirky customers find the perfect album to take home. Along the way, they’ll play minigames, get distracted by the shop’s secrets, and learn about each musical act (like Scandinavian metal band Jarhead, which may or may not have… murdered their own singer and kept his head in a jar).

It’s headed to Steam and has a demo out right now — no word on a release date yet, though.

Building Relationships

Flaunting what’s possibly the weirdest concept I’ve ever seen in a Wholesome Direct, Building Relationships is a dating and exploration sim where you play as… a house. While exploring a 3D island and its many biomes, you’ll search for eligible bachelor pads, fish for cars, discover secrets, and unlock movement skills that let you lumber up mountains.

Building Relationships is headed to Steam, Itch.io, and consoles later this year.

POOOOL

Sitting somewhere between last year’s viral Suika Game and GamePigeon 8-Ball is POOOOL, a tiny physics puzzler about combining pool balls with faces while saving space for more. It’s clean, colorful, and full of satisfying sound effects. It’s also just unexpectedly challenging to get the hang of, as pool balls get heavier and slower as they grow, which adds a neat dimension of skill to the growing camp of 2048-like games.

Receiving a surprise release during today’s Wholesome Direct, POOOOL is out now on Steam.

Littlelands

Everything looks like a toy in Littlelands, an adventure game with detailed, stylized environments that just make the characters look… so small and cute! It’s a little bit like Animal Crossing — players can catch bugs, fish, grow berries, and befriend their neighbors — but it also has an exploration element, and players can even head to dangerous areas inhabited by goblins.

Littlelands doesn’t yet have a release window, but it’s headed to Steam.

Tiny Lands 2

What’s even smaller than Littlelands? Tiny Lands 2! In this find the difference puzzle game, players will find the differences between photorealistic miniature worlds that tell their own stories. Each scene made up of big objects is inhabited by little people, whether they’re conducting traffic amid a cluttered desk full of art supplies, gathering around a fire beneath a tea kettle, or diving into a cup of coffee.

Today’s Wholesome Direct marked the world premiere of Tiny Lands 2, which is headed to Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Switch.

Sally

There’s a lot to do in Sally, which doubles as the name of the game as well as its subject, a magical ship that’s in search of floating islands. Players can cook, take care of animals, work in the machine room, and disembark to gather resources from floating islands, all while leading the Sally to its destination. Best of all, though, they can make friends and find a sense of community among a roster of characters that changes with every game — “everyone’s in the same boat.”

Sally has a new demo out now and is headed to Steam and Switch.

Lost and Found Co.

Lost and Found Co. is a hidden objects game that takes place in a beautifully hand-drawn world full of personality. Alongside a cast of quirky characters, players can search for items in bustling boardwalks, restaurants, homes, gardens and more, getting to decorate their office (and restore the fame of a forgotten goddess, no big deal) as a neat little reward.

With a new demo out right now, Lost and Found Co. is headed to Steam, consoles, and mobile.

Into The Emberlands

Into The Emberlands is an exploration game about bringing light back to a procedurally generated world engulfed by darkness (and helping bring home the villagers who got lost along the way). Once they’re home, players can help their newfound neighbors thrive by repairing houses, running errands, and expanding the village. Just don’t let the lantern light fade!

Into The Emberlands is slated for release on Steam later this year and got a new demo today.

Tracks of Thought

Tracks of Thought is a cozy mystery that’s set on a train. After the train goes through a mysterious tunnel, every bug on board somehow forgets where they’re headed. Through card battles, players (playing as a really cute ladybug) can help their fellow bugs resolve conflicts, reach a consensus, and solve the mystery, all while making their way to the control room through the train’s many different cars.

Tracks of Thought also received a surprise release today, and it’s out now on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Curiosmos

A solar system seemingly made out of clay is the player’s canvas in Curiosmos, an adorable space adventure game that received a new trailer during today’s Wholesome Direct. Players can chip away at planet surfaces with meteors, drag debris into black holes, and add gravity (and even life) to adorable planets with faces. While there isn’t much information about Curiosmos available yet, I’m curious to see what kind of sandbox adventure it might shape up to be.

Curiosmos isn’t yet slated to release on a specific platform, but more information can be found on its website.

Rooster

Receiving a new trailer during today’s Wholesome Direct, Rooster is a point and click narrative adventure about the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Each level has completely different gameplay that ranges from cooking and dating sims to tower defense and hidden objects (all depicted in the game’s gorgeous watercolor art style), and it all culminates in a story about helping others and sharing love.

