When it comes to 2D action platformers, I don’t necessarily need them to be revolutionary. But I do expect a superb execution of the fundamentals – speed, control, and challenge – all of which the upcoming Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is nailing down based on a two-hour hands-on demo I played. That’s not to say it doesn’t have new ideas woven into the formula, it’s just that I came away simply impressed by how this reboot plays like a well-oiled machine.
If you haven’t seen it in action yet, think of it as the classic Shinobi franchise getting the Streets of Rage 4 treatment; a vibrant and expressive hand-drawn art style that looks fantastic in stills and even better in motion. Many of the developers at LizardCube had worked on the Streets of Rage reboot, and it ended up being a great fit because it breathes life into a 2D world in a way few other games have done. A level’s backdrop can give a notable sense of scale, and the illusion of distance in this new Shinobi – what could’ve been a drab shipyard level feels immense when you see the details of huge cranes, ships, and containers in the background. And the interiors painted with neon signs and neo-modern shops and stalls fill the in-betweens with personality. A great sense of style pops in small but effective ways.
A banging electronic trip-hop soundtrack fused with traditional Japanese folk instruments also feeds into its balance of classic and modern sensibilities, vaguely reminiscent of something out of Samurai Champloo. The Art of Vengeance both looks and sounds effortlessly cool.
I went through the opening level that I played earlier this year at Summer Game Fest, which reintroduces series protagonist Joe Musashi as his village and clan are under attack the minute you start. His wife Naoko and understudy Tomoe are introduced as he has to leave them behind to chase down a military invasion led by the antagonist Lord Ruse and a gang of his demonic minions. You’re taught the basics like combos, dodging, wall-jumping, and special abilities, quickly pitting you against a mix of platforming sections to sharpen your mobility and combat encounters to test deftness with the blade and Ninpo specials.
This preview round, however, I cleared two full levels around the midway point, where I had a slew of new abilities and much tougher foes. I had to play both in Arcade Mode which reconfigures levels for a time attack-style version of them, and while the checkpointing was generous, Arcade Mode is all about having a seamless run to earn a high grade in the end. The aforementioned shipyard had pesky drones, guards in riot gear, and enemy ninjas with unblockable dark spells – any combination of these guys made for some tough normal encounters that can get overwhelming if you don’t know who to prioritize. And with clever but trial-and-error platforming challenges, it was a tall task to get through without death (at least on my first try).
It’s the flow and fluidity of the gameplay that made my time with Shinobi so enjoyable.
I know that on paper, all this may sound like what you should expect from a proper 2D action platformer, but it’s the flow and fluidity of the gameplay that made my time with Shinobi so enjoyable. When I can slice a gang of enemies within a sliver of health and hit the shoulder buttons to pull off a swift and dramatic multi-hit execution, I’m pumped up like I’m stringing a series of glory kills in the new Doom games. The novelty hadn’t worn thin because, like glory kills, it doesn’t get in the way of the flowing fast action, and you get health and Ninpo energy in return as a treat. Hitting your light-heavy combos is all well and good, but when I execute my counterattack Ninpo on a dime to chop down a strong enemy’s health, I’m nodding my head in satisfaction. And Joe’s ultimate ability, which builds up through taking damage, just burns through everything on screen which was clutch in sticky situations that had me popping off when it finished a boss. Even something as simple as going from a platforming section into divekicking a foe to start my combo string in combat sequence is a small but effective thing that shows LizardCube knows what makes 2D action tick.
There wasn’t any real story content to glean from these later levels, but boy, are these stages long. And when they’re capped off with intense boss fights, Arcade Mode can really wear you down – which isn’t a derogatory mark, but rather an indication of demanding Shinobi can be.
It’s not all going from left to right, however. The second level I played was in neon-soaked slums that had three sections to the west, east, and south where I had to find and save children being held captive. This stage leaned more into exploration, where connecting ziplines and jumps to avoid hazards and lurking enemies pushed me to be more precise with movement. Snipers lurking in the distance could one-shot me lest I one-shot them first, goopy slimes moving underground can pop-up for toxic damage, and those damn riot guards are a different kind of challenge in close quarters. The boss fight here was my favorite, which had me thinking more about aerial combos since he could fly across the combat arena – he also had a phase where he would heal up if I didn’t do enough damage in time.
Balancing depth and approachability is one aspect I think Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is getting right from what I’ve played. I have just enough tools to feel equipped for its toughest battles, not overwhelming and not shallow. Thus, the focus is on your mastery of the toolset and reacting to some devastating combat mechanics from enemies. Since it controls incredibly smooth, and is properly paced with a speed to match its style of challenges, the fundamentals of a good 2D action platformer seem to all be here.
The return of our old ninja-themed action games is great to see – well, maybe it’s just this and Ninja Gaiden Ragebound (which also has Streets of Rage 4 lineage via publisher DotEmu). But in the years since both series’ heyday, we’ve seen countless others set the bar higher and higher with games like Dead Cells, The Messenger, and Katana Zero to name a few. To speak for Shinobi specifically, Art of Vengeance feels like an old head coming back to show the youngins that they still got it.
It’ll truly prove whether or not the series still has the juice when Shinobi: Art of Vengeance launches on August 28 this year for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
We’re over halfway through 2025 already, which means it’s time to check in on all of Sony’s PlayStation Studios to see what they’re making and what games are coming to your PS5 in the months and years to come. While the console has received some great exclusives in 2025, including the critically acclaimed Death Stranding 2, none of Sony’s first-party studios have released a new game this calendar year aside from the annual inevitability that is MLB The Show.
So, surely that means plenty of PlayStation’s studios have games coming out soon, or at the very least have secrets up their sleeves, right? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to take a look at here. What are the developers behind PlayStation’s highly-respected library up to now? And how long will it be before we get to both see and play their projects? So let’s dig into what each studio is doing, and when we can realistically expect to see new games from them.
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog’s attention is now firmly on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a space-faring game with retro 80s vibes. After leaving the future of The Last of Us HBO show in the hands of Craig Mazin, studio head and creative director Neil Druckmann is now working full steam ahead with his team on the Uncharted studio’s first new series since 2013. But aside from a cinematic-heavy trailer at last year’s Game Awards, we’ve seen very little of this sci-fi story.
What we do know is that it stars Tati Gabrielle as Jordan A. Mun, a bounty hunter who gets stranded on a planet when on the trail of a criminal syndicate called the “Five Aces”. It’s also rumoured to have a deeper combat system than any previous Naughty Dog game, with the reveal trailer giving us a tiny glimpse of its lightsaber-esque gameplay. Oh, and the music is being composed by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. That’s never not a good thing. Could this be Sony’s big 2026 PS5 game? We can certainly hope, but we would love to see some gameplay before making such assumptions.
