The place:

New York City.

The time:

Three years after the deaths of Shredder and Hamato Yoshi…

…the father, mentor, and friend also known as Master Splinter.

Strange Scaffold, as a group of developers, are known for making their own small contained worlds like I Am Your Beast or El Paso, Elsewhere, but when the opportunity arose for us to play in another playground we couldn’t turn it down! We got to make a game, with our own story, set inside the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” world. And if you read the above, you know we really got to make our story.

TMNT: Tactical Takedown began its life as a totally different game, well, kind of. I’ll let Xalavier Nelson Jr, our Studio Head tell you. “Teenage Demon Slayer Society, another Strange Scaffold project, was the origin of our journey adapting action game mechanics to a turn-based format.” This game served as a jumping off point, letting the team hit the ground running even faster when Tactical Takedown began development. “While that project is still in development, we’re incredibly glad that its technology got to result in TMNT: Tactical Takedown existing, and coming out sooner than later!”

“The game has a more focused scope and scale than most TMNT projects, we had really exciting conversations with Paramount about that giving us the freedom to pursue large, bold creative leaps.” Xalavier noted, “So, we took the biggest leap we could–with the Turtles on the cusp of adulthood, in a world where Splinter and Shredder are both dead. Paramount signed off without a single note and the rest is history.”

Bringing in a new leader for The Foot Clan had a natural choice, to us, in Karai but they are teaming them with Baxter Stockman? “Karai is a complex character. She’s ambitious, but forever in Shredder’s shadow. She’s honorable, but ruthless.”, Michael Futter, Licensing Producer on the game, “Teaming her up with Baxter Stockman may seem like a curious choice, and players will need to experience the game to understand why she’s thrown in with him. Not all is as it seems…”

An interesting challenge was translating the feeling of each Turtle to a tactical combat system. “Tom Vinita, our game’s lead designer, did an excellent job in identifying early on what the brothers would need in order to feel different from one another without overloading the player with too much information (or making the moves too difficult to understand).”, Amanda Farough, Executive Producer on the game noted, “He struck those chords relatively early on, allowing our level designer, Aubrey Rugroden, to build out the individual ‘biomes’ with each of the Turtles’ moves allowed to shine through.”

Another question for the team was how can you marry the more fast-paced feeling that the TMNT are known for with what is traditionally a slower genre? “The real tricky bit”, Amanda went on to explain, “was finding the right rhythm in balancing the game’s methodical tactical rhythms with its fast-paced beat-em-up elements. It took time to tune the kits and the biomes to find that balance, but it’s been worth it, especially in refining for Remix Mode and this console release.”

Remix Mode, which is available right away with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, allows you to ratchet up the difficulty and variety as soon as you finish a chapter. New enemies and new problems will require you to rethink your strategies while also customizing your Turtles loadout to create the perfect moveset for the challenge ahead of you.

We were incredibly fortunate to get to make a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game that was still very much a Strange Scaffold game, as Xalavier noted the game featured “Eccentric, player-first decisions.” which is always a hallmark in a Scaffold game. “We didn’t put any polish or feature in the game unless it fit the scope of what our team could make–and would be directly visible to players. That involves putting a lot of ego aside, which is a hard thing to do!”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is out right now on Xbox Series X|S!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown

Strange Scaffold

☆☆☆☆☆
2

★★★★★

$19.99

Get it now

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is the first-ever turn-based TMNT video game. Inspired by the classic cartoon, you’ll experience a bold new approach to the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Splinter and Shredder are dead, and as the Turtles approach adulthood, they’re not just growing up… they’re growing apart.

Battle the Foot Clan as a powerful new leader takes control in action-packed campaigns that showcase each Turtle individually. Carve through enemies in 20 constantly-mutating levels that grow, shrink, and add new threats with each turn, inspired by classic TMNT games! Rack up points for high scores while experiencing a powerful original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story from acclaimed indie studio Strange Scaffold. This is the next step for Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael–and you can experience it with flying, slashing figurines in graphic novel-inspired splendor.

Do you have what it takes to be the King of Kings? Hooded Horse and developer Sad Socket’s roguelite auto-battling strategy game will throw you into fight after fight, testing your strategic prowess until you either win or die trying. If you pick the right combos, you might even get the secret third option by completely breaking the game!

