Category: IGN

Ubisoft has activated the Animus once more, this time to take us back to Japan’s Sengoku Period. Assassin’s Creed Shadows features a number of historical figures from 1579, including Fujibayashi Nagato, Akechi Mitsuhide, and Yasuke – the African samurai who served Oda Nobunaga. As with the previous games in the series, these figures are woven into a story that combines fact with fiction to tell a tale of revenge, betrayal, and murder – including that time Yasuke had to kill everyone to gather enough XP to use a gold-tier weapon.

Yes, Assassin’s Creed is historical fiction, and its whole MO has been finding gaps in the past that can be used to tell a science fiction conspiracy tale about a secret society that’s looking to take over the world using the magic powers of a pre-human civilization. While the open-world playgrounds Ubisoft creates are genuinely rooted in history and based on a lot of meticulous research, it’s important to remember they are not actual history lessons – the developers have changed dozens and dozens of historical facts to better suit the story being told.

There are far too many “historical inaccuracies” to include in a single article, but here are ten of our favourite times Assassin’s Creed completely rewrote the past.

The Assassins vs Templars War

Let’s get this one out the way first: there is absolutely no historical evidence that the Order of Assassins was ever at war with the Knights Templar. The conflict between the Assassins and Templars is completely fictional, partly inspired by the (also fictional) conspiracy theories that emerged around the Knights Templar.

The Assassins were founded in 1090 AD, and the Templars were established shortly after in 1118. Both orders operated for around 200 years, and by 1312 both had been disbanded. The idea that these groups have been backstabbing each other through the centuries is absolute nonsense. In fact, the only conflict both orders were involved with was the Crusades, and so there’s only the first Assassin’s Creed game that’s even set in the right time period. While there is evidence they may have brushed against each other, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that either group was ideologically opposed to the other.

The Borgias and their Superpowered Pope

Assassin’s Creed 2 and its follow-up, Brotherhood, focuses on Ezio’s conflict with the Borgia family. Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia is discovered to be the Grand Master of the Templar Order, which is pretty bad news for the Assassins, since Rodrigo – both in the game and in history – is elected as Pope, becoming Alexander VI. However, as we’ve already established, the Templars weren’t around in the late 1400s, so naturally there was no Borgia plot to obtain the magical Apple of Eden and install a pope who could control humanity with god-like powers. Sadly, that also means that Ezio’s brawl with Pope Alexander VI under the Vatican is also pure fiction.

That much was, of course, pretty obvious. But perhaps less obvious is that Assassin’s Creed’s general depiction of the Borgias is pretty mixed as far as historical accuracy goes. While the family’s legacy is steeped in enough sin for them to be easily positioned as villains, the Borgias were not the moustache-twirling Renaissance-era gangsters that Ubisoft paints them as. Rodrigo’s son, Cesare, is reinvented as something of an incestuous, psychopathic leader, despite there being no historical evidence of this, just rumour – in reality, he may not have been all that bad, if you believe Machiavelli, that is…

Machiavelli, Enemy of the Borgias

Speaking of…In Assassin’s Creed 2 and Brotherhood, famed political thinker Niccolò Machiavelli is depicted as Ezio’s right-hand-man. At one point he leads the Italian Assassin’s Bureau, and generally aids Ezio’s crusade against the evil Borgias. The problem with all this is that Machiavelli almost certainly wouldn’t have been an Assassin at all – his philosophies around strong authority simply don’t gel with the Creed’s fight against authority.

Furthermore, Machiavelli’s own actions and writings suggest he did not find the Borgia family all that repulsive. He recognised Rodrigo Borgia as a con man, but one who was successful in all his deceptions. As for Rodrigo’s son, Machiavelli actually served as a diplomat in Cesare’s court and considered him a model ruler. Simply put, Machiavelli’s opinions and relationships with Assassin’s Creed’s Italian big bads don’t line up with the real history.

The Incredible Leonardo da Vinci and his Flying Machine

Just as famous as Assassin’s Creed 2’s pope battle is its bromance between Ezio and Leonardo da Vinci. Ubisoft’s depiction of the Italian polymath is actually pretty strong; historical records state he was a witty, charismatic man and that’s exactly what we get. However, his movements through Italy simply don’t match up to da Vinci’s real-life travels. In 1482, Leonardo left Florence and moved to Milan, where he stayed for over a decade. The game sees him move from Florence to Venice in 1481, ostensibly to paint portraits for a noble, but essentially to ensure da Vinci is in the same place as Ezio. This may seem like a small thing, but Assassin’s Creed is generally pretty good at tracking the movements of historical figures and aligning its story with them, so this is actually a pretty substantial change.

