Daily Deals: Rise of the Ronin, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Pikmin 4, and More

The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Sunday, February 16, below:

Kirby and the Forgotten Land for $39.99

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is still one of the best Nintendo Switch games. Forgotten Land marks the first full 3D game in the entire series, with a massive amount of new gameplay mechanics and offerings compared to its 2D counterparts. The game also has an amazing soundtrack, which perfectly accompanies the fun and engaging environments. If you’ve yet to play Kirby and the Forgotten Land, pick the game up for a discount this weekend!

Rise of the Ronin for $39.97

Rise of the Ronin is one of the biggest 2024 PlayStation 5 exclusives to release, with the gamecoming from Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. Set in 1863 Japan, you play as the Ronin and take down those coming from the West. This action epic offers well over 70 hours of content, with an excellent dive into a history somewhat unexplored in modern gaming.

LEGO Roses for $10.79

Who doesn’t need a pair of LEGO Roses in their life? If you’re searching for a late Valentine’s Day gift, this pair of LEGO Roses can be a great option. It’s the perfect gift to build with that special someone.

Preorder Elden Ring: Nightreign at Best Buy, Get $10 Gift Card

Elden Ring Nightreign, a new multiplayer game from FromSoftware, is set to release for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC on May 30. You can explore the world and take on bosses with two other friends, making for a unique experience that’s sure to stay engaging. Best Buy has opened pre-orders for Elden Ring Nightreign, and you can score a free $10 Best Buy gift card with any pre-order for a limited time.

Fantasian Neo Dimension for $39.99

Fantasian Neo Dimension is on sale for the first time since launch! Both the PS5 and Switch versions are available for $39.99, and this is one of the best turn-based RPGs you can buy right now. With a story by Hironobu Sakaguchi and music by Nobuo Uematsu, this is one experience any RPG fan does not want to miss.

LEGO Infinity Gauntlet for $51.19

The Infinity Gauntlet is one of the most recognizable items from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and you can take it home in LEGO form at a discount this weekend! This 590 piece set includes a stand to hold up and display the Infinity Gauntlet, with each of the six Infinity Stones on display. Don’t miss out on your chance to save on this LEGO set!

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection for $39.99

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection has hit a new all-time low at Woot, priced at just $39.99. The first six Final Fantasy games paved the way for the series as we see it today. Many fans still regard both Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI as some of the best that Final Fantasy has to offer, with gripping narratives and engaging gameplay. This package includes all six Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, which feature updated graphics, soundtracks, font, and more.

Pikmin 4 for $39.99

This weekend at Best Buy, you can save on Pikmin 4, with copies available for just $39.99. As the latest game in the Pikmin series, Pikmin 4 brings loads of new features for fans, new and old alike, to discover. In our 9/10 review, we stated, “Pikmin 4 adds variety to the series’ traditional gameplay by offering options other than the grab-and-throw formula of the past, and brings an extra helping of top-tier levels after the credits roll.”

LEGO Star Wars Mos ESPA Podrace Set for $54.39

The Mos Espa Podrace scene in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is one of the most iconic in all of Star Wars, and we’ve seen it recreated in multiple LEGO Star Wars games ever since. As part of the 25th Anniversary celebration for The Phantom Menace, LEGO released this diorama set of the Mos Espa Podrace scene. This set includes both Anakin Skywalker’s Podracer and Sebulba’s Podracer.

Apple AirPods 4 for $99.99

Amazon has the Apple AirPods 4 on sale for $99.99 today. These earbuds feature Spatial Audio, up to five hours of listening time per charge, and so much more. Apple AirPods 5 likely won’t be out for a good bit, so now is the perfect time to pick up a pair of new AirPods if your old ones are giving out.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven for $39.99

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is arguably the best entry point into the SaGa series at this time, and you can score a PS5 copy for $39.99. Acting as a full 3D remake of the 1993 release, this game features English and Japanese voiceovers, rearranged music, retooled gameplay, and more. If you’re still unsure about Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, you can check out the free demo across all platforms!

Splatoon 3 for $39.99

Splatoon 3 is one of the best multiplayer games available on Nintendo Switch, with all kinds of content available across single player and multiplayer modes. It’s no secret that Splatoon is incredibly popular, and this game is no exception. At $39.99, you’ll be challenged to find a better multiplayer game at this price.

Tributes Paid After Death of Half-Life 2 and Dishonored Artist Viktor Antonov Aged 52

Viktor Antonov, visionary art director of games such as Half-Life 2 and Dishonored, has died aged 52.

Half-Life writer Marc Laidlaw confirmed the news in an automatically deleted Instagram Stories post. “Brilliant and original,” Laidlaw said of Antonov. “Made everything better.”

Raphael Colantonio, founder of Arkane Studios and current president and creative director of WolfEye Studios, tweeted to say “You were instrumental to the success of Arkane Studios and an inspiration to many of us, also a friend with whom I have many fond memories.”