At first glance, 9 Kings is simple – every round, play a card from your hand to your 3×3 board, and then fight a battle. If you win, you get to pick a new card as spoils, and then you repeat until you win, or you lose. But that’s only the tip of this regal iceberg.

Take the first step – playing a card. Do you place a new troop or building down to expand your capabilities, or do you play a duplicate on an existing space to enhance its abilities? If you’re placing a new card, where do you place it? Over in the corner will leave you room for other combinations further down the line, but placing it right next to your Keep might make it more powerful. 

But what about picking a card as a reward? Do you take something that offers a short-term gain that’s easier to secure, or try setting yourself up for a better combo further down the line? One risks hampering your power scaling as you grind through your opponents, but the other could easily fall apart if you don’t pull the right cards.

The depth of strategy in these simple decisions will unravel quickly as you play, and we haven’t even gotten to the bits about board expansion, perks, and the random quests that can pop up from time to time

Thanks to the automated system – you don’t really have to think about the battles – your forces will march out of your Kingdom and fight whoever has dared challenge you this time around, and clash according to their specific role or ability. Pixel minions will clash, numbers will go brrrr, and with any luck, your forces will be the ones left standing. Don’t fear a pyrrhic victory – thanks to the magic of game design, everything resets and everyone regenerates between rounds. Handy, right?

The troops and buildings in the game are all tied to a specific King, with each of the 9 kings having nine cards of their own, with a dozen “special” cards. Whether you’re fielding the hulking grey siege engines of the King of Stone, the demonic red minions of the King of Blood, or the glistening gold legions of the King of Greed, each faction has a distinct look about them. As you claim cards from other Kings through victory, your army’s makeup will change over time.

9 Kings is launching into Game Preview, but it’s already benefited from a lot of updates in response to player feedback, and the developers recently released the eighth king – the King of Nomads. If you like dragons, adapting strategies on the fly, and consider yourself a long-lost descendant of the great Khans of old, then we have some fantastic news. Once you’ve gotten a taste of how the game works (and met the unique unlock criteria), the King of Nomads’ troop-focused deck is a great way to step outside your comfort zone and try out new ways to play.

So, what are you waiting for? Check out 9 Kings via PC Game Pass today, and see if you have what it takes to become the King of Kings. 

Ra Ra Boom is finally in your hands. I’m excited for you to check out all the hard work and love the team at Gylee Games has put into Ra Ra Boom, which is now available on Xbox Series X|S.

Ra Ra is a side-scrolling beat ‘em up and I thought I’d tell you a bit about some of the enemies that you’ll be beatin’ up. I’ll get into the thinking behind the design behind three of my favorite enemies in Ra Ra Boom.

Making the early choice to add lanes to the environment gave us a fun playground in which to design different combat scenarios for enemies.

The Brute

The Brute is an homage to our favorite roller coaster at our favorite amusement park. We loved the idea of utilizing train tracks as the lanes in the arena.  By creating a transforming monster that turns into a coaster cart, it allowed us the diversity needed for a full boss fight.

In Brute mode, we gave a fierce pouncing attack that requires the player to catch his tell before he jumps. That, coupled with a chomp gave The Brute a pretty menacing amount of attacks to begin with. Then he transforms into the coaster and replicates! This forces players to dodge the carts by jumping into different lanes, or take them head on with ranged attacks. We had set out to make a boss fight with different phases, and different options for each player, and I think we succeeded.

Martin

Martin was the very last enemy created for Ra Ra and lives in the Arcade level. As a team, we felt we were missing the opportunity to force the player to do some sort of jumping attack. A flying enemy could solve that. However, the huge challenge with creating floating characters in beat ‘em ups is you have no idea where they are in relation to your own environment.

We found this out the hard way by creating a flying enemy and realizing that it was insanely frustrating to fight. So, we cut it and moved on, until the very end of production.

Thankfully, we had learned a lot through the production process and realized that if we give the enemy some holographic legs, the player can understand where he lives in space because he’s tied to the ground. So, we put a little goofy toddler robot on top of giant legs, laughed at how he looked, and Martin was born.

Bruce

Bruce has been, by far, the most challenging boss to perfect. We’ve gone through many iterations of this boss fight, trying to fine tune the fun. Since the fight was a chase scene, we immediately ran into our first challenge: motion sickness.

It took weeks of fine tuning the parallax background before I could even play it without getting sick! Once that was resolved, the boss fight was really just the chase, with players required only to run away and dodge obstacles. We took this version to GDEX and PAX, and realized quickly that the fight was too simple, and pretty boring to be honest.

