Nintendo has clarified compatibility concerns around its all-new GameCube controller, confirming there may be “issues” using it to play contemporary Nintendo Switch 2 games.
Nintendo has now clarified that small print, reiterating that the retro controller was designed to be used primarily with GameCube games. Players may be able use their GameCube controller for other Nintendo Switch 2 games, but there “may be some issues” doing so given the retro device will be missing “all the buttons and features” found in more modern controllers.
Nintendo also repeated its warning that the GameCube controller is only compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 system.
“The Nintendo GameCube controller is designed for use with the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics collection of games and is an optional way to play those games,” Nintendo confirmed in a statement to Nintendo Life.
“Since it doesn’t have all the buttons and features found in other controllers that can be used with the Nintendo Switch 2 system, there may be some issues when playing other games. The Nintendo GameCube controller can only be used on Nintendo Switch 2 and is not compatible with Nintendo Switch.”
The GameCube collection is a major update to the Nintendo Switch Online library, and grants subscribers access to a laundry list of classic 2000s-era titles, including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur 2, which will all be available at launch this summer. Of course, this library will be expanded in the years to come, with some teased titles including Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Strikers, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and more.
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
The following contains major spoilers from Episodes 1-3 of Andor Season 2.
After nearly three years, the long-awaited second season of Andor has arrived on Disney+. Taking place in the lead-up to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (which itself leads directly into Episode IV – A New Hope), Andor follows a cast of characters – both Rebel and Imperial – as they fight for control of the Galaxy.
The first three episodes of Season 2 were filled with action, drama, heartbreak, and some of the funniest scenes of the show so far. Talking exclusively with IGN at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, the cast spoke in depth about some of the most jaw-dropping moments from Episodes 1-3.
Cassian Andor struggles to fly a TIE Avenger.
In the opening scene of Episode 1, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) works with a nervous undercover spy to steal a TIE fighter (specifically a TIE Avenger first seen in 1994’s Star Wars: TIE fighter PC game) from an Imperial test facility on the planet Sienar. And instead of expertly maneuvering the ship out of the building and off-planet, Cassian sneaks into the cockpit and has no idea how to fly it. This leads to a comical sequence in which he awkwardly lurches the Interceptor around a flight hanger before blasting through doors and nearly flying off a cliff. Luna explains there was a deeper meaning to the comedy in the sequence.
“The fun is over after minute four!” Luna jokes. “No, I think there’s a lot of humor in this season. Not that we were looking or searching for it, but it’s just implicit. For that (scene), we were not planning to do a comedic moment, but it is this man battling his ignorance, which makes it very fun. He’s against the Empire and the big problem is himself. He doesn’t know what to do with the equipment he’s trying to fly. I think it’s a very cool action sequence and action is much better when there’s humor around.”
Bix tries to move on from Dr. Gorst.
After what can only be described as a traumatic end to Season 1 where she was brutally tortured by the nefarious Dr. Gorst, Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) is still dealing with the consequences more than a year later. Bix, who has taken refuge on Mina-Rau with Brasso, Wilmon, and droid B2EMO, sees Gorst in her dreams. Arjona says that when we first meet Bix at the beginning of Season 2, she’s doing better but still struggling.
“When we left Bix in Season 1,” Arjona says, “she was at the lowest point that someone can possibly be thanks to Dr. Gorst. So when we meet her for the first time in Season 2, we sort of see almost like a parallel version of Bix from Season 1, Episode 1. We’re (seeing) kind of a hopeful and strong woman. She’s back in workwear, but there’s evidence that Dr. Gorst is still haunting her. And it’s going to take way longer than a year for her to get over this.”
Dedra and Syril make it official.
At the end of Season 1, Imperial Security Bureau Supervisor Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and mid-level bureaucrat Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) flirted – literally and figuratively – with a relationship. Syril told Dedra she had inspired him both in his career and life. Dedra, in turn, was saved by Syril after a group of rioters nearly overwhelmed her on Ferrix. Soller says the events of Season 1 left Syril – who is now officially in a relationship with Dedra – a changed man.
