Hey, everybody! Tim and Kristen discuss all the big news for this week’s State of Play, including Saros, the upcoming new game from Housemarque, and some of their other favorite moments from the show.
Stuff We Talked About
Next week’s release highlights:
Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered | PS5, PS4
Afterlove EP | PS5, PS4
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii | PS5
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1 | PS5
Astro Bot’s five new levels
Announcing Saros
Days Gone Remastered announced for PS5
Borderlands 4 arrives on September 23, with a special State of Play deep dive coming this spring
PlayStation Plus February Game Catalog
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
TopSpin 2K25
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1
SaGa Frontier Remastered
Somerville
Tin Hearts
Mordhau
Patapon 3
Dropship: United Peace Force
Resident Evil 4 VR Mode
Metaphor ReFantazio
The Cast
Download the image
Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE
Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
Obsidian’s Avowed just went live in advanced access for those willing to spend more, sending new adventurers out across the Living Lands. While they’re out there, they might discover some magical items and dangers, and apparently, a little bit of love after all.
During the pre-release run-up for Avowed, Obsidian said the game wouldn’t feature a dedicated romance system, and would instead focus on building “thoughtful relationships” with companions. Here’s a quote from an IGN interview with Avowed game director Carrie Patel, explaining the thought process:
“We are building thoughtful relationships with our companion characters,” Patel said at the time. “Ultimately, I personally am a fan of making that an option, but I feel like if you’re going to do it, you really, really have to commit and make sure that you’re giving all to fulfilling that in a way that feels both true to the character, but also creates an engaging player experience. So not something we’re doing for Avowed, but I wouldn’t say never.”
Early players and reviewers of Avowed are reporting that, actually, at least one companion has eyes for your player character. Spoilers ensue for specific interactions with the companion Kai, so if you’re looking to avoid that, turn back now.
Warning! Avowed spoilers follow:
GamesRadar reports that Kai, voiced by Brandon Keener (also the voice of Mass Effect’s Garrus Vakarian), can wind up in a romance with the player. Complete his own personal quest line, confess your feelings, and apparently you’ll get a confirmation of your happily-ever-after in the credits roll.
I’m not far enough in my personal Avowed playthrough to confirm as much, but PC Gamer encountered similar dialogue in their playthrough. The romance seems gender-agnostic too, as PC Gamer played as a male character, and GamesRadar’s reported success was with a female character.
It’s a nice little treat, especially for all the Garrus fans. It does make one wonder what shifted in development, but if love wins in the end, that’s all that really matters.
Before Nintendo Switch Online, there was Virtual Console. Available on the Wii, 3DS, and Wii U, the Virtual Console was effectively a line of purchasable retro games available via the Wii Shop Channel and eShop.
Unlike Nintendo Switch Online, which offers up a range of playable games for an annual or monthly cost, Virtual Console allowed you pay for games ad-hoc, enabling you to download whichever title you wanted and keep it indefinitely. While we certainly love what Nintendo has been doing with Switch Online over the years, it’s no secret that lots of fans would rather the firm revert back to the Virtual Console model.
In an ultimately failed attempt at cobbling some Elden Ring: Nightreign impressions together, I spent a little over three hours of my Valentine’s Day fruitlessly trying to get a match going in the roguelike spinoff’s doomed PS5 network test. I hope said test provided FromSoft with some helpful data, considering Nightreign releases in May, though it would have been a lot easier for everyone if I could’ve just sent Hidetaka Miyazaki an email saying “Sir, your server infrastructure is made of biscuits.”
In the interests of a more productive outcome, here are some lovely/interesting/terrifying little PC games that I could have started and finished while waiting for the closed beta to sort itself out, and that you might enjoy regardless of whether you’ve just spaffed away a perfectly good afternoon.
Fahmi’s Swan Song: Afterlove EP – Life, Love, and Music in Jakarta
Sasha Ariana, Lead Narrative Designer
Summary
Afterlove EP is a new slice-of-life adventure from the creator of Coffee Talk and What Comes After.
Pikselnesia shares how the team navigated its own grief alongside the game’s emotional beats after its founder unexpectedly passed away. Afterlove EP is out today on Xbox Series X|S.
When we, Pikselnesia, first heard the pitch for Afterlove EP from one of Indonesia’s greatest narrative minds, Fahmi Hasni, we knew it would be something special. But we never expected everything to unfold the way it did.
I first met Fahmi, funnily enough, through a dating app. After a very brief entangling, it quickly became clear that we were meant to create something far greater than just a fleeting companionship. Even before What Comes After took shape, he was already dreaming about what at that time was called Project Heartbreak. Back then, he didn’t even have a story – just a feeling he wanted to capture. The ache of trying to move on while the voice of lost love still lingers in your head.
