Prologue demo also announced.
Falcom and GungHo have today confirmed the upcoming title Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter will be getting a Switch 2 Edition.
This particular version will be a digital release and includes higher resolution and frame rate “for sharper” and “smoother graphics”, along with reduced load times. This is part of a paid upgrade path for existing Switch owners and is priced at $1.00 USD (or your regional equivalent).
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
If you’ve watched or read the excellent “Invincible,” you’re probably aware of just how brutal the fights between these superheroes can be – I’m still not over watching Omni-Man wipe the floor with the Guardians of the Globe and it has been years since I saw that first episode. That episode is also a good barometer of how bloody you can expect the fights to be in Invincible VS, an upcoming 3v3 tag fighting game from Skybound’s first in-house game development studio, Quarter Up, comprised of members behind the excellent Killer Instinct (2013).
We last got a good look at Invincible VS following its world reveal during Xbox Games Showcase, where we went in-depth on some of its mechanics, like the 3v3 tag battle system, and the bonus round face-off that occurs once time expires. Coming back to it again with a slightly larger roster, now including Omni-Man (voiced by J.K. Simmons), Rex Splode, and Battle Beast, it still feels like a fighter that is going to hit that sweet spot of a compelling and deep fighting game experience, with some satisfying pick-up-and-play elements for less seasoned players.
What I was working to discern during my hands-on time with the game is how different all the fighters feel to play, especially with the three fighters I’m trying out for the first time. For example, Omni-Man is classified as a Balance/Power fighter, meaning he’s well rounded and excels at dealing raw damage, where Battle Beast is classified as a Striker/Pressure fighter, meaning he’s focused more on landing attacks (rather than grappling/throws) and is built to keep players on the defensive. Rex Splode, meanwhile, is your Ranged/Mobility attacker, designed to strike from a distance with flame attacks and remain mobile enough to evade incoming punches.
Omni-Man had some great attacks I kept coming back to, like his Heavy Attack uppercut that would send opponents flying into the air, chasing them up to follow with a series of air juggles to keep the pain coming. Rex Splode feels like one for more experienced players, with some powerful flame attacks and was definitely agile enough to remain at a safe(ish) distance during fights.
As I continued to play, I found Battle Beast to be one of my favorites. Even though he felt slower to move than the other characters, being able to press my attacks (remaining close) against any of the opponents was highly effective, especially by pressing Forward and stringing together a series of Light Attack (X button) combos, which kicked off an auto combo that showcased a brutal series of attacks, culminating in a Ground Bounce that, sometimes, would just shatter my opponents apart in a pile of bloody goop.
He wasn’t alone in pulling off auto combos. Omni-Man also had an effective one where he sends the opponent into the air, and Rex Splode would shove flaming sticks into the face of an unwilling opponent. Every character I played could seemingly combo easily with some rapid pressing of the X (Light Attack). Stringing even just five of these hits together can unleash a powerful combo attack, giving you a satisfying look as your fighters continue to dish damage.
I also appreciate how reactive the voice dialogue is between characters. Omni-Man dissing on an unkempt moustache from his doppelganger, or how Invincible would complain about Rex Splode’s various quips are great table-setters before a battle kicks off. Context with the show and comics are helpful, but not necessary, and all seem designed to tap into a player’s curiosity to watch the show or read the comics to better understand where these characters are coming from (and why they may have a particular beef with each other).
As the battles go on, the brutality really starts to shine through as the fights continue into the later stages with your characters having ragged clothing, severe bruising, and becoming drenched in blood (lots of blood) that gives Mortal Kombat a run for its money. Not to mention, when you’re able to string those combos together it can result in detached limbs laying in a puddle of remains. It’s a great touch that’s all very reminiscent of the television show, especially when I could build up my Special Meter to kick off a powerful cinematic attack.
One of the most intense finishers I was able to pull off was Omni-Man’s, where he would grab the face of my opponent, fly them up in the air, crush them through dozens of buildings, and then drop a mountain of rocks on top of them. I was grinning from ear to ear at just how ridiculously awesome it all was.
