Duskers developers Misfit Attic have revealed Below The Crown, a chess-flavoured fantasy roguelike with an Inscryption-style meta-layer and some sexy 80s CRT visuals. You are a wizard, tasked with Gathering A Party and braving an offbrand Tron dungeon to retrieve some gold. Your upgradeable party members are based on chess units, and each floor of the dungeon is a grid-based combat puzzle inspired by classic chess manouevres like Forks and Pins. Here’s a trailer.
Aw, shoot.
Leave it up to Kazutaka Kodaka to come up with one of the weirdest stories in gaming, huh?
Following on from the outrageously ambitious The Hundred Line – Last Defense Academy, the creator has now joined forces with developer Neilo on the new visual novel Shuten Order. I say ‘visual novel’, and that’s absolutely the overarching genre, but it also manages to feature five distinct sub-genres within its surprisingly lengthy story. Wild stuff.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
The legendary Shinobi returns today with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, available on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. At the helm of this revival is French studio Lizardcube, led by CEO and Creative Director Ben Fiquet. We spoke with him to understand how his team managed to balance respect for the series’ heritage with a modern touch, all while pouring an incredible amount of passion into every detail.
To appreciate the importance of this comeback, it’s worth remembering that Shinobi defined a whole generation of players back in the late ’80s. Born in the arcades and later released on the Master System and Mega Drive, the white-clad ninja Musashi became an icon of Sega’s golden years. Demanding gameplay, striking visuals, and unforgettable soundtracks made Shinobi a symbol of the 2D action genre’s golden age.
As launch day draws near, emotions are running high at Lizardcube: “Of course there’s some apprehension, but also a lot of excitement,” explains Fiquet. “We released a demo at the end of July, and the feedback has been excellent. That really reassures us about how the game will be received and about bringing this iconic series back to life.”
This excitement fuels the team, who see this release not only as an achievement but also as a huge responsibility: to deliver an experience worthy of the Shinobi name.
Reviving such an emblematic series requires striking a delicate balance. For Fiquet, the challenge was clear – extend players’ memories without simply replicating the past: “Players don’t want to replay exactly the same game they knew on Master System or Mega Drive. They hold on to strong memories, but gameplay has evolved. Our role is to prolong those memories while adapting them to today’s expectations.” This is the philosophy that guided Lizardcube: staying true to the franchise’s identity while refining its mechanics for a new era.
This expertise isn’t new for the Paris-based studio. Having already worked on Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap (2017) and Streets of Rage 4 (2020), Lizardcube has earned its reputation as a specialist in bringing beloved franchises back to life. Their strength lies in recreating a faithful atmosphere while adding artistic and gameplay polish that elevates nostalgia into something fresh. With Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, this vision takes on a whole new scale.
From the very first images, the studio’s distinctive style is unmistakable. Instead of opting for a realistic 3D approach, the team chose to embrace traditional 2D animation—a bold choice in today’s landscape.
“2D gives us finer control, almost an intimacy, over every pixel. There’s a warmth and honesty in hand-drawn animation that you don’t always find in 3D.” This artistic direction gives the game a sense of timelessness, reminiscent of classics like Cuphead or Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, while paying tribute to Shinobi’s visual legacy.
But beyond aesthetics, the feel of the game was central to development. “I love games that get straight to the point: you launch, you play, and you immediately have fun,” explains Fiquet. The combat system reflects this philosophy: combos, dashes, double jumps, and executions flow naturally without heavy tutorials.
Each encounter feels like a rewarding little challenge, almost a mini-game within the game. A unique “execution” mechanic even rewards players for skilfully chaining enemies, turning combat into a rhythmic and spectacular dance.
Demanding yet approachable, the game also includes options to adjust difficulty, making it accessible to newcomers without compromising depth for veterans. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance was designed so that every type of player can find their rhythm—an inviting entry point for the curious and a perfect playground for seasoned players on Xbox.