This led to the addition of Eugene, a quirky, anxiety driven robot that ran beside your character. Initially, the player used exploding Eugene’s to damage Bruce, but that still didn’t feel like enough. It wasn’t until we slowed down the chase, and gave players back some agency that the fight became fun. After adding a few more phases with attack escalation, we finally landed on a Bruce fight that was worthy of his grand entrance.

Find Your Favorite

And now it’s your turn. Check out Ra Ra Boom today and tell us which enemy you like punching best.

Ra Ra BOOM

Gylee Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$19.99

Get it now

Gear up for 4-player co-op action with a modern twist! Ra Ra BOOM rockets you to a future Earth overrun by rogue AI. Battle waves of enemies and upgrade your ninja cheerleader’s skills as you beat ‘em up, shoot ‘em up, and smash through the chaos!

Even ninja space cheerleaders know you don’t bring a pom-pom to a boss fight. Whether you’re cracking skulls with close combat or blasting bots from across the screen, Ra Ra BOOM has your back. Play it like a classic side-scroller, treat it like a shooter, or mix it up for combos so smooth, even evil AI can’t keep up. The only wrong way to fight is not bringing your A-game—because these overlords don’t mess around.

HOMEWORK CAN WAIT
Who needs perfect grades when rogue AI is trashing Earth? The planet’s in pieces, robots are running wild, and only four ninja space cheerleaders have the moves to save it. Silly when it can be, heartfelt when it needs to be, Ra Ra BOOM delivers a beat ‘em up with a story that hits harder than your math final.

PLAY THE LANES
Why settle for chaos when you can dominate with precision? Ra Ra BOOM’s combat lanes make every fight smarter and slicker. Dodge fire like a pro, pick your targets with ninja-like accuracy, and decide where to strike for maximum impact.

BECOME THE ULTIMATE NINJA CHEERLEADER
Aris, Saida, Ren, and Vee are more than just pompoms and sass—they’ve got branching skill trees that let you mold them into your perfect hero. Customize your squad to fit your playstyle, because the fate of the world—and your team’s vibe—is in your hands. NBD.

In the summer of 2017, I had the good fortune to be invited to take part in a collective brainstorming session at Myrkur Games, a brand-new game studio here in Reykjavík, Iceland. The goal was simple: to help develop the premise for a brand-new video game.

Every person in that room was passionate about video games, about stories and adventures, about characters and small moments that had stuck with us for years. We talked about the games that inspired us, about the kind of game we’d like to make, and in the end, we emerged from that conversation with a simple conviction I hadn’t expected. The belief that we could do it, too.

That belief is what kicked off the journey that would become Echoes of the End, a cinematic third-person action-adventure game set in Aema, a fantasy world of our own creation, inspired by the untamed beauty of our home.

Echoes of the End follows Ryn, a warrior and vestige, one born with an affinity for ancient, destructive magic, as she fights to free her brother from the clutches of a totalitarian empire and prevent a looming invasion. It features high-quality, motion-captured cinematics and gameplay animations, a visceral, fast-paced combat system, tight, reactive platforming and engaging puzzles, as well as a companion that is at your side the whole way through, offering invaluable aid in the face of every obstacle.

It’s a story that spans a wide variety of environments, all inspired by our home country of Iceland, from cavernous depths and glacial mountaintops, to ruined cities and bubbling lava fields. In short, it’s the sort of game that, until recently, a studio like ours could only have dreamed of making.

That meant finding creative ways of punching above our weight. Fortunately, the past decade has been revolutionary in terms of how accessible game development technology has become. Those environments I mentioned earlier? They’re not only inspired by Iceland, they’re largely recreated through photogrammetry, a process we’ve been practicing and iterating on for eight years now.

Take the glacier above. That’s Sólheimajökull, a stunning attraction found in the south of Iceland. It’s a perfect example of the beauty we wanted to capture for Echoes of the End, and so, armed with a single drone, we scanned the whole thing and placed it in our game world. It’s not the only notable landmark we’ve done this with either. Kirkjufell, a mountain that’s become a symbol of Iceland in recent years, can be seen in our announcement trailer, and in playing the game players may find many more. It’s a bit of an easter egg hunt, really!

We use a similar process for our character models. We started with one camera and a rotating stool that we used to spin the actor around and capture them from different angles. Later, that rig grew to nine cameras and a heavily modified cheese platter, and eventually a 360° solution that thankfully requires no spinning at all.