Then, just as we were stepping into full production, Fahmi passed away. I remember spending a lot of horrible months in my grief wondering what went wrong – if anything could have gone differently. Fahmi’s passing was sudden, tragic, and utterly shocking.
When our team and publisher eventually chose me to be the Narrative Lead, I knew exactly what to do. Our protagonist would feel what I felt.
I was going to put him through hell.
As the team hurled itself into continuing production in the dark, I knew each of us struggled to fill the giant hole Fahmi had left. Our producer, Ivor, had known Fahmi since before his days as a gaming journalist. Now, he had to shoulder the impossible – leading a studio without its heart. He managed Pikselnesia, coordinated with our publisher Fellow Traveler, and kept Fahmi’s family updated. I knew he was skilled – his years in the AAA mobile game industry proved that – but guiding a grieving team while mourning a friend must have been gut-wrenching.
Our other co-lead, Damas, was a pillar of the Indonesian gaming industry. His Bandung-based studio – Rolling Glory Jam – had been our backbone when we released What Comes After years before. Then there was Giri, who I had worked with on What Comes After. Seeing him again as Lead Programmer for Afterlove EP felt like reuniting with an old ally. Our other programmer, Dany, took on even more – stepping into the role of Creative Director while still managing the back-end of our PC and Nintendo Switch builds. I had seen all these men stand beside Fahmi before. Though I perhaps would never fully grasp the depth of their grief, I could feel their determination to complete Fahmi’s final masterpiece, the swan song of his dying breath.
Even when Afterlove EP was just a conversation I had with Fahmi over coffee, Fahmi already knew he wanted Soyatu to lead the art direction. I remember being in awe – Soyatu’s unmistakable style, in an artful game about death? It would surely be a head-turner. I was relieved when Fahmi also found Pinga to create background arts that perfectly complement Soyatu’s lively characters. Together, their work felt seamless. And when Maxi joined the team, everything clicked into place. Watching Soyatu’s characters come to life – actually walking, actually talking – was surreal. It made sense, though. Maxi had worked with Giri before at Thinker Studio, and I never doubted his talent for a second.
This all-star team was exactly what Fahmi’s vision needed – anything less simply wouldn’t have sufficed. His love for Jakarta ran deep. The chaotic sprawl of the streets, the hidden gems tucked away in hole-in-the-wall eateries, the city’s thriving music and art culture – all of it shaped him, and his hopeless romantic tendencies. That was why he brought L’Alphalpha into the project so early. The shoegaze band has a unique, distinctive sound that is somewhat cinematic, exceptional lyrics written in Bahasa Indonesia that are melancholic without being maudlin, the type of songs that recognized pain but never let it consume you. It was everything Fahmi wanted Afterlove EP to express.
In Afterlove EP, you step into the life of Rama, a deadpan young musician grieving the loss of his girlfriend, Cinta, who died from a fatal heart disease. Coping with the weight of her absence is already overwhelming – sorrow, trauma, and guilt twist together in a relentless storm. But what makes it even harder is that Cinta’s voice never truly leaves him. She lingers in his mind, speaking to him, questioning him, making moving on feel impossible.
As Rama stumbles toward a new chapter in his life, he faces choices that shape his future – including three potential love interests: Mira, Regina, and Satria. Yet, Cinta remains. She watches. She comments on his decisions. She even occasionally disagrees with how he tries to move forward, a presence that refuses to fade into memory. Meanwhile, his band, Sigmund Feud, is barely holding together. His absence during his deepest grief took its toll, and when he finally returns, he somehow manages to make things worse. Anyone who has tried to start a band with friends in a garage will understand – sometimes it’s tangled in personal drama, other times it’s clashing ambitions. But in every indie band, there’s always that moment when everything feels like it could fall apart.
As you navigate Rama’s life in the most eventful month of his new life, you’ll be immersed in Soyatu’s signature art style – not just in character sprites you’re controlling and interacting with, but also in beautifully crafted comics woven throughout the game.
You’ll also be able to control how well Rama plays with the band in both practice sessions and live performances, as you jam out to L’Alphalpha’s incredible shoegaze post-rock soundtrack.
Jakarta itself plays a crucial role in Afterlove EP, with real-life locations that meant the world to Fahmi and our team. Who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll find yourself wandering these same streets, seeing the city through his eyes, and understanding why he fell in love with it.
There’s so much more to discover, but I don’t want to spoil the wonder of experiencing Afterlove EP for yourself. So, I’ll end here – with my deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported us on this journey. We’re finally at the finish line, and it’s because of you that we were able to bring Fahmi’s final masterpiece to life. Until later when we meet again, friends.
Taking place in the vibrant city of Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, Afterlove EP is a blend of visual novel, narrative adventure and rhythm game from the creator of Coffee Talk and What Comes After.