It would appear that this isn’t the only iron Naughty Dog has in the fire, though, with Druckmann teasing that the studio has a second, unannounced game in development. Could this be The Last of Us Part 3? Uncharted 5? Something completely different? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Santa Monica Studio
Santa Monica Studio released God of War Ragnarok to huge success in late 2022 and followed up with the surprisingly lengthy free Valhalla DLC in December 2023. What’s next for the studio remains a mystery, although we do know Cory Barlog – who led development of 2018’s God of War – moved on to helm a new project in 2021 after leaving Eric Williams to fill Ragnarok’s director seat. Little to nothing is known about that new project, but given it has been in development for a number of years already, it wouldn’t be beyond unreasonable to expect to see it revealed this year.
As for a new God of War game, well, we likely can’t expect that as quickly. Despite the gap between Ragnarok and its predecessor being only four years, the end of Kratos’ Norse saga signals a new direction for the series, which, naturally, means it’ll require a lot more work from the ground up. We can hope, of course, but don’t expect to see everyone’s favourite angry dad any time soon. That said, we wouldn’t say no to a remake of the original trilogy…
Insomniac Games
Insomniac is arguably Sony’s most prolific studio, having released either a Spider-Man or Ratchet and Clank game every couple of years for almost a decade now. Its most recent launch was in 2023 with the hugely successful Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and so – based on pattern – you’d be forgiven for expecting a new Insomniac game in 2025. But in a worrying sign of the fragile state of the games industry, even a game of Spider-Man 2’s magnitude couldn’t prevent layoffs from occurring last year. That capped off what turned out to be a doubly damaging couple of months for the developer, following a huge data breach and subsequent theft.
The data theft revealed that the studio’s highly anticipated Wolverine game is not expected until 2026 at the earliest, but also that a Venom game may arrive before it. Either way, it’s highly unlikely Insomniac will be springing any surprise games this year, and after all the studio has gone through recently, I think it’s fair to allow it as much of a break as anyone.
Sucker Punch Productions
Sucker Punch is following up 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima with Ghost of Yotei, scheduled for an October 2, 2025 release. As showcased in a recent State of Play stream, the standalone sequel takes us to Hokkaido on a revenge quest to deal with the “Yotei Six” — the murderers of protagonist Atsu’s family. With a non-linear quest structure and more varied arsenal, it’s looking set to be a true evolution of Tsushima’s open-world foundations.
Guerrilla Games
Guerrilla followed up 2022’s Horizon: Forbidden West with the Burning Shores DLC one year later as it continued to build out Aloy’s story. With the West Coast-set sequel ending on a cliffhanger, it’s not a stretch to expect the Amsterdam-based studio to be working on the third part of the trilogy next. We wouldn’t expect any news on that one soon, however – the development time between Zero Dawn and Forbidden West was five years, so we’re likely a little while away from seeing Aloy and her metal dinosaur friends again.
What we’re reportedly more likely to see first is a live service Horizon game that is currently in the works, starring “a new cast of characters and a unique stylized look”. Perhaps this is something we can hope to see more of sooner rather than later, although this year may be a stretch, with Sony perhaps reassessing their live service future following the failure of Concord and the troubles facing Marathon.
Housemarque
Finnish developer Housemarque is following up 2021’s Returnal with Saros, another sci-fi action game. Starring Rahul Kohli as Arjun Devraj, players will be taken to a lost off-world colony on the planet Carcosa in order to investigate its mysteries. An evolution of Returnal’s roguelike rhythm, it’s set to deliver Housemarque’s trademark challenging shooter combat when it arrives on PS5 sometime in 2026.
Haven Studios
Originally due for release this year, Haven Studios’ multiplayer shooter Fairgames is now expected in the Spring of 2026. It’s not been smooth sailing for another of Sony’s planned live service offerings, with Jade Raymond — who only founded the studio in 2021 — leaving the project earlier this year. Work is still ongoing on the online heist game, though, but with little to nothing seen of it since the 2023 cinematic trailer reveal, we’re left waiting to see what its gameplay actually looks like.
Bend Studio
Bend has been pretty quiet since the release of Days Gone way back in 2019, aside from giving us a remaster a couple of months back. But in 2022, a few slithers of detail were revealed about what the Oregon studio is currently working on. It shared that its new game will “build upon the open-world systems of Days Gone” but won’t be announced until “the time is right”. Apart from knowing it won’t be a continuation of Deacon St. John’s story, we really know nothing.
It’s been a rocky year for the developer so far, with reports that a live-service game it had been working on had been scrapped by Sony, as well as layoffs impacting 30% of the team as it transitions to its next project. Whether this new game the reduced headcount is working on has anything to do with those details revealed three years ago, or if the studio is starting again from scratch, is unknown. Either way, we wouldn’t expect to hear anything soon.
Media Molecule
Media Molecule spent most of the past decade working on Dreams, the game creation and curation project that was released in 2020. But as a result of significant layoffs at the studio in 2024, live support for the game has now ended, with MM’s current aim being to ensure “Dreams transitions into a self-sustaining platform”. There has since been no news on what the developer’s next project will be.
Team Asobi
Team Asobi gave us one of 2024’s biggest games with the charmingly creative platformer Astro Bot. An ode to PlayStation history, it won many awards and cemented itself as one of the PS5’s very best offerings. Since then, the Japanese studio has continued to support it with regular updates and levels as recently as this summer. But what next? Well, we wouldn’t be surprised to see another Astro game on the way, given the critical and commercial success of last year’s hit. There’s certainly no shortage of obscure PlayStation characters left to sprinkle through more of those colourful levels.
Bluepoint Games
Following the success of both the Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls remakes, Sony acquired Bluepoint Games as a first-party studio in 2021. We don’t know what its first project since joining the PlayStation Studios family is, though, but we do know that the developer has expressed its desire to create an original game, rather than reimagining another classic. Perhaps we could see a reveal soon, but seeing as Sony confirmed that a live service game, which was reportedly set in the God of War universe, was cancelled at the studio earlier this year, it seems unlikely.
Polyphony Digital
Polyphony has been making Gran Turismo for 25 years now, so it would certainly be a shock to see it veer from that path in the near future. GT7 came out around three and half years ago now, meaning maybe the time is approaching for the reveal of the studio’s next racing sim.