While Shinobi is a quintessential Japanese franchise, Fiquet highlights the project’s dual identity. “I’m a Sega kid. I grew up with the Master System and the Mega Drive, and Shinobi was one of my very first games.” This personal connection is paired with deep respect for Japanese craftsmanship: “We don’t make Japanese games, but we have enormous respect for Japanese game culture. Our French touch blends with that heritage, and that’s what convinced Sega.”
Breathing new life into such a legendary franchise is no easy task, but Lizardcube’s relationship with Sega has been built over time. “There was real mutual respect. Of course, there are cultural differences and different working rhythms, but every discussion was about improving the game. We found a great synergy.” Thanks to this mutual trust, every exchange with Sega was focused on improving the game, always with respect for the original spirit of Shinobi.
To extend the experience, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance also includes secrets, powers, and unlockable skins. And that’s just the beginning: the first DLC has already been revealed. “It’s the ‘Sega Villains Stage’. You’ll get to face iconic antagonists from across the Sega universe. The first one we announced is Robotnik. Seeing Musashi take on Robotnik is pure fan service, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that makes working with Sega so exciting.”
With Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Lizardcube delivers far more than the return of a legendary hero on Xbox—it offers a love letter to video games: to their heritage, their challenge, and their ability to evolve. It’s a bold gamble, crafted with passion and precision, proving that a legend can return without losing its soul.
SEGA
Play as the legendary Shinobi Joe Musashi, master of the ninja arts. After finding your village burned to the ground and your clan turned into stone, you must set off on a quest for vengeance, ready to face an unparalleled evil and avenge your clan.
• EXECUTE THE NINJA ARTS WITH PRECISION
Wield your vast ninja arsenal including the great Katana Oborozuki, Kunai, Ninjutsu arts, and Ninpo to vanquish your foes.
• MASTER THE WAY OF THE SHINOBI
Unleash limitless combos with unique combat moves, acquire Amulets for enhanced abilities, and discover Ningi tools to overcome obstacles and uncover new paths.
• JOURNEY THROUGH A STYLISTIC NEW WORLD
Venture through more than a dozen unique and visually striking stages, from military bases to a scorching desert, challenging platforming puzzles, and hidden secrets.
The post Shinobi: Art of Vengeance – How the Passion of a French Studio Brought a Japanese Legend Back to Life appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Last week, we asked you to surf through the deserts and oceans in Sword of the Sea using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
HappyMoonInc shares Wraith riding down a chain surrounded by sealife.
fogsblue shares Wraith riding an orca after freeing the sea on a new region
MdeavorVP shares Wraith falling in darkness alongside gold currency
LazareGvimradze shares a look up at Wraith doing a trick over sealife on the hoversword
hedgehog860 Wraith riding an orca with another floating nearby
Photo_Ra_Phy shares Wraith and their companion riding in a bubble
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on September 3, 2025
Next week, sneak through the world of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and share Naked Snake’s most epic moments using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater only launched this week, but modders have already been busy tweaking and improving the game.
The remake launched on August 28, and in the space of just 24 hours modders have provided all manner tweaks, from reshaping Eva‘s and Ocelot’s faces, smoothing stuttering, improving visuals, removing the introduction, and — my favorite — even one that lets you play as series creator Hideo Kojima himself. There are already over 40 mods available to download on NexusMods right now.
Other early mods remove in-game movies — purportedly saving 21GB on your HDD — optimize the game, remove the HUD, unlock FPS “without the speed up or slow down bugs,” and replace Snake with The Last of Us’ Joel for some reason.
The majority of the mods, however, look to improve Delta’s PC performance. Some predate Konami’s recently deployed patch, which sought to address various scenarios that could inadvertently cause systems to crash. The publisher added that it was actively investigating and addressing all reported concerns.
You may be able to play as Hideo Kojima, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get him to play Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. When asked recently if he would be playing the remake, he laughed and replied: “No, I won’t.”
