Development on Arc Raiders has been underway since the inception of Embark Studios. Like many game projects, this one has gone through several iterations, and some twists and turns. None have been bigger than the decision to evolve the game from being co-op-only into the PvPvE Extraction Adventure game it is today.

This evolution has surfaced what the team consider the best version of the game, combining what players love about extraction shooters—high tension, multiple strategies, and mastery—with the kind of highly crafted, immersive world filled with mysteries that action-adventure gamers crave. It has been rewarding to see players who normally gravitate toward one genre over the other really appreciate Arc Raiders as a whole.

Arc Raiders is set on a lethal future Earth ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as Arc, which ranges from menacing drones to huge, ominous giants. While most survivors stay safe below the surface in the safe confines of Speranza, Raiders are the chosen few who brave the surface in the hunt for valuable resources and loot to return to the colony.

Arc Raiders‘ Tech Test this past May revealed that players truly appreciate the high stakes each mission to the topside brings – and the choices they have to make once they reach the surface. Scavenging for long periods can reap awesome rewards, but the longer a group stays topside, the more likely they will not only come across Arc, but other Raiders as well. While the Arc may present a common foe that requires groups to band together, more often than not, they will be fighting each other for those valuable resources and loot.

These encounters present great choices for any group of Raiders. Hearing an Arc in the distance could lead to significant rewards but also alert other groups to a player’s presence. Hearing an intense firefight in the distance might lead a team to delay its extraction in the hope of mopping up and collecting the spoils. Sometimes, the best course of action after an especially gruelling run may be to lick your wounds and return to Speranza to heal up, gear up, and fight another day.

Another factor to take into consideration is the world itself. Vast and constantly changing, map conditions will shift how each run to the topside plays out, presenting different enemies, activities, mechanics, or challenges. For example, Night Raids will have greater rewards but reduced visibility and ramped-up Arc activity. These will require different tools and weapons—things that players will need to craft in the safety of their Workshop before returning to the field.

Arc Raiders is launching next month, with pre-orders open now, and a small taste of what lies ahead will be available with the Server Slam running October 17-19 on Xbox Series X|S. It’s a great opportunity for players to introduce themselves to the world of ARC Raiders and to help ensure a smooth launch on October 30, 2025 by pushing servers to their limit.

ARC Raiders

Embark Studios

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Little remains of the world we know today. The mysterious machines of ARC threaten any possible settlement on the surface and communities are forced below the ground to survive. Most people are content just to see another day.

Others have chosen a bolder path. They are known as Raiders.

ENLIST.RESIST
Enlist as a Raider and thrive in a desolate world. Shape your legacy as you scavenge the lethal surface and build your home in the underground neighborhood of Speranza. But beware of the machines. Beware of Raiders preying on others. Build relationships with traders as you carry out quests and return from the surface with valuable loot. Trade it for gear and crucial upgrades to your den. But nothing worth having is for free.

What are you willing to do to get what you want?

The new season of Mecha Break is here! Season 1: Pulse of the Indigo Stone brings thrilling new updates to the game in the form of new events, ace pilots, and of course, new mecha.

Mecha Break launched earlier this year and invited players to compete in high-octane battles across three unique game modes. This season, we’re giving players more ways to style their pilot, personalize their strikers, and enjoy their time in a new sci-fi universe.

At the heart of this season are two powerful new strikers ready to shake up the battlefield: Hel and Alphard.

Hel – A True Master of Disguise

Hel is a medium-sized attacker with abilities that allow it to counter enemy attacks and utilize deception like no striker has before. Designed for players who want to ambush and surprise opponents, they can turn the tide of battle in an instant.

At the core of its arsenal are two powerful drones:

• Pulse Trap Drone — This drone staggers any enemy who enters its field. The pulse trap drone enters stealth upon deployment, making it a great way to ambush any opponent who falls into the trap. It only triggers when HEL is nearby, so timing and placement must be considered for a precision strike.
• Reflector Drone — This clever device doesn’t just block incoming fire — it sends it right back to your opponent. Position it strategically to shield yourself and counter enemy attacks.