Of course, that’s not the fun stuff. The real da Vinci was an outstanding engineer and crafted multiple designs that were far ahead of their time. Across Assassin’s Creed 2 and its sequel, Brotherhood, we see many of da Vinci’s designs made manifest, including a machine gun and a tank. There’s little historical evidence for these having actually been built, but the real flight of fancy is the flying machine that Ezio uses to soar across the rooftops of Venice. While da Vinci was indeed fascinated by the idea of human flight, and the glider-like machine used in-game is very close to the designs he drew, there is no historical account that suggests any of Leonardo’s machines ever took to the skies.

The Bloody Boston Tea Party

One of the most famous events of the American Revolution, the Boston Tea Party saw dozens of men – many dressed as Mohawks to disguise their identities – board three boats in Boston Harbour and dump boxes of tea into the water. While plenty of tea was destroyed, not a single person died – it was a non-violent protest against the recently implemented Tea Act.

In Assassin’s Creed 3, things go pretty differently. Protagonist Connor is the only person among the protesters to wear Native American clothing, and he slaughters at least 15 British guards while his allies prepare to dump the tea. Two of the protesters also get involved in the killing as more guards turn up, resulting in casualties on both sides. Basically, it’s a bloodbath that significantly rewrites the actual events – peaceful protestors are turned into an aggressive mob, presumably because throwing boxes of tea isn’t considered dramatic enough for a video game.

Furthermore, during the mission’s set-up, it’s revealed that the protest was masterminded by Samuel Adams, one of the Founding Fathers. In reality, historians have conflicting opinions on Adam’s exact level of involvement in the protest itself – it’s a good example of Ubisoft using inconclusive evidence to write its own version of history.

The Lone Mohawk

Talking of Connor and his crusade against the British, Assassin’s Creed 3’s whole approach to Connor’s allegiances doesn’t align with the history books. Connor is a Mohawk, and the Mohawk people were actually allied with the British, not the Patriots, during the Revolutionary War. They had enjoyed a good trade relationship with the British, and hoped the Crown would protect their lands from American colonists.

At the time of Assassin’s Creed 3’s launch, Connor’s depiction was debated by a number of historians, who found the whole scenario incredibly unlikely. If Connor were to fight alongside the Patriots, he’d be considered something of a traitor among his own people.

That’s not to say such a thing never happened, though. Akiatonharónkwen, also known by his English name, Louis Cook, is one very rare example of a Mohawk fighting against the British. He became the highest-ranking Native American officer in the Continental Army, and it’s possible that his story inspired Connor’s creation. But, like we said, this kind of occurrence was incredibly unlikely, and so Connor represents the kind of “what if?” question that Assassin’s Creed thrives on. “what if a Mohawk allied with the Patriots?” is pretty fertile ground for a story full of conflict and soul-searching. As to if Assassin’s Creed 3 actually lives up to that premise… well, the game certainly does have its defenders.

The Templar Revolution

While Ubisoft’s take on the American Revolution has plenty of inaccuracies, its issues pale in comparison to Assassin’s Creed Unity’s quite frankly bizarre take on the French Revolution. It reads almost like a counter-revolutionary manifesto; by pinning the blame on the Templars, it practically suggests that the French monarchy and aristocracy were victims of a conspiracy, rather than the corrupt cause of the people’s revolt.

One of Unity’s alt-history sparks for the revolution is a Templar scheme to create a food crisis. Famine was a significant part of the French Revolution, but it was the result of multiple years of food shortages, caused by drought, floods, and bad harvests – natural causes that simply couldn’t be manufactured by a group of Jacobin Templars skulking around Paris. Furthermore, Unity seems to suggest that the Reign of Terror – the historic name for all the street riots and head-chopping – is the whole revolution, rather than just one part of it. In reality, the French Revolution unfolded over many years and was the result of multiple issues – in short, even the smartest Templars would be completely incapable of manufacturing it.

The Controversial Killing of King Louis 16

The most well-known aspect of the French Revolution is the monarchy ducking their heads beneath the guillotine, and the execution of King Louis 16 is naturally a prominent part of Assassin’s Creed Unity. The game depicts the vote on his punishment as being neck-and-neck (so to speak) with the ballot being swung by a single vote from a Templar conspiracist. Such a result suggests that killing the King was something of a controversial, divisive issue among the assembly, but this couldn’t be further from the truth; the real result was 394 to 321 in favour of execution – an easy majority.

