Minecraft developer Mojang has warned players not to update the game through the official Xbox app on PC because it may delete their worlds.
The Minecraft support page on Mojang owner Microsoft’s website now opens with a stark warning for PC players. “Do not download the recent update for Minecraft through the Xbox app for PC,” it reads. “If you do, your worlds may be lost.”
Mojang said it is currently investigating the world loss issue and is blocking the update from Windows to prevent the possibility of it affecting more users.
Do not download the recent update for Minecraft through the Xbox app for PC.
“We recommend that you run the Gaming Services Repair Tool for PC in the Xbox app on PC before installing any Minecraft update,” Mojang added. “Using this tool updates the Gaming Services to version 19.87.13001.0, which will avoid the update error.”
Players can do so by launching the Xbox app on PC, clicking their profile, then support, then on Gaming Services Repair Tool, and finally on Start Troubleshooting.
Mojang also warned players that, for those not on version 1.20.70 or 1.20.71, some online services may be unavailable including cross-platform multiplayer, Realms, and Featured Servers. “We appreciate your patience while we continue to investigate and address this issue,” it added.
This costs $3.99 a month and grants Bedrock players access to a catalog of more than 150 different content packs from the Minecraft Marketplace, which is refreshed every month. Players won’t need to pay for the Marketplace Pass to continue playing Minecraft as normal.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
I’ll be honest: fried eggs are my least favourite way to enjoy the versatile food. But even a noted fried-egg hater like me was left salivating over a pan full of sizzling yolks by my first look at strange yet mesmerising upcoming sci-fi cooking sim Arctic Eggs.
After spending more than a dozen hours with the Early Access version of Tribes 3: Rivals, I could really get used to skiing around at 200 miles per hour while firing a grenade launcher at weaklings with no mind for speed. Channeling all of the silliness and style the series is known for, this lethal game of capture the flag is packed with moments of satisfying exhilaration and devastating defeat, and it largely nails everything I’ve loved about the Tribes games of yore. The trouble is that it only takes a matter of minutes to see all the maps and try out all the classes and weapons currently available, with no alternate game modes or other distractions beyond an extremely long and demanding ranked skill grind for those truly dedicated to their deadly craft. I fear Tribes 3 may be fated to fizzle out as quickly as some of its predecessors due to that lack of longevity, but the potential here is at least clear from moment one, and it feels great to be reunited with the zany, high-octane action I’ve adored for many years.
Tribes 3 pits two teams against one another in a stupidly fun capture the flag to the death, giving you and your friends a pair of skis and a jetpack to help you move across its large maps lightning fast, and an arsenal of futuristic weapons to maim those who get in your way. Maintaining momentum is key to your success, as you’re rewarded for timing your landings at the edge of a slope or boosting up hills to gather speed every bit as much as you are for having good aim. Learning to shred on skis and soar through the air makes all the difference between becoming an unkillable blur and watching someone glide overhead as they take you out with heavy weaponry like the sorry mook that you are – and spending my time somewhere in between those two extremes has been a blast so far.
Classes feel pretty unique, and each has some game-changing options.
Capturing the enemy flag while protecting your own requires attackers and defenders of varying expertise, and with six playable classes (three offensive and three defensive), you’re given a solid number of options for how to approach each side of things. I have a natural affinity for throwing myself at the enemy flag and doing everything I can to break the sound barrier, so I tend to select the lightly armored and minimally armed Pathfinder class, which allows for deviously delightful teleportation and faster movement at the cost of being both short on explosive weaponry and very easy to explode. If you’re feeling lethargic, there’s also lots to do while remaining slightly more stationary as the Juggernaut, a heavily armored defender that is armed to the gills and can withstand quite a bit of punishment – they have also pretty much been the bane of my existence, all too happy to turn my squishy face into blood broth as I rush toward the flag. All six classes feel pretty unique, and each has some game-changing options, like the technician class, which can throw down defensive turrets and keep the base well-guarded alongside its pre-built protective structures.