It’s headed to Steam and consoles early next year.

Caravan SandWitch

Caravan SandWitch is a narrative adventure about a young woman searching the desolate world of Cigalo for her lost sister. While the trailer shows off the game’s exploration, including driving the game’s signature yellow caravan through beautifully modeled futuristic environments, riding on a zipline, and traversing through massive storms, the Steam page also promises a meaningful narrative about living in harmony despite over-exploitation.

Caravan SandWitch is headed to Steam and the Epic Games Store along with Switch and PS5, and it received a brand new demo during today’s Wholesome Direct.

Goodlands

Goodlands is a game about being a dinosaur and unearthing fossils of other dinosaurs in an open world inspired by the Badlands. With an art style vaguely reminiscent of A Short Hike, players will customize their own dinosaur, clean fossils in minigames, and restore an empty museum by donating their brand new digs.

Goodlands was briefly shown off during the direct’s montage section and is headed to Steam and Itch.io.

Find more information on all of these games (and the rest we couldn’t fit in this roundup) on the Wholesome Games website or on the Wholesome Direct Steam curator page. Wholesome Direct is also part of IGN’s Summer of Gaming, which contains quite a few showcases and runs through the end of June.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they’ve contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun, and they’re currently developing a game called Garage Sale. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Swipe Right To Fight In Turn-Based Combat Dating Adventure ‘Nova Hearts’

Text, date, and fight hot singles in your area.

Announced as part of the Future of Play Direct, turn-based combat dater Nova Hearts is confirmed to be coming to Switch along with other platforms something this year.

Coming from developer Lightbulb Crew (Othercide), Nova Hearts blends genres with dating sim elements paired with turn-based battles and a dose of the cosmic for something that feels decidedly unique and quite the departure from the darkness of its previous game, as you can see from the trailer above.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Helldivers 2’s Next Big Patch Makes Over 100 Changes and Fixes, Including Some That Should Significantly Improve the Game

Helldivers 2’s next patch is a big one — developer Arrowhead has promised it will make over 100 changes and fixes to the game.

In a post on the Helldivers Discord, community manager Twinbeard gave fans a tease for what to expect from the update, which all being well should be released next week.

As well as the over 100 changes and fixes, the patch will revert patrols and spawn rate after feedback from the community to changes made in previous patches.

There’s also the promise of invite-only lobbies, a fix for the unlimited grenade issue, and making super samples available at level six difficulty, which should make them easier to obtain by more players. Currently, super samples are locked to Helldivers 2 difficulties seven to nine (Suicide Mission, Impossible, and Helldive), making them out of reach to many. Super samples are used to unlock the final ship module in each section.

And here’s a really welcome change: visible supply lines and attack origins. Currently, planets viewable on the galaxy map have invisible lines between them that determine the path to liberation. To access a planet, Super Earth must have full control of a planet with a supply line connecting to it. But because Helldivers 2 does not surface this mechanic, the wider player base is most often oblivious to the focus of attention when new Major Orders come around. Hardcore Helldivers 2 players who enjoy playing the meta narrative that is the Galactic War believe this lack of information in the user interface has caused some Major Orders to fail.

The early patch news is going down well within the Helldivers community, which had called on Arrowhead to take more time with updates and Premium Warbonds after previous efforts fell flat. “It was frankly about time we offered you something,” Twinbeard said in a post on the Helldivers subreddit. “We know you’ve been waiting a long time. Hopefully the patch and new warbond are two steps in the right direction.”

Speaking of warbonds, Helldivers 2 gets the new jungle-themed Viper Commandos warbond on June 13. In a recent post on the PlayStation Blog, Katherine Baskin, social media and community manager at Arrowhead, said the studio had responded to feedback on Helldivers 2’s warbonds and had changed its approach as a result. For a start, Arrowhead has slowed down the pace at which it releases warbonds “to give us a little bit more time to polish these designs before they’re released.” Baskin continued: “We don’t want to rush anything out of the oven before it’s fully baked.”

“We know you’ve been waiting a long time. Hopefully the patch and new warbond are two steps in the right direction.