Unity is remarkably soft on the French aristocracy, who were the target of widespread anger across the population. In reality, The King was accused of treason in part due to his attempt to flee France to Austria, from where he could plot a counter-revolution. This naturally made him look even worse than his already tanked reputation, but this is barely addressed in Unity. It’s just one symptom of the game’s overall neglect to explain the true causes of the revolution.

Jack the Assassin

Among the wildest, most borderline-offensive warpings of history committed by Assassin’s Creed is its version of Jack the Ripper. In reality, he was one of London’s most brutal serial killers, having murdered a number of prostitutes in the Whitechapel area in 1888. According to Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, though, he was a rogue Assassin attempting to take over the London Brotherhood.

As Syndicate’s story goes, Jack trained under Jacob Frye, but over the years became disillusioned with the Brotherhood’s Creed. He eventually wrestled control of the organisation away from Jacob, turning it into a ruthless gang that dominated the criminal underworld in London’s East End. In an attempt to stop his reign of terror, Jacob assigned a group of initiates disguised as prostitutes to kill Jack. They all failed, gruesomely murdered by Jack before they could complete their mission. Thankfully, Jacob’s sister, Evie, was able to step in and kill him before he could do any further damage.

This is all a pretty classic example of Assassin’s Creed’s “you don’t know the real story” shtick. Much of the police work surrounding the real Jack the Ripper was inconclusive, and to this day his identity and the true tally of his victims are unknown.

The Assassination of the Tyrant Julius Caesar

The killing of Julius Caesar is not only one of the most important political assassinations in the entirety of human history, it’s also one of the most well-documented. He was stabbed 23 times by a group of conspirators who believed his dictatorship was a threat to the values of the Roman Republic. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Assassin’s Creed Origins ignores many of the facts in order to paint its own picture of the events – one in which Caesar is a proto-Templar who must be killed to prevent global terror.

There are a multitude of issues with Origin’s depiction of Caesar’s assassination, including the design of the Roman Forum and the order of events that brings Caesar to the Senate. However, the strangest element of it all is the game’s depiction of Caesar. His opponents in the game are depicted as fighting for land for the people, not just the privileged – which, funnily enough, was exactly what the real Caesar stood for. In fact, his many political reforms included the redistribution of land to the poor and retired soldiers. Maybe his in-game adversaries should have checked his political record…

When Aya confronts Ceasar’s grieving widow, Cleopatra, after having led the assassination plot, she says that “The people call you a dead tyrant’s whore.” In reality, while by no means a clear-cut hero, Caesar was an incredibly popular leader among the Roman people. Origins frames his death as a victory over a tyrannical pre-Templar leader, but historically, Ceasar’s assassination triggered the Liberators’ Civil War, which led to the collapse of the Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. It’s not exactly the victory Origins would like you to believe it is and, paradoxically, the assassination only creates a domino effect towards the exact kind of world the conspirators were aiming to avoid.

The teams working on the Assassin’s Creed games go to great lengths to create games that are packed with truly authentic historical elements, but as you can see, that authenticity is often far from accurate. And that’s okay! After all, this is historical fiction, not historical documentary. It is just a video game, after all. What are your favourite examples of Assassin’s Creed bending the truth? Let us know in the comments.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has officially arrived. This is a huge moment for the Assassin’s Creed franchise and to ensure you don’t miss a thing about Shadows, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about the new game all in one place.

Check out our Assassin’s Creed Shadows review, performance reviews, IGN’s extensive Wiki guide that will help you through any challenge, and more. For anything you need Shadows-related, we have you covered. There’s so much to explore and learn in each section.

Assassin’s Creed Review

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been a long time coming and we think it’s pretty great. Jarret Green, the author behind our Assassin’s Creed Shadows review considers it a worthy entry to the franchise:

“Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a flashing blade to the series’ established norms, trimming them to a more precise form in lieu of chopping them down outright,” Green wrote. “Combat is aggressive and requires more intentional parrying and skill management than in the past, and exploring the gorgeous provinces of Sengoku-period Japan is encouraged thanks to the revamped map that deemphasizes collecting icons and checking off lists.

“Naoe and Yasuke are well-realized and memorable protagonists, even though most of the story they drive follows pretty predictable paths. Both have unique playstyles that bolster each other’s weaknesses, but they are ultimately imbalanced by the fact that you can make use of the stealth and exploration skills of the master shinobi far more than the superhuman strength of the samurai.