Antonov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and moved to Paris before entering the world of video game development in the mid-90s at Xatrix Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based studio that became Gray Matter Studios. He went on to become one of the chief creatives behind the world of Half-Life 2 for Valve, where he most famously designed Half-Life 2’s iconic City 17.

Later, Antonov worked on the influential Dishonored as visual design director at Arkane Studios, co-creating Dunwall. Outside of video games, Antonov was co-author on animated movies Renaissance and The Prodigies, and worked at an indie production company called Darewise Entertainment.

In a Reddit AMA held eight years ago, Antonov discussed his early career leading into video game development.

I was formed and started my career as a transportation designer. Then I worked in advertisement, but both of those industries were very established and didn’t offer me much choice for creative risk taking. As a designer, I was very lucky to find a brand new industry that could use my skills. At this time, the video game industry did not have clearly define positions and an artist could create entire worlds. So I joined the gaming industry relatively early: my first game was Redneck Rampage, a crazy funny experience in which I was able to create a big part of the art & world, before moving to more “serious” projects.

Antonov based the Orwellian City 17 on his childhood city of Sofia, mixing elements from Belgrade and St. Petersburg. “I wanted to capture this specific atmosphere of Eastern and Northern Europe,” Antonov said.

Most recently, Antonov appeared in Valve’s 20th anniversary documentary for Half-Life 2, where he discussed the inspiration behind his work on the project and its visual design.

Image credit: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Documentary / Valve.

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.

Daily Deals: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, LEGO Roses, Elden Ring: Nightreign, and More

The weekend is officially here, and we’ve rounded up the best deals you can find! Discover the best deals for Saturday, February 15, below:

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven for $38.23

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is arguably the best entry point into the SaGa series at this time, and you can score a PS5 copy for a new all-time low of $38.23. Acting as a full 3D remake of the 1993 release, this game features English and Japanese voiceovers, rearranged music, retooled gameplay, and more. If you’re still unsure about Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, you can check out the free demo across all platforms!

LEGO Roses for $10.79

Who doesn’t need a pair of LEGO Roses in their life? If you’re searching for a late Valentine’s Day gift, this pair of LEGO Roses can be a great option. It’s the perfect gift to build with that special someone.

Preorder Elden Ring: Nightreign at Best Buy, Get $10 Gift Card

Elden Ring Nightreign, a new multiplayer game from FromSoftware, is set to release for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC on May 30. You can explore the world and take on bosses with two other friends, making for a unique experience that’s sure to stay engaging. Best Buy has opened pre-orders for Elden Ring Nightreign, and you can score a free $10 Best Buy gift card with any pre-order for a limited time.

Fantasian Neo Dimension for $39.99

Fantasian Neo Dimension is on sale for the first time since launch! Both the PS5 and Switch versions are available for $39.99, and this is one of the best turn-based RPGs you can buy right now. With a story by Hironobu Sakaguchi and music by Nobuo Uematsu, this is one experience any RPG fan does not want to miss.

LEGO Infinity Gauntlet for $51.19

The Infinity Gauntlet is one of the most recognizable items from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and you can take it home in LEGO form at a discount this weekend! This 590 piece set includes a stand to hold up and display the Infinity Gauntlet, with each of the six Infinity Stones on display. Don’t miss out on your chance to save on this LEGO set!

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection for $39.99

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection has hit a new all-time low at Woot, priced at just $39.99. The first six Final Fantasy titles paved the way for the series as we see it today. Many fans still regard both Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI as some of the best that Final Fantasy has to offer, with gripping narratives and engaging gameplay. This package includes all six Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, which feature updated graphics, soundtracks, font, and more.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble for $19.99

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is the return to form many Monkey Ball fans have waited years for. You’ve got over 200 courses, tons of guest characters, and all sorts of modes—what’s not to love? In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a brilliant return to form. Monkey Ball has finally found its way home again with a set of 200 fantastic courses that range from delightfully charming to devilishly challenging, backed up by tight mechanics and predictable physics that put me in total control of my monkey’s fate.”

LEGO Star Wars Mos ESPA Podrace Set for $54.39

The Mos Espa Podrace scene in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is one of the most iconic in all of Star Wars, and we’ve seen it recreated in multiple LEGO Star Wars games ever since. As part of the 25th Anniversary celebration for The Phantom Menace, LEGO released this diorama set of the Mos Espa Podrace scene. This set includes both Anakin Skywalker’s Podracer and Sebulba’s Podracer.

Apple AirPods 4 for $99.99

Amazon has the Apple AirPods 4 on sale for $99.99 today. These earbuds feature Spatial Audio, up to five hours of listening time per charge, and so much more. Apple AirPods 5 likely won’t be out for a good bit, so now is the perfect time to pick up a pair of new AirPods if your old ones are giving out.