Motion capture, too, has become massively more accessible in recent years. It was once the exclusive domain of AAA studios with massive budgets, but we decided early on that we were going to build our own stage. I remember working with an actor who had done some motion capture back in 2007. At the time, that studio used 200 cameras. Our mocap studio today has sixteen, and has been crucial in enabling us to do what we do.

And that’s not even mentioning the game engine. It’s difficult to overstate how much of a gamechanger Unreal Engine 5 is for a studio like ours; how all of these advancements have allowed us to build a rich, immersive world without compromising on scope or fidelity. It’s what makes it possible for a small, passionate team to bring a big, ambitious game to life.

Echoes of the End is still the game we set out to make in 2017, but it’s grown and evolved alongside us through the years. We’ve poured our love into it for nearly a decade now, and we can’t wait for you to get a chance to experience it for yourself. 

We recently released an announcement trailer, and the full game is available August 12 on Xbox Series X|S. We hope you’ll check it out, and that the next time you find yourself dreaming about that game you’d like to make one day, you’ll carry with you a simple conviction. The belief that you can do it, too.

Echoes of the End

Deep Silver

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

The world ended long ago. We’re only living in its echoes.

Echoes of the End is a cinematic third-person action-adventure game. It blends a deeply personal, character-driven story with thrilling magic and sword-based combat, engaging traversal and thought-provoking puzzles. Inspired by Iceland, this epic adventure offers a mature, rich and immersive experience in a breathtaking and original fantasy world.

A Heroine’s Journey

Step into the shoes of Ryn, a vestige wielding volatile yet powerful magic, as she battles to save her brother from a ruthless totalitarian empire. Partner with Abram Finlay – a scholar and explorer haunted by his past – to uncover a conspiracy that could reignite an ancient conflict and plunge Aema into chaos. Immerse yourself in a heartfelt tale of trust, redemption, and sacrifice in a world on the edge of war.

Dynamic Combat and Exploration

• Master Ryn’s prowess in magic and swordsmanship to defeat unique enemies and face epic boss battles.
• Harness a vast array of devastating powers as Ryn grows in strength and confidence throughout her journey.
• Team up with Abram to combine forces in both combat and traversal, unleashing creative combos and interactions.
• Explore breathtaking environments inspired by Icelandic landscapes, from fiery lava fields to icy mountain peaks.

Puzzles and Traversal Challenges
• Solve engaging puzzles with Ryn’s powers, including gravity manipulation, destruction, and illusions, through collaboration with your companion.
• Navigate the world with a diverse range of traversal mechanics, like double-jumping, dashing, and gravity control, with each chapter introducing fresh, unique challenges.

Cinematic Visuals and Realistic Fantasy

• Echoes of the End immerses players in an original, grounded fantasy world brimming with depth and detail.
• This character-driven adventure features motion-captured performances, intricately designed character models and stunningly crafted environments, delivering a truly unforgettable and heartfelt experience.
• Explore the hidden history of Aema, forge unbreakable bonds, and embrace your magical potential as you shape the destiny of a nation.

Gaming has evolved into more than pure entertainment. It’s now a dynamic canvas for culture. It can breathe life into ancestral knowledge, preserve endangered languages, give form to lived experiences, and become a vessel for empathy and understanding. A new generation of Indigenous creators are leveraging this canvas, not just to tell their stories, but to reshape how history is remembered and how futures are imagined.

Through games, indigenous creators are reclaiming the narrative; telling stories of survival, resilience, joy and identity rooted in tradition and grounded in truth. When Indigenous creators make games that reflect their cultures, these games become vessels for continuity, remembrance, and self-determination – and, from those playing them, new understanding.

This year, in honor of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Xbox is proud to spotlight Indigenous voices reshaping the world of interactive storytelling. Among them is Anthony Brave, a Sicangu Oyate (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) and Chippewa-Cree descendant, who served as the lead cultural expert on Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition.

Anthony helped ensure Indigenous representation in the game was accurate, nuanced, and deeply respectful. He also penned ‘Shadow’, the second act in The War Chiefs storyline, an emotionally rich campaign told through the perspective of an Indigenous protagonist navigating the complexities of identity, survival, and legacy.

