Digital Eclipse, following on from Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, is continuing its trend of going back to the past to rekindle the games that kicked ass. While the Cowabunga Collection was wrapped in comic book paraphernalia and finished with a lick of old-fashioned Konami, The Making of Karateka follows the clean and tranquil stylings of Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection, a package we commended for being so thoughtfully arranged.
Digital Eclipse’s “interactive documentary” angle, thus far, has been somewhat pioneering, built with robust research, stuffed with original interviews, and showcasing unearthed and playable prototype materials. And, priced at a reasonable $19.99, there’s a good chance that anyone who sits down and actually sifts through everything in The Making of Karateka, from video interviews to superb audio commentaries, will probably spend more time with it than they do with most games, such is the attention span of today’s impulse buyers and the wealth of content on-board. Without even playing the games in the package, you can kick back and enjoy the story of how Karateka came to be, in alluring, personal detail.
In the enchanting world of Chants of Sennaar, a mesmerizing puzzle game awaits, where language is not merely a means of communication but a captivating journey in itself.
Playable today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, players can now embark on this linguistic odyssey, where they will dive into the depths of five meticulously crafted languages, each with its own unique history, grammar, and cultural resonance. The creation of these languages was a labor of love, blending elements of real-world cultures and linguistic principles to create languages that slowly reveal the truth of the world and people around you. In Chants of Sennaar, words hold the key to unraveling ancient mysteries and forging profound connections.
Inspired by the myth of Babel, Chants of Sennaar casts you as a Traveler, who seeks to unite cultures fractured by language, all living within a single mysterious Tower. In this puzzle adventure, you’ll travel to different cultures and decode their languages yourself and, in doing so, learn the history of the world you’re travelling through.
In Chants of Sennaar, language transcends its traditional role, becoming a vital puzzle-solving tool and a conduit for storytelling. As players navigate the linguistic landscape, they immerse themselves in a world of diverse cultures, unraveling the mysteries that lie within. By embracing the power of language, we hope to inspire players to appreciate the beauty and complexities of communication in our own world.
The game Heaven’s Vault inspired us to pursue the concept of crafting an original language from scratch. We expanded upon this concept by creating living dialects actively spoken and utilized by the characters, fostering interactive linguistic experiences for players. By intertwining the languages with gameplay mechanics, we transformed the learning and discovery process into a puzzle itself, making language acquisition an integral part of the game’s progression.
To ensure that each section of the world felt fully realized, we established the cultures of each group of people within Chants of Sennaar early on. This includes their history, architecture, technological advancements, and fundamental beliefs. By bringing these fictional peoples to life, their languages followed suit.
For instance, the Devotees, the first group encountered in the game, are inspired by ancient Middle Eastern civilizations and medieval Latin Europe. Consequently, their written language fuses elements of Mesopotamian cuneiform writing and the Phoenician alphabet. The Devotees’ peaceful and disciplined nature, driven by their belief in a benevolent “god”, is reflected in their language through a vocabulary rooted in simplicity and exchange.
Each people in the game possesses their own language and grammar, intimately tied to their culture and primary concerns. Drawing inspiration from Nordic tribes, the Warriors employ a language reminiscent of the Futhark runic script, characterized by an authoritarian vocabulary and an imperative mode of expression. The poetic Epicureans and industrious Alchemists, on the other hand, exhibit entirely different writing systems and vocabularies, mirroring their distinctive pursuits.
Determining the number of languages was tough, but we settled on having five distinct groups inhabiting the Tower, each having its own language; with this number we’ve achieved a nice level of dramatic stakes while still ensuring accessibility for all players. The creation of these original languages involved a combination of cultural background, research, and artistic design. Our artistic director, with a deep-rooted interest in linguistics and visual communication, brought his expertise in graphic design to bear on the development process. Drawing from a wide range of graphic and semantic systems, including Phoenician, Kufic, Sanskrit, Futhark, Korean Hangeul or Cistercian numbers, we crafted distinct and credible languages for the game.
Beyond the mechanical aspects, Chants of Sennaar explores themes of division, mistrust, and the challenges of coexistence. Most importantly, it also highlights the transformative power of communication, open-mindedness, and embracing diversity.
Remember, the power of words can transcend boundaries and shape destinies. Are you ready to embark on this linguistic odyssey? Play Chants of Sennaar now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, or try the demo for free.
Divided since the dawn of time, the Peoples of the Tower no longer speak to each other. But it is said that one day, a Traveler will find the wisdom to break down the walls and restore the Balance. Explore and discover an enthralling world in a colorful, poetic setting inspired by the myth of Babel, where men have forgotten their past. Travel the endless steps of a prodigious labyrinth, uncover an ominous truth and unveil the mysteries of this fascinating universe where ancient languages are both the lock and the key.