How to Play the Monster Hunter Games in Order

A year removed from its 20th anniversary, Capcom’s monster-hunting franchise returns in 2025 with Monster Hunter Wilds. The prolific series has lived through several generations of home and portable consoles, reaching new peaks with 2018’s Monster Hunter World and 2021’s Monster Hunter Rise — the series’ best-selling games to date and Capcom’s two best-selling games of all time.

With Monster Hunter Wilds out on February 28, we’re looking back on the franchise’s history with a list of the series’ most important games, ordered chronologically by release date.

How Many Monster Hunter Games Are There?

There are upwards of 25 Monster Hunter games when considering all base games, spinoffs, mobile entries, and enhanced versions. However, for this list, we’ve compiled the 12 most relevant Monster Hunter games. Our list excludes mobile- and arcade-exclusive games (Monster Hunter i, Monster Hunter Spirits, etc.); previously shuttered MMOs (Monster Hunter Frontier, Monster Hunter Online); and the FromSoftware-developed, Japan-exclusive, Animal Crossing-like game Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village.

Which Monster Hunter Game Should You Play First?

There is no continuous story throughout the Monster Hunter franchise, so you can take your pick of which game to start with. If you’re jumping into the world of Monster Hunter in 2025, you might want to wait and and see reactions to the latest game, Monster Hunter Wilds, which will be released on February 28. If you’re eager to try the series before investing in Wilds, we recommend Monster Hunter World or Monster Hunter Rise. World should appeal more to those who value exploration and immersion; Rise is better suited for those who put a higher value on speed and fluidity.

Every Monster Hunter Game in Release Order

Monster Hunter (2004)

Monster Hunter, alongside Auto Modellista and Resident Evil: Outbreak, was developed as part of a three-game plan to explore the market potential of the PS2’s online network, Capcom’s Ryozo Tsujimoto told Eurogamer in 2014.

The first Monster Hunter laid the foundation for the franchise, introducing many of the series’ defining systems. Players, on their own or with others online, are given quests to hunt monsters, after which they use materials harvested from the world and the monster’s remains to craft and upgrade weapons and armor before embarking to fight, well, stronger monsters.

An expanded version called Monster Hunter G was released exclusively in Japan the following year.

Monster Hunter Freedom (2005)

The series found its home on portable consoles in 2005 with Monster Hunter Freedom, an enhanced port of Monster Hunter G tuned for single-player play on the PSP. This first portable entry in the franchise sold over a million copies, according to Capcom, beginning a trend in which Monster Hunter’s portable versions handily outsold its home console counterparts — a trend that held until the breakout success of Monster Hunter World in 2018.

Monster Hunter 2 (2006)

Capcom returned to home console for the series’ second proper entry, Monster Hunter 2 (aka Monster Hunter Dos). It was released exclusively in Japan for PS2. Monster Hunter 2 introduced a day-night cycle and gems, further enhancing your opportunities for weapons and armor customization.

Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (2007)

The second handheld game in the series, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 again took the core of its home console counterpart (MH2) and built upon it with new content and a single-player focus. The game was expanded further in 2008’s Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, which added new monsters, missions, maps, and the ability to have a Felyne fighter join the player in battle.

Monster Hunter 3 (2009)

Monster Hunter 3 (aka Monster Hunter Tri) debuted in Japan in 2009, before being released internationally in 2010. The third mainline MH game was initially in development for the PS3, though it would eventually be released as a Wii exclusive. In addition to new monsters, weapons, and locations, Monster Hunter 3 introduced the series’ short-lived underwater combat.

It later came to Wii U and 3DS as Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate with new monsters, a reworked single-player experience, updated graphics, and a new multiplayer area.

Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (2010)

Like the two mainline entries before it, Monster Hunter 3 was tweaked and ported to PSP as Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. Unlike the two portable versions before it, this game also got a console release on PS3 as Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD Ver.

Despite never being released in the West, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd is the best-selling game among Capcom’s handheld-exclusive Monster Hunters with 4.9 million copies sold.

Monster Hunter 4 (2013)

Monster Hunter 4 was originally released exclusively for 3DS, exclusively in Japan. Only the enhanced edition, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Monster Hunter 4G in Japan), was released globally as a launch game for New Nintendo 3DS. This generation of Monster Hunter games most notably improved traversal by pairing increased verticality with more fluid player movement. It also improved the single-player experience with a deeper story and more NPCs.

Monster Hunter Generations (2015)

Capcom followed up MH4 with Monster Hunter Generations (Monster Hunter X in Japan), another installment released exclusively for 3DS. Generations had, as our review stated, “the appeal of a greatest hits album,” blending old and (at the time) new mechanics from the series’ then-10-year history. Most notably, Generations featured new wrinkles to customization and combat through Hunting Styles and Arts.

