Hello there, Survivors!  I’m Evan Wolbach, co-founder of Dead Drop Studios.  Today we’re excited to share more info about the present and future of Railbreak, our mind-meltingly entertaining on-rails shooter, which is currently available on Xbox Series X|S!  The new free Time Korrisis content update is available now, our ferocious Tailbreak DLC expansion arrives in October, and new players can save 20% on Railbreak via Deals with Game Pass from February 6th to February 13th.

The new features included in the free Time Korrisis update now available for Railbreak add a whole new dimension to the game’s variety! This feature changes the whole experience into a frenzied time attack game. Blast enemies and collect items to restore precious seconds to your timer; now on top of needing to survive, you also need to watch the clock. Running out of time in a mode will cost you a continue, and your rank will be determined by how much extra time you have remaining at the end of a round! This new twist on Railbreak’s ballistic on-rails arcade shooting is sure to provide a new challenge even for players who’ve already exhaustively blasted zombies!

Another major component of Railbreak’s first free content update is the addition of playable character Korrine Joining the nine-character roster, Korrine’s play style is unique compared to the rest of the cast.  Korrine’s plasma cannon is a great screen clearing tool, but it costs a lot of ammo to fire. Her glitched sidearm causes all kinds of wild effects with each shot.  On top of the grenades that every character possesses, Korrine has a fourth weapon: the Katana. This weapon blasts sword beams that have a chance of dismembering your enemy, but using it also inflicts a Super Glitch; receive Korrine’s Blessing for improved score and damage output, but also be prepared for a significant nerf determined at random.  Korrine is the game’s first expert level character, so if you think you’ve seen it all, choose her for a spicy new challenge.  On top of the additions we’ve talked about today, Railbreak has also received a graphical boost on Xbox Series X|S and other tweaks to improve the gameplay experience.

Looking to the future, we recently confirmed that the Tailbreak DLC expansion will arrive for Railbreak this October.  If the zombie outbreak was bad, just wait until Cypress Ridge has to contend with fearsome dinosaurs, too!  The Tailbreak DLC expansion will include new voiced story content and levels, new modes, and more.  We hope you look forward to more ferocious details in the future as we stampede toward launch!

If you haven’t leaped into the arcade madness of Railbreak, now is the best time to yet. With a total of two game types, six exhilarating modes, and nine characters with the free Time Korrisis update, the game has never been so exciting.  You can even enjoy a timed game trial on Xbox Series X|S before you commit to buying.  The newly announced Tailbreak DLC expansion coming this October also means there’s still plenty of thrilling content to come, so the fun has only just begun.  Save 20% via Deals with Game Pass from now until February 13th and show those pesky zombies you mean business today in Railbreak for Xbox Series X|S.  It’s a war against the undead….and the clock!

Railbreak

Dead Drop Studios LLC

☆☆☆☆☆
26

★★★★★

$19.99

Get it now

Free Trial

It’s Saturday night in Cypress Ridge which means the city is in ruins, hordes of flesh eating undead are on the prowl, and you have the arcade all to yourself! Grab your controller, select your survivor, and blast your way to safety as the city burns around you in this on-rails survival horror shooter. Oh, and don’t forget to bring a friend for zombie fodder, er, we mean multiplayer experience!

Railbreak melds a classic on-rails arcade experience with the cutting edge Unreal Engine 5. In this prelude to Outbreak: Shades of Horror, you’ll get an opportunity to see the sights and sounds of Cypress Ridge and get chomped on by a zombie or four! Face the city alone, or bring a friend along with optional 2-player co-op supported across the entire game

Featuring a wide cast of survivors each with their own loadouts and traits, you’ll find plenty of replayability in this absurd take of a survival horror game in a survival horror game. A full story mode experience awaits across six scenarios. Bonus modes include Score Attack, and the endless Onslaught Mode that keeps ratcheting up the difficulty until the undead finally seal your fate.

Crack open your piggy bank, snag a fizzy soda, and take a trip back to the 1990’s arcade.

The post Railbreak’s Free Time Korrisis Update Available Now and Upcoming Tailbreak DLC Expansion on Xbox Series X|S appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Welcome back to the dollhouse. Following last year’s demo featured in the ID@Xbox Demo Fest Showcase, Alisa Developer’s Cut is finally releasing on Xbox One & Series X|S systems. The game aims to be a callback to the golden age of survival horror, all the way down to the native resolutions and pre-rendered backgrounds of the games of old.  The newly released launch trailer aims highlights a mix of the game’s narrative as well as gameplay, featuring an introduction to the game’s story as well as the madness waiting for you inside of the dollhouse.