Perhaps its most unique ability is arguably its deception kit, which can fully disguise Hel as an enemy striker. This prevents opponents from being able to target or even attack you as long as you’re locked onto an enemy. This illusion breaks as soon as you attack, making it crucial for you to choose the perfect moment to attack an unsuspecting opponent.

These awesome abilities make HEL a powerful force on the battlefield. With the right strategy and execution, it can act as a silent predator — once revealed, it may already be too late.

Alphard – Sending a Shock to the Battlefield

While Hel rewards deception and precision strikes, Alphard can shake up a match with devastating, team-wide attacks. As a fellow medium attacker, it utilizes long-range assault capabilities and powerful attacks to pierce through enemy lines.

What really sets them apart from other strikers is its Rapid Assault Mode. This high-speed charge breaks enemy lock-ons and makes foes vulnerable to powerful follow-up attacks.

Once rapid assault mode is activated, Alphard can unleash its signature move:

• Electro-Tail – Deploys an explosive wire that can devastate any enemy in its path, bypassing fluid armor, dealing physical damage, and staggering nearby enemies. On top of this, electro-tail also emits a dangerous smoke that inflicts interference on enemy strikers and can even destroy nearby drones.

These compounding factors make it necessary to use great caution the moment an opposing Alphard enters its rapid assault mode.

New Strikers. New Styles. New Ways to Play.

Hel and Alphard are just two of the exciting new updates coming to Mecha Break. New events, ace pilots, progression rewards, striker designs, and features make this the best time to play. Pilots, to your stations!

Mecha BREAK

Amazing Seasun

☆☆☆☆☆
295

★★★★★

Get it now

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Mecha BREAK is a multiplayer mech game that allows players to choose from diverse mechs, customize appearances, and battle colossal war machines on treacherous terrain. Get ready for the ultimate showdown—blitz, brawl, blaze!

Hi there! We’re ININ Games, an indie publisher renowned for keeping the essence of retro and quirky video gaming alive—right from the heart of Kirchheim/Teck in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Yes, that’s right. Among the home of long-established luxury car makers and engineering legends, we’re doing something a bit different: publishing indie and retro games crafted with passion, love and intent.

And today, we have a special announcement to share with the Xbox community. Drumroll, please…

Simon the Sorcerer: Origins – Digital Deluxe Edition is officially coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on October 28, 2025.

Whether you’re a devoted nostalgist of the original 1990s point-and-click classic or discovering Simon’s magical world for the first time, both this edition as well as the standard edition are ideal for you. For a strange kind of fashion there’s a wrong and right!

What is Simon the Sorcerer: Origins?

A prequel to the iconic adventure series, Simon the Sorcerer: Origins takes players back to the very beginning and beyond. There ain’t no mistaking: Step into the shoes (and cloak) of a younger Simon before he became the sarcastic sorcerer you might be familiar with and love. With a magically hand-drawn art style, modernized gameplay, and storytelling packed with quintessentially British humour and razor-edged banter, this game is a love letter to fans of classic adventures and newcomers alike. Developed by the multi-talented Italian studio Smallthing Studios, and heavily inspired by British comedy legends, the game unites nostalgic charm with a fresh dynamic flavour.

Plus, we’re beyond excited that Chris Barrie (Yes, the original voice actor!) will return to bring the titular, sassy, sarcastic, legendary apprentice sorcerer back to life. And it’s not just English-speaking sorcerers who get to celebrate. Germany will be rejoicing too: Erik Borner, who voiced Simon and lent him his signature sarcasm in the 1990s, is also making a comeback! No AI, no black magic, no smoke and mirrors, no gimmicks..it’s really them, back again!

About the Digital Deluxe Edition

So, what exactly is included in the Digital Deluxe Edition? We’re delighted you asked:

• Official Soundtrack
  Let the melodies of Simon’s world enchant and transport you straight into Simon’s magical world with a spellbinding assortment of tracks. From imaginative village tunes to the otherworldy mood of mystical realms, this soundtrack is designed to captivate.