Generations later received an enhanced edition, known as Monster Hunter Generations XX in Japan and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate internationally. It was the first Monster Hunter game released on Nintendo Switch.

Monster Hunter Stories (2016)

Monster Hunter Stories is a spinoff that takes the action series into the world of RPGs. True to the genre, Stories trades in the real-time action of the mainline games for a turn-based combat system and puts more emphasis on story and exploration.

It was originally released for 3DS, though it’s since come to PS4, Switch, PC, and mobile.

Monster Hunter World (2018)

Monster Hunter World is, to date, the series’ high point from both a critical and commercial perspective. With 27 million copies sold, it’s the series’ (and Capcom’s) best-selling game, and with a Metascore of 90, it’s also the series’ best-reviewed game.

With World, Capcom moved the primary development of Monster Hunter back to home consoles, specifically PS4 and Xbox One. For the first time, it made a concerted effort to reach a wider Western audience by moving to a more seamless open-world design, reducing the learning curve of the series’ intricate systems, fully supporting online play with global servers, and releasing simultaneously across all regions.

A massive expansion, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, was released the following year. Similar to the Ultimate versions of past games, Iceborne added new monsters and mechanics to the base game, as well as an all-new story that rivals the size of the campaign in World.

Monster Hunter Rise (2021)

Monster Hunter Rise is the series’ second best-performing game, ranking only behind World in terms of sales and Metascore. As the subtitle ‘World’ denotes the previous game’s more global approach, ‘Rise’ indicates a greater focus on verticality, a design decision supported by the introduction of the Wirebug, a new mechanic that enabled wall-climbing and overall more fluid traversal.

Rise builds off of the previous Switch entry, Generations Ultimate, as much as it does World, given World and Rise were, for a time, being developed in tandem. As stated in our review, “much of the streamlining World did has been carried forward” in Rise, while “other things like separate Village and Hub questlines for single- and multiplayer and the ability to tweak a weapon’s playstyle a bit return from older Monster Hunter games.”

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak was released the following year. The expansion includes a new storyline, monsters, and locations.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (2021)

Capcom followed Rise with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, a sequel to the 2016 RPG. Co-developed by Marvelous Inc. (Story of Seasons), Wings of Ruin leans into tried-and-true JRPG systems like turn-based combat, character customization, and an emphasis on story. Stories 2 again lets you fight alongside monsters (aka Monsties) instead of strictly hunting them, creating a party system that should be familiar to anyone who’s played a Pokemon RPG.

Monster Hunter Wilds (2025)

Monster Hunter Wilds will be the latest game in the series when it’s released on February 28 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Wilds is a mainline Monster Hunter game that builds on the design principles of World and Rise. It boasts “dynamic, ever-changing environments” and the series’ “most evolved action and improved immersion,” according to Capcom.

As noted in our 2024 Monster Hunter Wilds preview, it’s shaping up to be “a Monster Hunter that embraces the parts of Rise that made it so much more inviting but also doesn’t shy away from the larger scale and spectacle that helped make World the more enduring entry.”

Upcoming Monster Hunter Games

Next up for the franchise is the aforementioned Monster Hunter Wilds, due out February 28 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. You can read up on all we know about Wilds through our extensive IGN First coverage:

Capcom is also working alongside TiMi Studio Group (Call of Duty Mobile, Pokemon Unite) on Monster Hunter Outlanders, a free-to-play mobile game with multiplayer hunters and “a massive open world.” A release window for Outlanders has not yet been announced.

Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.

Marvel Rivals Developer Says There’s Currently No Plan for a PvE Mode

Though Marvel Rivals is still a relatively new game, players are already dreaming of big additions. Recently, rumors have spread of a potential PvE boss fight, leading some to speculate that a PvE mode is right around the corner. Unfortunately, NetEase recently clarified that it doesn’t have plans for such a mode…yet.

We spoke to Marvel Rivals producer Weicong Wu at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas this week, and asked him about any plans for a PvE mode. This was his response:

“For now we don’t have any kind of a PvE plan, but our development team is continuously experimenting with new game play modes. So if we found that a new specific game mode is entertaining enough, fun enough, we would of course bring it to our audience.”

After he said this, Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo hopped in to ask if I wanted a PvE mode in Marvel Rivals, and I told him I did. Wu continued:

“Yeah, we believe there are some of our audience that would like the PvE mode. But also, you can see that if we come up with a hardcore PvE experience, that will be totally a different distinctive experience from what we have right now. So our development team has been continuously experimenting with different approaches to achieve that goal, maybe a lighter mode, in a lighter sense of that, and to see what would work best for our game.”

So for now, it sounds like there are no concrete plans for PvE, but Wu does seem to be suggesting that NetEase is playing around with ideas for a “lighter” game mode of some kind, perhaps like a one-off event or something similar. For now, NetEase isn’t saying much more.