San Diego Studio
Similarly, San Diego is well established as the MLB The Show studio. This year’s entry only dropped in March, so we can expect to see another next Spring if history is anything to go by.
Firesprite
Firesprite most recently developed Horizon: Call of the Mountain for PSVR 2, following the studio’s new-found focus on VR games. What’s next is anyone’s guess, however. A new VR game would be the educated guess, but given Sony’s lack of commitment to creating games for its second-generation headset, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the UK studio pivot to something more traditional.
Recent reports discussing layoffs and unrest at the developer suggested that Firesprite was working on a live-service Twisted Metal game, which has since been canceled. It’s currently believed that the studio is now working on a new game called Project Heartbreak. Details are thin on what this is, though, and so we have no idea of when we can expect to see it.
teamLFG
Formed earlier this year as part of PlayStation Studios, teamLFG was spun out of Bungie to create a new team-based action game that draws inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and “frog-type games”. As to what a frog-type game is, your guess is as good as ours, but the project has been described as letting players “inhabit a lighthearted, comedic world set in a brand-new, mythic, science-fantasy universe”. This one doesn’t seem too far along the production pipeline, though, so we aren’t expecting to hear more anytime soon.
Dark Outlaw Games
Another new PlayStation studio for 2025, Dark Outlaw Games is led by Call of Duty veteran Jason Blundell. Very little else is known about this team or what they’re working on, though.
That’s everything we know about upcoming first-party PlayStation games, and the truth is that very few release dates look to be coming up quickly. Of course, this can and likely will change soon, and with GTA 6 looming on the horizon in 2026, it does make sense that many publishers are waiting for Rockstar to unleash their powerhouse before they make their own moves. That said, that doesn’t prevent 2025 from still looking relatively empty when it comes to PS5 exclusives. Let’s hope that the outlook will look a lot brighter soon, not only for players waiting for new games to play, but for the developers who work so hard to deliver them to us.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
Aetherdrift might not have been the most popular Magic: The Gathering set of 2025 so far, but there’s no denying that Wizards of the Coast poured plenty of creative fuel into the engine of the long-running card game.
As a result, there are still some great cards to chase, from The Aetherspark to Ketramose, The New Dawn, and we’ve rounded up all of them below. Looking for more chase cards? We’ve got you covered for Innistrad Remastered and Tarkir: Dragonstorm.
TL;DR: 10 Most Valuable Chase Cards From Aetherdrift
Aetherdrift has dozens of borderless, Fracture Foil, First-Place Foil, and Showcase editions of main set cards, but these are the 10 most valuable.
From a competitive standpoint, not many of these see much play, although Ketramose, the New Dawn is the face of a hot new Modern combo deck.
And for you Commander players, this is a great chance to nab the elusive Radiant Lotus Fracture Foil or the Aetherspark First-Place Foil.
The original Kaladesh mono-colored Gearhulks were Standard powerhouses, and these new two-color bad boys are powerful in their own right. Brightglass Gearhulk is the best of the five, and is currently sitting at a market value of $50.88.
9. Mimeoplasm, Revered One (Showcase Fracture Foil)
I love this as a fun graveyard strategy in Commander, and of course that art is something to behold. It’s market value is $56.38.
8. March of the World Ooze (Showcase Fracture Foil)
This is a pretty neat, if a bit high-cost, anti-control card that can turn your little mana dorks or tokens into beefy 6/6 creatures. Market value is $61.86.
7. Mu Yanling, Pathfinder (Showcase Fracture Foil)
Another one with gorgeous art, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this slotted into a blue artifact-focused Commander deck like Urza, High Lord Artificer. It’s currently at a market value of $69.50, but available much lower.
6. Cursecloth Wrappings (Showcase Fracture Foil)
This is right at home in any Zombie deck. Personally, it’s going into my Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver Commander deck. It also has some of the coolest art of any of these cards. Grab it for much lower than its $76.01 market value.
5. Ketramose, the New Dawn (Borderless First-Place Foil)
The First-Place Foil is awesome (better than its regular printing art, in my opinion), and this is one of the most played chase cards from the set. It’s currently at $98.54 market value, but can go as low as $75.
4. The Aetherspark (First-Place Foil)
The Aetherspark is one of the most mechanically-unique cards I’ve ever seen. It’s both an Equipment and Planeswalker, with some powerful Loyalty abilites to boot. It’s currently sitting at a market value of $89, but you can get it cheaper than that.
3. Chandra, Spark Hunter (Showcase Fracture Foil)
This version of iconic Planewalker Chandra Nalaar has great synergy with Vehicles and other artifacts, and is currently sitting at a market value of $130. However, you can find it much cheaper.
2. Loot, the Pathfinder (Showcase Fracture Foil)
Loot is undeniably adorable, but you’d be hard-pressed to see this showing in many decks due to its mana cost and slow set up. Still, you can grab it for much lower than its market value.
1. Radiant Lotus (Showcase Fracture Foil)
This might be one of the prettiest Magic cards I’ve ever seen. It’s currently sitting at a staggering $219.60 market price, but some vendors have it for less if buying singles is more your bag than gambling on cracking packs.
Mario Paint is the latest Nintendo game to be added to the Nintendo Switch Online library.
A SNES classic, Mario Paint encourages all forms of creativity, including art, music, and animation, and — up until now, anyway — was entirely unplayable for anyone who didn’t have the game and the console system from the first time around.
Interestingly, the 1992 OG release permitted players to plug in a mouse controller, which could be why Nintendo has chosen to resurrect the long-lost classic; one of Nintendo Switch 2‘s most hyped features was its new mouse controls, making this a natural, and exciting, game to add to the NSO library.
Nintendo says that Nintendo Switch players who’ve yet to upgrade to the new system can also get involved if they have an OG Switch and “a compatible USB mouse (sold separately).”
Nintendo Switch Online is a subscription-based online gaming service for the Nintendo Switch gaming platform. Memberships include online functionality, allowing you to compete or cooperate with friends, as well as a collection of classic Nintendo games spanning four decades, including titles from the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, and, most recently, the new GameCube library. A free seven-day trial is also available.
The GameCube library currently includes The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur 2. Further titles thought to be joining the service include Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and more. Most recently, Super Mario Strikers was added to the library of GameCube classics.
“The Nintendo Switch 2 is a vital upgrade over the original Switch if that’s the only way you’ve been able to play games for the last eight years,” we wrote in IGN’s Nintendo Switch 2 review, awarding it 7/10, “but improvements that are mostly playing catch-up and a big price jump make this sequel system about as exciting as a long-overdue phone upgrade in the larger scheme of things.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Ubisoft’s next big patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is available today, July 29, 2025, and the publisher has now given a detailed rundown of everything included.