As a consultant, writer, and cultural ambassador, Anthony’s work exemplifies what’s possible when Indigenous creators are empowered to tell their own stories. Through his voice, and those of other creators featured in our curated collection of games by and about Indigenous communities, we see a new standard emerging, one where consultation is expected, and cultural respect is foundational.

When history gets a new perspective directly from the source, everyone benefits. These stories do more than entertain; they teach, challenge, and inspire. They remind us that tradition is not stuck in the past. It is active, evolving, and ready to shape the future.

Join us in celebrating Indigenous creators, honoring their contributions to gaming, and supporting a more thoughtful and truthful way of telling stories today and for generations to come.

PLAY

Discover Games Shaped by Indigenous Communities

Celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples through the power of play. During August and beyond, you can play a variety of game collections highlighting iconic games and franchises created by Indigenous developers, showcasing how their unique perspectives have shaped the gaming world we know today.

Check out a few highlights from our full Xbox Games Collection celebrating International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples:

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition completes the celebration of one of the most beloved real-time strategy franchises in definitive form, with enhanced features and modernized gameplay. Command mighty civilizations from across Europe and the Americas or jump to the battlefields of Asia in stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics and with a fully remastered soundtrack. Now featuring two new game modes: Co-Op Historical Battles and The Art of War Challenge Missions, including all previously released expansions and all 14 civilizations, plus two brand new civilizations – the Swedes and Inca.

Play Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Today

Kena: Bridge of Spirits
A story-driven action-adventure set in a charming world rich with exploration and fast-paced combat. Players find and grow a team of tiny spirit companions called the Rot, enhancing their abilities and creating new ways to manipulate the environment. Kena, a young Spirit Guide, travels to an abandoned village in search of the sacred mountain shrine. She struggles to uncover the secrets of this forgotten community hidden in an overgrown forest where wandering spirits are trapped.

Play Kena: Bridge of Spirits Today

Aztech: Forgotten Gods
A cyber-stone action-adventure following Achtli, a
young woman who battles the colossal Forgotten Gods. To uncover the truth behind her far-future Mesoamerican metropolis, she’ll have to turn the Gods’ power against them, as she soars through the city with power and grace using an ancient artifact, remnant of a time long forgotten.

Play Aztech: Forgotten Gods Today

Carto
A charming adventure game wrapped around a unique, world-altering puzzle mechanic. Separated from her Granny during a storm, young Carto must use her innate cartography powers to map and manipulate the world around her on her quest to be reunited. As she discovers new “pieces” of the game map, players can rearrange them to shape the levels themselves – unlocking new paths, puzzles, and story moments. Use this power to explore mysterious lands, help a quirky cast of characters, and guide Carto on her journey back to her family. Carto will traverse strange new lands, learn their cultures, and enlist the help of new friends along the way in this hand-crafted adventure.

Play Carto Today

Aritana and the Harpy’s Feather
“At the sunrise, it will be too late…” Run against time in a platform adventure with a unique poster changing mechanic – each one changing your attributes like speed, jumps, attacks and special abilities. Choose the right posture to get over obstacles and fight spirits from the forest in a fast, intuitive and fun game. All the while, the beast Mapinguari will chase you, leading to  battles that require focus and mastery of all the skills
 learned.

Play Aritana and the Harpy’s Feather Today

GIVE

Gaming with Impact

Rewards members in the United States can earn and donate points to organizations supporting indigenous communities with Xbox. The organizations below will be available on the Rewards hub:

• AISES: AISES is a national nonprofit organization focused on substantially increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific Islands in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies and careers.

• First Nations Development Institute: Our mission is to uplift and sustain the lifeways and economies of Native communities through advocacy, financial support, and knowledge sharing. We envision a world in which Tribal Sovereignty is upheld, and Native ingenuity and knowledge are honored and respected.

Xbox players 18 and older can earn Rewards points in various ways, such as playing games, completing Game Pass Quests (terms apply), and purchasing games and other eligible items at the Microsoft Store (exclusions apply). Start earning for impact today and redeem your points for great rewards. Donate your points on the Rewards hub or on the Rewards redeem page.

Wallpapers and Dynamic Backgrounds

The Xbox International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples design is available today as an Xbox wallpaper and dynamic background on console – follow these steps to apply the dynamic background:

• Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
• Select Profile & system > Settings > General > Personalization > My background > Dynamic backgrounds.

You can choose between Games, Xbox, or Abstract dynamic backgrounds. Choose the background art that you want with the A button.