Marvel Rivals is still being updated every month and a half with new characters, with the Human Torch and The Thing set to be the latest heroes joining the game on February 21. We also spoke to Wu and Koo about the possibility of a Nintendo Switch 2 release for Marvel Rivals, which you can read about here, and we also confronted them about whether or not they were trolling dataminers with fake hero “leaks” in the code.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Marvel Rivals Dev Says They’re Not Trolling Dataminers – ‘We’d Rather Spend Our Time Developing the Game’

Marvel Rivals dataminers think the developers are trolling them with lists of potential future characters hidden in the game’s code. But NetEase and Marvel say they have better things to do…like actually make the game.

Last month, dataminers began sharing names of potential future heroes hidden in the code of Marvel Rivals, a few of whom seemed to be confirmed pretty quickly as real when the Fantastic Four were officially announced. However, as the list of datamined heroes grew, a different rumor began to circulate in the community: some of the names were fake, planted there by developers to mislead dataminers.

Even now, there’s disagreement in the community as to which, if any of the datamined characters are really being seriously considered for the game.

We recently had the opportunity to directly ask Marvel Rivals producer Weicong Wu and Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo if they’re secretly performing an elaborate troll. And while it sounds like there are no pranks being pulled here, we should still take all the names being found in the code with a grain of salt. Here’s what Wu had to say:

“So firstly we want to say that we don’t recommend anybody to make adjustments to the files [of the game],” he began. “Also, you can see that for each character’s design actually we come through a very complicated process and we make a lot of concepts, trials, prototypes, development, et cetera. So there could be some information left in the code, and it might mean that we have tried those directions and they may appear or may not appear in our future plans. And whether or not they will appear in our future pipeline is highly depending on what kind of gameplay experience our players would expect in our game.”

Koo added, “If I could have a ten-year plan, it’d be great. But the team experimented with a lot of play styles, heroes. It was like there’s someone doing scratch paperwork and then just left a notebook there, and someone [a dataminer] decided to open it with no context.”

I pushed a little, asking them point-blank if they were deliberately trolling people. Koo replied, “No. We would rather spend our time developing the actual game.”

In the same conversation, we also discussed how a character gets chosen to be added into Marvel Rivals in the first place. The two told me that the team plans updates roughly a year in advance, and is committed to keeping its current pace of adding new characters every month and a half. For each update, NetEase first looks at what type of character and skillset is needed to balance out the rest of the game and add variety to the roster, and come up with a list of several different possible additions. Wu told me that part of NetEase’s strategy for achieving game balance is to focus less on aggressively tweaking existing characters to be perfectly fine-tuned, and more on adding new characters and experiences to keep things fresh, fill gaps, support characters that are a bit weak with new team abilities, or counter characters that might be a little too strong.

Once they have a list of possibilities, NetEase then takes these suggestions to Marvel Games, and begin working on initial designs. From there, they look at what the community is currently excited about, as well as what’s planned a year in advance in other Marvel divisions, such as if a big film or comic arc is coming that they can tie a character in with. That helps them come to a final decision on who’s going in. All this explains why there might be a lot of different heroes listed in the code – NetEase just has a lot of ideas it’s tossing around all the time.

Marvel Rivals was great at launch, and each new character only seems to make it more powerful, with the Human Torch and The Thing set to be the latest heroes joining the game on February 21. We also spoke to Wu and Koo about the possibility of a Nintendo Switch 2 release for Marvel Rivals, which you can read about here.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

The Last of Us Creator Neil Druckmann Says He Never Plans for Sequels: ‘That Requires a Level of Confidence I Don’t Have’

Earlier this week at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, Naughty Dog head Neil Druckmann and Sony Santa Monica head Cory Barlog sat down in front of an audience for a chat about a very personal topic: doubt.

The two bantered back and forth for roughly an hour on a series of subjects that were clearly very close to both of them, ranging from their own doubts about themselves as creators to how they knew an idea was “right” or not. The two also answered a few pre-submitted audience questions, including one that Barlog read to Druckmann about sequels: “How do you and your teams approach character development over multiple games?

Druckmann’s answer, though, was surprising for someone who’s made quite a few sequels in his day: he doesn’t think about multiple games.

“That’s a very easy question for me to answer, because I never think about multiple games, because I’m the game in front of us is so all consuming,” he responded. “I think you’re jinxing yourself if you’re starting to think about the sequel when you’re working on the first game. So when I was making The Last of Us 2, yeah, sure. Every once in a while an idea pops in your head of where it might go if we get the chance to do another one. But I just approach it as, ‘what if I never get to do another one?’…I’m not saving some idea for the future. If there’s a cool idea, I’m doing my best to get it into here.”