The magic of Tribes 3 is in moments where you hit a slope just right, take out an enemy right before scooping up the enemy flag, then go flying across the map to score a point for your team. I can’t claim to be anything more than middling in this incredibly demanding twitch shooter, and even I found myself overcome with feelings of godlike might – screaming into my monitor, absolutely shocked by what I was able to pull off. There were also plenty of times where I was brought low and reminded of my mortal limitations, like when a real expert blasted me to pieces and tore through my base like a lightning bolt, making off with my treasured flag. But those humbling encounters have only pushed me to hone my skill, and are easily drowned out by the satisfaction of victory. There just aren’t many better feelings than those moments of pure PvP triumph, which are made uniquely epic by Tribes’ blazingly fast, ridiculously over-the-top style.
There are interesting strategies to consider outside of the flag itself.
Aside from the usual tug-of-war involved in a game of capture the flag, there are also some interesting strategies to consider, like how you can fight over smaller bases located strategically throughout levels, which give a minor edge to the controlling team by turning turrets in those areas into your allies. Each team also has a generator located in their base that, if damaged, can shut down every defensive asset on that side of the map, leaving you extremely vulnerable to getting steamrolled by the enemy’s offensive players, which gives you another thing to defend or attack if the flag proves too well-guarded. You can even destroy a radar dish located on your opponent’s side of the map, which completely disables their ability to keep track of the flow of battle on their trusty HUD.
Unfortunately, none of these optional targets have seemed to matter all that much in the larger fight, since bum-rushing the enemy flag almost always proves the best path to victory. Even sabotaging the radar dish, which you’d expect to be a major game changer, didn’t do a whole lot since opponents are pretty easy to spot on their own – especially since their names hover over them even across long distances. It takes a lot of energy to effectively attack these extra structures, and you could just as easily have stolen and scored the enemy flag a couple times to win the match instead of spending time to secure a minor edge.
The main issue with Tribes 3 is that, despite providing a very entertaining opening hours, there isn’t much to it at this time. As an Early Access game, that’s hardly surprising, and developer Prophecy Games has already announced an ambitious roadmap that aims to inject some much-needed variety into the maps and single game mode currently available – but in its current form at least, I foresee all but the most dedicated jetpackers running out of things to do in short order, as I have already). It would certainly help if some more stuff from previous Tribes games made a return, be that beloved game modes like Rabbit or Bounty, or my cherished vehicles like the Beowulf or the HAVOC. Hopefully some of this will be fleshed out in the coming months of Early Access, but for now the package is fairly thin.
Beyond the main 16v16 casual mode, there’s a ranked playlist that hosts smaller teams of 7v7, but this changes little else beyond drawing in a significantly sweatier playerbase. Still, halving the number of players does actually feel significantly different, since the reduced chaos means you can really dial in a strategy and your individual performance is more impactful while executing it . It also makes some of the less useful tactics in the casual playlist, like taking down the enemy’s base defenses, slightly more meaningful. On top of ranked, there’s a goofy time trial minigame to test your skiing and boosting ability where you move through a course of rings and try to set a high score, as well as custom matches where you’re given complete control over the inner workings and balance of the meta. That could mean decreasing the amount of damage players can take to almost nothing or increasing jetpack energy so players can fly without care – mostly stupid stuff, but can definitely make for a good time.
There are also some perplexing design decisions and a small amount of bugs that hounded my time with Tribes 3. For example, it’s very odd that I’m limited to hosting only three others in my party when the team sizes are either seven or 16. This became awkward a few times when we had more than four people online together and couldn’t join the same games, and I can’t think of a good reason for this cap. Especially in the ranked playlist, you think they’d want to encourage communication with the whole team – not just the four allowed in your party, which just seems like an odd limitation. The exception to these rules are custom matches, but then you’re left a bit shorthanded unless you’ve got a whole lot of friends or are willing to subject yourself to the ups and downs of an LFG. There’s also some irritating bugs, like one my group got hit with quite a bit where our party would randomly be split up into different matches or find ourselves otherwise separated from one another, and we’d all have to reboot to get things back in shape. I’m sure initial bumps in the road like these will be ironed out, but for now they can be a bit of an annoyance.
Mojang have announced a new Minecraft subscription service, the Marketplace Pass, which grants access to a catalogue of “150+” community-created Minecraft thingy-ma-bobs. Skins, adventure worlds, survival spawns, mashups, bizarre textures – with a Marketplace Pass, the wider monetisable universe of Minecraft is your (rented) oyster, except that this being Minecraft, the oyster looks like a weird underwater trapdoor. Here’s a trailer.