• Digital Art Book
  Delve deeper behind the scenes with a skillyfully crafted art book. It features concept art, character designs, early environments, magical relics, and hinterto unseen content from the game’s progression.

• The Full Game
  Of course, you’ll receive the full Simon the Sorcerer: Origins experience—packed with brainteasers, unexpected twists, enigmas, narrative surprises and Simon’s unmistakable sass.

Transcending Borders and Cultures

This game isn’t just a throwback—it’s a truly multicultural unified effort —brought to you by German, Turkish, Italian, Nigerian and Japanese professionals, Gen-Xers, Gen-Zers and Millenials, men and women, all working together to bring a British character’s tale to life. Simon hails from the West Midlands, but his adventure transcends borders—just like our sales, graphics and development team. It’s a project that underlines the universal themes of fun, humor, magic and sarcasm!

A Reimagined Legacy

ININ Games has a penchant for titles that blend nostalgia with modern enhancements. If you’ve played our previous releases like Shadow of the Ninja Reborn, Bud Spencer & Terence Hill: Slaps and Beans 2, or any of the Cottons, you’ll know what we mean. Our mandate is to breathe new life into classic franchises whilst honouring their legacy, the zeitgeist of the time and infusing modern elements to suit contemporary preferences.

Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is no exception. Expect smart, dreamy riddles, charmingly bizarre characters, and fourth-wall-breaking humor—all delivered in a fresh, visually rich world. There ain’t no mistaking!

Pre-Orders Available Now

Before the official launch on October 28, 2025, both the Standard Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition of Simon the Sorcerer: Origins can now be pre-ordered in the Microsoft Xbox Store.

Free Pre-Order Bonus: Simon the Sorcerer: Origins – Pony DLC

This unique portable cassette player provides the musical backdrop to your quest. Relive the magic by jamming to the iconic original soundtrack of the home computer classic Simon the Sorcerer (1993).

So grab your wizard hat, prepare for a snarky spell or two, and get ready to explore the origins of a true British gaming legend. It’s destiny calling!

We can’t wait for you to meet young Simon. He never (really) gives up or lets you down, for his mind is a beacon in the middle of the night!

Simon the Sorcerer: Origins – Digital Deluxe Edition

ININ Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Step into a world of wonder and whimsy—This version includes not only the fantastic main game, but also the official soundtrack, a spellbinding collection of melodies that will dance through your mind and stir your soul. But that’s not all! Accompanying it is a truly enchanting artbook, bursting at the edges with breathtaking illustrations, forgotten relics, curious characters, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the heart of Simon’s story. It’s a treasure trove of imagination, crafted to delight dreamers, collectors, and adventurers alike!

A New Journey Begins!

Thirty years after his first appearance on the screen, Simon is drawn into a foreign world by an ancient prophecy, that will tell his origins. This world is populated by powerful yet mostly useless wizards and strange creatures. On his journey, Simon must solve a series of tricky puzzles, operate alchemical devices, and learn powerful spells. And yes, he also has to taste a few disgusting stews!

Puzzles, Magic, and Simon’s Humor

Whether you’re visiting the Magical World for the first time or returning once again – Simon is back, along with his unique sense of humor and a completely new graphic style. Simon the Sorcerer Origins brings the charm of the original saga back in a completely hand-drawn graphic style, blending classic gameplay mechanics with a fresh, new world of magic.

Your Adventure, Your Puzzles

Solve loads of tricky puzzles, test your wits, and face a variety of absurd situations and quirky characters. Combine items and clues to unravel the big mystery and become the legendary wizard you were always meant to be.

Features:

– Official prequel to the cult series: Find out what Simon was up to just before his first magical misstep into the fantasy world, long before he started insulting talking doors.

– A story with heart, humour, and a hat: Between motherly love, a forced move, and a healthy dose of chaos, Simon’s journey to becoming an (unwilling) hero begins.

– Hand-drawn art style & iconic voice: Featuring lovingly hand-drawn graphics and Simon’s original voice, performed by British voice actor Chris Barrie, this feels like a trip back to the ’90s, just with far better resolution.