Ten-year payoffs

Druckmann went on to explain that this is how he approaches everything, with perhaps the exception of the The Last of Us TV show since he already knows it’s going to have multiple seasons. So when sequels come around, instead of having a plan already in mind, Druckmann says he looks back on what he’s already done and asks himself what elements are unresolved and where the characters can go. “And if I feel like the answer is, they can’t go anywhere, then I go, ‘I think we’ll just kill them off.’

“I’m half joking, but we just find the next game. When we made Uncharted 1, we had no idea we would do the train sequence of Uncharted 2, or where Nathan Drake would be. We figured it out when we made Uncharted 2. And eventually, the same when we worked on Uncharted 3, same when we worked on Uncharted 4, where we look back and say, “How do we not repeat ourselves? Where else could this character go? What else could get him back into the adventure?” And we have to come up with a new answer. And if we don’t have a new answer then we should ask ourselves, is this the right character? Is this the right game for us to work on? Or is it time to find something new?”

When we made Uncharted 1, we had no idea we would do the train sequence of Uncharted 2.

Barlog responded, saying he doesn’t work that way at all. Barlog says he has “way too much of the Charlie Day crazy conspiracy board of trying to connect and plan with all of these pieces,” and especially likes when he’s able to connect something he’s working on now with something he planned ten years ago.

“It’s just so magical, but it is absolutely, unequivocally the most unhealthy thing ever, because it is insanely stressful to try to fold and connect each of these pieces,” Barlog continued. “Because give or take five years, there’s hundreds of people involved, and then a whole new group of people often are moved in on the next project. That’s a bunch of different, and perspectives, and likes and dislikes that are going to negatively impact you setting something up that early. And they’re going to be like, ‘Let’s talk about this, because that was kind of the dumb. I don’t know if I want to do that.’”

“I think for me that requires a level of confidence I just don’t have,” Druckmann later responded. “Like this is going to be so successful, I know where this is going next. I’m like, I just want to focus on the next five days in front of me, let alone 10 years down the line.”

The reason to wake up

The fireside chat spanned a number of topics, with Druckmann and Barlog discussing their own experiences with doubt, and their respective creative processes for determining when an idea is “correct.” Later in the talk, they alluded to their feelings on their careers as they currently stand. Druckmann spoke on how he doesn’t want to go into TV or movies permanently, sharing this anecdote about his love for games:

“Since we’re talking about TV, one time I gave some direction on Pedro Pascal. And I think he was frustrated by my direction, but he said it jokingly. He’s like, ‘Do you like art?’ And I said, defensively, ‘Yeah, do you like art?’ And without missing a beat, he goes, ‘It’s the reason to wake up in the morning. It’s why I live and breathe.’ And to me, that’s why we do it.

“…At times, I’ve had panic attacks. It’s just so much stress, but you do it, because you love it so much. I love games so much. I love the stories we tell in games so much. It’s the reason to wake up in the morning. It’s why we do what we do, and despite all the negatives that come with it, sometimes the death threats and all the negativity and all those things, you just kind of dismiss those things and say, ‘Yeah, but I get to make games with the most talented people. How lucky are we?’”

Druckmann then turned a question on Barlog, pointing out Barlog’s storied career in light of the recent retirement of his colleague Ted Price. “When is it enough?…When is this compulsion enough? When have you proven yourself enough?”

Barlog gave a lengthy answer that got real real:

“Is it ever enough? The short answer’s, no, it’s never enough. It is the voice in your head driving you more, and more, and more, and more…You struggle, you struggle, you work, you work. And it feels thankless, and you’re not being heard. Or the thing you’re doing doesn’t resonate. Then you reach that point where this mountain you’ve been looking at it, you’ve been dreaming about, you’ve been aspiring to. Finally, you reach the summit of this mountain. And it’s like the most amazing and horrible thing all at the exact same time.

Is it ever enough? The short answer’s, no, it’s never enough.

“Because when you get to the top, this demon of obsession inside of your head doesn’t shut up and let you appreciate the moment, the smell of the air, the sound of this sort of successful silence, that you’ve persevered, you’ve struggled, you’ve worked so hard to get all this. And so many people came together, and used this collective creative brain space to give birth to something that was only an idea, or a concept. And just enjoy, and revel, and see that you accomplished this thing, and you are at the top of the mountain. No. The demon just looks and goes, ‘There’s another mountain over there that’s a lot taller.’ Okay, well what next? You don’t even often take that time. And I don’t want to believe that it is intentional. It is this weird, I think silent, not so silent part of your individual makeup. The reason you’re in this is because you can’t stop. You’re driving yourself forward, and to your detriment, to everyone else giving you the advice to stop, and pace, and you don’t.”