Among Us’s voice cast includes Randall Park (Louis Huang in Fresh Off the Boat), Ashley Johnson (Ellie in The Last of Us, Critical Role), Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley Bennett in Community), and Elijah Wood (Frodo in Lord of the Rings).
Among Us is based on the phenomenally popular social deception game that blew up during the pandemic and became one of the most-watched games on streaming platform Twitch. It’s an animated series from CBS Studios, developer Innersloth, and creator Owen Dennis.
Here are the details of the Among Us animated series voice cast:
Randall Park will voice ‘Red’ – Captain of The Skeld
People-pleaser, blowhard
Task: leadership, confidence
Fun Fact: failed upwards
Ashley Johnson will voice ‘Purple’ – Chief of Security
Safety, suspicion, sarcasm
Task: wet blanket
Fun Fact: trust issues
Yvette Nicole Brown will voice ‘Orange’ – HR
Spineless corporate shill
Task: eliminate redundancy, redundantly
Fun Fact: fires you over email
Elijah Wood will voice ‘Green’ – Unpaid Intern
Happy to be there
Task: whatever they’re told
Fun Fact: gets paid in pizza
In January, Innersloth released the first image from the Among Us animated series, offering fans a familiar glimpse of the show. The image shows the cafeteria from Among Us’ original map, the Skeld, with pizza and plates spread across the tables along with some balloons and a blood-covered banner that visibly shows the words: “We’re Dead.”
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.
Konami’s Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 wasn’t exactly met with universal acclaim from fans of the franchise (though we thought it was mostly “pretty good”), but that’s not stopping the publisher from promoting the collection at every opportunity.
The latest video is a rather elaborate advertisement in which voice actor David Hayter, perhaps best known for his work on Metal Gear as Solid Snake and Big Boss, takes us on a brief journey through history as we dive into the classic Metal Gear Solid trilogy originally released on PS1 and PS2.
Get ready to swing for the fences as MLB The Show 24 is available now with early access for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S! With all-new features, events, and more, you’ll have plenty to keep you busy in the lead-up to the start of Major League Baseball’s season later this month.
There’s a lot to cover before MLB The Show 24’s full release on March 19, 2024, so let’s look at some of the most important content that you can access during early access, what are some of the newest features you can experience in this year’s game, and how Game Pass members can jump in start playing early before its day one availability on March 19, 2024.
Getting Ready for First Pitch
To get you ready for the Big Leagues, head over to TheShow.com and create your MLB The Show Account here at account.theshow.com. If you play online and have an Xbox Game Pass membership, your MLB The Show Account is a helpful feature that you can use to keep your Diamond Dynasty cards collection no matter what platforms you play MLB The Show 24 on (if you also have the game copies for each system). After you create your account, you can link it to your Xbox account, and you’ll be all set to start playing today. Also, by signing up for the Scouting Report newsletter, you can also get free exclusive packs every month starting in April 2024.
Play with Game Pass on Day One Starting March 19
Once again, we’re excited to offer MLB The Show 24 on day one with Game Pass alongside the game’s global launch on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S starting on March 19, 2024. But if you wanted to start playing today, Game Pass members can upgrade their experience with the Digital Deluxe Add-On Bundle – which includes early access starting on March 15, 2024 – that includes the Xbox One Standard Edition Bonus Content, Xbox Series X|S Bonus Content, MVP Edition Bonus Content, and Digital Deluxe Bonus Content. That breaks down to 20,000 Stubs, 2 Diamond Choice Packs, 5 Gold Choice Packs, 20 The Show Packs, 1 Equipment Pack, 1 Cover Athlete Bat Skin, and Double Daily Rewards.
Be Legendary with Diamond Dynasty
MLB The Show 24 brings back all the Legends you love — and introduces some new ones too – to help you build out your squad in Dyamond Dynasty, a card-collecting mode that lets you open packs of players to put together your own competitive roster that where you can compete in single-player and multiplayer modes. This season you can pick from over 190 Legends and create a team with the best players from baseball’s history like Henry “Hank” Aaron, Satchel Paige, and Toni Stone or modern-day Legends like Johan Santana, Andrew Miller, and Brain Dozier.