– Between magic spells and cogs: Classic point-and-click gameplay meets modern mechanics. Solve quirky puzzles, crack ancient mechanisms, and collect (as always) way too many items.

– Sarcasm, slapstick, and eccentric wizards: Encounter bizarre characters, delight in even odder conversations, and revel in Simon’s unmistakable wit: equal parts cheeky banter and “very British” humour.

– Alchemy, magic & other mishaps: Tinker with spells, fiddle with alchemical contraptions, and dabble in questionable recipes. With a sprinkle of luck, the thing you were trying to do could very well happen.

History Artbook
Celebrate the brand new, magical comic art of Simon the Sorcerer Origins with this digital artbook and discover all the secrets behind the return of the most famous wizard in video game history!

Official Soundtrack
The complete soundtrack of Simon the Sorcerer Origins – more than 50 minutes of new and rearranged music from Simon the Sorcerer, by renowned composer Mason Fisher.

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members can live the most true-to-football experience ever for up to 10 hours in EA Sports FC 26. If they decide to buy, their progress carries over to the full game, so they can pick up the season right where they left off.

Members can save 10% on the full game, FC Points, and other EA digital purchases. Plus, grab a Welcome Pack in addition to recurring rewards, like Ultimate Team Draft Tokens.

Feel the difference with a variety of game-wide changes to key fundamentals and much more in EA Sports FC 26.

Overhauled Gameplay

EA Sports FC 26 changes the game with two distinct gameplay presets. Competitive Gameplay is tailored for online head-to-head play in Football Ultimate Team and Clubs, introducing competitive positioning, fewer auto-tackles, increased passing speed, and more. Authentic Gameplay, however, delivers unrivaled authenticity in Career with more intelligent defenders, corner kicks tuned to match real-world success rates, a sense of real-world excitement during goalmouth scrambles, and more.

Football Ultimate Team

Put your dream squad to the test with Tournaments and Live Events, as well as a refreshed Rivals and Champs experience. Test your skills with up to 4 rounds of knockout football, or add variety with themed competitions and content all season long. New Bounties let you earn additional rewards or accelerate your weekly progress.

Manager Live

Manager Live is a new, always-online content delivery hub that adds a new dimension to Manager Career. Take on a variety of real-world and alternative scenarios throughout the new season, ranging from a few minutes of play to multiple seasons. Whether it’s managing your team after the latest high-profile transfer, starting the season strong with 5 straight wins, or writing your name into the history books by winning a treble, Live Challenges will test all aspects of your managerial prowess.

The EA Sports FC 26 10-hour EA Play trial is available Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Xbox on PC via Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See EA Play Terms for details.

A long, long time ago, in a faraway land, a group of indie developers from El Salvador landed in Spain with great excitement in their luggage. After making connections and overcoming hardships, they finally managed to settle in Barcelona and begin their adventure to “Turn nostalgic games into beautiful experiences!”

With this in mind, HyperThreeStudio team formed by brothers Isaac and Abraham got to work. Their condition as twins became the inspiration for the main theme of their game, where the player will have to “spot the differences” between two almost identical 3D dioramas.

With the theme decided, the team could start working, although there were still many critical points to settle first, such as the game’s core gameplay, the style to use, the type of rewards for the player, and countless other details they gradually worked their way through.

The process of creating new levels is slow and requires a great deal of attention, as all the models used in the different 3D dioramas are unique and are manually created by Abraham, the main person responsible for bringing the models to life.

With the game taking shape and the “No Penalty” concept in mind, they were certain that the game’s mechanics and levels had to be pleasant and relaxing. With BigRicePiano’s talent at the melody, combined with the beautiful 3D dioramas, the team achieved the calming atmosphere they were aiming for. From there, it was just a matter of continuing to create more models and levels featuring tiny people, tuned controls for both gamepad and mouse, adding snow and wind particle effects, ambient sounds of seagulls, many other small but cozy details so the player only has to sit back and enjoy.

The team wanted to offer a complete game, packed with levels and differences, with a personal charm and also affordable for everyone and guess what? Their formula was a success! Tiny Lands was released on Steam in January 2021 and boasts 92% “Very Positive” reviews, which led the team to fully commit to creating more levels and DLCs for their community.