“(Syril is) feeling good and I leaned into that,” says Soller. “It was a joy being able to play with Syril, showing his feathers and trying to flex that a little bit. And seeing how his (new) relationship with Dedra is affecting him and affecting his mother and affecting his relationship to the Empire and his own desires to keep climbing up that ladder. But then there’s this whole other layer (we get to see). So he’s kind of a kid in a candy shop, I think, when you find him at the beginning of Season 2.
Syril’s mother comes to dinner.
Perhaps the breakout character of Andor Season 1 was Eedy Karn (Kathryn Hunter), Syril’s overbearing and nosy mother. Season 2, Episode 3 sees Eedy visit Dedra and Syril in their apartment, leading to an incredibly humorous and awkward dinner in which Dedra puts Eedy firmly in her place. Eedy, not normally one to be trifled with, quickly understands that Dedra is not someone to be messed with either.
“I mean that really is a funny scene,” Gough says. “But for me, Kayhryn Hunter is a legend. I’ve known about her for so long and was so excited. The great thing about that scene is when you work with somebody like Kathryn, she’s a live wire, so she doesn’t make the obvious choices.
“So what looks like an intimidation on the page becomes a negotiation in the room. And so I went Dedra at her, but she did Eedy at me. I think (Dedra and Eedy) would hang out and (Syril) is lying broken on the bed. It was a couple of really fantastic days (on set).”
Mon Mothma dances her cares away.
The first batch of Andor Season 2 episodes ends with a montage in which Cassian rescues Bix and Wilmon from Mina-Rau, (but not Brasso, who was tragically killed by Stormtroopers), a disguised Cinta chauffeurs Mon Mothma’s (Genevieve O’Reilly) childhood friend Tay Koma off to an uncertain fate, and…Mon drunkenly dances at a wedding? But O’Reilly says that seemingly out of place scene has deeper meaning. Mon has just just realized that Tay is no longer trustworthy and might meet an untimely end. Add to that the fact that she’s just married off her young daughter in part to finance the nascent rebellion and Mon decides she needs to seek refuge on the dance floor.
“It was an extraordinary day filming that,” O’Reilly explains. “It was my second to last day shooting. It felt like a very beautiful crescendo, a big piece of the end of three episodes at the wedding. Tony and I have been (saying) that perhaps from the outside, it looks like this beautiful Renaissance painting, but actually it’s a woman trying to exercise the chaos that’s in her brain. She’s dancing to keep herself from screaming. So everything in there (is) layers, there is depth, there are questions.”
Check out our review of Andor Season 2, where we said that she show was “even better” than in Season 1.
The Elder Scrolls fans are praising Bethesda today after the developer gifted free game keys for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered to the entire team behind popular Oblivion mod, Skyblivion.
In a post on BlueSky today, the Skyblivion team shared news of Bethesda’s outreach with their community. “As massive fans, we’re beyond grateful for the generous gift of Oblivion Remastered game keys for our entire modding team! This means so much to us. Thank you for everything, Bethesda!”
Skyblivion is an upcoming fan remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion made by the TESRenewal volunteer modding group. It uses Bethesda’s Creation Engine to recreate Oblivion in the game’s sequel, Skyrim. The project has technically been in the works for over a decade, beginning as a simple direct port and later expanding to a full remake with a number of improved features and even new content. We interviewed one of the developers behind it way back in 2021. Skyblivion is expected to release this year.
Historically, Bethesda and the Skyblivion team have reportedly been on “very good terms,” but as rumors of an official Oblivion remaster grew, some fans questioned if Bethesda wasn’t trying to head off Skyblivion with its own version due to the suspiciously close release timing. A few days ago, anticipating today’s showcase, the Skyblivion team issued a statement addressing these concerns. In it, the team said that Bethesda has “always been supportive of community projects like ours” and that “there is no need for comparisons or a sense of competition” between the two games.
Notably, Oblivision Remastered does not have official mod support, though fans have already been cooking up an array of unofficial mods for the game within hours of its release. Additionally, both versions of Oblivion have unique aspects: Skyblivion, for instance, isn’t available on console at all. Oblivision Remastered, on the other hand, does not include the new and refurbished content that Skyblivion has promised, but does have horse armor DLC at launch for Deluxe Edition buyers. Both versions have different looks and feels, with different interpretations on how much Skyrim-ness should be incorporated into a retread of Oblivion. And of course, you can play Oblivision Remastered today, but those looking forward to Skyblivion will have to wait just a little bit longer.