But where should you begin? That would be the Starter Program where you can dive into Diamond Dynasty content through a variety of modes like Conquest, Ranked, Showdown, and more. You can also jump into the Welcome to the Show event using players from a variety of new card series in MLB The Show 24; jump into Mini Seasons Classic and play through 28 regular season, 3-inning games against other teams in the fictional Global Baseball League; or draft a 26-player team in Battle Royale as you go head-to-head against online opponents. In short, there’s a ton of amazing content for you to dive into this year in MLB The Show 24’s Dyamond Dynasty. Learn more here.
A Show of Their Own
New this season for Road to the Show is the ability to make and play as a female ballplayer, with a special Road to the Show story that evolves with the player as you progress in your career. It will have all the current features of Road to the Show plus a unique-to-women storyline that follows an enduring friendship as it grows in professional baseball.
“This feature was inspired by the stories of women in baseball. Throughout history, women have been making waves in the sport. These include legends such as Toni Stone, who was one of the first women ever to play professional baseball and has a new Storyline in MLB The Show 24,” explains Narrative Designer Mollie Braley. “Our team wanted to create something where dreams become a reality, and we felt like adding this to Road to the Show was the perfect opportunity that gave our players the option to experience this.”
Join the Combine
Also new for this season in Road to the Show is the ability to showcase your talents during the MLB Draft Combine. Just like real-life MLB prospects, you’ll have a chance to show off your skills in front of “the brass” and scouts in an experience that mirrors the real-life skills portion of the MLB combine, even including location. You will then put those skills on display in a series of Showcase games – your performance during all of this will be on display, as you grow your created player stats and impact your draft position. Which MLB Player comparison will you draw? Who will you be drafted by? There’s only one way to find out…
The Story Continues
Last year, MLB The Show launched the start of a multi-year journey, telling some of American baseball’s most important history with Storylines: The Negro Leagues. Now the acclaimed mode is back for year two with Storylines: The Negro Leagues Season 2. We caught up with Communications and Brand Strategist at San Diego Studio Ramone Russell to learn a bit more about what’s in store for this season — you can read about that here on Xbox Wire.
For this upcoming MLB The Show 24 season, there will be 10 new Negro League Legends added, each with their own unique Storyline to experience. Legends like Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Hank Aaron, and Toni Stone will be playable at early access’ launch.
The next set of three Negro Leagues players will arrive as a free downloadable content drop in April, and then again in May. Also, all the players from Season 1 of Storylines will be included in MLB The Show 24 at launch, which is great if you missed out on this feature last season.
In addition to The Negro Leagues Season 2, Storylines: Derek Jeter celebrates “The Captain” and the incredible moments that made up his Hall of Fame career. With immersive gameplay and unprecedented interview access, take a journey through Derek Jeter’s career like you’ve never seen before. With new stadiums, uniforms, and (even more) legends, step up to plate as Derek Jeter and try to deliver in the clutch moments that earned him the nickname, “The Captain.”
There’s much more we could go into here, but we really don’t want to keep you off the field any longer. So, grab your bat because your next great baseball experience is waiting for you on deck with MLB The Show 24, which is available today in early access for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and will be available on day one with Game Pass starting on March 19, 2024. Play ball!
MLB® The Show 24 – Digital Deluxe Edition (Pre-Order)
Pre-order to receive a Gold Choice Pack and Early Access on March 15, 2024.
This edition of MLB The Show 24 Includes:
• Full Game for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
• 20,000 Stubs
• 2 Diamond Choice Packs
• 5 Gold Choice Packs
• 20 The Show Packs
• 1 Equipment Pack
• 1 Double Daily Rewards
• 1 Cover Athlete Bat Skin
Unlock Your Moment
It’s your Show. Ready to own it?
Set out on the road to baseball greatness – whatever it is you want to achieve, MLB® The Show 24 has got you covered.
Earn your call up from the minors to the big leagues and prove you’ve got what it takes at the top. Learn from the legends of the sport, take inspiration from their heroics and use it to improve your game. Hold your nerve when it matters and earn the right to be called World Series champions.
Chalk up the wins, pick yourself up after the losses.
Whatever happens, know you left nothing in the dugout.
Celebrating History with Storylines
Celebrate and learn about baseball legends throughout the sport’s history. The Storylines mode transports you into baseball’s past to relive iconic moments of baseball’s unsung and unknown heroes. Experience career-defining moments through a combination of immersive gameplay that will educate and inspire you to make history of your own.
Road to the Show
Unlock your moment and build your career in the ultimate baseball role-playing experience. Become a ballplayer and journey from the minors to the majors to define your legacy.