In this way, over the following years, HyperThreeStudio kept creating and adding levels to the game, which already had 100 levels in its base version. After releasing the DLCs Expansion Pack 1, Expansion Pack 2, Expansion Pack 3, and The Final Challenge, the game reached a total of 200 levels, every single one handcrafted and with no repeated models!

And that’s how we arrive at the release of Tiny Lands: Deluxe Edition on Xbox, offering the entire collection of levels in a single product, with no additional purchases or annoying installations. Just relaxation, peace, and plenty of differences! Will you be able to find them all?

The HyperThreeStudio team is currently working on the game’s sequel, applying all the feedback and experience gained from the first version. Stay tuned in their socials for more information, and pick up Tiny Lands Deluxe Edition on Xbox today!

Tiny Lands – Deluxe Edition

Hidden Trap

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Tiny Lands – Deluxe Edition is a relaxing 3D game about finding the differences between two handcrafted dioramas. If you are looking for a game that allows you to just sit back and play Tiny Lands is for you!

Tiny Lands – Deluxe Edition includes all DLC worlds:
– Desert mysteries
– City lifestyle
– Warmy christmas
– Traditional food
– Cozy interiors
– Fairy tales
– Fish tanks
– Amusement park
– Pirates

This also includes the “Final Challenge” special world for those who are ready for the ultimate Tiny Lands experience.

Over 100 additional handcrafted dioramas are waiting for you!

With many intuitive solutions carried over from the original Frostpunk’s console UI and control scheme, one might assume that porting its sequel to Xbox Series X|S would be a simpler task. After all, the groundwork was already there – a society survival city-builder adapted for gamepad and big-screen play instead of traditional mouse and keyboard.

But Frostpunk 2 is a significantly different game. Leaning further into grand strategy, with more interconnected systems demanding player attention, it quickly became clear that the control scheme needed to evolve into something more robust. Many of the core UI structures – including the radial menu system – still served as a reliable foundation. Circles are practically sacred in Frostpunk’s design language. In the original game, the city was built in rings around the Generator, nestled within a crater, with survival radiating outward from its warmth.

But “settlement” may no longer be the right word. In Frostpunk 2, set 30 years after the Great Storm that concluded the first game’s story, players guide the fate of a growing city – one less focused on day-to-day survival and more on shaping the ideological future of humanity. With nature somewhat constrained, human nature becomes the greater threat. Political conflict, ideological division, and competing visions for the future define the challenge ahead.

A new UI feature – the Command Radial – serves as the top layer of interaction. Activated by pressing the left trigger, it presents a three-option wheel for navigating the Idea Tree, Frostland Exploration, and the Council.

• The Idea Tree lets players choose which faction to support and which research to invest in, pushing the city toward a specific ideological path.

• Exploration remains somewhat familiar to returning players – you send Scouts into the frozen wilds – but with a twist: you can now found outposts and colonies, connected to New London by rail.
• The Council is an all-new feature. With the Captain from the original game dead, New London takes a tentative step toward democracy. Laws are passed via voting, but political maneuvering is far from straightforward. Some factions refuse to compromise.

The Command Radial is designed to be fast and responsive. It temporarily hides most HUD elements with a blurred background, focusing the player’s attention. It also displays progress indicators for active research, council recesses, and ongoing exploration missions.

But Frostpunk 2 demanded more than one radial. The team introduced a Quick Radial, accessed with the right trigger, for contextual interactions. Hover over frozen terrain, and you’ll see the Frostbreaking option. Highlight a buildable area, and you can go directly to the District menu. Trigger it on an existing district, and you’ll see options related to Special Buildings or Hubs. While active, the Quick Radial also color-codes districts, aiding orientation and quick decision-making.

Both radial menus pause time automatically. Players can also pause or adjust game speed using the D-pad. The Extended City View (accessed with X) also freezes time, and allows players to scroll through HUD icons using the up/down buttons, giving deeper insight into the city’s condition.