So, next week is a big one for Helldivers 2, with the game-changing patch and warbond set to hit around the same time. It feels like the start of a new way of working for Arrowhead and cadence of updates for the game. Last month, Arrowhead revealed it was in the process of setting the studio up so it could “make more and better stuff” in the long-term. In an introductory post on reddit, new CEO Shams Jorjani, who recently replaced previous Arrowhead CEO and now current Chief Creative Officer Johan Pilestedt, said the studio has had to adjust to the enormous success Helldivers 2 has brought to the company.

PlayStation 5 and PC co-op shooter Helldivers 2 is the fastest-selling PlayStation game of all time, having shifted an incredible 12 million copies in just 12 weeks since going on sale earlier this year. Amid the huge revenue Helldivers 2 has generated, Arrowhead itself has suffered a number of crises, including launch server problems and, most recently, a battle with Sony itself over the console maker’s controversial attempt to force Steam players to account link to PlayStation Network.

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.

Batman: Arkham Shadow – 5 Details We Found In the New Trailer

DC fans were treated to a new cinematic trailer for Batman: Arkham Shadow at Summer Game Fest, one that sheds new light on the tone and storyline fueling this latest Arkham-verse adventure. This time around, Batman battles for the very soul of Gotham as the enigmatic Rat King rallies his followers to tear the city to the ground.

You may have some questions after watching the new trailer. How does this game fit into the larger Arkham timeline? Who is the Rat King, anyway? And how do iconic Bat-villains like Harley Quinn and Scarecrow figure in this conflict? Let’s break down what the trailer reveals about the plot of Arkham Shadow.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League!

Revealing the History of the Arkham Universe

At this point, Rocksteady has closed out the Arkham saga on a pretty definitive note. 2015’s Arkham Knight ended the main trilogy with Batman fully conquering his fears, vanquishing the ghost of the Joker and abandoning his life as Bruce Wayne. 2024’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League delivered what it promised by killing off that version of Batman, to much fan consternation.

Between that and the tragic passing of voice actor Kevin Conroy, you might be assuming the door has closed on the Arkham universe. Is Arkham Shadow actually part of that universe, or is it taking place in a separate version of the DCU like 2022’s Gotham Knights?

Camoflaj studio head Ryan Payton has confirmed to IGN that Arkham Shadow is indeed part of the Arkham-verse, specifically citing 2009’s Arkham Asylum as the game’s “North Star.” Arkham Shadow is a prequel to that game, taking place in between the events of 2013’s Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum. Fittingly, Origins voice actor Roger Craig Smith is reprising the Batman role here. This is a younger Batman than the one seen in the main Arkham trilogy, but more seasoned than the relative rookie hero we saw in Arkham Origins.

As for the Batsuit, the design in Arkham Shadow seems to strike a happy medium between the costume from Arkham Origins and the more rugged, armored suit introduced in Arkham Knight. This is definitely a Batman who looks ready to brawl. As is the case in the other games, we’re sure players will have the option of switching to any number of unlockable bonus costumes if they choose, though the fact that Arkham Shadow is played in first-person may dampen the fun of changing costumes a bit.

Who Is the Rat King?

The previous Arkham games included a wide range of Bat-villains, but they tended to revolve mainly around a core group of heavy-hitters like Joker, Scarecrow, Bane and Ra’s al Ghul. Arkham Shadow is operating a little more outside the box. This time, Rat King is the villain threatening to bring Gotham City to its knees.

Who is the Rat King, exactly? This character appears to be the Arkham-verse’s take on Ratcatcher (though it should be noted that Ratcatcher himself previously appeared in some of the Arkham tie-in comics). In the core DC Universe comics, Ratcatcher is a villain named Otis Flannegan who once worked as an actual rat-catcher for Gotham City. After being imprisoned for murder, Flannegan develops a costumed persona and harnesses his talent for luring and controlling rats to punish the men responsible for his arrest.

While Ratcatcher has appeared in animated shows like Batman Beyond and Harley Quinn, the character is probably best known for playing a key role in 2021’s The Suicide Squad. In that film, Daniela Melchior plays Ratcatcher II, the daughter of the original (played in flashbacks by Taika Waititi).

As his revamped name suggests, Rat King has been given a major overhaul for the Arkham-verse. This version of the villain is unique in that he’s acquired a large cult following. Many Gothamites seem to identify as rats and respond to Rat King’s call to burn Gotham to its foundations. Based on all the graffiti seen in the trailer and the symbolism of rats fleeing a sinking ship, it seems many disillusioned Gothamites are taken in by Rat King’s vision of a better world.