Franchise
Lead your team to World Series glory as a team manager in Franchise mode. Experience new features providing more in-depth and dynamic gameplay from March to October.
March to October
Take control of your favorite team, focus on the key streamlined in-season moments and see if you can get to the Playoffs and beyond.
Diamond Dynasty
Build your fantasy team of players from across all eras of baseball’s history as Diamond Dynasty returns for another season. Collect player cards, build your dream squad, and play head-to-head against other players online and offline while customizing your team’s look.*
Multiplayer
Gather your friends and face off in cross-platform play.** Climb the leaderboards and compete against others online, or experience team glory together through online co-op play. With cross-progression, continue your progress and earn and use content on other console platforms.***
GAME NOT INCLUDED. The Digital Deluxe Add-On Bundle includes the Xbox One Standard Edition Bonus Content, Xbox Series X|S Bonus Content, MVP Edition Bonus Content, and Digital Deluxe Bonus Content. If you already own any of these items, you will not receive the bonus content again by purchasing. In total, these Bonus Contents sum to the following in-game items: 20,000 Stubs, 2 Diamond Choice Packs, 5 Gold Choice Packs, 20 The Show Packs, 1 Equipment Pack, 1 Cover Athlete Bat Skin, and Double Daily Rewards. Once acquired, items should be redeemed upon booting the game.
If you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and pre-order the Digital Deluxe Add-On Bundle, you will get access to MLB The Show 24 on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on March 15th 2024 — four days early.
Pre-order to receive a Gold Choice Pack and Early Access on March 15, 2024.
This edition of MLB The Show 24 includes:
• Full Game for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
• 10,000 Stubs
• 1 Diamond Choice Pack
• 1 Equipment Pack
• 10 The Show Packs
• 1 Double Daily Rewards
• 1 Cover Athlete Bat Skin
Unlock Your Moment
It’s your Show. Ready to own it?
Set out on the road to baseball greatness – whatever it is you want to achieve, MLB® The Show 24 has got you covered.
Earn your call up from the minors to the big leagues and prove you’ve got what it takes at the top. Learn from the legends of the sport, take inspiration from their heroics and use it to improve your game. Hold your nerve when it matters and earn the right to be called World Series champions.
Chalk up the wins, pick yourself up after the losses.
Whatever happens, know you left nothing in the dugout.
Celebrating History with Storylines
Celebrate and learn about baseball legends throughout the sport’s history. The Storylines mode transports you into baseball’s past to relive iconic moments of baseball’s unsung and unknown heroes. Experience career-defining moments through a combination of immersive gameplay that will educate and inspire you to make history of your own.
Road to the Show
Unlock your moment and build your career in the ultimate baseball role-playing experience. Become a ballplayer and journey from the minors to the majors to define your legacy.
Franchise
Lead your team to World Series glory as a team manager in Franchise mode. Experience new features providing more in-depth and dynamic gameplay from March to October.
March to October
Take control of your favorite team, focus on the key streamlined in-season moments and see if you can get to the Playoffs and beyond.
Diamond Dynasty
Build your fantasy team of players from across all eras of baseball’s history as Diamond Dynasty returns for another season. Collect player cards, build your dream squad, and play head-to-head against other players online and offline while customizing your team’s look.*
Multiplayer
Gather your friends and face off in cross-platform play.** Climb the leaderboards and compete against others online, or experience team glory together through online co-op play. With cross-progression, continue your progress and earn and use content on other console platforms.***
MLB® The Show 24 – Xbox One Standard Edition (Pre-Order)
This edition of MLB The Show 24 includes:
• Full game for Xbox One
• 5 The Show Packs
Unlock Your Moment
It’s your Show. Ready to own it?
Set out on the road to baseball greatness – whatever it is you want to achieve, MLB® The Show 24 has got you covered.
Earn your call up from the minors to the big leagues and prove you’ve got what it takes at the top. Learn from the legends of the sport, take inspiration from their heroics and use it to improve your game. Hold your nerve when it matters and earn the right to be called World Series champions.
Chalk up the wins, pick yourself up after the losses.
Whatever happens, know you left nothing in the dugout.
Celebrating History with Storylines
Celebrate and learn about baseball legends throughout the sport’s history. The Storylines mode transports you into baseball’s past to relive iconic moments of baseball’s unsung and unknown heroes. Experience career-defining moments through a combination of immersive gameplay that will educate and inspire you to make history of your own.