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.
In 2006, Bethesda was riding high on the success of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. In an effort to keep fans coming back to Cyrodiil, the developer started releasing small paid DLC packages for the game. Little did the company know that it was galloping headlong into controversy when it dropped its first DLC pack that April: horse armor.
Even if you weren’t following games at the time, you’ve likely heard of the horse armor controversy. Though DLC certainly existed pre-horse armor, Oblivion’s Horse Armor Pack (which cost 200 Microsoft Points on the 360 Marketplace, approximately $2.50 at the time) really caused a stir due to the armor being essentially useless.
Now, in 2025, cosmetic upgrades such as this are commonplace, which has allowed Bethesda to be a bit cheeky in its release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and once again charge players extra for horse armor. As a part of today’s reveal and shadow-drop of the remaster, we learned that Oblivion Remastered will include both a base edition and a deluxe edition. For an extra $10 on top of the base game price, deluxe edition buyers will get new quests for unique armors, extra weapon options, a digital artbook and soundtrack app… and yes, horse armor again. Two sets, to be precise.
For the most part, fans seem to be taking this in their stride. We’re almost two decades away from a time when cosmetic DLC like horse armor was a shocking thing to introduce, and players at this point are used to shelling out money for purely cosmetic upgrades. As Circana analyst Mat Piscatella pointed out on BlueSky, video game consumers in the U.S. spent over $10.4 billion on PC and console video game digital add-ons in 2024. “Horse Armor walked so Battle Passes could run.”
In fact, most people just find it funny that Bethesda seems comfortable poking fun at what was once a massive scandal.
Honestly I have to respect it. New players won’t know this, but releasing the horse armor as paid DLC again is a subtle reference to when they singlehandedly ruined the industry by selling it the first time around. I kneel, Todd. https://t.co/BGwBwL3VYX
Oblivion Remastered doesn’t just have horse armor, it already has mods. A handful of community mods made their way to popular website Nexus Mods just hours after Oblivion launched, although these mostly amount to small customization options.
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.
Bethesda has confirmed The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered does not feature official mod support, but that hasn’t stopping dedicated fans from already pushing out a few unofficial mods of their own.
A handful of community mods made their way to popular website Nexus Mods just hours after Bethesda and Virtuos’ Oblivion reimagining shadow-dropped for players across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Although these mostly amount to small customization options, it’s proof that few modding communities are as dedicated as those found in The Elder Scrolls fanbase.
The wave of early mods arrives as Bethesda, which usually encourages mod support in its games, announced that Oblivion Remastered does not feature official mod support this time around. Confirmation that players would need to turn elsewhere for mods was detailed in an FAQ section on its website.
Meanwhile, Nexus Mods user GodschildGaming uploaded their Iron Longsword damage mod in part to show Oblivion Remastered is still ripe for modding.
“This is just to prove modding is possible,” they said in the mod’s description. “Bethesda says no mod support, I say false. It really is Unreal slapped on top of Oblivion, the data folder is nested in a lot more folders but same concept.”
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
If you asked ChatGPT to combine all the most popular action-RPG mechanics in the hopes of creating a single game with broad appeal, you might end up with something as regrettably unfocused as Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree. This 2D sidescroller borrows from soulslikes, metroidvanias, platformers, and more, but it only ever achieves a moderate level of success with any of them and is spread woefully thin in the process. You can see a glimmer of potential in its combat, but that’s immediately undermined by one-dimensional, repetitious enemies with easily evaded attacks; The setting and characters start out intriguing, but quickly devolve into a chain of predictable tropes; And initial lure of running back through previous areas with new abilities becomes monotonous once you get about halfway through and realize how shallow this map really is. None of these missteps are so grievously bad that I outright regretted my time dodge-rolling around the world of Faelduum (apart from the combat), and the deep RPG options the six interesting character classes, dense skill trees, and in-depth equipment and crafting systems provide went quite a long way toward keeping me invested, but this still an otherwise underwhelming adventure in most aspects.