And that touches on what makes this such a fun and effective pick-up and play experience. You can unleash so many awesome attacks by only needing to focus around four buttons — Light Attack (X), Medium Attack (Y), Heavy Attack (B), and Special (A) — instead of the usual six for most fighters. This starts to bring the game more in line with the likes of a Marvel vs Capcom or Smash Bros. fighting experience. That’s not to suggest there isn’t a lot of depth here – one look at all the moves you can pull off in the menu illustrates this. It’s that you’re all but guaranteed a good time after just a few minutes of dedication. That’s rare to see in any type of fighting game.
It’s unclear how many more fighters will be available with Invincible VS (Robert Kirkman has been teasing a pretty large roster) when it launches next year – I’d love to see the inclusion of other notable characters like Monster Girl, Black Samson, or Robot — but the roster that’s already in place is bringing a tremendous mix of styles and flare that makes this 3v3 tag fighter a tremendous amount of fun to play already, and I can’t wait to see how it progresses.
Look for Invincible VS to launch in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Xbox Cloud as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
Skybound Games
Invincible VS features a variety of game modes including a captivating cinematic story mode with an original narrative from a writer of the animated series. Jump into Arcade and battle with your team, hone your combos in Training mode, and test your skills against the world in competitive and casual multiplayer. Show, comic fans, and fighting game lovers will experience unparalleled heroic brutality, where every earth-shattering blow will leave you feeling… Invincible.
This is the debut title from the newly formed Quarter Up
—the first in-house studio at Skybound—led by former members of the core Killer Instinct (2013) dev team.
The post Invincible VS: Going Hands-on with Three New Characters (Including Omni-Man) appeared first on Xbox Wire.
gamescom 2025 is fully underway and there have already been a ton of huge reveals that have given a glimpse at the future of video games. We’ve already had Opening Night Live and a full day of previews and interviews and news, and we’ve decided to gather all the biggest moments right here to ensure you don’t miss a thing.
So, check out everything below and continue to check back throughout gamescom to see what other surprises have been revealed.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 had a big night at gamescom’s Opening Night Live, as we got a first-look at its campaign, learned new details on multiplayer and zombies, got a release date of November 14, learned about its Open Beta, and much more.
The story of Black Ops 7 takes place in 2035 and is a follow-up to both Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 6. The campaign supports solo play of up to four-player co-op, with global progression for the first time for the franchise.
For more, check out why Black Ops 7 is the series’ biggest swing in years, how the devs are ‘paying attention’ to feedback over goofy skins, and how the series is using generative AI to “not replace, but streamline.”
We talk to Call of Duty developers Miles Leslie and Natalie Pohorski at gamescom 2025 to find out how Black Ops 7’s co-op campaign takes cues from the Batman Arkham games by using fear toxin as the basis of the weirdest COD missions we’ve seen yet.
While we still don’t have a release date, Hollow Knight: Silksong showed up in a big way during ONL with a confirmation it will be out in 2025 and with almost 30 seconds of new gameplay. We also won’t have to wait long to learn more about this much-anticipated game as there will be a “special announcement” taking place this Thursday, August 22.
As if the above wasn’t enough, we also actually got to play Hollow Knight: Silksong. Thankfully, we came away very impressed and said the “long-awaited sequel shows little sign of disappointing.”
“Yes, we’ve been waiting many, many years for this sequel, but everything at this stage points to it being worth it. Each aspect feels authored and prescribed to a clear vision — a piece of playable art that is as fun to wield as it is to watch (I should know, the gamescom queue was very long),” IGN’s Simon Cardy wrote. “It may have been the shortest of demos, but so far, Silksong is very much singing to me, maybe even more than the original.”
Following its big Nintendo Direct, we had the chance to play Kirby Air Riders at gamescom.
“The maximalism of Kirby Air Riders is its core charm; it feels brewed from impish, chaotic-neutral alchemy,” our previewer, Leanne Butkovic, said. “Even Nintendo is calling this a “vehicle action game,” not a kart racer, which honestly seems apt – a silly genre distinction for a purposefully unserious game. It might not have been the sequel the people were clamoring for, but I’m glad that it exists.”
IGN’s Dale Driver had a chance to play a 20-minute demo of Resident Evil Requiem, and one of the biggest things we took away from playing the game is that a new, unstoppable stalker could be the scariest one yet.