Alisa’s story takes place in a wartime fantasy universe inspired by the mid-late 1920s. You take the role of Alisa; an elite royal agent tasked with chasing a wanted criminal noted for stealing “blueprints”. However, things seem to go wrong immediately – after a surreal nightmarish experience with doll-like creatures, she wakes up in an old Victorian mansion. There she seems to be only surrounded by doll-like beings that lurk the mansion’s grounds – and aren’t exactly friendly either. Why is she there? What secrets does this strange mansion hold?

In-game, you’ll find yourself faced with highly nostalgic, familiar survival horror gameplay. Alisa is at its core a nostalgic throwback to the classics of the genre. The Developer’s Cut version of the game in this release features some modernized features for accessibility however, including multiple controller layouts (allowing the player to select both tank and non-tank control styles), as well as featuring the optional auto-aim toggle found in the old version of the game. It also features multiple save slots, unlike some older survival horror titles. Other than that, however, the game is a survival-horror classic down to its bones (or, pinwheels rather) – including limited currency-based saving, prerendered backgrounds, and even native 480p (upscaled to modern standards of course).

Despite taking place in a dollhouse, you’ll find yourself trekking through tons of distinct and zany environments. The game revels in variety and off-kilter humor, with tons of bizarre and surreal environments and enemies for you to overcome. The mysterious mansion is sectioned off into various different distinct areas, some of which include sprawling gardens and bathhouses, and others which are zany and otherworldly like the funhouse. Each area is filled with a sundry assortment of wicked enemies; these can range from zombie-like humanoid dolls to giant ballerinas to disembodied gigantic baby doll heads to strangely proportioned clowns – among others!

Lastly, Alisa features a full array of unique weapons and customizable outfits. Each weapon has a unique combat style and traits. Weapons can include the default sword and then an array of different guns – and possibly other weapons. You can both unlock as well as use your hard-earned pinwheels (the currency of the mansion) to purchase these weapons, outfits, and other items at the puppet shop in the various saferooms in the mansion. Just keep in mind you have limited inventory – so you’ll have to strategize what you take along with you as you venture deeper and deeper into the mansion’s depths.

Developed by Casper Croes and ported to Xbox and published by Top Hat Studios, Alisa Developer’s Cut is out now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, with a 15% launch discount until February 20th.

Alisa Developer’s Cut

Top Hat Studios, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$17.99

$15.29

Get it now

Elite Royal Agent Alisa – hot on the heels of a notorious thief in a fantastical world somewhat reminiscent of the 1920s – finds herself suddenly whisked away to an old, bizarre, Victorian-style mansion. Now trapped in a world up-side down, Alisa must find a way to escape – all the while being haunted by the mansion’s strange, mechanized doll-like inhabitants. Can you survive the dollhouse… and escape with your humanity?

The post Alisa – Developer’s Cut Brings Us to the Dollhouse appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Every day, online games are a way for young people to connect with others. They’re engaging, creative spaces where players interact and build community. At Xbox, we strive for every player to have an inclusive, welcoming experience — and an important step in that is creating environments where players feel safe. Together, we can foster thriving digital communities. 

Online environments have their own unique challenges compared with real-world scenarios, and they require different digital skills, especially for our youngest players. Ahead of Safer Internet Day, Minecraft Education has created a new addition to the CyberSafe collection of immersive Minecraft worlds designed to help young people stay safe, happy, and thriving online.  

CyberSafe: Good Game is a fun, story-based adventure that helps players understand the responsibilities, tools, responses, and strategies that enable healthy online interactions, collaboration, and rewarding digital experiences, whether those are part of multiplayer gaming or other online activities.  

Minecraft Education users can find CyberSafe: Good Game in the in-game lesson library. The world is also available for free for Minecraft Bedrock players in the Minecraft Marketplace. 

An Adventure Through Online Gaming

CyberSafe: Good Game takes place just before summer break, as a group of friends discusses how to level up in their favorite game together. Unfortunately, one of their friends can’t play because they broke their controller after a series of frustrating encounters with online bullies. 

To help their friend, players create a Good Game Guide. This guidebook will provide helpful strategies for managing challenging online situations in support of a safer, more enjoyable gaming experience. 

In CyberSafe: Good Game, players encounter common problems they might experience in online spaces, including online bullies sabotaging their success, excessive distractions from the in-game chat, inappropriate screen names and language, and more. In each scenario, they’ll have the chance to use the right tools to address the issue. Players can choose to ignore, correct, mute, or report a behavior. 

After each challenge, players will reflect on what they’ve experienced and add an entry into their Good Game Guide. At the end of the adventure, they’ll be able to use this guidebook as a code of conduct for their future online gaming experiences.  

Building a Better Online Community for Everyone

CyberSafe: Good Game emphasizes responsibility and treating others with respect, kindness, and consideration when online. The game’s challenge-based framework allows players to apply effective tools and strategies to the gaming space, giving them opportunities to practice appropriate responses, normalizing their use, and fostering empathy and responsible digital behavior. 