“This isn’t the Assassin’s Creed that will change the minds of folks that never connected with the series before, but for those of us with lots of hours logged in the Animus, the sum of Shadows’ parts provide a refreshing realignment of the series that you should not skip.”

Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Things to Do First

Assassin’s Creed games are BIG and feature many different gameplay systems and choices of where to go. This can be sometimes be overwhelming, so we thought we’d help out by offering a list of things you should focus on doing first when you start the journey of Naoe and Yasuke.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Walkthrough

As you make your way through the game, be sure to check out our Assassin’s Creed Shadows guide. You’ll be able to find the answer to any question you have about the game, and we’ll continue to refine and add to the guide in the coming days to ensure it is the one-stop-shop for everything you need to have the best time.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Map

Games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows are filled with so many things to do, and we’ve created a map so you can keep track of every location, collectible, activity, treasure, and so much more. You can even make your own notes, markers, and checklists to help make this map yours.

IGN Sword Expert Reacts to Assassin’s Creed Shadows

While we love providing game help and critical reviews of the newest titles, we also love testing out a game’s authenticity. Come check out this video of sword expert Matt Easton reacting to Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ weapons and combat to see if it passes or fails.

How to Play the Assassin’s Creed Games in Chronological Order

It may be hard to believe, but Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the 14th mainline entry of the franchise that began back in 2007. If you’d like to know how Assassin’s Creed Shadows fits in to the timeline of the franchise or which games you should play before jumping into Feudal Japan, we have the perfect guide for you.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows – PS5/Series X/S Tech Review – A Big Visual Leap For the Series

It can be tough to know where to play a game like Assassin’s Creed Shadows as we all want the best experience possible. Luckily, our friends at Digital Foundry have put this new game to the test. Head on over to Digital Foundry to see how Assassin’s Creed Shadows performs on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S and why they think it is a “big visual leap for the series.”

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Delivers One of the Most Substantial PS5 Pro Upgrades We’ve Seen

Is it worth it to upgrade to a PS5 Pro? Our colleagues at Eurogamer break down why Assassin’s Creed Shadows “delivers one of the most substantial PS5 Pro upgrades” they’ve ever seen.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ New Anvil Engine Features Impress on PS5 and Series X

With Assassin’s Creed Shadows leaving PS4 and Xbox One behind, Ubisoft was able to leverage the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X to make a much better experience for players with current hardware. To learn exactly how much better it has made things, check out Eurogamer’s piece on how Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ new Anvil engine features impress on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Even With Required Ray Tracing, Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Blockbuster PC Performance Done Right

We know PC players love playing the latest games with the best possible settings and the team at Rock Paper Shotgun tells us “how Assassin’s Creed Shadows is “blockbuster PC performance done right.”

Running Across Assassin’s Creed Shadow’s Entire Map

And just for fun, here’s a video of Naoe running across the entire Assassin’s Creed Shadows map in the fall – captured on Xbox Series X using performance mode.

IGN has confirmed that Ubisoft has quietly prepared a day-one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows that makes a number of important changes, including to temples and shrines.

Ubisoft provided IGN with the patch notes for this update, which the company confirmed were not included in any public announcement.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows day-one patch notes:

This update brings various improvements and fixes, including:

• Players no longer getting stuck inside movable objects after dodging forward and interacting with them in kofuns
• Fix for procedural weapons being removed incorrectly when selling items
• Adjustments to prevent players from going out of bounds when proning against objects
• Improved horse navigation, reducing issues with turning and blocked paths
• Lighting adjustments for cave, kofun, and architectural entrances/exits
• Fixes for cloth clipping on Yasuke’s outfits (while riding) and Naoe’s outfits (while crouching)
• Citizens without weapons no longer bleed when attacked, reducing unintended blood spill in temples/shrines
• Tables and racks in temples/shrines are now indestructible (Some objects like drums or bowls can still be broken as they are generic ones present everywhere in the world) (Tables are still dynamic objects, so players can still move/push them).

The headline here is a change to tables and racks in temples and shrines, which are now indestructible in the Feudal Japan-set game. Ubisoft told IGN the day-one patch is for all players and not Japan-specific, but it’s hard to see this change in particular being anything but a response to the controversy surrounding the game in the country.

Yesterday, March 19, Shigeru Ishiba, the Prime Minister of Japan, responded to a question about Assassin’s Creed Shadows during an official government conference meeting.

