Eventually, Naughty Dog would bring its craft to perfection with the Last of Us games, building on everything that had worked in the Uncharted games to a polished sheen, and delivering some of the greatest titles in the history of the medium in the process. But for as great as the Last of Us games are – and I say this as someone who legitimately feels The Last of Us Part 2 is one of the greatest games of all time – they are also fundamentally very different in the mood, tone, and aesthetic they strike as compared to Uncharted. For all the similarities that the two franchises share, if you wanted that globetrotting, swashbuckling, treasure hunting adventure, filled with some great action set pieces, some great historical fiction, and maybe a supernatural twist or two? The Last of Us is very decidedly not it.

Very few things are, as it turns out. Earlier, I mentioned Tomb Raider as an inspiration for Uncharted, and within the video games medium, at least, Tomb Raider absolutely is the best equivalent. And for what it’s worth, fans of Uncharted do have potentially three other games they might like a lot to check out in the new Tomb Raider trilogy, if they haven’t checked them out already. Those games rebooted the franchise, taking inspiration from Uncharted liberally (how the tables turn, and what have you). And while none of the new Tomb Raider games ever match Uncharted’s brilliance, they are still really good in their own right. If you want more games along those lines, they are well worth checking out.

But those games themselves are old now, and the Tomb Raider franchise has itself been inactive in terms of new releases for almost as long as Uncharted has. Inherently, it’s not unreasonable to assume that if there was any Uncharted fan who wanted more games along those lines, the seven years that have passed since the release of the final game in the modern Tomb Raider trilogy have provided more than enough time for them to look into those games for their fix. So pointing to Tomb Raider hardly helps here.

Where hope comes from for Uncharted fans in these cases ends up being a very, very unlikely game– in more ways than one. This month, Microsoft will release MachineGames’ fantastic Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5. The game, which launched in December last year for Xbox Series X/S and PC to great acclaim, is being brought over to the PS5 as part of Microsoft’s continued multiplatform publishing push. Admittedly, the idea of a Microsoft game acting as a stand in for a flagship PlayStation franchise is hilarious, as is the idea that Indiana Jones, the granddaddy of Uncharted and Tomb Raider to begin with, has come in with an eleventh hour win here- but the game’s quality speaks for itself. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a marvelous single player action adventure game that really hits the perfect tone and aesthetic, takes players to multiple locations around the world on a globetrotting treasure hunting story, has a great historical fiction infused central plot and mystery, and has some really strong storytelling- which, of course, is typical for MachineGames.

They are obviously not perfect equivalents. Indiana Jones is largely a first person game, for starters, which creates a fundamental change to the flow of the moment to moment gameplay. It is also far less focused on combat than the Uncharted games. Naughty Dog’s franchise is, of course, so combat focused that it has given rise to a whole class of memes about how the series’ protagonist Nathan Drake is a mass murderer (and even led to the rise in awareness of ludonarrative dissonance, and what it may mean when it comes to video games). Anyone who has seen the Indiana Jones movies, of course, knows that that level of killing and violence isn’t exactly what the eponymous main character is known for. And so it makes sense that The Great Circle de-emphasizes action.

Instead, the game is designed almost like an immersive sim. Rather than guiding players through linear areas interspersing light platforming and puzzle solving with heavy combat encounters, The Great Circle moves players into small sandbox style semi open areas, giving players objectives but mostly leaving it to them to figure out how to go about them. In other words, it almost plays like an immersive sim lite. In any area, in any part of the game, Indiana Jones will have to contend with a lot of armed opponents, but he will rarely be shooting them away in grand shootouts. Instead, The Great Circle emphasizes stealth and melee combat, it emphasizes puzzles, and it emphasizes exploration and discovery within its areas for players to figure out how to progress.