Embark on a captivating journey with ancient languages to decipher
• Explore a beautiful, fascinating world with a strong narrative inspired by the myth of Babel
• Observe your environment and solve puzzles to unravel the mysteries around you
• Use stealth and cunning to outwit the Guardians and cross the forbidden zones
• Decipher ancient languages to restore the connections between the Peoples of the Tower
Hi Eternights fans! Jae here, creator of Eternights. I’m hyped to show you a deep dive into the gameplay of one of my favorite bosses… The Infected Hacker. Spoilers ahead.
For some context, The Infected Hacker is a monster that has hacked Yuna’s social media (our popstar companion) and used it to lure thousands of her fans by promising safety and shelter. As a sick form of trophy, the hacker asked Yuna’s fans to bring their Yuna plushies with them, resulting in mountains of her blood-stained merch, each one of them representing a fan killed by his hand. When Yuna is faced with all of this, she isn’t even given time to grieve or process, before the monster that killed her fans approaches her with a sword made out of different body parts – eager to add another hand or two.
I designed this boss around the theme wrath, which I think you can tell by his furious attack patterns. The key to Eternights combat is timing – you need to dodge at just the right moment, right before an attack, to get a perfect dodge and slow down time, which allows you to get more attacks in against the boss. Not only that, but doing this also charges up your elemental gauge that when filled allows you to do a powerful elemental fist attack.
Completing a combo doesn’t just feel super satisfying, it also allows you to press R1 to inflict extra damage on enemies. Once you complete a combo, if you manage to keep on attacking without getting hit, you can end up fully charging your death blow meter, which is a sword skill that allows you to deal a devastating amount of damage to your enemies. Another favorite sword skill of mine is the Stinger, which is an attack that allows you to quickly close the distance between you and your target. Very useful when your target moves around a lot.
To get a bit deeper into elemental attacks, you unlock and upgrade them by forging a closer bond with Yuna. The higher level you have, the more layers of shield you can destroy in one go. Now Yuna, specifically, has the fire elemental ability that can be used to destroy ice barriers, which this boss has three layers of. So it pays off to be close to your companions.
Yuna’s elemental fire isn’t the only trick up her sleeve. Every confidant has a set of confidant skills you can unlock, upgrade and use in combat. Yuna’s skill here is the ability to create a temporary pool of healing that you can stand in–in order to replenish your health. Of course, if you can avoid enemy attacks in the process. These confidant skills can only be upgraded by collecting or earning a specific collectable called White Essence. So make sure to be on the lookout.
Now, you’ll need as much healing as you can get, The Infected Hacker is a tough opponent. He attacks from all directions as well as has an arsenal of different area of effect attacks ready to deal damage to you. Not only that, halfway through the battle, he unlocks his sword’s true form while also throwing out moves you’ve never seen before.
It’s a tough fight, but if you use all of the skills I’ve given you, I know you’ll be able to beat it. But what’s this? After the battle there is a mysterious little girl? What’s that about? Well, you’ll have to play the game to find out!Eternights is releasing September 12 on PS5 and PS4. Pre-order is available now with a 10% discount for PlayStation Plus members.
Payday 3 will hold an open beta on Steam and Xbox from September 8 to 11, Deep Silver and Starbreeze have announced.
Starbreeze said the open beta is designed to stress test servers for the co-op heist shooter ahead of the launch on September 21.
The open beta requires no key access and includes the same content as the recent technical closed beta test. Starbreeze mentioned the open beta build is based on a build from April 2023 and is not a final representation of Payday 3, but it will let the studio identify potential issues with the servers before launch.
Here’s what the open beta offers, from Starbreeze:
The original gang: Dallas, Hoxton, Chains and Wolf. The iconic clown-masked characters that made the Payday franchise infamous are all playable.
No rest for the wicked is a Payday 3 bank heist, that charges the players with relieving a small bank of the cash cluttering up their vault. It’s their own choice to go stealth without anyone noticing how the cash evaporated or go loud to really experience that NYC robbery feeling.
All difficulties will be playable, level cap is Infamy Level 22 and Weapon Level Progression is at eight.
Payday 3 launches on PC via PC Game Pass, on Steam and Epic Games Store, as well as Xbox Series X and S Game Pass, PlayStation 5 and GeForce Now on September 21.
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.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon now has an unofficial easy mode on PC, courtesy of a modder who made mech design and gameplay more forgiving and rewards more generous.
As reported by Eurogamer, the aptly named EZ-Core mod posted to the NexusMods website changes key aspects of Armored Core 6’s mech design process, which ordinarily places significant restrictions on what parts you can use based on their weight and energy requirements.