Druckmann echoed this sentiment, but softer, ending on an anecdote about Naughty Dog’s Jason Rubin. Upon his departure from the company, Druckmann remembers Rubin telling him that him leaving would create a space for everyone else to rise up behind him. “I think about those opportunities. Eventually when I am done doing this, it will create a bunch of opportunities for people. So for me, it’s like I’m slowly rising up. I’m getting less involved on the day-to-day stuff, like on this project that I’m on…And eventually I think I’ll just be able to remove myself. I don’t know how long that will take, but I think about it. And I think about the opportunities I will create for next people to take on this stress, and take on their ideas, and be vulnerable and do all those things.”

Barlog quipped back, concluding the talk: “Very convincing. I’m going to retire.”

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Avowed Has a Little Bit of Romance In It After All

Obsidian’s Avowed just went live in advanced access for those willing to spend more, sending new adventurers out across the Living Lands. While they’re out there, they might discover some magical items and dangers, and apparently, a little bit of love after all.

During the pre-release run-up for Avowed, Obsidian said the game wouldn’t feature a dedicated romance system, and would instead focus on building “thoughtful relationships” with companions. Here’s a quote from an IGN interview with Avowed game director Carrie Patel, explaining the thought process:

“We are building thoughtful relationships with our companion characters,” Patel said at the time. “Ultimately, I personally am a fan of making that an option, but I feel like if you’re going to do it, you really, really have to commit and make sure that you’re giving all to fulfilling that in a way that feels both true to the character, but also creates an engaging player experience. So not something we’re doing for Avowed, but I wouldn’t say never.”

Early players and reviewers of Avowed are reporting that, actually, at least one companion has eyes for your player character. Spoilers ensue for specific interactions with the companion Kai, so if you’re looking to avoid that, turn back now.

Warning! Avowed spoilers follow:

GamesRadar reports that Kai, voiced by Brandon Keener (also the voice of Mass Effect’s Garrus Vakarian), can wind up in a romance with the player. Complete his own personal quest line, confess your feelings, and apparently you’ll get a confirmation of your happily-ever-after in the credits roll.

I’m not far enough in my personal Avowed playthrough to confirm as much, but PC Gamer encountered similar dialogue in their playthrough. The romance seems gender-agnostic too, as PC Gamer played as a male character, and GamesRadar’s reported success was with a female character.

It’s a nice little treat, especially for all the Garrus fans. It does make one wonder what shifted in development, but if love wins in the end, that’s all that really matters.

Avowed is out now in early access, so if you’re looking for a take on it, be sure to check out our Avowed review. Once you’re done with that, check out IGN’s guide to Things Avowed Doesn’t Tell You.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Pre-Registration Begins for Tactical RPG Mecharashi

The pre-registration window is officially open on PC, iOS, and Android for Mecharashi, a free-to-play tactical RPG that puts you in charge of outfitting and deploying a squad of mech pilots.

If this is your first time hearing of Mecharashi, it’s developed by BlackJack Studio and is focused on strategy and tactics. Every mech, both yours and your enemies’, is made up of four parts: a body, legs, right arm, and left arm. Each part has its own separate HP, and reducing each part to zero brings about different results.

“The core gameplay of our game is inspired by Front Mission,” the dev team told IGN. “When we reviewed the design brilliance of Front Mission, the most striking revelation came from its groundbreaking choice in 1995: while other strategy games of that time were fixated on the rock-paper-scissors style of counter systems (e.g., “sword > axe > spear”), it boldly abandoned this easy-to-grasp approach. Instead, it introduced part destruction to create a truly physically meaningful battlefield.”

In Mecharashi, destroying each enemy’s body is the ultimate goal, since that finishes them off for good. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should focus all your attacks on that one area. Taking out the legs makes them unable to move, and as each mech’s weapons are equipped on their arms, destroying those can drastically reduce their firepower and prevent powerful charged attacks. You need to assess the threat each enemy poses, figure out the best way to neutralize them, and use the strengths of each member of your squad to make that happen.

“We have adopted the charming tactical chess logic from Front Mission because it fits perfectly with the mecha + tactical chess theme,” the dev team said. “The strategic dimension has been significantly enhanced: Instead of focusing on memorizing attribute counters, players now rely on more realistic logic — destroying legs to limit mobility, breaking weapon pods to eliminate threats, and hitting the cockpit to disable combat capabilities. Each decision corresponds to tangible tactical gains.”

Destroying different parts won’t just have a strategic effect on battle, you’ll also see visual differences depending on what part you destroyed.

“We used the 3D standards of this generation to create mechs with realistic metal textures, dirt, and scratches. When a mecha’s leg is destroyed, not only does it affect the movement range, but you can see the details of the broken surface and internal spark short-circuiting — visual depth that was hard to achieve under the technical limitations of 1995.”