Mandragora’s mix of familiar ideas manages to stand out as its own kind of thing, but no matter what general label you decide to put on it, the important part is that you’re going to be swinging melee weapons, dodge rolling away from attacks, slinging spells, and swinging across gaps with a grapple hook. As you do, you’ll get to know this pessimistic and creepy world, which has been overrun by evil creatures who have left humanity cowering behind city walls. You play as an inquisitor who is sent out into the world in search of evils to kill, all while the creepy voice of a creature you sympathy-murdered whispers things in your head (long story). Unfortunately, that interesting starting point evaporates into a series of extremely lame anti-twists and cliches. For example, there’s not one, but two sections where you meet a character who is obviously the person you’ve been hunting down, but your dumb character believes them when they deny it…only for them to completely shockingly reveal they misled you less than an hour later.
It’s really too bad, because in my early hours I was quite intrigued by the bizarre dark fantasy world filled with 10-foot tall witches, dangerous monsters, and a mysterious cosmic energy called Entropy that seemed like it was going to be a really big problem. There are some great characters to meet too, like the completely unhinged jewel collector, Yrsa, who I always enjoyed bantering with. But that writing, not to mention voice acting, is nowhere near consistent, and you spend a lot of your time hearing from various bad guys about how you can’t possibly defeat them as a mere human. Sounds like someone received a word-a-day calendar filled with bad guy cliches for their birthday!
If there’s one thing Mandragora is consistent about, it is its extremely shallow combat, which pits you against sluggish soldiers and skeletons with hilariously obvious windup animations, pushover rats, and flying bats that are there to annoy you more than anything else. All of them have you simply dodging back and forth each time they take a swing, then getting a few hits in before doing so again. Boss fights are even worse, as most only have three or four unique attacks they hopelessly spam, many of which appear five or more times across the 25-hour campaign, making them feel like rank annoyances that completely betray the difficulty they’re clearly going for. Dying in Mandragora therefore usually has more to do with impatience in trying to get through a certain section of samey enemies or repeated bosses than actual challenge. There are moments where the combat’s promise comes through and you get an energizing 2D duel, like when you come across a new minion with a fresh bag of tricks or during a few of the bigger, more unique boss fights. But I mostly found myself starved for those encounters and immediately upset when they passed and I went straight back to fighting bland suits of armor for a couple more hours.
Platforming primarily acts as the most minor of breaks between fights.
The main things that make combat more bearable are the skill trees and RPG mechanics you build up and customize along the way, which have some pretty neat options that at least offer new ways to defeat that fourth giant poisonous rat boss. I spent most of my time as a fast-moving assassin with poisonous daggers, teleporting in to close the distance with my enemies, but there’s also spell slinging options and tanky sword-and-board builds, plus the option to cross-pollinate into other skill trees to make yourself a little more well-rounded. For example, I ended up leveling my assassin into my two neighboring magical skill trees to diversify the types of damage I could deal, since poison wasn’t always effective when fighting the sixth giant poisonous rat boss (they seriously like reusing that boss). You’re also able to find and craft loot, tweaking its stats with runic enchantments and all that usual RPG goodness, and that level of buildcrafting depth is one of the ways in which Mandragora stands out.
As a sidescroller, there’s also a fair bit of platforming and secret hunting to be done, but these sections have mostly acted as the most minor of breaks in between combat sequences. There aren’t any puzzles to solve, and the handful of sections that have you dodging traps are mostly extremely obvious obstacles where giant blocks slam up and down with basically no chance of actually crushing you unless you straight up aren’t paying attention. In true metroidvania fashion, you’ll find plenty of spots that are just out of reach until you unlock a certain upgrade, but this too is quite shallow – there’s only a grapple hook, a double jump, and a glide, all of which are spread super far apart.
You’ll see about a hundred opportunities to use a double jump before you get it way too late in the adventure, and not in a tempting, “I can’t wait to get up there” sort of way. The glide is particularly hilarious as you don’t get it until the very last hour, by which point you’ve got little incentive to go back through every area looking for extras before heading into the final stretch. I generally enjoy backtracking for secrets in games like this, but after seeing eight-hours worth of new levels before getting the next upgrade, it’s a bit exhausting to consider retracing all of that just to get a few upgrade materials, especially when you’d be subjecting yourself to the same tedious combat encounters you’ve already completed a bunch of times.