The EZ-Core mod lessens this burden by reducing these energy and weight loads by half, thus making it easier for struggling players to build a relatively overpowered AC. It also increases the amount of starting ammunition for each weapon by 300 percent.
The effective range of weapons has also been increased by 300 percent, which means the rounds fired from your weapons and those of your enemies are far less likely to ricochet harmlessly away. The mod also increases the amount of credits earned for successfully completing both standard missions and arena battles by 200 percent, and adds new camera options, along with the ability to make manoeuvring around with boosters more energy efficient.
However, the mod’s creator has warned players against using the unofficial version of the game in multiplayer out of fear it could result in a ban. While Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is an entirely different beast compared to other FromSoftware titles such as Elden Ring, it still features the same hard as nails gameplay players have come to expect from the Hidetaka Miyazaki-led studio.
The frenetic nature of the gameplay plus the lack of invincibility frames has led many players to have a hard time against early bosses, including Chapter 1’s Balteus, who is capable of firing off a kaleidoscope of missiles that can initially feel impossible to avoid. From there, things only get more intense, which will make the mod a welcoming prospect for players who need a helping hand to progress further into Armored Core 6’s dystopian world.
In IGN’s 8/10 review we said every sortie in Armored Core 6 “is a satisfying combat puzzle to solve thanks to fantastic mission design, intense boss encounters, an extremely wide assortment of weapons and parts”, which kept our attention throughout the 15-hour campaign, and beyond.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
EA and Respawn Entertainment have released the biggest patch yet for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor across all platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.
Patch 7 “makes sweeping improvements to Quality and Performance modes” on console, EA said, while its PC counterpart is headlined by the addition of NVIDIA DLSS support.
PS5 and Xbox’s Performance Mode has received a complete rework that has disabled Ray Tracing to guarantee a consistent 60 frames per second performance alongside other improvements. Other technical improvements have also boosted Quality Mode across both consoles and added Variable Refresh Rate support on PS5.
Jedi: Survivor launched in April to positive critical reception and commercial success but some users were left with a buggy, broken version of the game, even after a big day one download. The studio released plenty of patches in the weeks following launch, though has been quiet for a while as it presumably worked on this bigger performance-boosting update.
In our 9/10 review of the running well version, IGN said: “If Respawn makes a third game like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Fallen Order, it’ll complete the best Star Wars trilogy in 30 years, hands down.”
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Patch 7 Notes
This patch introduces several performance-related improvements* on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S including:
Performance mode has been completely reworked to substantially improve player experience.
A number of GPU and CPU optimizations – along with disabling Ray Tracing – has resulted in a better player experience, including a solid 60 FPS in Performance mode.
Quality Mode has also received optimizations to help reduce FPS fluctuation and introduce other visual improvements.
Variable Refresh Rate support added for PS5
Additional performance and optimization improvements for PC, including DLSS support.
Save system tweaks to help prevent save game corruption.
Fixed issues where players could not retrieve their XP after dying under certain circumstances.
Various crash fixes
Various bug fixes and improvements across all platforms, including fixes for cloth, lighting, and UI.
* Note: cinematics in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor are locked to 30 frames per second.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Nintendo has today announced a new range of Switch bundles that will be coming our way next month including two brand-new Animal Crossing: New Horizons-inspired Switch Lite editions.
The Isabelle’s Aloha Edition and Timmy & Tommy’s Aloha Edition will be available from Target and Walmart respectively in the US from 6th October for a suggested retail price of $199.99, while Nintendo of Europe has confirmed that each will be receiving a wider release on 20th October.
For those of you who have already started the epic journey into Starfield in early access I hope you’re having a blast, and for those of you joining on day one with Game Pass, your time starts very soon! I am so excited to finally add Starfield to our list of games “Coming Soon.” Space, feelings, souls-like – we have amazing games for you to explore (not to mention a reminder of some surprise shadow drops last week!). Let’s get to it!
Available Today
Gris (Cloud, Console, and PC) Gris makes a return to the Game Pass library today! Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality.
Coming Soon
Starfield (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – September 6 Available on day one with Game Pass: Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery. To help get you started on your epic journey, the Xbox Wire team created Starfield Starters – a four-part guide covering the basics. Check out the first part here.
Solar Ash (Cloud, Console, and PC) – September 14 From the creators of the award-winning Hyper Light Drifter comes the high-speed and gravity-bending world of Solar Ash. Set amidst a surreal dreamscape filled with long-abandoned ruins of great civilizations past, you play as Rei, a Voidrunner determined to stop at nothing to save her planet from falling prey to the Ultravoid’s path of eternal hunger.