Resident Evil: Requiem showed up in a big way at ONL with a new story and gameplay trailer that dives deep into our protagonist, Grace Ashcroft. However, we are still waiting for Leon S. Kennedy, where is he?!
The latest stalker in the Resident Evil series takes the chase to the next level, hunting Grace Ashcroft throughout the hallways of the small but impactful Resident Evil Requiem demo. IGN’s Matt Purslow and Dale Driver got to go hands-on with the game and discuss their initial impressions of the latest Resident Evil game coming out in 2026.
Pragmata was playable at gamescom, and we said that, “while it produces a combat experience quite different to anything I’ve played before, I’m left wondering if that same level of ingenuity will be felt in Pragmata’s exploration and level design, too.”
Capcom’s Pragmata has a new system for shooting mechanics, asking you to do a hacking mini-game before each enemy encounter. It’s a fresh take, but is it a good thing? After playing the Pragmata demo at gamescom 2025, IGN’s Matt Purslow and Dale Driver have some mixed feelings, enjoying the innovation but with slight concerns that the process could wear thin over a full game.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword brings back the franchise for the first time since the PS2 days, and we walked away from playing this new game in a very positive way.
“The gamescom demo may have been short – little more than some winding paths and a boss fight in a temple – but it’s more than enough to convince me that Onimusha: Way of the Sword is built on rock-solid swordplay fundamentals,” IGN’s Matt Purslow said.
Is Onimusha: Way of the Sword a triumphant return for the long-dormant franchise? IGN’s Matt Purslow and Dale Driver got to play the demo at gamescom 2025 and share their thoughts about the supernatural samurai fighting demon combat and the inevitable Soulslike comparisons. How does Onimusha compare to the obvious Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro comparisons? Let’s find out.
IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey said Lego Voyagers just might already be his favorite LEGO game of all time.
“Will LEGO Voyagers have some poignant moment waiting for players near the end like fellow dialogue-free physics puzzle platformers Limbo and Inside? That remains to be seen, but even if it doesn’t, it’s clear that Voyagers intends to make its memories along the journey if not the destination. But hopefully it’ll do so in both.”
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was announced during gamescom’s Opening Night Live and it looks to be a love letter to many Batman movies and comics with a sprinkle of Batman Arkham combat thrown in. Oh, and it has Matt Berry playing Bane.
“Whether he’s the wrathful Dark Knight, the brilliant detective, or the unlikely father of the ‘Batfam,’ Batman has constantly evolved — shaped by the world around him while remaining a timeless symbol,” said Jim Lee, President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer, DC.
“This game brings together nearly every facet of his legacy, letting you experience the full range of what makes Batman iconic. Built with incredible care, creativity, and deep respect for the mythos, TT Games has crafted a love letter to the world of Batman.”
For more, you can check out how this game is the perfect combo of Arkham & Lego combat and 31 minutes of gameplay frme Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.
While we learned that the ROG Xbox Ally X will be released on October 16, Microsoft still isn’t revealing the price of the system yet.
Speaking to IGN today at gamescom, Microsoft and Asus said the companies still needed “more time to figure out the macro-economic impact to pricing”. The statement comes amid a backdrop of frequently shifting market conditions, fuelled by ever-changing US tariffs.
Amidst reports that Microsoft has sidelined first-party handheld plans with Asus’ ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X on the way, we chatted with Jason Ronald, Microsoft’s vice president of gaming devices & ecosystems, to see what we could find out.
“We’re just really excited about the partnership with Asus, we’ve found an ideal partner to bring their strengths with our strengths, and for us we’re really focused on just growing the category overall,” Ronald said.
We were able to go hands-on with the other half of Ubisoft Mainz’s Roman city-builder Anno 117: Pax Romana, and we said, “given the opportunities to define its culture across multiple evolutionary phases, Albion may even have more layers to it than the dedicated Roman settled that would, theoretically, serve as the epicentre the Empire. Colour me intrigued.”
Halloween was revealed at the Future Games Show and we had the chance to interview developer IllFonic on the single-player story mode, working with John Carpenter, and more.
A team of former creatives behind The Witcher 3 are working on dark fantasy RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, and our hands-off demo showed how the game is handling the parallel playstyles of human and vampire action.
Alongside a trailer with new footage, Sucker Punch confirmed that the Legends multiplayer DLC, which first appeared in Ghost of Tsushima, will be released in 2026.