As previously announced, Title Update 1.0.7 adds New Game Plus mode, which will unlock as soon as you hit the credits after completing the game’s story. From here, you have a couple of options: either to restart the game from scratch, or pick up the action from when Naoe first arrives at the game’s hideout. Either way, your hard-earned gear, skills, allies and hideout progression will carry over.
Whether you’re playing New Game Plus or not, there’s a level cap increase from 60 to 80, and a boost in the Knowledge Rank cap from 8 to 10, allowing you to counter the game’s higher-level enemies with the ability to unlock more skills. You can also now upgrade gear at your Forge to level 4, too.
Sweat your way through Shadows’ story a second time via New Game Plus and you’ll unlock a gold katana and long katana for Naoe and Yasuke, respectively, and also snag the last of the following three new achievements/trophies, which this update also adds:
Enjoy the Ride: Reach Level 80
Stars Unseen: Reach Knowledge Rank 10
Worth its Wait: Complete the story on New Game Plus
Finally, Ubisoft has rebalanced some of the game’s money and resources. Players will likely be happy to see a boosted amount of Mon now given from selling items, while purchased items cost less. You’ll also get more resources from dismantling items and from end of season chests.
Ubisoft is set to continue updating Shadows for the forseeable future, with a further patch due in early September that will add the ability to fast-forward the time of day and better unfog the world map when synchronising viewpoints. Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ first major expansion, Claws of Awaji, then arrives on September 16 as the game’s first paid add-on — though it will be free for anyone who originally pre-ordered the game.
Find today’s full patch notes below:
NEW GAME+
Upon completing the main story on any difficulty, start a new game while keeping all collected skills, gear, Allies and hideout progression from your first playthrough.
KNOWLEDGE RANK & LEVEL CAP INCREASE
We’ve raised the level cap from 60 to 80, meaning tougher foes with enhanced tactics and awareness – demanding sharper reflexes and smarter strategies.
To meet this rising threat, we’ve also expanded the Knowledge Rank system to 9 & 10 allowing players to unlock and develop a broader array of skills, passives, and combat techniques to become even more masterful.
The Forge can now be upgraded to level 4, allowing players to upgrade all weapons and gear to level 80 to have the edge on the rising threats that await.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Removed a performance warning on MacBook Air when using M4 following improved support.
Fixed an error in Photo Mode where the “Show UI” prompt was visible in preview mode, affecting players taking screenshots with their native systems.
Individual items will now have their dedicated page within the store.
Katsuhime no longer vanishes from the hideout after the previous 1.0.5 fix for the breakup bug.
BALANCING
Adjusted the number of Mon received from trading. Purchasing items costs less, whereas selling items gives more.
Increased the number of resources gained from dismantling items.
Slightly increased the amount of crafting materials needed to upgrade items.
Rebalanced the end of season chest rewards and increased the quantity of crafting materials and Hideout resources given.
The Radial Effect upgrade in Yasuke’s Teppo tree had its base damage increased from 25% to 50%, and its damage is now also further increased by other Armor Buster upgrades.
Allies now gain more health and damage as the player levels up.
Ronin enemies now have 4 Health Segments, up from 3.
LIST OF BUG FIXES
General
Cultural discoveries near Katano Castle now appear correctly in the codex after being observed.
Corrected Naoe’s Kata dialogue in Wakasa.
Added a ‘Mark all as Read’ option for the Codex menu.
Added a Level Selector for Knowledge Path.
Fixed the ‘Limitless’ trophy occasionally not unlocking after obtaining a legendary piece of gear of each type.
Gameplay
Addressed an issue where players potentially got stuck outside the Animus wall during the Revenge mission in Tsuruga Castle. Get back here!
Fixed a bug where players could get stuck inside a room in Saika Castle.
Corrected a bug where players could get stuck whilst exiting the Miyataki Warehouse.
Fixed a bug where players could get stuck inside rocks in the Obama Hillside area.
Addressed an issue with Naoe’s Robes of the Enraged.
Genzaburo’s Teppo Master is back from lunch and is now present at Kaya Shrine.
Fixed an error with some cross-progression achievements caused if a playthrough was partly on MacOS.
Skills & Upgrades
Fixed an issue where the “Hidden Hand” cooldown reduction upgrades were not applied.
Fixed an issue where the “Extended Perception” Shinobi Upgrade didn’t grant the extra tools damage.
Corrected an issue where the “Nightcrawler” Assassin passive didn’t grant damage at night.
Corrected an issue where the “Endless Barrage” Tanto Upgrade was instead granting the effect of the “Contemplation” Tanto Upgrade, and vice versa.
Fixed an issue where the “Invigorating Kill” Tanto Upgrade only worked with the stabbing part of the move and not the throw.
Addressed an issue where the “Teppo’s Might” Teppo Upgrade only worked with the automatic follow-up shot and not the Teppo melee swing.
Corrected an issue where perks that increased adrenaline gained on deflect, parry and dodge had little to no effect.
Fixed an issue where damage assassinations gave less adrenaline than successful assassinations.
Fixed an issue where the “Ability damage” knowledge tree node had no effect beyond 1st level.
Corrected an issue where the “Posture damage” knowledge tree node had no effect beyond 1st level.
Solved an issue where the “Vulnerable damage” knowledge tree node had no effect beyond 1st level.
Fixed an issue where afflictions had lower durations on civilians than on enemies.
Fixed an issue where damage reduction perks weren’t applied against some enemy projectiles.
Addressed an issue where the “Wave of Wasps” Teppo was awarded with a random perk, instead of its legendary perk.
Addressed an issue where equipping the “Gown of the Spirit” Naoe Light Armor prevented all tools from applying any buildup.
Visuals & Graphics
Addressed various environmental issues with floating trees and rocks. Tree huggers rejoice!
Fixed an issue where the glowing eyes on the Mountain Demon Kanabo appeared out of place when the weapon was holstered.
Corrected an issue where the Ikko Ikki banner within the Hideout did not match its preview.
Fixed an issue causing the game to crash when previewing hideout cosmetic stations on a building with the Dragon Skin applied to it.
UI
The database entry for Sen No Rikyu now displays the correct image.
Corrected an issue where setting HUD visibility to “Disable”, then switching to “ON” would cause some of the HUD modules to not work.
Fixed a text-only issue where “Armor Avoidance” Long Katana Upgrade stated it granted 100% armor piercing, when it only granted 50%.