The Assassin’s Creed Shadows question was asked by Japanese politician and member of the House of Councillors of Japan, Hiroyuki Kada. Kada, who will campaign for re-election this summer, said:

“I fear that allowing players to attack and destroy real-world locations in the game without permission could encourage similar behavior in real life. Shrine officials and local residents are also worried about this. Of course, freedom of expression must be respected, but acts that demean local cultures should be avoided.”

Prime Minister Ishiba responded:

“How to address this legally is something we need to discuss with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Defacing a shrine is out of the question – it is an insult to the nation itself. When the Self-Defense Forces were deployed to Samawah, Iraq, we ensured they studied Islamic customs beforehand. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them.”

The shrine being “defaced” in pre-release Assassin’s Creed Shadows gameplay videos is Itatehyozu Shrine in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, which is within Kada’s constituency. He said that he had consulted with representatives of the shrine, who confirmed that Ubisoft did not seek their permission to show the shrine and use its name in the game.

While Masaki Ogushi (Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry) responded that government agencies will work together to handle matters “if the shrine seeks consultation,” in a work of artistic expression Ubisoft would probably be clear legally to use the shrine under the Constitution of Japan.

Responses from both ministers were vague at best and seem unlikely to result in any particular action, especially as Ubisoft appears to have addressed these concerns proactively with this day-one patch.

The patch does not appear to be live in-game yet, based on IGN’s tests.

Irrespective of the game’s success or otherwise in Japan, there is enormous pressure on Assassin’s Creed Shadows to do well for Ubisoft globally after a number of delays and the sales failure of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. Indeed, Ubisoft has suffered a number of high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations in the run up to Assassin’s Creed shadows’ release.

IGN’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows review returned an 8/10. We said: “By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

A new Ark: Survival Evolved expansion trailer from publisher Snail Games has been resoundingly condemned by the Ark community for being filled with evidence of appalling generative AI imagery.

The trailer was released in the wake of Snail Games’ GDC announcement of its “in-house developed new expansion map, Ark: Aquatica”. The studio describes the expansion as a non-canonical side story to Ark in “an ambitious underwater setting featuring 95% of gameplay taking place beneath the surface.”

“This is disgusting and you should be ashamed of yourselves,” wrote Irish YouTuber Syntac in response to the trailer. This statement from the popular Ark-oriented video creator, who has over 1.9 million subscribers, is currently the top comment on the Ark: Aquatica trailer.

Comments from other viewers are unanimously and similarly negative, decrying the trailer as “pathetic” and “embarrassing.” The trailer is rife with traces of AI slop, including schooling fish blurring in and out of existence, a hideously deformed hand clutching a spear gun, a levitating octopus floating in front of a shipwreck that doesn’t know whether it’s a rock or not, human feet that morph into floppy flippers, and more.

There are a lot of fine details that go into making a life simulator fun but also reflective of the real world. You have to balance customizability and creative freedom with just enough rules to make choices feel realistic and challenging, and then invisibly weave those decisions together in a satisfying way. (It turns out recreating life is hard – sorry for all the flak, Dr. Frankenstein.) Yet, despite the difficulties, it’s a task developer Krafton has taken a respectable stab at with inZOI based on what I’ve played of its Early Access launch version so far. Its beautiful, realistic aesthetic makes a striking first impression, and the ambitious simulator systems underneath initially result in some impressive harmony. However, as I continue to spend more time within this simulation, the seams of inZOI’s universe are starting to show, leaving the world more empty than you might expect.

Addressing the elephant in the room first, it’s impossible not to immediately compare inZOI to The Sims, a series it’s very clearly both taking inspiration from and attempting to compete with. You play as an omnipotent figure who can create and control little citizens as they live their best, or more often worse, lives. You can build up a house from scratch, manipulate the features of each person (who are called Zoi), and embroil them in all the local drama you can find. They can have jobs, go to school, and explore the local area with as much or as little free will as you allow. These surface-level similarities quickly run thin, though, once you start digging into Krafton’s unique take on this genre.

When you start a new game in inZOI, you must first build a household using the detailed Character Creator Studio. Alongside choosing their name, gender, and age, you can select a Trait that defines your avatar’s personality. There are 18 to choose from, ranging from Authoritarian to Individualist, with each option providing a handy Characteristics sidebar describing how this choice will affect how they operate in-game. As a hardworking freelancer, I opted for the Go-Getter trait, which values professional activities and, in an endearing twist, also holds onto nervousness for longer than other Zois. As you press on into the ebb and flow of virtual life, your Zoi will develop their ego further as they encounter likes and dislikes, such as fast food and fitness, that meddle with their mood. inZOI neatly wraps up personality archetypes into simple grab-and-go options, which, while convenient, can feel a bit limiting.