This is a fundamentally different type of game than Uncharted in that sense. If you were in it purely for linear and high octane action packed gameplay, and the roller coaster style set pieces and combat encounters that Uncharted is known for, then little in The Great Circle would scratch that itch (though it does admittedly have some excellent set pieces). At the end of the day, it’s not really going for that sort of experience, so if that’s the sort of Uncharted-style game you’re looking for, your search for something new that fills that niche is sadly going to have to continue.

However, for other fans, who primarily want Uncharted’s pulpy, high octane, swashbuckling tone, its globe trotting adventure stories blending fact and fiction, for those fans who want Uncharted’s vibes more than anything, The Great Circle is a fantastic pick, one that carves out a very comfortable place for itself in the pantheon that Naughty Dog and Uncharted had monopolized for the better part of two decades now. That’s an amazing feat, and hopefully, MachineGames gets the chance to build on that with the follow up to this game.

As for Uncharted? Hopefully, a new one of those is on the horizon as well. Thankfully we have something great and new that has a lot of the same vibes– but MachineGames’ take on Indy is ultimately its own thing (which is arguably one of the reasons it’s so good, and doesn’t just suffer from a knock-off syndrome). It’s not the exact alchemy that led Uncharted to becoming one of the most beloved brands in the industry. When the next one of those is coming is anyone’s guess– in a couple of years, it will have been a whole ten years since the last time the franchise was active. Hopefully there’s a new release well before then.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

The brilliance of the cinematic short, written and directed by Albert Mielgo, earned universal praise. The mood around the gameplay is a different story altogether. Some praised the art direction; others found the assets flat and the smattering of colors unusual. Content creators lauded the gunplay and responsiveness, and considering the studio’s pedigree, you can at least be assured that pulling the trigger in Marathon will feel good.

However, others noted the lack of narrative, with Bungie itself confessing (at least per Skill Up) that there isn’t much story right now and that it would evolve with time. Character progression is tied to completing missions for factions and slightly improving your character’s actions. They don’t seem particularly at odds – forget their relative aim, you don’t even really interact with them, much less other players outside of matches.

Granted, all of these impressions are based on an alpha build, and there’s still plenty that Bungie could add or change in time for launch, which leads to another stickler – the price. Marathon isn’t a free-to-play title, but it’s also not full-priced (whether that means $60 or $70 is unknown). Its retail price is unknown, with more details coming this Summer, but the monetization is set, with a Battle Pass and seasonal model in place.

As director Joe Ziegler explained in the Friends Per Second Podcast regarding the decision not to go free-to-play, “Everyone’s got their own definition of the right price.” However, that’s doubly so when it comes to value. Some people may enjoy Marathon at launch even though it will only have six playable characters and three maps, with a fourth arriving after, which is valid.

It’s just as valid for fans and newcomers alike to look upon the current work and mildly despair for lack of content or game-changing features, much less anything that really sets it apart from the crowd outside of its visual style.

As someone who poured over a thousand hours, maybe more, into Destiny 1, and hundreds of hours into Destiny 2, Marathon isn’t necessarily meant for me, and Bungie acknowledges that. It advises against jumping in if you’re looking for a PvE-only experience since you eventually have to fight other players. There are some PvE elements since you can battle hostile NPCs and complete random field objectives, but it’s a far cry from the current structure in Destiny 2.

I’m not necessarily complaining because, despite all the doom and gloom post-The Final Shape, it’s still getting content updates and “expansions,” even if raids and long cinematic campaigns may be a thing of the past.

That’s not the biggest issue, though. Neither is the fact that PvP is much more grounded than the power fantasy in the Crucible or the lack of an underlying hook that really sets Marathon apart in today’s extraction shooter market. Or the fact that this has been in the works for over four years with more than 300 developers involved, among rumors of troubled development.

It’s that Bungie is shipping what’s seemingly the framework of a title, however nice it feels to play, and asking fans to foot the bill. No early access tag to tie it down and ensure some systemic level of obligation either (for whatever that’s worth in this day and age).