We awarded IGN’s Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater review returned an 8/10. We said: “Between its old-school stealth-action gameplay and engaging spy-thriller story, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater largely succeeds as a faithful, visually impressive remake of the 2004 classic.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Are you sitting down, Oblivion Remastered? It’s alright. I’ve just got…some news I need to tell you. There’s no easy way to say this. A modder’s decided to put a bunch of Fortnitey emotes and dances inside you.
We can see the likes of dabs, the NaeNae, and even a stanky legg on the scans. They’re cranking it, spanking that, and Snoop Dogging all over your internal organs too. There’s nothing we could have done. That surgery which ported you from 2006 to 2025 increased the risk of this drastically, but how else were 12 year olds supposed to learn about the need to CLOSE SHUT THE JAWS OF OBLIVION?
75% of Cyberpunk 2077‘s Nintendo Switch 2 sales were physical, CD Projekt has confirmed.
CD Projekt revealed the eye-catching stat in its latest financial results, confirming that not only did the action-RPG benefit from positioning itself as one of Nintendo Switch 2’s day-one launch games, but it also found success by making the game available as physical media.
“We believe that thanks to its high quality and Switch 2 exclusive enhancements, Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition is well positioned to benefit from the [Switch 2’s] growing user base,” said Michał Novakovski, joint CEO. “As of June, the vast majority of sales — which is around 70% — came from physical copies sold and that reflects the strength of our offering.”
Novakovski believes this is, in part, because “the entire game, along with its expansion, is fully contained on a 64 gigabyte cartridge, providing a plug and play experience which players find particularly attractive.” And that has certainly proven to be the case, with 75.4% of all Cyberpunk 2077’s Switch 2 sales being physical.
It comes as fans continue to debate the practice of publishers providing Game-Key Cards in Switch 2 boxed games instead of a physical cartridge. It’s proven to be a divisive practice among some users, not least because while it allows collectors to have a game’s box on their shelf, they’re essentially useless unless your console is connected to the internet.
The practice is so controversial, however, that Nintendo has launched a survey designed to poll the Switch 2 userbase on its thoughts surrounding digital and physical games, with questions designed to probe the reasons you might consider one option over another. Nintendo’s also interested in finding out if your attitude to digital downloads has shifted over time.
“Our developers truly made the most of the console’s features, offering new exclusive ways to play Cyberpunk 2077,” Novakovski added. “We showcased them in a series of hands on presentations attracting praise from the player community and gaming media. And although we clearly see that sales of the on the new console are currently dominated by Nintendo’s first party titles, we were very pleased with Cyberpunk being among the best selling third party games.”
“The Switch 2 might pack much better hardware than the original, but a game I’m still surprised to see running at all (much less pretty well) on a Nintendo system is Cyberpunk 2077,” we wrote in our Nintendo Switch 2 Cyberpunk 2007 review update. “I spent a few days with CD Projekt Red’s latest port to get a feel for how it runs, how it holds up, and how the Switch 2’s fancy new mouse controls work when applied to a high-octane FPS. The answer across the board is impressive, and if you haven’t had the pleasure of exploring Night City before, this seems like a solid way to do so.”
Cyberpunk 2077 sequel Cyberpunk 2 has officially entered pre-production. The studio made the announcement as part of its latest financial results last month, where it said the Phantom Liberty expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 had hit an impressive 10 million copies sold.
As for Nintendo’s handheld itself? The Nintendo Switch 2 debuted in June to become the fastest-selling hardware ever in the U.S., shooting spending on games to new records. Spending on hardware was up a whopping 249% year-over-year thanks to the console’s debut, reaching $978 million and greatly surpassing the previous monthly record from June 2008 of $608 million. In total, the Switch 2 sold 1.6 million units in the U.S. during its launch month, beating the PlayStation 4’s previous sales record of 1.1 million units in November of 2013.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Are you from the UK and partial to risque adult Steam games, such as Amarillo’s Butt Slapper – the Dark Souls of Butt Slapping – or the timelessly iconic MILFs of Sunville? Bad! Naughty! GO DIRECTLY TO BED. Unless you have a valid credit card. Steam have begun rolling out a requirement for all UK-based users to verify their ages, if they wish to access store pages for games rated mature.