From a visual standpoint, the UI was crafted to match Frostpunk 2’s aesthetic. The art team leaned into industrial textures: thick-lined, mechanical wheels, worn-out surfaces, and some use of gold – a color from the game’s original visual pitch that stands in contrast to the grimness of oil, a new and thematically vital resource in the sequel.

Frostpunk 2 is out now on Xbox Series X|S, and available with Xbox Game Pass.

Frostpunk 2

11 bit studios

☆☆☆☆☆
3

★★★★★

Get it now

PC Game Pass

Frostpunk 2 will be available on Xbox Series X|S on September 18.

Frostpunk 2 elevates the city-survival genre to a new level. Take the role of a Steward and lead your city through a cascade of calamities taking place in a postapocalyptic, snowy setting. Build large city districts with their string of endless needs and demands. Navigate through conflicting interests of factions that populate your metropolis. As the needs of the city grow and factional power at its core rises, only you can steer the society towards an uncertain future.

The city grows
The world is overtaken by an ever present winter, which makes expansion of the city the only way for the survival of mankind. In order to grow, the metropolis needs resources like coal and oil, just like its citizens require food and warmth. In Frostpunk 2, it’s your job to tackle this never ending circle of supply and demand.

City districts
Your city is divided into zones serving different purposes, such as housing or extraction. It’s up to you to build new ones and make sure that those already existing work in perfect unison.

Special buildings
In time, you will have to build places like City Hall or Research Institute. Inside these buildings, you will put forth laws and projects to ensure that your city develops in the proper direction.

Colonies
To ensure that your city growth will not falter, you have to venture into the frostland. There, you can build extensive colonies that will provide all the necessary resources.

Perlis of human nature
The number of your citizens steadily grows, making the task of governing them and satisfying their demands all the more challenging. As the Steward you will have to maneuver carefully across the interests of many groups inhabiting the city.

New Londoners
Your citizens can form communities and factions, each with different ideas for the city’s future. In the Council Hall you’ll put forth laws and negotiate them with the faction’s delegates.

Council Hall
Support of every faction inside the Council Hall costs dearly, as one’s faction ascension breeds discontent among others. That means you have to carefully think through every alliance.

Towards progress
The Research Institute is where you forge the city’s future. Each new project must be entrusted to a faction, forcing you to maneuver and form strategic alliances.

Factions
People of your city want to have a voice in how you run things. Each faction has its own ideology and ideas for the future, yet they also have one thing in common – insatiable thirst for power. Choose your allies in the Council Hall wisely.

Story Mode and Utopia Builder
The story of Frostpunk 2 introduces a multi-chapter saga set in the frozen wastes. Spanning across the life of the Steward this campaign lets you feel the burden of leadership as you take the responsibility for thousands of lives. At the same time, the sandbox mode called Utopia Builder with infinite play time leaves you room for boundless social and infrastructural experiments.

“Freeze!” shouts our protagonist, J.J. Hardwell, who in exploring the titular creepy mansion finds himself in a green room which has the statement piece of “T-Rex Head in a giant jar of green liquid”. “You freeze! I’ve got a gun!” responds the tiny Dinosaur – named Dino Guard Wally – holding a pistol that is only slightly smaller than the dinosaur itself. “Oh my God you can talk.” responds J.J. and, naturally, we begin a match-3 puzzle battle between the two of them. Welcome to Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3.

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is the world’s first “Matchroidvania”, by which we mean it is a match-3 game that also takes the “start again with new knowledge and abilities to unlock new parts of the map” element of a metroidvania. It’s also very much a comedy, which is inspired by classic survival horror games, and an RPG now I come to think about it. You know what, let’s watch the trailer together, it’s easier.

“But what about Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1 or 2, did I miss those?” Well, no, until very recently neither existed – Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1: Re-Raptored from Pedalboard Games is actually in development right now – so you’ve not missed anything. CRDM3, in the universe of the game, exists as an intriguing sequel to the critically acclaimed original Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion, and the much more divisive big swing that was Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 2. Again, neither of these exist. I’m sort of getting ahead of myself though, because what you’re probably now asking is “Chris, mate, how did this game happen then? Come on now.” Well, don’t let me tell you, let’s ask the developers!