It sounds harsh but that’s pretty much what described the Year 1, Destiny 1 experience. Lackluster story, satisfying gameplay saddled with repetitive mission design and objectives, a laissez-faire faction system, and relatively simple character progression. Bungie can talk as much as it likes about building the game alongside players, taking feedback and whatnot, but charging them to essentially serve as testers is a little iffy.

And while Ziegler and his team are pretty upfront about what you should expect from Marathon at launch, plenty remains nebulous. The idea behind the seasonal model is that “every season should be a moment to go on adventures, commemorate them, and then, some of those commemorative elements you can use as expressive elements for yourself in the future, whether they be skins or titles or things like that as a new season starts – a new opportunity to go on a new adventure,” as told to GameSpot.

The onus is on the team to “make sure every adventure that every season offers is in and of itself different and feels different to create those new stories.” Let’s not get into the seasonal wipes where players’ inventories are reset to zero to ensure a clean slate.

Marathon could very well end up as one of Bungie’s biggest risks – not because of some major revolutionary feature that will forever change the genre (which it could very much do with). Instead, as a Destiny player from the outside looking in, it seems like yet another project that the studio wants you to stick with, through thick and thin, before it really becomes something. Anything.

If the first season doesn’t land, maybe you’re encouraged to stick around and see where things end up. Perhaps you’ll like certain elements, and they could improve with enough feedback. For all the backlash and outright hatred Bungie gets, it has shown a willingness to respond to player complaints, even if that can sometimes take months or years.

While there are plenty of negative reactions to Marathon for being an extraction shooter and yet another live-service title, which has been confirmed for a while, there’s also a significant section who are more confused than anything. Imagine newcomers watching that sleek cinematic and then watching the gameplay to see this basic-bones extraction shooter with a few intriguing mechanics (like not being able to immediately transfer items from other players’ death boxes, instead waiting for them to “decrypt”).

After a decade on the Bungie-certified rollercoaster across two titles and multiple expansions with dramatic upswings and mind-boggling dips, I’m unsure if I want to go again. However, that practice offers some kind of excitement for some long-term fans and new players – that they could indulge in something that feels good to play right now and will fundamentally improve with time. And credit where it’s due, Bungie does have a habit of pulling out the stops and surprising people, even when it’s seemingly on the back foot.

For the foreseeable future, I’m keen to take a “wait and watch” approach with Marathon. Forget its immediate competitors, who already have years of support and content to go with unique gameplay loops – it’s also competing against other major releases for your time and money. Whether its newness will be enough to carry the signature Bungie gunplay further into the future remains to be seen.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Sure, it would launch several months after the PC and Xbox Series X/S versions, but the quantum shift had finally occurred. Cue the announcement of Forza Horizon 5 and the resurgence of rumors around titles like Starfield, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and more. PS5 players could finally experience franchises restricted to Xbox for years and, in some cases, decades.

However, now that the Great Circle is almost here, launching on April 17th for Sony’s console, how does this version compare to other platforms?

Let’s get this out of the way immediately – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a gorgeous game. Developed on a fork of id Tech 7, it looked utterly gorgeous on PC and Xbox Series X when it launched, even with some players facing issues with the former’s system requirements at launch. Does all that visual splendor carry over to PS5? How about the performance?

Thankfully, as with other Xbox releases on PS5, the Great Circle is an excellent port. There are some notable things to nitpick with the visuals, which can still be seen on the PC and Xbox Series X versions. Nevertheless, this is a great-looking game out of the box and the performance is rock-solid.

The latter is notable primarily because Indiana Jones and the Great Circle runs at dynamic 4K resolution and targets 60 frames per second. The biggest attraction is the implementation of ray-traced global illumination and the results are truly exceptional. Indirect lighting naturally illuminates indoor locations, be it in buildings or caves, and the resulting shadows are sharp. Even if the resolution shifts during heavier scenes, the overall image quality and pixel count remain fairly high.

Considering many other developers have struggled to deliver excellent visual fidelity and solid performance while implementing ray tracing, the Great Circle is definitely a stand-out. I have no idea how MachineGames optimized it to such an incredible extent on consoles, but that carries over to PS5 with nary a hitch.