Mandragora also suffers from some mild technical issues. Whenever I played for long stretches at a time, the framerate would gradually begin to tank until it was nearly unplayable. It never outright crashed, but I got to the point where resetting my PlayStation was the only real option, and that would reliably fix the problem for the next six-to-eight hours. I don’t imagine going for that long in one sitting will be the way most people play, though, and I only ever encountered the most minor of problems outside of these marathons, so this might not be an issue if you aren’t an absolute goblin like me.
In what’s gotta be the worst-kept secret in recent gaming memory, Bethesda has shadow-dropped The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered for Xbox, PS5, and PC. If you’re a PC gamer (or a Steam Deck owner, as it’s verified on Deck) you can save some cash, because it’s already on sale for PC. Right now, both Fanatical and Green Man Gaming are offering deals on the Steam version of Oblivion Remastered that drop the price up to 17%. Not bad on a brand-new version of a classic game.
The standard edition of the game comes with the original base game, plus the Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine story expansions, as well as some additional downloadable content. The above links bring you to the best deals currently available. We’ll update the list if any more pop up.
Oblivion Remastered Digital Deluxe Edition
For about $10 more, you can get the digital deluxe edition (which is also on sale at the above retailers). If you do, here’s what you get, in addition to the base game:
New quests for unique digital Akatosh and Mehrunes Dagon Armors, Weapons, and Horse Armor Sets
Digital Artbook and Soundtrack App
What’s New in Oblivion Remastered?
This remaster, made by Virtuos Games while Bethesda keeps plugging away at Elder Scrolls VI, has a number of improvements over the original:
Overhauled visuals including dynamic lighting, updated character models, and remastered environments
Improved combat and quality-of-life UI enhancements
Native widescreen and ultra-widescreen support
Full controller support and Steam Deck compatibility
Enhanced modding tools for the community
The remaster preserves the massive open world that helped make Oblivion IGN’s Game of the Year 2006 winner, while bringing it in line with contemporary performance standards on Unreal Engine 5.
Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.
Days Gone Remastered is not far off now, and today Sony’s Bend Studio detailed some of the accessibility features in store for the updated version of the game, including the option to slow down Game Speed when things get tense.
In a new PlayStation Blog, Bend Studio’s Creative & Product Lead Kevin McAllister walked through the different accessibility features included in Days Gone Remastered. When it comes to Game Speed, Bend has an option for letting players change the actual speed of gameplay, from 100% down to 75%, 50%, and 25%. The aim, as McAllister said, is to make it easier for players who struggle in high-pressure situations.
“Game Speed is ideal for players who might feel overwhelmed in certain situations or have difficulty with various inputs in high pressure moments, specifically fighting off hordes of Freakers,” said McAllister. “Hordes are a pillar in Days Gone gameplay and with our new Horde Assault mode arriving in the remaster, we wanted to make this unique combat experience more accessible to our players.”
Other parts of the accessibility options for Days Gone Remastered include subtitle colors, a customizable High Contrast Mode, UI Narration, and Collectible Audio Cues. The auto-complete QTE option, previously only allowed in Easy difficulty, is also getting enabled on any difficulty from Easy to Survival II.
While these options are all going to arrive in Days Gone Remastered, Bend Studios also confirmed most of the new accessibility features will be coming to Days Gone on PC as well. Some, like the feedback and customization control options, will require a compatible controller.
Days Gone Remastered was officially announced in February, with some extra bells and whistles like an enhanced photo mode, permadeath and speedrun options, and the aforementioned accessibility features. The remaster of the 2019 biker-centric, post-apocalyptic zombie action-adventure isn’t far off, either.
Days Gone Remastered will go live on April 25, 2025. Those who already have a PS4 version of Days Gone will be able to upgrade to the PS5 remastered version for $10.
If you’ve been eyeing the Scarlet & Violet: 151 set — one of the most nostalgia-fueled Pokémon TCG releases in years — chances are you’ve come across the 151 Booster Bundle on Amazon. At $66.65 for just six packs, it might seem like a harmless splurge. But that price? It’s more than double the MSRP.