Black Myth: Wukong developer Game Science is working on Black Myth: Zhong Kui, a character who is desribed as the “ghost-catching god who wanders between hell and earth.”
“Set against the backdrop of the classic Chinese folktale ‘Zhong Kui Banishing Evil,’ Black Myth: Zhong Kui is a single-player action role-playing game rooted in ancient Chinese fantasy,” GameScience said. —“The game will deliver distinctive experiences and gameplay features that push our limits, while also bringing fresh ideas and necessary changes to address past flaws and regrets.”
Alongside a trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s The Order of Giants DLC, it was also confirmed that the adventure will be released on Switch 2 in 2026. The Order of the Giants, on the other hand, will be released on September 4 and expands on the game’s Rome location and has Indy searching for the helmet of the Nameless Crusader.
Alongside a horrifying new trailer, it was confirmed that Suzie Yeung (Yuffie From Final Fantasy VII Remake) will be voicing protagonist Hinako in the English dub. As for the footage, it featured a lot of freaky dolls and we really don’t like freaky dolls.
gamescom is about more than games, as it was the place where the debut trailer of Fallout Season 2 was revealed. The much-anticipated new season arrives on December 17 and will see Walton Goggins’ Ghoul and Ella Purnell’s Lucy finally getting to Vegas.
The trailer for Fallout: Season 2 seemingly ties The Ghoul’s origins story to Mr. House. We will soon get to learn more of his backstory and how Coop went to Las Vegas before the war, where he met with the man who he claims was the main cause of the end of the world: Robert House.
FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is getting an anime adaptation called Sekiro: No Defeat, and it will be a retelling of “the game’s unforgettable story – a tale of loyalty and blood, set in a fantastical reimagining of Sengoku-era Japan.”
We played Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition in handheld mode on Switch 2 and came away very disappointed with the game’s performance, especially when in the open areas like Limgrave. Frame rate drops were significant when turning the camera whilst exploring outside of the tutorial area, and this, combined with a confusing button layout on Switch 2, made combat confusing and exploration fairly dispiriting. We weren’t allowed to record gameplay at the booth, probably due to this fact, but you can hear our thoughts on Elden Ring Switch 2 handheld gameplay in this video. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition releases in 2025, so hopefully there’s time for Bandai Namco to work on its performance.
Harlowe is the latest exciting addition to Borderlands 4’s vault hunter line-up. Randy Pitchford, founder and president of Gearbox teases what we can expect from the Gravitar-class hero, plus he reveals more about some of areas to explore and billions (!) of gun combos there are to play around with.
Ninja Gaiden 4’s producer and director Yuji Nakao reveals why they shifted away from the much-loved character of Ryu to new face Yakumo, goes into detail about its combat upgrades, and discusses how Ninja Gaiden 4 will continue the challenge the series is best known for.
“Returning to Kuttenberg, Henry puts his blacksmithing skills to the test to acquire and repair a legendary burnt-down forge, where his father, Martin, spent his youth as an apprentice,” an official description for the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Legacy of the Forge DLC says. “Venturing down memory lane, Henry learns of his father’s legacy as a blacksmith, revealing a part of his life that has remained hidden until now. Gaining new blacksmith prestige, Henry becomes a forge master, helping the
people of Kuttenberg with sword crafting, armor-smithing, and other quirky requests.”
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is real, but is not being developed by Relic Entertainment. Instead, it is in development at King Art Games, the studio behind Iron Harvest. In Dawn of War 4, which looks to return the RTS series to its roots, will have four facitons, “deeply satisfying gameplay,” and a “brutal, expanded Sync Kill system.”
“I certainly wasn’t expecting a new Dawn of War any time soon, much less from a studio other than Relic,” IGN’s Leana Hafer wrote. “But from the bit of it I’ve played, it seems like King Art Games understands the assignment. As a Dawn of War 2 fan, I miss the emphasis on cover and move-and-fire tactics. But Dawn of War 4 has nevertheless made a big first impression. I can hardly wait to get dug in next year.”