How do the console versions measure up to each other? For that matter, does the PS5 version beat out the Xbox Series X, when compared to the PC version, or are they more or less on the same page? Let’s find out.

PS5 vs. Xbox Series X

As you might have guessed by now, the differences are negligible. Such is the porting work that you’d be hard-pressed to notice many differences between the game on either console. The frame rate stays at a near-constant 60 frames per second during gameplay – some very minor drops can be observed rarely, but they hardly impact the overall flow. Loading times are also fairly similar – once you’ve chosen your settings and default difficulty, the transition to gameplay is nearly instant. Quitting to the main menu and resuming a save is seamless and takes no time on both platforms.

Perhaps the most notable blemish is the pop-in, with some shadows and a few assets loading as you get closer. The overall draw distance and level of detail are still extremely impressive on consoles, and some may be hard-pressed to notice it during the more intense sequences. It’s during the exploration sequences, like walking through the jungle in the Prologue and venturing into the ruins or running around the larger open maps, that it becomes noticeable. Once again, it’s far from a deal-breaker – you’re still guaranteed immense amounts of fidelity backed by incredible performance.

PS5 vs. PC

It’s here the dynamic resolution vs. native 4K comparison becomes more noticeable. First off, our test rig consists of an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti, and 32 GB of RAM. For the settings, we set almost everything to the highest settings wherever applicable, be it Supreme or Ultra (though Volumetrics Quality is limited to Medium). Nvidia DLSS is employed and set to Quality Mode, with Dynamic Resolution not enabled.

Needless to say, the PC version is the clear winner. Though some very minor frame drops are noticeable in certain areas, it stuck to 60 frames per second for most of our hands-on time while delivering a crisp resolution and excellent image quality. Some pop-in issues were still noticeable at times but didn’t hamper the experience.

Though the dynamic resolution puts the PS5 (and, by extension, the Xbox Series X) version at a disadvantage, it’s only really apparent when directly matched up against a native 4K image like this. Otherwise, you’d be hard-pressed to notice any earth-shattering differences in visual fidelity. Which is a good thing, mind you.

Another note on the PC version – despite not meeting the requirements for all Supreme/Ultra settings, it still offered an incredible visual experience. It speaks to MachineGames’ optimization in this regard, and though your mileage may vary, you’re still assured of excellent fidelity and performance.

Conclusion

However, the best part about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is that, besides being an excellent game, you’re not forced to choose a version (though maybe avoid playing on Xbox Series S). It performs well on Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC, balancing stellar performance with a nearly-locked 60 frames per second with incredible graphical quality that makes id Tech 7 shine. That it’s able to achieve all this with ray-traced global illumination enabled and sticking reasonably close to 4K on consoles makes it a technical marvel in many ways.

Beyond the technical aspects, the Great Circle is notable for its art direction and cinematic presentation. The shot-for-shot remake of the opening for Raiders in the Prologue, the sheer visual splendor of locations like Egypt and the Himalayas – it’s a treat for fans of the franchise and action-adventure titles alike. Even in places with differing weather conditions like snowfall and rain, MachineGames is showing off with the sheer amount of detail that it stuffs into scenes.

However, above all else, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a phenomenal game that’s faithful to the character and atmosphere of the films. It’s nostalgic yet stylized, incorporating that trademark Indy kitsch and charm while delivering a fun, original story with plenty of adventure, puzzle-solving, and mystery. If you haven’t played it on Xbox Series X or PC, there’s never been a better time now that it’s finally coming to PS5.

Yet, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle doesn’t just represent MachineGames and Bethesda “getting” what makes the franchise and its iconic hero special. It’s also an incredible action-adventure game in its own right, one that seamlessly blends the genre with light immersive sim elements and a cinematic presentation as meticulous as it is organic. Let’s run down all the boxes it ticks.