You should already have done this, of course, if you’ve bought anything on Steam, which I’m going to assume is 90% of you, with the other 10% being GOG stopouts, holier-than-thou Itch lovers and stinky pirates. According to reports, debit cards are acceptable too.
Labor Day weekend is a great time to get together with the family, sure, but it’s also a nice little three-day window to get some serious gaming in. Assuming you don’t already have a massive backlog of PC games to play, now is actually a pretty good time of year to find some video game deals. If you’re looking to pick up a new game before the weekend arrives, you’ve got options.
We’re in between major Steam sales at the moment, but another big PC games sale going on right now is the Humble Bundle Summer Sale. There are a ton of discounted games here at prices that will last through the weekend.
If you’re looking for something great under $10, I’ve got some recommendations for you. Each of these games I’ve listed are wonderful for different reasons, but every single one of them are worth playing for hours at a time.
My first pick might not be for everyone, but it’s one of my favorite gaming experiences of all time. It’s hard to really go too into detail without ruining some of it, but it’s essentially a roguelike deck-building card game with a twist of psychological horror. If any of that sounds interesting to you, it’s best to just start playing without learning more. Going in cold is the best way to play this game.
Next on this list is what has become one of the best indie games of all time. I was genuinely surprised how much I liked Hollow Knight. I don’t usually like metroidvania games, but it has a sort of sad, dark charm that really drew me in. The gameplay is fun and the battles can get difficult, but the atmosphere of this game keeps you engaged at every turn. With the long-awaited Hollow Knight sequel releasing next week, now is a great time to jump into the original.
I don’t really feel the need to say much about The Witcher 3, because of course it’s worth playing. CD Projekt Red’s masterpiece is one of those rare games that I’ve ended up playing through multiple times. While it’s the Witcher books that ultimately birthed this franchise, it’s really this game that made it a household name. With The Witcher 4 somewhere on the horizon, its as good a time as any to start your Witcher 3 journey for the first time.
If you’re a PC gamer who also happens to be a Nintendo gamer, Bug Fables is one of those games that hits a very specific sweet spot. It’s a turn-based RPG that has an eerily similar look and feel as the original Paper Mario game. It’s a storybook adventure with puzzles and battles that has a fun overarching story. If you love games like Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, you’ll love Bug Fables.
My last recommendation is the cheapest and shortest game on this list. Gris is a beautiful platformer game with some fun puzzles and stunning artwork. This game tells a story of grief and loss, and these feelings unfold through an incredible use of color, music, and gameplay. You can play through the whole thing in a few hours, and it’s definitely worth paying $2.99 for what you’ll get from it. This is one of those games that hit me surprisingly hard.
The games I’ve listed here are just some of my favorites, but there’s actually a lot more in the sale that are worth a look. Humble Bundle has a specific page for all of the deals under $10 right now and it includes things like the Batman: Arkham collection and Yakuza games.
If you’re looking to grab some console games at a discount, there are also a few other Labor Day sales worth checking out. There’s a sale on popular PS5 games going on at both Amazon and the PlayStation store as well as discounts at Best Buy on various Switch games.
Disclosure: Humble Bundle is part of IGN Entertainment, the division of Ziff Davis that includes GamesIndustry.biz, IGN, and MapGenie.
Battlefield 6‘s open beta may be over, Battlefield 2042 might also have been transformed into Battlefield 6, but there must be more battles in the fields of six, so sign-ups for another round of Labs testing are now open. Two fresh maps with plenty of room for vehicle-based fisticuffs will be on offer, as well as a chance to check out the server browser that may well be chock full of 24/7 scraps once the final game launches.
EA have wheeled out all of this info in two separate blog posts, which follow neatly on from them running down all of their learnings from the open beta.