We also know that the plot of Arkham Shadow involves Rat King abducting high-ranking city officials like Commissioner Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent (confirming the game takes place before Dent’s downfall as Two-Face). Some of the graffiti in the trailer references pigs, which we assume is Rat King’s slang for the police and others in power propping up the old system.

The Smashing Pumpkins Soundtrack

Like any good teaser trailer, the choice of music offers its own clues as to the plot and tone of Arkham Shadow. The trailer features an instrumental version of the Smashing Pumpkins song “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.”

That’s certainly a significant needle drop. “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” is a song all about frustration and hopelessness with the world at large. The lyrics of the song echo the emotions felt by these ordinary citizens of Gotham City as they take to the streets and even stand up to the mighty Batman himself.

And, of course, the song is iconic for the repeated refrain “Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage.” What better choice of song to represent the message this up-and-coming villain is selling to the downtrodden citizens of Gotham?

Harley Quinn and Scarecrow’s Origins

Rat King may be the main villain of Arkham Shadow, but he won’t be the only foe Batman clashes with here. Like the other Arkham games, the Dark Knight will face a gauntlet of opponents as he singlehanded battles to hold his city together. We see two of those villains in the trailer – Harley Quinn and Scarecrow.

Notably, however, neither villain is shown in their full supervillain costume. We know that Arkham Shadow is meant to chronicle the origin stories of both Harley and Scarecrow. That’s probably why we see Harley in her civilian guise as Dr. Harleen Quinzel. She’s shown looking on eagerly as a building burns, her inner madness bubbling to the surface. Later, we see Dr. Jonathan Crane leaving the city courthouse as it begins to burn, donning his signature Scarecrow mask.

Interestingly, the trailer suggests that both characters are inspired by Rat King in their evolution from civilians into costumed supervillains. Crane seems to recognize the power that comes from manipulating emotions, which feeds into his own obsession with spreading fear. As for Harley, the game may be distancing her from the Joker somewhat, suggesting that more than just her infatuation with the Clown Prince of Crime inspired her to become a deadly jester. It’s possible we’ll see Joker in the game in some form (likely voiced by Arkham Origins’ Troy Baker), but Harley’s origin story is clearly bigger than him.

The Gray Ghost and Monarch Theatre Cameos

The trailer features a pair of Easter eggs that Batman fans will find intriguing. The scene with Harley Quinn shows her in front of the Monarch Theatre, a location with deep significance for the franchise. Traditionally, the Monarch Theatre is where the Waynes travel to watch The Mark of Zorro on the night they’re murdered. It’s essentially the place where Batman was born.

Alongside the Monarch Theatre itself, we also see a movie poster advertising a film called The Ghost in Gray. The Ghost in Gray features a costumed hero called The Gray Ghost, as played by actor Simon Trent. As established in Batman: The Animated Series, Bruce used to idolize Trent and watch the Gray Ghost serials with his father. The Gray Ghost character wound up serving as a major source of inspiration as Bruce developed his Batman persona.

Is it just a coincidence that Arkham Shadow features two references to the origin of Batman in this trailer? Or are these Easter eggs a sign that the game will delve deeper into the circumstances that transformed Bruce Wayne into a costumed crimefighter? It would only be fitting that a game that reveals the origins of villains like Harley Quinn and Scarecrow also looks back to Bruce’s own formative years. We’ve seen glimpses of his origin in previous Arkham games, but there’s always room for a more in-deoth look back at the birth of Batman. Perhaps the prospect of battling ordinary civilians for the fate of Gotham has the Dark Knight in an introspective mood.

That’s everything we were able to glean from the trailer for Batman: Arkham Shadow. What do you think will happen in the game? Is Rat King truly the main villain, or is another Batman rogue lying in wait? Let us know what details have you most excited by voting in our poll, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below:

For more on the future of the Arkham-verse, find out the truth behind Suicide Squad’s troubled development, and learn why Rocksteady will only be offering “barebones support” for the game going forward.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Who Is LEGO Horizon Adventures For?

After weeks of internet rumours, Sony’s unusual new game was finally made official at Summer Game Fest 2024: LEGO Horizon Adventures. Built brick-by-brick by main Horizon developer Guerilla in collaboration with Studio Gobo, it looks to be exactly what you’d expect from a LEGO tie-in: bright, charming, goofy, and full of things to smash and studs to collect. That’s been a recipe for success multiple times over for LEGO, but this time around I’m not so sure. Who exactly is LEGO Horizon Adventures for?