CI Games has given Lords of the Fallen 2 its big coming out party, and this 2026 sequel looks to to be shaped by community feedback after an inital rocky reception at launch of the original game. As for the gameplay, expect to explore two parallel worlds, an expanded Umbral realm, and shared campaign progression in online co-op.
gamescom’s Opening Night Live gave us a release date of October 21 for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, which is roughly 21 years after the original was released.
We also had the chance to play Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, and we came out of our play session “cautiously optimistic.” We may not love the combat yet, but its a well-written and well-voiced mystery story that also lets me explore our urban hunting ground with cool movement abilities.
We had the chance to play eight minutes of Project Spectrum, and our previewer, Travis Northup, said it “left me with as many questions as I got answers, with lots left unexplained about how exactly this weird idea will work, but it also showed signs of a fairly new take on the asymmetrical multiplayer genre that’s become one of my favorite pastimes in recent years.”
Brutal sword fights and mastering devastating combos are at the heart of Where Winds Meet, an open world ARPG in which the action is so relentless there’s barely time to soak up the gorgeous visuals. It’s also massive, as the development team behind the game reveals in this gameplay walkthrough.
Monkey Island’s Ron Gilbert is working on Death by Scrolling, a rouguelike RPG when players are pursued throught Purgatory by a constantly-scrollins screen and Death herself.
Capcom and Square Enix are teaming up for exciting crossovers between Monster Hunter Wilds and Final Fantasy 14. Monster Hunter will be getting rideable Chocobos, Cactaurs, and more, and Seikrets and Palicos and hopping over to FF14.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hope is basically a turn-based roguelike that’s giving us big FTL vibes with a wonderful layer of Battlestar Galactica on top of it. In this game, you are actually a junker who is trying to catch up with the Galactica in hopes to find safe haven and, hopefully one day, find Earth.
Bubsy, that talking orange bobcat mascot from the 90s, is returning for a brand-new adventure called Bubsy 4D, and it will be the first new entry in the franchise since 1996’s Bubsy 3D.
If you love Tony Hawk and Jet Set Radio, you may want to keep an eye on Denshattack!, which has you riding a train instead of a skateboard or roller blades. In this game, you have to be the fastest train on the track by doing incredible tricks.
Ghostrunner developer One More Level is back with a new game called Valor Mortis, and it is a single-player, first-person soulslike that takes place in an alt-history Eastern Europe during a ficitonalized version of Napoleon’s invasion. Valor Mortis will be released in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Switch 2 fixes and much more.
Following the release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 on the Switch and Switch 2 last month, Activision and Iron Galaxy have now rolled out a major 2.0 patch.
This update adds Create-A-Park to Private Matches and addresses a “variety of issues”. There are also some fixes specific to Switch and Switch 2 versions of the game. Here’s what you can expect from this latest update:
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Chibi-Robo returns.
Nintendo has today announced it will be bringing Chibi-Robo to the Switch 2’s GameCube library next week on 21st August, 2025.
This title was one of the many games confirmed alongside the reveal of the GameCube library for the Switch Online service. It originally made its debut on the GameCube in 2005/06 and was developed by the team at Skip.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Is it tarnished?
Nintendo has a pretty big booth at Gamescom this year, with a large chunk of areas dedicated to the glut of third-party ports coming to (or are already out on) the Switch 2.
One of those upcoming titles is Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, which brings the highly-acclaimed open-world RPG from FromSoftware to Nintendo’s new console. This rerelease includes the base game, the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, new weapons, classes, and armour. So we knew we had to try it out on the newer console.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
There’s been lots of excitement over the presence of a Hollow Knight: Silksong game demo on the show floor at Gamescom this year, in both the Xbox and Nintendo booths. And by all accounts, the demo seems pretty great. Our own previewer said it’s “a piece of playable art that is as fun to wield as it is to watch.” But some Silksong superfans hoping for new story, new bosses, or new content to reveal themselves in this demo might be a little disappointed, because the Gamescom demo is the same demo from six years ago at E3 2019. But shinier.
We first noticed this when reading through our previews of the demo from today alongside our preview from 2019. It’s more discernable when looking at 2019’s video footage, but both demos cover the same two areas – the early game Moss Grotto, and the later Deep Docks. They cover the same encounters and bosses as well. We’ve been able to comb over some other footage posted by other individuals from Gamescom and yup, looks like an updated version of the same demo.