Where looks are concerned, you can pick from a sizeable list of presets or take a more fine-tooth comb approach, tugging at the specific anchor points on your Zoi’s body and face – I opted for a combination of both, finding my closest match and generously moulding them in my image. There’s a selection of preset colours alongside a granular colour picker for many options too, allowing more nuance in your choices. Courtesy of inZOI’s realistic visual style, my Zoi quickly resembled a real person, and I enjoyed the process of coordinating their make-up and hair with my own.

The system for adjusting facial features is a thoroughly engrossing time-sink, but it’s inZOI’s fashion sensibilities that really make it stand out. During the creation process, you need to curate nine different outfits, including formalwear, sleepwear, and weather-appropriate attire for summer and winter. There’s a decent mix of modern trends, like cargo-style parachute pants, alongside tailored classics like military and leather jackets. Basics like t-shirts also come in multiple lengths, and you can mix and match and layer to your heart’s content. Safe to say, I spent even longer here, curating a Y2K-inspired outfit complete with leg warmers, Doc Marten dupes, and an adorable oversized baseball jersey. It’s not a totally flawless system, with the baggier silhouetted clothing options clipping against the Zois in strange ways. Still, this felt like one of the more polished aspects of inZOI, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing dress-up with my creations.

Once your family is organised, the next step is finding them a home. Currently, inZOI boasts two locations: the Korean-inspired city of Dowon, and the Californian Bliss Bay. You can build your own house or move into a predesigned lot, with each township featuring a small selection of public plots like shops, cafes, and open spaces like parks or shrines. Unfortunately, it’s here that I first noticed the seams of Krafton’s ambitious project starting to show. Illuminated neon signs coat the streets of Dowon with a dreamy multicolour glow, while in Bliss Bay, the setting sun imbues the beach with a soothing coastal atmosphere. Sit too long, though, and it all starts to feel a bit hollow. Those neon signs sit atop empty buildings, and the gentle sunlight reflects off static bits of set dressing. It’s clear a lot of care has been taken to give the impression of a bustling environment, and I admired those details – particularly the faux McDonalds, which garnered a giggle from me – but I couldn’t shake the feeling that much of the world is mostly a facade.

That nagging sensation continued into my Zoi’s daily life, where I could manage their needs like hunger and hygiene but not really make headway on how they fit into the digital culture. Despite choosing the Go-Getter trait, I didn’t get the impression it was making too much of a tangible difference in my day-to-day activities, especially when my other Zoi was acting essentially the same despite the fact I’d given them an oppositional personality style. I ran into the same blockades when I started a family in a separate household, with many conversations repeating on a loop no matter who I was controlling. Topics like Cryptocurrency and the power of humility kept showing up in my dialogue tree. It was admittedly funny the first few times, but gradually, that repetition made progressing relationships a tad monotonous.

It’s delightful that the things like your Zoi’s treadmill display seems functional, or that the detail of their food is so convincing that my stomach often rumbled in unison with my avatar’s as they tucked into their lunch. However, these pockets of well-designed actions can make the simplistic or repetitive alternatives feel cold by comparison. Over time, it was as if my Zoi was less of an individual and more of a semi-controllable drone, performing tasks without rhyme or reason. Perhaps the options will diversify once they fill out their likes and dislikes and make more friends, though I certainly didn’t notice any differences across the roughly 15 hours I’ve played so far.

Thankfully, a salve to this weirdness is inZOI’s Karma system, which punishes or rewards citizens based on their actions. When interacting with other Zois or objects, you’re occasionally presented with a choice accompanied by a yin and yang symbol, letting you know that performing that action will affect their Karmic score. Stealing coins from a parking meter is considered bad, whereas giving directions to a random person is considered good. While I was initially sceptical, I soon came to feel the system’s wrath. I sent my Zoi on an unwarranted tirade, hulking out at the local park and kicking a vending machine before attempting to win a stuffed turkey toy at a claw machine. After a shocking number of attempts, the toy remained trapped in its plexiglass prison. From here, I directed my Zoi to become a model citizen, complimenting strangers and telling gregarious jokes before returning to the same machine. Wouldn’t you believe it, they won a prize on their first attempt this time. Karma is a simple concept that works well in practice and offers a pleasant invisible boundary to rub against – I only wish more actions would impact the score.