Step into the shoes of Rama, a young musician struggling to move on with life after the death of their girlfriend, Cinta.
Whilst his close friends and bandmates are all determined to help him move on, Rama has been stuck for more than a year. He’s neglecting his music, his mental health and his relationships.
Making things harder, he’s hearing Cinta’s voice inside his head, unsure if she is a spirit or part of his imagination.
Now he has just one month to get it together!
Rama’s band has a critical gig in one month’s time. Either he gets serious about his music and delivers the new songs he has been promising or the band will move on without him.
KEY FEATURES
• An emotional new story from the creator of Coffee Talk and What Comes After.
• Set in a vibrant and authentic recreation of modern day Jakarta, Indonesia
• A blend of narrative adventure, visual novel and rhythm game elements – explore, talk, jam out!
• Multiple endings and story paths – over 28 days and nights, it will be your choices that determine the path Rama takes.
• Featuring the distinctive art of renowned Indonesian indie-manga artist, Soyatu.
• Featuring an original soundtrack from popular Indonesian band, L’alphalpha.
The pre-registration window is officially open on PC, iOS, and Android for Mecharashi, a free-to-play tactical RPG that puts you in charge of outfitting and deploying a squad of mech pilots.
If this is your first time hearing of Mecharashi, it’s developed by BlackJack Studio and is focused on strategy and tactics. Every mech, both yours and your enemies’, is made up of four parts: a body, legs, right arm, and left arm. Each part has its own separate HP, and reducing each part to zero brings about different results.
“The core gameplay of our game is inspired by Front Mission,” the dev team told IGN. “When we reviewed the design brilliance of Front Mission, the most striking revelation came from its groundbreaking choice in 1995: while other strategy games of that time were fixated on the rock-paper-scissors style of counter systems (e.g., “sword > axe > spear”), it boldly abandoned this easy-to-grasp approach. Instead, it introduced part destruction to create a truly physically meaningful battlefield.”
In Mecharashi, destroying each enemy’s body is the ultimate goal, since that finishes them off for good. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should focus all your attacks on that one area. Taking out the legs makes them unable to move, and as each mech’s weapons are equipped on their arms, destroying those can drastically reduce their firepower and prevent powerful charged attacks. You need to assess the threat each enemy poses, figure out the best way to neutralize them, and use the strengths of each member of your squad to make that happen.
“We have adopted the charming tactical chess logic from Front Mission because it fits perfectly with the mecha + tactical chess theme,” the dev team said. “The strategic dimension has been significantly enhanced: Instead of focusing on memorizing attribute counters, players now rely on more realistic logic — destroying legs to limit mobility, breaking weapon pods to eliminate threats, and hitting the cockpit to disable combat capabilities. Each decision corresponds to tangible tactical gains.”
Destroying different parts won’t just have a strategic effect on battle, you’ll also see visual differences depending on what part you destroyed.
“We used the 3D standards of this generation to create mechs with realistic metal textures, dirt, and scratches. When a mecha’s leg is destroyed, not only does it affect the movement range, but you can see the details of the broken surface and internal spark short-circuiting — visual depth that was hard to achieve under the technical limitations of 1995.”
Each pilot in your crew belongs to a character class that defines their role in battle. Fighters are melee specialists who have powerful attacks but limited range. Raiders use assault weapons to deal high burst damage. Snipers attack from range and can target a specific part of the enemy. Tacticians can also attack from longer distances and hit multiple targets at once. Guardians protect allies and limit enemy movement. And last but certainly not least, Machinists can repair allied mechs.
You can customize every pilot’s mech — including their individual parts, weapons, and color scheme — and can assemble various bodies, arms, and legs, which affect the mech’s appearance and stats. Different weapons provide different types of attacks from different ranges. Color schemes give you the option of choosing from more than 120 colors, and you can mix and match several colors at once to fully customize the look of each mech.
“Front Mission hasn’t had a new tactical chess game in many years, and mecha is a highly visual genre,” the dev team said. “The realistic textures of mechanics and metals have strong visual appeal. Therefore, we invested a huge amount of art resources into the design of mechs and the construction of the world atmosphere.”
Once you’ve equipped your squad to your liking, it’s time to deploy. You’ll be given missions in the gritty setting of Milkhama Island, where the discovery of a new mineral known as Arashium has led to factions forming and trying to secure it for themselves. And what does that lead to? You guessed it: violence and war.
You play as a mercenary squad recruited into the government’s National Defense Force to help put down a rebel group known as The Ashes, but you’ll quickly realize that not everything is as it seems. As the story evolves, you’ll deal with corruption, complicated politics, deceit, and betrayal, and you just might become key players in a struggle that will change the course of history.