To be clear, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If anything, it shows how far the game has come in six years. Looking at similar clips from both demos, and there are very clear signs of polish. Lighting and backgrounds have been adjusted, platforms have been moved around slightly. Fans have even spotted the teensiest, tiniest dialogue change between the two demos. It’s also not surprising that neither area has undergone massive content changes in six years. If these two levels were ready for prime time in 2019, they were likely the closest to “done” at the time that Team Cherry had ready, and thus wouldn’t need developers to spend years tweaking them infinitely. And for what it’s worth, this is also the first time we’ve seen the game on both an Xbox Series console, and the Nintendo Switch 2, as the E3 2019 demo was only on Nintendo Switch 1.
The only real disappointment to be had here is that we’re not actually seeing any new content after such a long wait – no new bosses or enemies or characters or stories. So anyone looking to scour this new demo for clues as to what Silksong will be when it finally releases is probably not going to come up with much that we don’t already know.
Still, that probably won’t be necessary either. Team Cherry has announced an announcement of some sort for tomorrow, and after a rash of teases around Gamescom and the demo finally re-emerging after a six year cocoon, it seems likely that a release date is imminent. (Silk)soon, we won’t need to scour tidbits of footage for a crumb of new Silksong info. We’ll just be able to, finally, play the long-anticipated sequel to Hollow Knight for ourselves.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Halloween was revealed at the Future Games Show during gamescom 2025 with a debut trailer and a raft of game details.
IllFonic, the asymmetrical horror specialist behind the likes of Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game, Friday the 13th: The Game, and Predator Hunting Grounds, is developing Halloween and will handle publishing with Gun Media. It’s based on the iconic 1978 movie, and is due out at some point in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.
Unlike IllFonic’s previous horror games, Halloween has a single-player mode. John Carpenter was involved, as was Compass International Pictures, which produced the original film.
Here’s the official blurb:
Step into the chilling world of John Carpenter’s genre-defining film, now transformed into a suspenseful one-versus-many stealth horror experience. Put on the iconic mask to become the ultimate slasher, Michael Myers, stalking and executing the citizens of Haddonfield one by one, or striving to thwart Michael Myers’ plans as Civilians determined to save the unaware townsfolk before it’s too late.
Stick to the shadows as Civilians, seeking out Haddonfield residents to warn them and searching for a way to contact the authorities. As Michael Myers, give them a reason to fear the dark and cut the phone lines to prevent the police from ruining his favorite holiday. Whether playing solo in story mode, against bots offline, or facing others in online multiplayer, each mode rewards stealth, strategy, and skillful play.
Staying true to the original film, IllFonic masterfully recreates the eerie atmosphere of Haddonfield across multiple maps and authentic locations. With a haunting ambience and score inspired by the legendary movie, Halloween brings the terror home in a new experience that will keep both old and new generations looking over their shoulders.
Ahead of the announcement, IGN had the chance to interview Chief Creative Officer Jared Gerritzen and Design Director Jordan Mathewson to find out everything you need to know about Halloween.
IGN: People know IllFonic for their multiplayer horror games. Why was having a single-player mode for Halloween important for you?
Jared Gerritzen: It’s definitely because of the games that we’ve done. This is our fifth runaround with a multiplayer only game. But in the past, in my previous jobs, anytime that a multiplayer-only game gets released, especially if it has a very strong fan base — it is just a fact that some people don’t play multiplayer games. And we’ve learned that in the past. In Ghostbusters we added the ability to play by yourself and better AI. Hardcore Ghostbusters fans were able to come in and play the game and get a great experience, and then they got the skills, and then they saw that multiplayer button and then they came in. And it’s really cool because I now know people that were like, I came in for Ghostbusters, but now I’m a multiplayer fan, and now I’m playing multiplayer games.
Because I do think that in this day and age we are getting these massively cool and exciting IPs, but if there isn’t a multiplayer experience and if there isn’t a single-player experience, I do think that people don’t get those itches scratched. And so year after year, each one of our IllFonic games, it’s an iterative process where we look at the last project and we try to do better. And so with this, it was very important, especially with it being Halloween, that we brought in an experience for people that don’t play hardcore multiplayer games.