Lies of P (Cloud, Console, and PC) – September 19
Available on day one with Game Pass: Lies of P is a thrilling soulslike that takes the story of Pinocchio, turns it on its head, and sets it against the darkly elegant backdrop of the Belle Epoque era. You must adapt yourself and your weapons to face untold horrors, untangle the unfathomable secrets of the city’s elites and choose whether to confront predicaments with the truth or weave lies to overcome them on the journey to find yourself.
In Case You Missed It
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition (Cloud and Console) – Available now For years you’ve battled armies and made history your story. Now it’s time to make history once more with a new breakthrough in strategy gaming – introducing Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition, now available on Xbox consoles. Includes native inputs for Xbox controller, console-specific user interface, and a new tutorial designed for first time players to help achieve easy setup and success.
Call of the Wild: The Angler – Available now Be free to fish where you choose in this unique and approachable open world fishing game. Explore the great outdoors on your own or with friends, engage in a variety of fishing activities, experiment with different baits and lures, and find the catch of a lifetime!
Humankind (Cloud and Console) – Available now Humankind is a historical strategy game in which you’ll be combining cultures to create a civilization that’s as unique as you are. Re-craft the narrative of human history as you lead your people from the Ancient to the Modern age. How far will you push Humankind?
DLC / Game Updates
No Man’s Sky: Echoes Update – Available now Meet a secret society of robotic aliens in update 4.4, Echoes! Furthering the narrative introduced in Interceptor, explore the mysteries of the Autophage, perform their rituals, learn their language, and assemble your own ceremonial staff. In deep space, confront huge outlaw dreadnoughts, sweep through their trenches and destroy vulnerable components in new tactical space combat – and much more. Learn more on Xbox Wire.
Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island – The Quest for Guybrush – Available now The next chapter of Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island has arrived! A plan has been devised to rescue Guybrush from his prison, but to succeed you’ll need to conquer three Legendary Trials! Play the new Tall Tale now with Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks
Minecraft Realms Plus Subscription – September 5 Game Pass Ultimate members can get access to a 3-month subscription to Minecraft Realms Plus! Share your world, build with friends, and play across all of your devices with your own personal server. This Perk requires a payment instrument to redeem. Terms apply.
Xbox Game Pass Quests
September Game Pass Quests launch today. Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass Console members can earn points by playing their favorite games.
Human Fall Flat (250 points – Ultimate only) – Climb 30 meters
Among Us (5 points) – Play
Earn an Achievement (50 Points – Daily) – Earn an achievement in any Game Pass game
Leaving September 15
The following games are leaving the library soon, so make sure to dive back in before they go! Remember to use your membership discount to save up to 20% to keep them in your library.
Amazing Cultivation Simulator (PC)
Aragami 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventure of Krypto and Ace (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Fuga: Melodies of Steel (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Metal Hellsinger (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Tainted Grail: Conquest (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Train Sim World 3 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Thanks again for tuning in for the latest Game Pass updates. We’ll be back before long with more updates, more perks, and (most importantly) more games. Keep an eye for the latest on when games are playable on @XboxGamePass and @XboxGamePassPC or Instagram. Cheers!
Former chairman of PlayStation Studios Shawn Layden has Thoughts and somewhat dire warnings about the videogame industry’s future, though what exactly he means by “the videogame industry” is a little open to guesswork.
Charles Martinet, the now former voice of Mario, has discussed his new role as “Mario Ambassador” for Nintendo, saying: “I don’t know what that is yet.”
Nintendo has yet to announce Martinet’s replacement, but did say he will assume the new role of “Mario Ambassador”.
But what does “Mario Ambassador” mean? It seems Martinet himself is unsure. Speaking during a Q&A panel at GalaxyCon Austin 2023, Martinet said: “I am now a Mario Ambassador. I don’t know what that is yet. I’m not retired as it were, but I’m an ambassador. As we step forward into the future, we’ll all learn exactly what that is.”
It sounds like Martinet is in the dark about his new role for Nintendo, but, as he stresses, he is not retiring. As for his replacement, during a recent interview with IGN, Nintendo of America boss Doug Bowser said fans will have to wait until the release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder on October 20 to find out, as the company will keep the new voice of Mario under wraps until the game’s credits are public.
“Charles has obviously been a voice actor with us for quite some time, and as we look for ways to keep Charles involved in Nintendo’s business, we thought this was a very nice transition for him,” Bowser said.
“And Charles is very excited about it. I’ll let Charles speak to it himself if he’d like to, but we look forward to having him continue to represent Nintendo and importantly the Mushroom Kingdom as we go forward. I think people have recognized this when they see Super Mario Bros. Wonder, they’ll hear a different voice and we’ll let that play out and that’ll be within the credits, and people will learn who the new person is at that point in time, but we don’t plan to make any announcement in advance of that.”
Image credit: Tales From The Collection: Autographs & Fan Mail YouTube channel / GalaxyCon Austin 2023
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.