A standard six-pack bundle should cost around $29.99 to $34.99, making Amazon’s markup not just steep, but straight-up bad value. Despite the flashy marketing and glowing reviews, there’s no guarantee you’ll pull anything even close to worth that price. You’re basically paying premium for the privilege of disappointment.
Pokémon TCG 151 Booster Bundle
The upside? Prices for singles from the 151 set are dropping fast. So instead of gambling on blind packs, you can pick up exactly the cards you want — from heavy hitters like Charizard ex to stunning collector pieces like the alt-art Pikachu — for way less.
If you’re after nostalgia, go ahead and crack some packs from the wallet-busting 151 bundle. But if you’re building a competitive deck or just chasing standout cards like Blastoise ex, the smart move is investing in singles. Sites like TCGplayer offer great value, and buying directly means no dud pulls, no wasted cash, and just the cards you care about.
Best 151 Illustration Cards to Collect
Blastoise ex (200/165) is currently the crown jewel of the 151 illustrated rares, and for good reason. Priced at about $66, it features a serene riverside scene of Blastoise at rest, a far cry from typical action poses.
The artwork feels more like a Ghibli frame than a trading card, which is why collectors are paying top dollar for it. It’s a grail card that you’d be extremely lucky to pull from a booster pack, let alone multiple copies.
Venusaur ex (198/165) isn’t far behind. Retailing around $60, it showcases the Grass-type legend lounging among blooming flowers in a dreamy forest scene.
These Illustration Rares are printed with unique texturing and alternate art styles, offering depth and color palettes that set them apart from standard ex cards. If your collection leans toward display-worthy art, this is an easy pickup.
Then there’s Charmander (168/165), a fan favorite that combines cuteness and nostalgia in one of the most beloved alt-art designs in recent memory. Despite its popularity, you can currently snag it for under $50, which is less than the price of the booster bundle and a far better emotional return than pulling a non-holo Caterpie.
Best 151 Cards for Competitive TCG Decks
While the illustrated rares turn heads, the set also includes powerful cards for players looking to improve their competitive decks. Charizard ex (183/165) can cause a massive 160 damage with just one fire energy thanks to Brave Wing, just make sure it gets knocked around a bit first. It’s one of the few viable Charizards in standard play and it’s only about $39 as a single card.
Blastoise ex (184/165) also deserves a second mention, not just as a collector card but a solid battlefield tank. Its Solid Shell passive reduces incoming damage and Twin Cannons can hit for 140 per Water energy discarded, making it lethal in the late game. And if you don’t need the full-art version, the Alt Art ex is going for just $13.
Finally, Mew ex (193/165) offers unmatched versatility. Its Restart ability gives you a once-per-turn card draw boost and its Genome Hacking attack can copy an opponent’s attacks with ease. That makes it ideal for control decks and rogue strategies.
For under $27, it’s a tactical addition that gives you flexibility without wrecking your wallet. Mew ex – (205/165) has the same moveset but is only $13.49 at the time of writing, so you can slide double the Mews into your Psychic deck for the same price.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything collectable and deals. Christian has over 7 years of experience in the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian also makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian is also the author of “Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior”. Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.
Cloudheim, an upcoming action-adventure RPG from developer Noodle Cat Games that we exclusively announced earlier this year, is now showing off its crafting system and shop system in a new gameplay trailer. You can watch it above and take a look at crafting and shop system screenshots in the new gallery below.
Noodle Cat explains that while they hope players will enjoy crafting in Cloudheim, it won’t be forced upon them: “Crafting in Cloudheim doesn’t force players to deeply engage if they don’t want to – you can spend time finding specific materials, or just throw all your loot into stations and see what happens.” Furthermore, there’s also smelting and forging, alchemy, and cooking.
Shopkeeping is also an opt-in gameplay element – but if you’re going to do it, you’d better do it right. “Correctly displaying items (e.g., swords on weapon racks) increases profits,” Noodle Cat explained. “Decorative items and banners improve shop appeal, influencing shopper behavior. Cleanliness and layout also impact success.”
You can wishlist Cloudheim on Steam if you’re interested.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