This isn’t LEGO’s first foray into the Horizon universe. The Danish toy company’s fantastic Tallneck kit, based on Horizon’s giraffe-like walking towers, is an almost 14-inch tall behemoth made of 1,222 pieces. If the brick count didn’t give it away, the recommended age for this model is 18+. In the physical world, LEGO Horizon has been aimed at adults because it’s adults who play the video game series. But one look at LEGO Horizon Adventures and it’s clear this isn’t anywhere close to the type of experience we’ve had with the two mainline Horizon games so far. For existing fans who are already chomping at the brick for a new game, this likely isn’t what they were hoping for.

While I didn’t expect LEGO Horizon Adventures to simply be a full-fat Horizon game with a LEGO aesthetic, I am surprised that the trailer shows very little of what I’d consider to be the series’ core DNA. Horizon is all about tactically tearing apart robot dinosaurs and animals. Thunderjaw wrecking your day? Blast off its missile launchers. Struggling with a Snapmaw? Snipe its freeze sac. Each machine is built of components that can be broken and shattered, an idea that would surely translate beautifully into snapping and scattering Lego pieces. And yet the trailer suggests that combat in LEGO Horizon Adventures will be similar to prior LEGO games of the Star Wars and Marvel varieties – give something a good, simple boop on the head and they’ll break apart. I’m not sure how satisfying this is going to be for long-term fans.

And so the answer is obvious, isn’t it? LEGO Horizon Adventures is for children. This is a PlayStation Studios game being released for Nintendo Switch, afterall. But I’m not sure it’s that easy. LEGO games have been so successful with children because they’ve historically adapted licences that kids already love. As a pre-teen during the prequel era of Star Wars I loved the tie-in LEGO kits, and so the subsequent LEGO Star Wars video games were a no-brainer. But Horizon isn’t already beloved by kids in its original or LEGO form. And while my six-year-old nephew is as dinosaur obsessed as any kid his age, I don’t think an armour-plated t-rex is going to be a guaranteed magnet. He’d go wild for a new LEGO Jurassic World game, though, not least because there’s already age-appropriate LEGO kits he can play with.

So who is LEGO Horizon Adventures for? I think it’s for gamer families. It’s for parents who spend dozens and dozens of hours playing Horizon on PS5 after they’ve put their kids to bed, and who now want to introduce that world to their sons and daughters. The ingredients are all there: as detailed by the PlayStation Blog, LEGO Horizon Adventures is a light-hearted retelling of Aloy’s original story, playable completely in co-op. It’s a way for an older gamer to share something they love with a kid who’s not quite ready for something as intense and complex as the full-scale Horizon games.

That’s what I imagine the boardroom pitch was, anyway. And while I hope that LEGO Horizon Adventures finds its place, I think that place is going to be a much narrower niche than would be ideal for Sony. For the parent or older sibling in the co-op pairing, I wonder if LEGO Horizon Adventures will be able to translate all the things they love about the original games. Will the combat – the beating heart of Horizon – be good enough? Will turning the complex Aloy, with all her doubts and troubles and inner-fight, into a cartoon character be satisfying? And for the child with the other controller, will this bright new world of machines, hot dogs, and (presumably) a message of environmental protection prove alluring enough to pull them away from more established characters and the likes of Roblox? I fear that the sweet spot for both players will be slim.

Historically, the LEGO pipeline has taken movies families love, turned them into physical LEGO kits they can build together, and then reimagined those kits as worlds that can be explored through video games. LEGO Horizon Adventures disrupts that pipeline by being a family game inspired by a LEGO kit for adults that was adapted from a video game for more advanced players. And so while I really do hope it’s a co-op delight, I can’t help but wonder if LEGO Horizon Adventures is built on shaky foundations.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.

Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (8th June)

Wake up, Link.

The weekend is finally upon us and it’s time to play some games!

There has been plenty to talk about this week in the world of Nintendo. Yet more ‘Switch 2’ rumours trickled in with a fresh batch of supposed codenames, Playtonic announced Yooka-Replaylee (maybe our favourite title of the year, so far) and we finally got a release window for Metal Slug Tactics.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com