Corrected a text-only issue where “Marksman’s Touch” Teppo Upgrade stated it granted 100% armor piercing, when it only granted 50%.
Fixed a text-only issue where “Widespread” Tools Upgrade stated it increased the Smoke Bomb radius to 10 meters, when it only increased it to 5 meters.
Addressed a text-only issue where “Absolute Shockwave” Kanabo Upgrade showed 167% instead of 67%.
Corrected an issue where the “Improved Ground Assassinate” icon was larger than intended.
Reworded the “Improved Sense” Assassin Upgrade to showcase the lingering effect duration in seconds.
Reworded the “Temporal Mastery” Bow Upgrade to showcase the slow time duration in seconds.
Localization
Corrected the German localization in Rescue the Special Guest.
Fixed an error where unnecessary characters appeared in the German translation of the “+50% damage on next hit after a kill” engraving.
Addressed a typo in the “Kirishitan” codex entry for Cristão.
SPOILERS WARNING!
Quests
Fighting for the Cause: Fixed an issue where Kimura Kei could not be killed because the third attack sequence would not begin. Why won’t you die already?!
Butterfly Collector: Adjusted the positioning of the Paper Merchant.
Against The Koga-ryu: Fixed an issue where players could not complete the quest because Katsuhime was missing. Can’t a girl take a break?
A Promise: Addressed an issue where the servant did not respond to interactions. Rude.
Temple Stories: Fixed an issue where players could not continue due to being unable to interact with Joken Hokkyo.
Addressed an issue where killing all Genzaburo soldiers before meeting Koshiro prevented his quest progression.
Lost Honor: Fixed an issue where players couldn’t progress in the quest because Ise Sadatame was stuck in place.
Homecoming: Fixed an issue where players could not complete the quest after killing the target in version 1.0.6.
PLATFORM-SPECIFIC FIXES
PC
“Critical Hit!” achievement now unlocks correctly.
Corrected the mistranslation of “manual” for the Chinese localization for HUD settings.
Fixed a typo in the “Collector” achievement for the German localization on Steam and Ubisoft Connect.
Mac OS
Engravings are now correctly awarded when looting a legendary weapon.
Getting a group of friends together to learn and play a board game can be a daunting task. Not only does it require everyone in-person, but between setting up, learning the rules, and actually playing through the game it can end up taking multiple hours. Thankfully, there’s an online solution that solves many of these issues.
Board Game Arena might be one of the best-kept secrets, despite having more than 10 million registered players. Still, the flexibility to play many of the most popular games today whenever you desire makes it a must for board game enthusiasts. With a massive catalog spanning every genre, it’s got plenty to offer for both casual and hardcore players alike. Check out our full breakdown below to learn more about Board Game Arena, some of the included games, pricing, and what devices are supported.
What Is Board Game Arena?
Board Game Arena is a website that allows you to play more than 1,000 popular board games—completely free. What’s the catch? Surprisingly, there isn’t one. It really is as good as it sounds. A metaphorical board game buffet just waiting to be devoured.
The browser-based website is pretty lightweight, allowing it to run seamlessly across desktop and mobile devices. You can play games in real-time with players from across the world or set up a turn-based match that lets players take turns when it’s convenient for them. While this significantly increases the time it takes to complete a game, it’s a flexible option that’s perfect for those with a busy schedule who can’t dedicate the time it takes to sit down and play longer games.
How it works
Most games include a step-by-step guided tutorial, which is the perfect way to learn a new game that doesn’t require combing through a massive rulebook. Many also have links to educational videos if you prefer to learn by watching.
The best part about Board Game Arena is that the entire experience is automated. That means no more worrying about the rules or players potentially cheating. Each game features a simple interface that clearly indicates which moves you can make at any given moment. This also helps games move along at a brisk pace, as there’s no setup, teardown, or fiddling with components.
Players can create digital tables and indicate the number of opponents they are looking for before starting a match. Generally, finding players is quick, with tables often filled in a matter of seconds. Some games even include expansion content, which you can decide to enable when setting up your table.
Each game features a built-in text chat option to interact with your friends or opponents. And, if you want to host a virtual game night and get the full experience, optional voice and video chat are also available.
Because many board games require a lot of time and commitment, Board Game Arena leverages a reputation system for all players. Anyone who takes too long to make a move or leaves a game before it’s finished receives a penalty. This allows you to quickly identify potential problem players and avoid matching with them to ensure a positive play experience.
For players looking to test their ability, Board Game Arena also offers ranked matches and tournaments for every game. This is a great way to face off against some of the best players in the world and improve your skill.
How Much Does Board Game Arena Cost?
Board Game Arena is available in two tiers: free and Premium. The free tier only requires that you create a free account in order to access the catalog of games. However, you’ll quickly find that many of the most popular games have the “Premium” badge on them, which means you can’t start a table unless you have a paid subscription. If you’re patient, though, you can wait for another premium member to set up a table and join for free.
But, to experience the best of Board Game Arena without any restrictions, you’ll want to sign up for a Premium account. Like most game subscription services, you can pay monthly or yearly, with the latter being a bit cheaper in comparison. Board Game Arena’s is priced at $5 per month or $42 per year (which works out to about $3.50 a month). For less than the price of a new board game you can experience more than 1,000—with more added every week.
For more experienced players, there are plenty of longer, more strategic games that typically need a well-versed group to play including Terraforming Mars, Ark Nova, and Terra Mystica. While these games can take hours in-person, the instant setup and automated turn structure helps them move much faster than their real-world counterparts, making this the ideal way to play many of these heavier games.
Although most games require two or more players to enjoy, Board Game Arena has a vast catalog of solo games for players who prefer that format. Many modern games also include a solo variant, allowing you to play against an automa and learn the strategy without the pressure of additional players.
Even if you only have a few minutes to spare, Board Game Arena also features dozens of quick board games that can be played on your phone to give you your fix. The beauty of its massive catalog is that you can choose the perfect game based on how much time you have available.
Board Game Arena – Available Platforms
Since Board Game Arena is browser-based, it’s available on just about any modern device that can access an internet browser. While you can play games on mobile, I find that some games’ visual aspects don’t scale well for the smaller screen. Your best bet is to play on PC, Mac, or even a tablet as each of these can fit more visuals and information on the screen.
Matthew Adler has written for IGN since 2019 covering all things gaming, tech, tabletop games, and more. You can follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.