“We’ve had a few projects that come from my love of a specific mechanic, or angle on a mechanic.” says Studio Head Xalavier Nelson Jr. “And then there is a “bit” that I can’t let go of and over time I realize those two things can co-exist in the same space.” That angle on a mechanic was something Xalavier had loved about Puzzle Quest, the tantalizing idea that with a match-3 mechanic, you could really do anything.“You could negotiate with a guard via match-3, you could lock-pick a door!” It was taking this concept and just running as far as he could with it that unlocked Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3.

“I had also, for years, wanted to make a game called Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3. When the lightbulb went off and I realised this game could be brought to life with this mechanic I really believed in? Suddenly it coalesced and something existed thanks to the talents of many people over the years.”

Here at Strange Scaffold we tend to make tightly scoped games which in turn means we can work with smaller budgets and shorter than usual development times. CRDM3 however, has a longer development history than other titles. “Like I Am Your Beast,” – Xalavier Nelson Jr, Studio Head – “this was a Strange Scaffold project that got cancelled like, two or three times.” Getting Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 up and running was not easy, with the team being told “nobody cares about match-3” during one pitch meeting. This, along with other projects like Bass Reeves Can’t Die being cancelled had left the game, and the studio itself, looking at a bit of a darker future.

The success of both El Paso, Elsewhere and I Am Your Beast, however, had begun to turn things around along with the support of publisher Frosty Pop. And what could make for a tightly scoped, shorter development cycle better than a game that had already had some work done on it? When Colin McInerney, CRDM3 Co-Lead, Content Designer and Writer, stepped into the project, “There was two years of development on three different versions of this game” so, to say there was a Task ahead of them would be an understatement.

“A bunch of that code ended up being weirdly load bearing” explained Dan Pearce, Lead Programmer and Designer, “it ended up being if I take these variables out that we’re not actually using, none of the stuff that has just been developed is going to work properly.”

Now, while at first this seemed like it could be like diving into a web, having Dan join the game after development on I Am Your Beast finished meant that you had someone who knew how everything worked! The dream of all game development! This in turn led to the rest of the team being able to navigate development at a greater speed.

The team was also incredibly fortunate that back in 2022 Background Artist Judith McCroary had already created a whole bunch of stunning artwork that was ready to populate the various rooms you can explore in the mansion. “Our inspirations then were more click-based games, in the early iterations it was more roguelite.” But they still had a solid visual identity in place, “we wanted to keep it painterly, because we already had the character artist Marianee Canales, and she had already established a lot of that look.” And when it came time to expand the idea of the Mansion as a “Resident Evil”-like exploratory space, again, Judith absolutely nailed the look everyone was imagining.

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 was a labour of love, from a studio known for throwing a lot of passion and heart into their titles. Honestly, to tell you too much more about Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 would spoil it, so, I won’t! I will say this, however. Of all the Strange Scaffold games, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is my personal favourite.

We have put out some wonderful games, but none have encapsulated the weirdness, the humour, the confidence and the open heart that I see in the studio quite as much as CRDM3. It has the “okay, I’m gonna try one more run” addictiveness packed with laughs, a wonderful soundtrack and beautiful artwork. I doubt many would expect to feel very emotional at the end of a game called Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3, but there I was on first completion – proud and overcome with emotion. I can’t think of a higher recommendation than that.

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3

Strange Scaffold

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$19.99

$17.99

Get it now

Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 is “committing to the bit” so hard that it hurts. It’s a sequel to a game series that doesn’t exist, complete with lore and a fictional development team. It’s a game where match-3 is used not just for combat, but for lockpicking doors, debating robots, and swallowing a bunch of diamonds in front of a notorious gem thief so that he can’t steal them first. It is, all genre elements considered, a match-3 survival horror comedy RPG metroidvania, and it’s rad as hell.

20 years ago, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion emerged as a smash-hit genre fusion, casting fan-favorite protagonist Jack Briar in a fast-paced puzzle adventure.

8 years ago, Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 was announced on the biggest stage in gaming.

This is what happened next.