There is still much more to do and see before I reach a final verdict, like diving into its careers, cars, and the nitty-gritty of the build mode, and that’s just to start. inZOI is an Early Access game, and as of right now, it certainly feels like one. The lifelike visuals and smattering of highly detailed interactions feel at odds with its rougher, less immersive edges, giving the world a sometimes strange and sterile atmosphere. Even so, there’s a surprising amount of depth hidden amongst these blind spots, and I’m keen to see if inZOI can deliver on its monumental promises – both in the long-term, and as I work toward my final review of what’s here at launch in the coming weeks.

Split Fiction players have stumbled upon a secret level that fans have dubbed “Laser Hell,” and it’s so difficult that Hazelight is rewarding the first pair who managed to beat it.

Co-op fans found yet another reason to celebrate the studio’s latest cooperative story after content creators E1uM4y and Sharkov shared their successful run on Chinese social media platform Bilibili. Their three-minute video showcases not only what a successful run looks like but also the hellish tasks that await inside it. Split Ficition’s Laser Hell level is a gauntlet of demanding platforming challenges that see players dodging up and around a series of laser rooms, but it is doable — and there’s a special video for those who see it through to the end.

As demonstrated in E1uM4y and Sharkov’s video, reaching the end of Split Fiction’s hardest level rewards Mio and Zoe with a clip recorded by Hazelight’s own Josef Fares. After opening the video with applause, he says he’s “super amazed” by anyone who was able to beat the level while joking that his praise isn’t for “you guys who are looking (at) this on YouTube.”

“Wow. Amazing. You have to understand, this challenge, there are barely people on our team that can make it,” Fares says in the video. “It took us a lot of time to finish it. I’m telling you; this is a crazy, crazy achievement you have done.”

It’s a feat worth celebrating indeed, but wait, there’s more! Fares promises that the first pair of players who manage to beat Split Fiction’s Laser Hell level and confirm their success will be flown out to Hazelight in Sweden for an early look at the studio’s next game along with a few “other surprises.” It’s a promise that the director personally followed up on and confirmed in a post on X/Twitter.

Congrats to ”sharkOvO” and ”E1uM4y” for finishing the secret challenge ”Laser Hell” in #splitficton. VERY impressive! I will keep my promise and invite you both to Sweden for an early look of our next game😎

We´ll be in touch!

— Josef Fares (@josef_fares) March 19, 2025

If you and a friend (for some reason) feel like taking a shot at Laser Hell yourselves, YouTuber ItzBytez uploaded a solid look at the whole level from front to back, including the puzzle that needs to be solved to even access it. All you need to do is input a binary code listed under a Skotos label at the location shown, have your partner stand beside you, and you’ll be taken down to a room where you’ll surely spend countless attempts trying to see Fares’ video in person.

As for what exactly Hazelight will be showing E1uM4y and Sharkov, those details remain a mystery. Fares recently shared that the studio has been working on its next project for around a month but declined to spill much in terms of its story, name, or release plans. We do know, at least, that the Hazelight team is “very excited” about it.

Split Fiction launched earlier this month for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S and quickly became yet another co-op success for the studio. After securing 1 million sales in just 48 hours, Mio and Zoe’s story pulled a total of 2 million in just one week. We’ve yet to hear any more information about sales stats, but it sounds like Hazelight is very happy with how Split Fiction has performed so far.

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).

Cyberpunk 2077 was a massively popular video game. And considering all the board game adaptations of video games that now exist, it was no surprise when Cyberpunk eventually made its tabletop debut. It’s a fun game. It’s also on sale right now for nearly 30% off at Amazon, dropping the price to $78 instead of its usual $110. If you’ve been thinking about adding Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City to your shelf, now is a good time to do that.

Save 29% Off Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City

Thanks in no small part to his role in Marvel Rivals, it’s safe to say Jeff the Land Shark is one of Marvel’s most popular new characters to come along in recent years. If you’re the type of collector with a Jeff-shaped hole in your Marvel figure lineup, Diamond Select Toys has you covered with the Marvel Animated-Style Jeff the Land Shark Resin Statue.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive look at this adorable new collectible:

First revealed at New York Toy Fair earlier this month, this Jeff statue is the latest addition to DST’s long-running Marvel Animated line of statues. But whereas most of these pieces have been based on the artwork of Skottie Young, Jeff is instead inspired by the work of the Japanese artistic duo Gurihiru (specifically, the cover to It’s Jeff #1).