It’s no secret that while Nintendo Switch 2 has some excellent games already available, many of these are quite expensive. While the console just launched in early June, Woot has an ongoing sale where you can save a few dollars off some of the biggest Switch 2 games out now. This includes Mario Kart World and the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Save on Mario Kart World and Zelda Switch 2 Editions
First, Mario Kart World is on sale for $71.99. As the first new Mario Kart experience in over a decade, World has a ton of new courses and mechanics to discover. For the first time ever, Mario Kart enters an open world, with each track interconnected on one landmass. The trick system has seen a massive overhaul, with support for wall riding, and the new Knockout Tour mode is an excellent battle royale-style way to play Mario Kart.
Moreover, the Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are both on sale, and these games are simply masterpieces. The Nintendo Switch 2 Editions only improve on that, offering enhanced resolutions and framerates that elevate the experience. You can even use the new Zelda Notes functionality through the Nintendo Switch app to hear voice recordings and tips to assist you on your journey through Hyrule.
Beyond these three games, there are dozens of first party Nintendo Switch games like Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and more on sale. This is really an excellent time to expand your collection without breaking the bank.
Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundles Are Getting Restocks
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.
Whether it’s the difficulty of gathering your game group together consistently, you prefer playing solo, or you’re just looking for new players to test your strategies against, physical board games and tabletop experiences may not be enough. Luckily, some fantastic games have been adapted into digital formats that allow for gaming wherever your gaming group may be and for tense matches whenever you want. It really is an exciting time to be a fan of tabletop games.
This guide will point you in the direction of digital adaptations that will scratch that itch you have to play some board games, but also serve as learning resources to introduce new titles into your game night rotation.
Featured in this article
Just a note: This list won’t include digital adaptations for TCGs such as Magic: The Gathering or Virtual Tabletop platforms for TTRPGs; it focuses solely on board games.
Root
Root from Leder Games disguises rich asymmetric area control under the facade of cute and cuddly woodland critters. Anywhere from one to four players struggle against one another, attempting to take control of areas and complete unique faction-specific goals to earn Victory Points. Whoever reaches 30 points first wins.
This digital adaptation successfully captures the visual style of Kyle Ferrin’s art and benefits from different aspects being automated. Root offers both Local and Online play in addition to some wonderful tutorials, which are especially helpful and a great resource in learning all of the factions. Speaking of factions, developer Direwolf Digital (expect to see that more on the list) continues to release expansions, unlocking new maps and playable factions.
Dune: Imperium
With the physical version winning SXSW’s Board Game of the Year in 2022 and the digital adaptation recently winning BoardGameGeeks’ 2024 Golden Geek award for Best Board Game App, Dune: Imperium is an easy recommendation. This mixture of a worker placement and deck-building title set in the Dune universe is a modern classic that offers a fun time for board game hobbyists while not being overly complicated to get into for newcomers. Players take turns placing their spies around Dune, improving their standing with different groups, and waging war in an effort to earn enough points to trigger the end game.
What’s really neat about this digital version is that not only does it feature a good tutorial, solo play against computers, and online play (ranked, events, and casual options), but you can also test your skills with special Challenge games with unique rules. Regardless of how you play it, anyone even remotely interested in board games should try Dune: Imperium – or its sort of 2nd Edition, Dune: Imperium – Uprising – at least once. Check out our Dune: Imperium board game review for more details about the game itself.
Spirit Island
You are a powerful spirit, and your island and its inhabitants, the Dahan (who are also your worshippers), are in danger from foreign invaders who are laying claim to portions of your home. It’s up to you and your fellow spirits to deal with this problem. Spirit Island is a cooperative deck-building and area control game, where you and your friends will have to use your spirits’ special abilities and build out a power deck to force these colonists off your island.
This digital implementation streamlines the process, offloading all of the upkeep between turns like spawning more colonists and moving them around, making this feel like an overall much faster game. Despite being a cooperative title, this game can be challenging, but luckily, the various spirits are ranked in terms of complexity, so even board game beginners can have a good time. Adding in the expansions will provide you with even more spirits to choose from, more customization choices for your island, with Horizons of Spirit Island designed as the ideal jumping-in point for those learning Spirit Island.
Machi Koro with Everyone
What’s even better than getting one digital board game? Getting two! Machi Koro with Everyone is a digital bundle that provides players with both the first and second versions of this delightful and charming game. In Machi Koro, players spend coins to buy new properties for their small cities and roll dice to try to earn money, with the end goal of being the first person to build three special buildings.
This adaptation features colorful art and cute customizable avatars. It is an excellent board game for families to enjoy, thanks to its local play functionality and short game time of approximately 20 minutes. When you’re ready, though, you can go online and test your skills against other players around the world. Machi Koro with Everyone is the easiest game to learn on this list, and arguably one of the most charming.
Scythe: Digital Edition
Set in an alternate version of the 1920s Europe where giant mechs exist and help with farming (and war), Scythe is an engine-building / worker placement game where players manage not only gathering resources but also waging war on one another. This digital adaptation of the game captures all of the tense moments and rich strategy that players have fallen in love with in the physical board game, but speeds things up thanks to the automation of various systems that only a digital game can provide.
As a nifty added bonus, Sythe Digital allows you to customize the paint scheme of your units. If you’re looking to play against your friends instead of just the computer or random folks online, Scythe: Digital Edition features crossplay, allowing you to play with others regardless of the platform.
Gloomhaven
It could be argued that one of the games that has defined this new era of tabletop was 2017’s behemoth of a game, Gloomhaven. This sprawling campaign title featuring 95 unique scenarios, branching storylines, a ton of characters, and intricate card-based combat has left it’s mark on the scene, but one thing that has always held it back somewhat are the space it takes up and the large amount of time investment it takes to get to the end. Thankfully, Gloomhaven has a digital version that allows you to play online with your friends, instead of trying to organize 50 in-person game nights with friends, regardless of what platform someone may own the game on. If you find yourself a master Gloomhaven player already, then you can take on the 100 special Guildmaster missions or build your own levels with the game’s built-in level editor, and share with the community.
The progenitor of the deck-building genre of board games, Dominion is the perfect game to bust out when you have a little time to kill. In Dominion, players take turns buying cards from a shared pool of available options, determined by the expansions and sets they have, creating unique scenarios. What makes this game beloved is how different card effects and triggers play off of one another, requiring you to plan out not only what cards you will purchase, but also the order in which to play them from your hand.
This digital version continues to see strong support, with many of the physical game’s expansions seeing release in this format as well, and with the option to play not only against computer opponents of various difficulties, you can also play online against friends and random players around the world, regardless of the platform.