Asymmetrical multiplayer games can be a little bit more hardcore too. And the stress of being the killer versus a bunch of bullies can be pretty daunting. And so we really wanted to make a way that people can play a single-player game, get a bit of a story, get deeper into the universe. And so it was very, very important. And that’s why we’ve not only ramped up our development team, really put in some major effort on getting some really awesome AI engineers, but also bringing on Pollard to help out with their skills and their abilities. So I think it’s going to be a really cool experience just to have that total package finally of a popular IP.
IGN: How will the single-player mode actually work? You mentioned story. How extensive will that be?
Jared Gerritzen: Well, so we can’t really talk that much about that because that’s definitely a different phase. But we are working with John. We are working with Malek [Akkad, President of Compass International Pictures]. We’ve got some really great writers that we’re working with to bring this world to it.
It will crisscross the film a lot. When we take an IP, we really, really have to be a fan of it. We turn down IPs more than we chase IPs. We know this film like the back of our hands. And so there’s a lot of things that I think that if you have never seen the film, you’ll get this great experience, but if you have seen the film, you’ll see those really cool moments that you’ve seen for decades. If you’re a fan that just knows who Michael Myers is and you’ve seen a couple of the newer films, that’ll be cool. But I think that it’ll be fun for people to be able to really connect to the OG film.
IGN: You’ve decided to focus on the original film. Why was that important for you, and how involved has John Carpenter been in the process?
Jared Gerritzen: Listen, I have definitely said we need to make sure John’s happy multiple times! John Carpenter’s put out genuinely some of my favorite films, like my top five films. He’s put out such amazing films that just us getting to work with him, like with Predator or being able to work with Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman with Ghostbusters, we’re used to that. We’re used to people like, this is their baby, this is their thing. We’re playing in their sandbox. But I do genuinely feel that we leave making some really cool stuff that they’re very happy about.
Malek, this is his birthright. His father was the one that produced this. He has been working on and with Halloween since he was a child. And so him and John are really the arbiters where when we come up with a crazy idea, we have to come and present it and we have to explain it and most likely give them a couple of days to unpack it, and then come back and get more of those questions.
So the way that I see it is, by working with those guys and proving to those guys what we’re doing is right, I think that that should mean that anyone who’s a fan should also be happy with what we’re doing. Because with a video game, we have to add systems, we have to add gameplay, we have to make sense of a scene that in the film you’re like, okay, that’s a cool scene. But in the game, you don’t cut the camera, you don’t have a way to just go like, okay, other location cut. We’re trying to explain these things, and I genuinely feel some of the systems that we’re going to talk about when we start going more heavy with the gameplay, I think that people will definitely go like, oh wow, that explains some major components in the franchise. And when we’ve presented it, people have been very happy with it.
And honestly, something that we’ll talk about in the future, I’m extremely happy we figured it out, because it’s changed the way that you look at Michael Myers. It’s been very cool. It’s always stressful coming and saying, ‘Hey, here’s this wild idea.’ Honestly, the way that they see us is as a bunch of kids. 1978, I was two. Jordan was still floating around. I’m the person that says, ‘Okay, in the seventies we did this, phones had cables connected to the wall.’ And so it has been one of those really weird things where by choosing that era, it’s so far away, and technology has gone so far, that it’s like playing — I don’t want to say it’s as bad as a Red Dead — but it’s definitely like playing something that a lot of kids won’t understand.
Jordan Mathewson: It is the purest form of Halloween. It is the starting of that entire concept, and it’s been wonderful not only to go towards that period piece mentality of making a unique seventies American town that we see in the movie itself. And the reason it resonates and kind of clicks into that horrific element is it’s such a calm and normal, unassuming town that you wouldn’t expect there to be this mass killer on the loose.
So it gave us a really good, grounded foundation to lay down everything that we wanted to in the play space on top of it being in that era. It gives us just a lot of good things to work off of that keep it very focused into what Halloween is as a whole. It’s been really fun going down that path and focusing on that movie.
IGN: You can’t just make a phone call outside to help save you! Were there any moments during development when you had to explain to younger staff how things worked back then?
Jordan Mathewson: One that’s pretty tame is getting ahold of the police back then. We have 911 now, which is the understanding of how you get ahold of emergency, but it’s not quite the same back then. It wasn’t developed like that. So we have to do a lot of technological understanding syncs to make sure everyone is very well aware of what existed back then.