The story develops through fully voice acted chapters and sub-chapters, with each sending your team on a mission. Before each mission, you’ll have the chance to choose your combat party and their starting positions on the map. Combat is turn-based and progresses in phases until you’ve completed the designated goal for that mission. Those goals can include eliminating all enemies, destroying one specific enemy, or reaching a designated evacuation zone.
Each mech has a movement limit and attack range, which are displayed as different colored blocks on the grid-based map. Some character classes and weapon types provide unique abilities that require a certain amount of AP to use. Each character starts combat with 3 AP and replenishes some on each turn, but many attacks require more AP than a unit can gain in a single turn, meaning you’ll need to bide your time to strategically build up your AP reserves.
Destroying enemy mechs will grant AP to whoever dealt the finishing blow, so part of your strategy will revolve around AP management to make sure each party member can consistently contribute without wasting any turns. You’ll also need to pay attention to enemy mech types and weapons, since they can counterattack if you hit them from a range they’re equipped for.
Once your goal is completed, you’ll receive rewards and each member of the combat party will gain EXP. Rewards include Arashium, mech parts, weapons, Recruitment Tokens, money, and items you can give to specific party members to instantly give them EXP. Arashium is a special currency, while Recruitment Tokens are used to recruit new members for your squad.
Between battles, you’ll return to your base, where you can upgrade your mechs and pilots. During the course of the story, pilots will unlock the Bionic Computer, which essentially acts as their personal skill tree. You’ll need to gather specific items in order to unlock each node, which can provide things like stat boosts, passive skills, and combat abilities.
If Mecharashi sounds like it’s up your alley, you can go to the official website to sign up for pre-registration now on PC, iOS, and Android. It’s scheduled to release internationally later this year and will support eight languages: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Thai, and Chinese. If you’d like to be part of the community, you can follow the game on Twitter and YouTube.
There’s something uncanny about dipping “classic” games in a tub of HD paint for the purposes of a remaster. A reboot can completely reinvent an old character, intriguing players in the same way an adaptation of Macbeth might excite a theatre dweeb. But remasters often feel like someone has plainly yet painstakingly rolled over every inch of the original with linoleum. The worst remasters bring to mind the Spanish pensioner who butchered a fresco of Jesus Christ. As acts of restoration go, Aspyr’s work on Tomb Raider (and Soul Reaver) isn’t quite that egregious. Hard work has gone into updating the scenery and textures. Basic vine sprites become handsome twirls of plantlife. Egyptian reliefs are given form. But there’s a limit to this unfurling of digital lino. The results ultimately evoke the look common in mobile games when smartphones were becoming ever more powerful. This is Lara Croft if she were designed by Gameloft in 2011.
Elden Ring Nightreign‘s first big network test is underway, but eagle-eyed observers have already spotted that the survival royale has more on the way. A now-deleted Steam page mentioned additional DLC, seemingly confirming Elden Ring Nightreign will get additional boss and characters as DLC.
Per PC Gamer, a line on Elden Ring Nightreign’s Steam page read: “Additional DLC — Additional playable characters and bosses.” It’s since been removed, and there’s always the slim chance this was added in error, but it more than likely confirms Elden Ring Nightreign will be getting more content down the line.
Since this particular version of Elden Ring is a bit more online and live service, it’s not a surprising note. Elden Ring Nightreign is a standalone game, and developer FromSoftware has been pretty consistent with producing DLC for its previous games.
Iconic fights like Gwyn, the Looking Glass Knight, or Lady Maria would almost certainly be fun to see in this co-op take on Elden Ring. Nothing’s set in stone yet, but given FromSoftware’s portfolio of bosses, it’s hard not to start picking out some dream matches. And that’s not even digging into the possibilities for new characters to play as, fighting against said bosses.
Nightdive Studios announced that System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition — its modernized edition of the 1999 classic sci-fi horror action role-playing game — has been renamed System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster and is also coming to Nintendo Switch.
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster will soon be released on Windows PC via Steam and GOG and on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch.
Here’s the official blurb:
It’s the year 2114. As you awake from cryo sleep on the FTL ship Von Braun, you are unable to remember who or where you are… and something has gone terribly wrong. Hybrid mutants and deadly robots roam the halls while the cries from the remaining crew reverberate through the cold hull of the ship. SHODAN, a rogue AI bent on the destruction of mankind has taken over, and it’s up to you to stop her. Delve through the corridors of the derelict ship Von Braun and immerse yourself in the story-rich atmosphere and environment. Explore deck by deck and unravel the horrifying fate of the Von Braun and her crew.
A release date will be announced at the Future Game Show Spring Showcase livestream on March 20, 2025 alongside a new trailer, Nightdive said.
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.