The fact that the base game, which can provide hours of fun on its own, is completely free, when paired with just how many expansions you can also get for this digital game, make it an easy inclusion on the list, and we have also featured Dominion on some of our other lists too, including the best deck-building games.
Werewolf / Mafia
How well can you tell when your friends are lying, and how well can you hide when you are? Werewolf / Mafia is the purest form of social deduction and deception out there, and while it balances the lines of whether it’s a social experience or a game, there are still a ton of options available to folks who want to play this online with their friends. Many of these can be played right from the internet browser on your smart device or computer (https://wolfy.net/ , Mafia The Game, https://mafia.gg/, and One Night Ultimate Werewolf are some free examples), others like Town of Salem and its sequel, which have higher production values and more “stuff” to them, can be found on Steam or the various app stores.
Werewolf is a blast to play at parties, and thanks to these online options, you can play with your friends whenever you want! There is also a really interesting history behind the game that you can check out on No Pun Included YouTube channel.
Wingspan
Birds. Birds everywhere! Wingspan is one of those games that has seemingly been able to break into the mainstream consumer environment (and we think it’s pretty great, too). If your family or game group is one of those who adores collecting these feathered friends, this digital version of Wingspan is a must-have. Wingspan is an engine-building game in which you attract different types of birds to roost on your board, lay eggs, and earn points. Thanks to this release, you will be able to play all the Wingspan you can handle, including against your friends, regardless of where they buy it.
If you don’t have a bunch of time all at once to sit down and play a complete game of Wingspan, this digital version also lets you play over the course of numerous days in the form of its asynchronous play. This also allows you to have multiple games going on all at once!
Board Game Arena
With over 1,000 games, more than half of which are available to play even with a free account, Board Game Arena is an amazing option when you and your far-off friends want to enjoy a night of game playing. Playable straight from your phone, tablet, or computer’s browser, BGA lets players connect with other players around the world, take part in tournaments, play either in real time or asynchronously over the span of a week or longer, and even create a friends list so it’s easy to connect with loved ones.
Classic and beloved titles like Catan, Ticket To Ride, River of Gold, and Wingspan are all available, in addition to some brand-new games that aren’t even out yet. A vast majority of the games on BGA (917 currently) come with in-depth step-by-step tutorials to help you learn the game, too. This is a handy tool for individuals who want to make sure they like a game before spending a bunch of money on the physical product.
If you want access to the entire catalog that Board Game Arena offers, you will have to pay to get a Premium account, but at only $5 a month or $36 a year, the price is well worth it just for the additional games you get alone. However, free players can still play those games, they just can’t make a table of those games, meaning they are still able to join other premium players’ tables without having to drop a dime.
Out of all the games on this list, Board Game Arena is by far the best value for your buck. The service runs on your normal internet browser, so anyone with a smartphone can join and play, though we recommend playing it on your computer or tablet instead.
Sony is suing Tencent, alleging its upcoming game Light of Motiram is “a slavish clone of SIE’s…Horizon series of video games.”
The complaint, which was filed in a California court last week, alleges that Tencent’s upcoming adventure game Light of Motiram is illegally similar to Horizon: Forbidden West and Horizon: Zero Dawn in everything from creature design to protagonist to marketing materials. The complaint outlines numerous similarities, comparing various marketing screenshots from both games as well as the game descriptions.
Like Horizon, Light of Motiram takes place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by giant robot dinosaurs who roam large, natural environments such as tropical forests, deserts, and snowy mountains. Humans, just like in Horizon, live in tribal groups and must fight the machine animals, who also largely line up with those in Horizon, to survive. Both games even feature red-haired women protagonists that wear very similar outfits and styles, and Motiram even has its lead sporting a device awfully similar to Aloy’s “Focus” earpiece.
The complaint also cites headlines from a number of gaming websites, including Kotaku, TheGamer, and GameRant, as well as various Steam and Reddit comments, that all remark on the similarities between the two games and the likelihood that Sony would probably sue over the issue.
“The commonalities with Horizon disclosed in the Light of Motiram promotional game trailer and other promotional materials included not only identical story and gameplay themes, cultural, and character elements, but also art style, landscapes, architectural and art elements, color palettes, fonts, and symbols. Lighting and points of view are also highly similar,” the complaint reads.
Also per Sony’s complaint, Tencent allegedly knew exactly what it was doing here. Sony says that Tencent began developing Light of Motiram in 2023, and approached Sony at the 2024 Game Developers Conference to ask for a licensing deal to develop its own Horizon game. Sony turned Tencent down. But Tencent kept developing Light of Motiram anyway. Sony also claims it approached Tencent informally to resolve the copyright dispute once it became aware of the game, but when it did so, Sony says Tencent tried once again to license Horizon. Sony once again refused, and Tencent allegedly moved forward with the game’s promotions and playtests.
Sony is suing Tencent for copyright and trademark infringement, as well as false designation of origin. It’s asking the court to permanently enjoing Tencent from infringing its copyright, for costs and damages of up to $150,000 for each separate work in Horizon that’s been infringed, and demands that Tencent deliver all infringing materials to Sony for destruction.
Meanwhile, Light of Motiram has a Steam listing, but no release date just yet.
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 most devastating part about Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game is just how short it falls of fulfilling such an insanely promising premise. I mean, which Tolkien nerd among us hasn’t daydreamed about living a relaxing life as a halfling? But instead of the warmth and comfort of the Shire, I spent 25 hours feeling like I was marching through the Dead Marshes in this cozy misadventure. It’s regrettably dull from start to finish, and runs so badly I wasn’t even allowed to be bored out of my mind in peace. The barebones life sim mechanics offer some of the most shallow versions of classic activities like fishing and farming that we’ve seen done much better in dozens of other games, and building social links with the inhabitants of Bywater is monotonous, repetitive, and never worth the effort. There’s at least some humorous writing and fun moments here and there, and the cooking minigame that serves as the main progression activity thankfully has slightly more depth than the other chores you do, but the few bright spots that exist are drowned out by one of the most disappointing cozy games I played since the Second Age. I went into Tales of the Shire thinking I’d be as happy as Denethor seeing Boromir, but I got Faramir instead.