This Jeff statue is cast in resin and measures about 3 inches tall. It was sculpted by Casen Barnard. The statue is priced at $59.99 and is limited to 3000 pieces worldwide. The statue is slated for release during the Holiday 2025 period. Preorders will open on the Diamond Select Toys website and other retailers on Friday, March 21.

For more Diamond Select collectibles, have a look at their epic Spider-Man 2 diorama and their stylish Phoenix Legendary Scale Bust.

Also, be sure to check out the many Marvel collectibles available on the IGN Store.

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

Hollow Knight fans have been waiting quite a while for news about its sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong. The wait has been so unbearable that even a casual mention, like the one Xbox dropped in a recent ID@Xbox post, can ignite the fires of those holding out for a 2025 drop.

On Xbox Wire, ID@Xbox director Guy Richards shared a post detailing how over $5 billion have been paid to independent developers through the program. It mostly goes over the success of past ID@Xbox launches, ranging from Phasmophobia and Balatro to Another Crab’s Treasure and Neva. Then, in a portion about upcoming games, we get the name-drop:

“Looking ahead, our lineup is incredible with upcoming games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Descenders Next, and FBC: Firebreak to play across the whole Xbox universe… and of course Hollow Knight: Silksong too!”

This mostly confirms that Hollow Knight: Silksong will launch sometime between me typing this, right now, and the end of all time. Granted, those games are interesting mentions. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is set for April 24, Descenders Next for April 9, and FBC: Firebreak has had a tentative 2025 window. This could imply Hollow Knight: Silksong is within some measure of grasp.

Fans are, to some degree, understandably impatient to learn whether Silksong might arrive, as it’s been roughly six years since its announcement. Now, let’s see how the Silksong faithful are reacting to this mention.

“Where’s the bait?” one commenter asked on the Silksong subreddit. Another said: “Silksong being mentioned by Xbox?” and followed it up with an image of the Squid Game Season 2 scene where protagonist Seong Gi-hun declares: “I have played these games before!”

There is a palpable air of both joking and irony that comes with communities like this, where groups have essentially bonded over waiting for news about something. Another post draws attention to this, noting that “we” — the Silksong holdouts — are a “circus at this point,” making their point with the Patrick Star/Man Ray meme format.

The prevailing hope, or joke, is that news about Hollow Knight: Silksong is destined for April 2, during Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct. To fans’ credit, developer Team Cherry did stoke the flames a bit with some vague posting around the official reveal of the Switch 2. The believers hold out hope, while the doubters sow doubt. “We are an [$8] Mega Buffoon Pack,” one commenter said in response to the circus meme.

Hope and doubt comes in all shapes and sizes. But my favorite response to Xbox casually saying, “and of course Hollow Knight: Silksong too!” and all the speculation and cycles this causes, came from Reddit user u/cerberusthedoge: “We got Hollow Knight Silksong 2 before Hollow Knight Silksong.”

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Pokémon Go, alongside Niantic’s broader gaming division, was recently acquired by mobile gaming juggernaut Scopely. The $3.5 billion sale has players a little worried about what it means for the walk-around monster-catching game, and its director is trying to assuage those fears.

In a new interview with Polygon, Pokémon Go senior product director Michael Steranka discussed the sale to Scopely and what its plans are under the Monopoly Go! publisher. Steranka said he’s been looking online at some of the player theories. “What I would love to be able to get across is like, ‘Hey, it’s actually great,'” Steranka said. “It’s going to be a good thing for the game and for the communities out there.”

Concerns over Pokémon Go’s future run the gamut, from monetization and mechanics to influence from Saudi-based ownership. When asked about the potential for intrusive ads and playtime restrictions, Steranka said “definitively no, that is not happening in Pokémon Go — not now, not ever.”

“Again, Scopely really recognizes how unique this game is, and they’ve told us themselves that they would be foolish to try to change the recipe of what’s made this such a huge hit and a success,” Steranka insisted.

“So yeah, absolutely not. We will not be building into our games any type of obtrusive ads or anything like that. I just really want to reiterate Scopely as a company, the way that they operate is they give all of their teams the agency to make the decisions that’s right for their games. And that is not something that we feel would ever be right for Pokémon Go.”

Steranka went on to stress that the Go team does not sell player data to third parties, “full stop,” and that it only leverages location data for game operations, with any data needed stored on U.S.-based servers and following all “incredibly strict” regulatory best practicies as best it can.

Getting out and going outside will remain a core focus, too, even after leaving Niantic: “And I would be remiss if through this transaction, Pokémon Go became Pokémon Stay at Home,” Steranka said.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.