“Good Game is the latest learning adventure in the CyberSafe series where players are given the tools to be agents on their safety journey. In a world that deeply needs more collaboration and dialogue, what could be more important than sparking a cultural shift to foster healthy and respectful communities,” says Carlos Figueiredo, Director of Player Safety on Minecraft.

As the world becomes more infused with technology, it’s critical that young people learn to look at digital spaces as forums they can use to make the world better. 

Research shows the role that parents and educators can take to help young people navigate the online world. Microsoft’s annual Global Online Safety Survey found that 87 percent of children surveyed reported talking to their parent about an online risk. That means young people often trust their parents for support on these issues, and speaking with parents, caregivers or trusted adults is an important part of creating safer online habits.  

These conversations aren’t always easy, but there are some powerful strategies parents can keep in mind. A report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology shares some key findings: 

• Start the conversation early. 
  Discussions about digital citizenship can start as soon as young people begin using technology. By the time they’re in elementary school, children often already know about security, privacy, and online risks, and they’re eager to learn how to stay safe.  
• Talk it out to help young people navigate online spaces. 
  Parents might hesitate to bring up online privacy and security because they don’t feel like they know enough. But when children talk to their parents, they become more knowledgeable, even if the conversations aren’t highly technical—just topics like online activities and making good choices.  
• Understand how young people see the digital world. 
  Children tend to see online privacy and security as within their control, and they understand that different risks come with different situations. On the other hand, parents tend to see most online activities as risky, so they often enforce restrictions instead of discussing positive behaviors and outcomes. 

If you’re looking for more resources and tips for family gaming, visit xbox.com/family. You can learn more about what Xbox offers for families, including information about privacy and access to privacy tools, the Xbox Family Settings app, and our Community Standards. Finally, explore the Family Online Safety Toolkit to find further guidance and support for safe, fun, and healthy digital communities. 

The post Minecraft Education Launches Good Game Ahead of Safer Internet Day appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Hi everyone, we are Elise Galmard, Lead Narrative Designer, and Simon Svoboda, Lead Level Designer at Don’t Nod. We’re a part of the team bringing you Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, a supernatural tale of two lovers and ancient secrets.

In this supernatural Action-RPG, play as two ghost hunters and lovers who face impossible choices that harbor dramatic consequences for the living… and the dead.

From February 13, you’ll get the chance to sift through the shadows of the past in New Eden, but before then we’d love to give you a glimpse into the world. Today we’re talking all about haunting cases, a common form of quest you’ll encounter in Banishers.

Behind The Veil

Our game universe is set in the world of the 17^th century as we know it, with one major difference: the world is plagued with curses and ghost hauntings.

During a Haunting Case, you will find ghosts that are still attached to the world of the living, which you as a Banisher, will be asked to investigate and solve. Haunting Cases serve as side quests in our game.

A ghost is the lingering spirit of a dead person, holding onto some of their memories and feelings. Bound to the Incarnate world (the world of the living) by unresolved emotion that takes the form of an item called the Soul-tie, a ghost is also attached to one or more living beings, forever linked and wandering until you set them free. You must discover the truth behind each lingering ghost and why they’re here.

With time, all ghosts will decay and turn into specters: entities reduced to their base primal emotion, and with no memory or personality. This dilution of their humanity – also called paling – can be resisted if they feed from the surrounding life force. Indeed, the only way for a ghost to sustain themselves in the Incarnate is to feed on the essence of the living to keep their hold and grow stronger. That is the main reason as to why Banishers dispatch the dead: to protect the life force of the living, and to keep ghosts from paling into terrible, forever hungry spirits.

In the game you’ll encounter characters with deep secrets and concealed truth. For instance, you’ll uncover the story of an anxious wife awaiting her husband’s return, only to later realize that she had taken his life to escape an abusive marriage. As Banishers, a crucial choice awaits. Wil you blame her, seeking retribution for murder? Or will you banish the soul of her departed, abusive and revengeful husband?

Reveal The Unsaid and Bring Closure

To bring Closure, a Banisher needs to investigate and gather Hints on all people and ghosts involved in the case to understand everyone’s Intent.

In the case’s final moments, the Banishers will be presented with a choice to solve the situation. Three different solutions are available: releasing, banishing, or blaming the people and spirit involved. Ascending the departed souls allow them to find peace, whereas banishing lead them to infinite torment in a realm where souls wander without finding any solace. Blaming on the other hand, is a darker path where that involves a sacrifice: taking the life of the living to feed Antea with their soul.

Each decision that you take during the game will have a consequence on the remaining settlers. Each choice will have an impact and lead to different outcomes, especially for Red and Antea.

In Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, you’ll fall into a powerful and intimate narrative. We have put a lot of ourselves in each of the stories and narrative branches. We can’t wait for you to discover the game on Xbox Series X|S on February 13!

The post  Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – Meet Lost Ghosts and Determine Their Fate in Haunting Cases appeared first on Xbox Wire.