Though it rarely succeeds in the attempt, Tales of the Shire mostly follows the blueprint of games like Animal Crossing and Disney Dreamlight Valley, with stress-free slice of life activities in a quiet village as the main draw. You’ll try your hand at lesser versions of the usual fishing, gardening, and cooking minigames as you improve your relationships with your fellow townsfolk – all wrapped in a Tolkien skin that plays with the characters and locations found in The Lord of the Rings. The minimalistic story puts you in the hairy feet of a hobbit who’s recently moved to Bywater and begins to establish themself in the community, all while fixing up the rundown hobbit hole you’re given. You’ll meet some recognizable characters like Gandalf and Rosie Cotton and run samey errands for your neighbors in an attempt to get Bywater officially recognized as a village. As is often the case with games like this, it’s not much of a story, but has some likeable characters and amusing moments here and there as the goofy cast of hobbits bicker and squabble over trivial things that only a hobbit would bother caring about. Unfortunately, a complete absence of voice acting inhibits this high point; it just never quite felt right for such colorful and well-known characters to be completely silent throughout the story’s roughly 15-hour runtime.
Tales lacks those hidden layers of depth to get completely lost in.
One of the great things about the life sim genre is that, although they can appear fairly superficial at first, the longer you play, the more you discover hidden layers of depth to get completely lost in. Unfortunately, Tales lacks this essential component. At the point where I’d usually expect to enter an impossible-to-put-down chain of easygoing activities as I build out a quiet, virtual life for myself, it instead had me scratching my head as to what the point of all the monotonous busywork they’d saddled me with even was. That’s mainly because, despite featuring lots of cooking, Tales has very little meat on the bones for the vast majority of its mechanics, like how the best way to make money is to slowly walk back and forth across the very small map, picking up the same very small handful of foragable goods, then selling them so you can buy a single cut of bacon to use in cooking. The only time anything changes is when the seasons shift every dozen or so in-game days and you get a few new ingredients to find and crops to plant, but there’s a whole heck of a lot of tiresome grinding in between those shifts, which ultimately only alter the ingredients you’re collecting and the look of the village anyway.
Nearly every activity you’re expected to grind, from fishing to gardening, suffers from this same infuriating lack of depth. For example, you can only fish in a few spots around the map, and doing so yields the same very small handful of fish with little to augment or evolve your angling over time. When I unlocked my first fishing rod upgrade after completing numerous fishing-based quests, I was hopeful this would expand the number of fishing holes accessible to me or let me catch a whole new roster of sea creatures, but only moments later those hopes were dashed as I returned to the same places and caught the exact same fish I’d been reeling in for hours. And since you’re given tons of humdrum quests that require quite a lot of fishing to complete, you’re subjected to a whole lot of tedious repetition with very little in the way of payoff.
Really the only exception is the cooking minigame, which serves as the main activity that all the others seem built to support and is much more substantial as a result. Fishing, foraging, gardening, taking care of chickens, and buying ingredients are all just a means to an end for your ever-hungry hobbit, and all of the components you gather are brought back to your home to combine into a dish you’ll then use to curry favor with other hobbits. You’re able to invite a few of your neighbors to share a meal with you once per in-game day, and after learning their preferences and cravings, you’ll have to mix together the right combination of flavors to maximize how much your cooking causes them to like you. Doing so levels up your social links, which awards ingredients and new recipes that open up new possibilities, and even occasionally result in a short conversation between you and whichever hobbit you’ve charmed – a decent payoff to your investment in a game that doesn’t respect your time in most other areas.
You’re subjected to a lot of tedious repetition with very little payoff.
To be clear, Tales still doesn’t really nail this minigame either, as the actual game part isn’t very good and is overly simplistic, especially in the first dozen or so hours before you unlock additional cooking tools that add a tad more nuance to the process. For example, unlocking the sauce pan allows you to stir different seasonings into your dishes that augment the flavor profile. Plus, you’re required to take on a ton of very boring chores just to get the ingredients you need, and then there’s a good chance you’ll just be waiting around for the next day to come before you can invite new people, since there are so few things to do aside from the time-gated meals. But cooking and the social elements it triggers are at least a relative highlight in a life sim that is so consistently underwhelming, and it does evolve over time in a way that the other activities don’t.
Beyond the grind of gathering ingredients, cooking meals, and feeding them to the residents of Bywater, you’ll also improve and decorate your little slice of the Shire. The home you’re given is pretty rundown at the outset, but is expanded and fixed up as you complete activities, the most important of which is the ability to raise chickens that generate eggs and gain access to more farm space. Unfortunately, although it’s nice to have more room and other small improvements like an actual working front door that takes way too long to unlock, there’s not a lot of interesting things to do with the additional space you’re given indoors. You gradually unlock decorations by completing quests, but there isn’t a ton of variety to them, zero functionality to adding things like new shelves and whatnot, and the entire layout of your home is static, so you have to just work around an existing floorplan that doesn’t offer much room for expression. This means that yet another component that’s usually a major draw in life sim games feels like only the minimum amount of effort was put into it. The good news is that the home you’re given definitely nails the Shire aesthetic when it’s fully upgraded, and even if there’s not many exciting options for personalization, it at least gets the job done when it comes to fulfilling part of the hobbit fantasy.
Even if Tales of the Shire were a more interesting game than it is, it would still be pretty hard to play purely by how unacceptably bad it runs. With constant framerate hitches, pop-in, aliasing, hard crashes, and other wonky stuff that suddenly broke, I never went more than a few minutes without something going terribly wrong. The worst of it was the consistent and repeated crashes throughout my play time that forced me back to my desktop, resulting in half an hour of lost progress as I had to start the entire day over. This often happened right after I completed sharing a meal with my halfling homeys, which requires quite a bit of prep work and planning, making it just about the worst time for a crash to happen. At one point I repeated a single day five times (totaling several hours of game time), with a crash happening at the end of the day each time, to the point where I wondered if I’d permanently broken something and wouldn’t be able to progress any further.
The rest of the issues, like how inconsistent the framerate is and how objects pop up right in front of your face, are more confusing than anything else – I mean, this does not seem like a particularly demanding game and I played on a high-end PC. It’s such a bummer, specifically because the painterly art style and iconic setting of the Shire has so much potential, and almost none of that comes through when you’re seeing shrubbery pop up right in front of you as you walk around town. Then there’s the one-off bugs, like one time where my fishing line stayed in the water when I was done fishing, and it wouldn’t let me put away my rod, so I walked around Bywater with a hilariously long fishing line stretching across the entire map.
I also tried out a little bit of the Switch version and, well, let’s just say that I’d have to write a whole separate review to talk about how especially awful of an experience that was. It’s worth mentioning that near the tailend of my time with Tales of the Shire, there was an update that did improve some of the framerate issues slightly, so there’s at least hope that it will run better in the future after some patching up. But even after the most recent update, it still doesn’t run great.