Road to the Show
Unlock your moment and build your career in the ultimate baseball role-playing experience. Become a ballplayer and journey from the minors to the majors to define your legacy.
Franchise
Lead your team to World Series glory as a team manager in Franchise mode. Experience new features providing more in-depth and dynamic gameplay from March to October.
March to October
Take control of your favorite team, focus on the key streamlined in-season moments and see if you can get to the Playoffs and beyond.
Diamond Dynasty
Build your fantasy team of players from across all eras of baseball’s history as Diamond Dynasty returns for another season. Collect player cards, build your dream squad, and play head-to-head against other players online and offline while customizing your team’s look.*
Multiplayer
Gather your friends and face off in cross-platform play.** Climb the leaderboards and compete against others online, or experience team glory together through online co-op play. With cross-progression, continue your progress and earn and use content on other console platforms.***
MLB® The Show 24 – Xbox Series X|S Standard Edition (Pre-Order)
This edition of MLB The Show 24 includes:
• Full game for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
• 5 The Show Packs
• 5K Stubs
Unlock Your Moment
It’s your Show. Ready to own it?
Set out on the road to baseball greatness – whatever it is you want to achieve, MLB® The Show 24 has got you covered.
Earn your call up from the minors to the big leagues and prove you’ve got what it takes at the top. Learn from the legends of the sport, take inspiration from their heroics and use it to improve your game. Hold your nerve when it matters and earn the right to be called World Series champions.
Chalk up the wins, pick yourself up after the losses.
Whatever happens, know you left nothing in the dugout.
Celebrating History with Storylines
Celebrate and learn about baseball legends throughout the sport’s history. The Storylines mode transports you into baseball’s past to relive iconic moments of baseball’s unsung and unknown heroes. Experience career-defining moments through a combination of immersive gameplay that will educate and inspire you to make history of your own.
Road to the Show
Unlock your moment and build your career in the ultimate baseball role-playing experience. Become a ballplayer and journey from the minors to the majors to define your legacy.
Franchise
Lead your team to World Series glory as a team manager in Franchise mode. Experience new features providing more in-depth and dynamic gameplay from March to October.
March to October
Take control of your favorite team, focus on the key streamlined in-season moments and see if you can get to the Playoffs and beyond.
Diamond Dynasty
Build your fantasy team of players from across all eras of baseball’s history as Diamond Dynasty returns for another season. Collect player cards, build your dream squad, and play head-to-head against other players online and offline while customizing your team’s look.*
Multiplayer
Gather your friends and face off in cross-platform play.** Climb the leaderboards and compete against others online, or experience team glory together through online co-op play. With cross-progression, continue your progress and earn and use content on other console platforms.***
Last week, we hit the track with EA Sports F1 23, and asked you to share moments behind the wheel using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
guneetsingh1111 shares a blurry race shot of a car shot from the back wheel perspective
Defalt368 shares a blurry car in the foreground with a car behind it in focus
visionevp shares an orange car leading the pack around a corner of the track
Pastuzogaming shares a dark red car making practice loops
_pedrorsoliveira shares an aerial red car zooming by with motion blur.
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on March 20, 2024
Next week, we’re turning our focus to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Avoiding spoilers, share eye-catching moments using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
If I could, I would spend hours in the world of Hyper Light Breaker doing nothing in particular. I’d settle my character on the edge of a bright pastel cliff and gaze into the distance, where crumbling skyscrapers and strange rock formations silhouette against a neon sky. I’d let the soothing electronic soundtrack wash over me and observe the way the day/night cycle changed the Shadow of the Colossus-sized broadsword protruding from the earth in the distance. Maybe I’d see if a friend wanted to chat with this ‘80s sci-fi novel cover as a backdrop, before hopping on a hoverboard and skating off into that whimsical, colorful horizon to see what’s beyond.
But Hyper Light Breaker will not let me roleplay truancy. I’m in the Overgrowth with a purpose: hunting the minions of the Abyss King. For my hands-on preview, developer Heart Machine plunked me into a pre-generated world suitable for a beginner, though in the full game each run will take place in a unique, procedurally generated world. My first foes are little slime creatures easily dispatched with a few sword swings. And I’m delighted to find that each hit feels just as solid and chonky as I hoped back in my original hands-off preview last year. Around a bend are bigger enemies – humanoid creatures with a bit more speed and damage behind them – so I take advantage of a homing melee attack to successfully chain together smooth combos between enemies. A bit further on, I fire a battery-powered gun to dispatch some snipers so I can safely proceed up a steep hill.