We do some research just how that technology would flow into the Illinois section of the country. The idea of landlines, phone cords, that kind of thing. The way that you dial, it’s not always buttons, sometimes it’s the rotary. So it’s very much a fun conversation, and we’re always exploring back and forth the different things. And then from there it’s like, how do we make this a gameplay mechanic? Because that can be fun if we’re thinking about trying to set it in place and not making it a hassle and actually making it a mechanic.
IGN: Does Halloween have a canon? Does that factor into what you’re doing? Do you have to obey any rules?
Jared Gerritzen: Yeah! There’s a lot of rules that are set that we don’t talk about, that have been there since the beginning. But there’s a lot of elements where we really try to use the film as the canon. We’re pulling from as many frames as we can.
There’s definitely contention points and caveat points that we have to go like, well, the gameplay. So it’s not one-to-one, but it’s pretty much like, these are elements, these are the factors that we have to pull in. But really it is about Michael’s Halloween night, like him going out. You’re not stalking Laurie in the day, and you’re not doing boring stuff. You’re going to that, okay, this is what he was doing when it wasn’t about him. And so those are the big things that we’re really trying to push.
It’s very difficult, but we have done this a lot in the past. And honestly, the great part is when we have to push out that wall and break out of the box.
IGN: Have you had any fun situations where someone has had to point out that it would actually be like this at this point? Who are the custodians of the Halloween lore?
Jared Gerritzen: Yeah! Malek and Ryan [Freimann, Trancas Films] are absolutely… they’ve been very diligent. They’ve been really great, and it’s added the authenticity.
The mask is probably the best. We had to capture the mask in the highest possible fidelity. Looking at original molds, looking at original masks, they’re degraded. It’s not like someone put it in and made it exactly the same, but the turnaround on making just Mike’s mask has been, I mean, that’s probably the greatest thing to go like, okay, where did you guys spend a lot of effort? And that was the key thing, because when you get the screenshots of the renders… there’s been a lot of Michael Myers’ out there and a lot of other games, and they’ve been made by top top artists, but it was part of like, okay, we’re doing all of these other things.
We put a laser beam on that mask, and every wrinkle, every crack, finding out exactly how it happened, talking to them like, ‘Hey, in this shot, it’s like this and this shot, it’s like that.’ And it’s like, well, yeah, because he took the mask off in between and when he pulled it down, it kind of folded a little bit differently or the hair’s a little bit different. So that’s been the thing that we’ve really kind of cut our teeth with them.
Like I said, we’re in their sandbox so we have to adhere to it, but they’ve been very understanding and very flexible for what we need to do.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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Square Enix is shadow dropping Triangle Strategy for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S today.
The surprise launch finally brings the tactical RPG to other platforms following its original launch on Nintendo Switch back in early 2022. Better yet, the announcement arrives alongside a new launch trailer for the PS5 and Xbox versions of Triangle Strategy, with PC players now also able to pick up a copy on the Microsoft Store.
PlayStation and Xbox players have waited years to see Triangle Strategy make the jump to their preferred platforms, so Square Enix is commemorating the moment with a limited-time offer. Those who purchase the game on either platform before September 4, 2025, can take advantage of a 30% launch discount.
That brings the price down to $41.99, or about $18 cheaper than its standard $59.99 price tag. It’s a deal that encourages early adopters to pick up Triangle Strategy within the next two weeks, though PlayStation players should note the offer is only available to PlayStation Plus subscribers.
“A brand-new tactical RPG from the team behind the Bravely and Octopath Traveler series,” Triangle Strategy’s PlayStation Store description says. “Experience the dramatic story of war-torn Norzelia from different perspectives in stunning HD-2D, with a complex turn-based battle system.”
Triangle Strategy launched as yet another addition to Square Enix’s lineup of HD-2D video games March 4, 2022. We called it “Great” in our original 8/10 review. Although we weren’t particularly impressed with its cast of characters, we felt its “grounded human story” had solid support thanks to its “simple but well-designed and appropriately challenging combat.”
Triangle Strategy fell at number 10 in our list of the top 10 tactics RPGs of all time. It also managed to find its way to our list of the best RPGs of 2022.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer 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).