Each pilot in your crew belongs to a character class that defines their role in battle. Fighters are melee specialists who have powerful attacks but limited range. Raiders use assault weapons to deal high burst damage. Snipers attack from range and can target a specific part of the enemy. Tacticians can also attack from longer distances and hit multiple targets at once. Guardians protect allies and limit enemy movement. And last but certainly not least, Machinists can repair allied mechs.

You can customize every pilot’s mech — including their individual parts, weapons, and color scheme — and can assemble various bodies, arms, and legs, which affect the mech’s appearance and stats. Different weapons provide different types of attacks from different ranges. Color schemes give you the option of choosing from more than 120 colors, and you can mix and match several colors at once to fully customize the look of each mech.

“Front Mission hasn’t had a new tactical chess game in many years, and mecha is a highly visual genre,” the dev team said. “The realistic textures of mechanics and metals have strong visual appeal. Therefore, we invested a huge amount of art resources into the design of mechs and the construction of the world atmosphere.”

Once you’ve equipped your squad to your liking, it’s time to deploy. You’ll be given missions in the gritty setting of Milkhama Island, where the discovery of a new mineral known as Arashium has led to factions forming and trying to secure it for themselves. And what does that lead to? You guessed it: violence and war.

You play as a mercenary squad recruited into the government’s National Defense Force to help put down a rebel group known as The Ashes, but you’ll quickly realize that not everything is as it seems. As the story evolves, you’ll deal with corruption, complicated politics, deceit, and betrayal, and you just might become key players in a struggle that will change the course of history.

The story develops through fully voice acted chapters and sub-chapters, with each sending your team on a mission. Before each mission, you’ll have the chance to choose your combat party and their starting positions on the map. Combat is turn-based and progresses in phases until you’ve completed the designated goal for that mission. Those goals can include eliminating all enemies, destroying one specific enemy, or reaching a designated evacuation zone.

Each mech has a movement limit and attack range, which are displayed as different colored blocks on the grid-based map. Some character classes and weapon types provide unique abilities that require a certain amount of AP to use. Each character starts combat with 3 AP and replenishes some on each turn, but many attacks require more AP than a unit can gain in a single turn, meaning you’ll need to bide your time to strategically build up your AP reserves.

Destroying enemy mechs will grant AP to whoever dealt the finishing blow, so part of your strategy will revolve around AP management to make sure each party member can consistently contribute without wasting any turns. You’ll also need to pay attention to enemy mech types and weapons, since they can counterattack if you hit them from a range they’re equipped for.

Once your goal is completed, you’ll receive rewards and each member of the combat party will gain EXP. Rewards include Arashium, mech parts, weapons, Recruitment Tokens, money, and items you can give to specific party members to instantly give them EXP. Arashium is a special currency, while Recruitment Tokens are used to recruit new members for your squad.

Between battles, you’ll return to your base, where you can upgrade your mechs and pilots. During the course of the story, pilots will unlock the Bionic Computer, which essentially acts as their personal skill tree. You’ll need to gather specific items in order to unlock each node, which can provide things like stat boosts, passive skills, and combat abilities.

If Mecharashi sounds like it’s up your alley, you can go to the official website to sign up for pre-registration now on PC, iOS, and Android. It’s scheduled to release internationally later this year and will support eight languages: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Thai, and Chinese. If you’d like to be part of the community, you can follow the game on Twitter and YouTube.

Elden Ring Nightreign Will Get DLC Bosses and Characters, According to Steam Page Slip-up

Elden Ring Nightreign‘s first big network test is underway, but eagle-eyed observers have already spotted that the survival royale has more on the way. A now-deleted Steam page mentioned additional DLC, seemingly confirming Elden Ring Nightreign will get additional boss and characters as DLC.

Per PC Gamer, a line on Elden Ring Nightreign’s Steam page read: “Additional DLC — Additional playable characters and bosses.” It’s since been removed, and there’s always the slim chance this was added in error, but it more than likely confirms Elden Ring Nightreign will be getting more content down the line.

Since this particular version of Elden Ring is a bit more online and live service, it’s not a surprising note. Elden Ring Nightreign is a standalone game, and developer FromSoftware has been pretty consistent with producing DLC for its previous games.

If more bosses are in the works, hopes would presumably be high for returning fights from previous games. Elden Ring Nightreign already has a few enemies from previous FromSoftware games, like the Nameless King. Why not more?

Iconic fights like Gwyn, the Looking Glass Knight, or Lady Maria would almost certainly be fun to see in this co-op take on Elden Ring. Nothing’s set in stone yet, but given FromSoftware’s portfolio of bosses, it’s hard not to start picking out some dream matches. And that’s not even digging into the possibilities for new characters to play as, fighting against said bosses.

As for Elden Ring Nightreign itself, the network test is underway today, though not without some network hitches. If you didn’t make it into the beta, you can still check out our impressions of the Elden Right Nightreign network test build here, which seems like a really good time.

Elden Ring Nightreign launches on May 30, 2025 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.