I tried three different pre-built loadouts for the demo, though in the final game you’ll be able to customize them however you like. My favorite melee weapon is a pair of knives, fast and snappy but weaker, and I struggle more with an enormous, slow, and hard-hitting broadsword. A shotgun proves useful against packs of wolves, but I like the subtle but helpful snap-aiming feature of the pistol when I spot some weird one-eyed bats flapping around in a nearby forest. As I expected, my favorite special ability drops a giant cube on the heads of everyone in front of me. It’s effective when I’m surrounded and struggling, which I often am, because even in an early demo area Hyper Light Breaker isn’t especially forgiving. I left the demo retaining a vendetta against a giant tree monster that took me out in just a few whacks, and I’m told that guy wasn’t even a boss monster!
Hyper Light Breaker is an extraction roguelike, so while I spent a lot of the demo just putzing around getting a feel for different cool glow swords, it turns out that’s (mostly) a valid strategy early on. The player’s goal is to defeat the Abyss King, who can only be unlocked by besting a series of boss monsters scattered across different biomes in a single run, who in turn are only unlocked by completing a number of other tasks out in the world, most of which also include defeating enemies. The bosses themselves are hard. I met a wolf-themed one that landed on my head and kicked my inexperienced butt in about five seconds flat. Maybe having friends around will help, as Hyper Light Breaker will feature online co-op. But even so, instead of beelining to these guys, early runs at Hyper Light Breaker will largely involve running around, killing smaller stuff, finding upgrades, and taking it to certain points on the map to be extracted and saved for future runs. Then leave before you get killed, and start afresh. Sometimes it’s better to quit while you’re ahead.
Hyper Light Breaker takes some cues from Solar Ash’s parkour
With some enemies cleared out I’m able to hop on a hoverboard and scoot around the environment a little, riding over water and neatly gliding down hills. Hyper Light Breaker takes some cues from Solar Ash’s parkour, especially evident in the smooth way you can swoop up on ledges that are juuuuust too high or chain airdashes into other moves. I liked the on-foot movement and the ways in which it gracefully melded into combat, but I’ll just say it: I wish the hoverboard was cooler! It’s a little slow and clunky! I hope they can lean into the Solar Ash of it all and make it feel a little faster and a little more epic.
Missing from the demo was any clue as to Hyper Light Breaker’s story. I did get to run around a little hub town briefly and enjoy its cyberpunk fusions of nature and tech, populated by an adorable cast of NPCs. But none of them spoke to me in this demo. Like Hyper Light Drifter, I’m told Breaker’s story is told in images and not words, and given the pedigree of the studio I’m expecting something lovely. But for now, all I know is I’m a person with a cool sword and a cool gun who keeps going out into the Overgrowth to chase down an Abyss King. I know my ultimate verdict on Breaker is going to hinge heavily on how well it can weave a story through a multiplayer, roguelike structure, but given the excellence of Drifter, I’m willing to let Heart Machine keep its secrets just a little bit longer.
My demo of Hyper Light Breaker largely confirmed everything I’d hoped and expected when I first saw the game a year ago. It’s mysterious and colorful, movement feels good and combat satisfying, enemies are challenging, customization holds promise, and the music belongs on vinyl. Above all, the sheer vibes are impeccable. I feel like I’m walking around an episode of .hack//sign, or that I’ve somehow fallen 5000 years into the future on another planet. I can’t wait to step beyond baby’s first biome and figure out what it all means.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Port-o-remaster publishers Aspyr yesterday launched the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, bundling together the two ‘What if Battlefield but Star Wars?’ shooters originally released by Pandemic Studios and LucasArts in 2004 and 2005 (not to be confused with Dice and EA’s uncolonic Star Wars Battlefront games from the mid-tensies). It’s one of those rereleases that exists mostly for consoles which never saw the games in the first place, made a bit useless on PC by the fact that you can still buy and fully play the originals for half the price. It’s made even less useful by launching in a right wonky technical state, with bad lag, crashes, and reportedly only three 64-player servers online at first.