"The Prologue, which pays excellent homage to Raiders without feeling too overbearing or cheesy, is a teaser of what you can expect in terms of gorgeous foliage, vibrant lighting, detailed shadows, and a rock-solid frame rate."

Charismatic characters? Check, and even if Harrison Ford didn’t lend his voice to Indiana Jones, Troy Baker does an impeccable job, almost feeling indistinguishable in delivering that same smarmy yet beloved charm (while also delivering one of the most natural portrayals of a character talking to themselves in a long while). Deft seamless pacing, whether you’re engaged in a battle against Nazi troops or crawling through a dark tomb, carefully observing and photographing your environment to find the right solution? Also, check.

Incredibly responsive controls where every step and punch is natural (initial concerns of switching between third and first-person being completely unfounded)? An interface that turns the most straightforward actions like bringing up your map or checking Indy’s journal into a more immersive affair, deepening your connection to the character and the world?

Stellar environmental design with notable side quests, mysteries, collectables and puzzles to pursue when you’re not discovering incredible secrets? An excellent soundtrack that feels so unmistakably Indiana Jones, even without the iconic theme by John Williams (which is still very much welcome, don’t get me wrong)? Check, check, check, and check.

I could go on, but you probably already know that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a great game – of the many secrets it offers, the almost universal praise from critics is far from the most guarded. It adheres to the incredible cinematic presentation and atmosphere of the franchise while finding ingenious (if familiar) ways to gamify everything from combat and exploration to puzzle-solving and platforming. The real question is: How does the PlayStation 5 port perform? As it turns out, quite flawlessly.

From the very outset, the Great Circle is a gorgeous game. The Prologue, which pays excellent homage to Raiders without feeling too overbearing or cheesy, is a teaser of what you can expect in terms of gorgeous foliage, vibrant lighting, detailed shadows, and a rock-solid frame rate. It’s almost impossible that further environments could offer so much more attention to detail, be it in animations and ambient dialogue of NPCs or little critters scurrying around in abandoned catacombs.

"This isn’t to say that you won’t like the Great Circle if you’re a fan of Uncharted, but for all their base similarities, it’s a different approach in terms of gameplay and structure. "

However, MachineGames keeps upping the ante, allowing the ray-traced ambient occlusion and its effect on environments and characters to shine. This is further reflected in the cutscenes where the body language, facial expressions and even eye movements of characters are gorgeously conveyed by the animation work. And yet, it never feels overwhelming, though some sections in the dark did necessitate upping the HDR brightness a bit, especially if there wasn’t a torch handy.

The only detracting factor from all this visual splendor is some slight pop-in while moving, occasionally apparent in the shadows and textures. With the sheer amount of details packed in at any given moment and the consistent performance, it’s something I’m more than willing to forgive, especially since it rarely stuck out like a sore thumb.

Of course, for PlayStation players, the most obvious comparison to the Great Circle is Uncharted, with Nathan Drake compared to Indiana Jones since his inception. You would assume this makes the former a natural fit for long-time fans, but it’s important to note their fundamental differences, especially with the action action.

While Drake experiences an inordinate number of gun fights, the Great Circle often encourages playing stealthy and relying on guns as a sort of last resort, especially since ammo isn’t very plentiful. There’s also a different vibe to the puzzle-solving since photographing clues is as important as pulling levers or yanking switches with your whip. Photography is low-key notable overall since it’s a consistent source of Adventure Points for investing in new skills.

This isn’t to say that you won’t like the Great Circle if you’re a fan of Uncharted, but for all their base similarities, it’s a different approach in terms of gameplay and structure. I’d still encourage trying it, even if you never watched a single Indiana Jones film. And don’t worry – there’s more than enough action-packed set pieces to compete with Drake’s escapades.

"Gunplay is also on point, and as much as I would forget about the whip in favor of leaping into the fray and swinging for the fences, it’s visceral and feels fun to abuse."

In terms of its weaker areas, the hand-to-hand combat does leave a bit to be desired. Once you’ve settled into blocking at the right time and counter-striking, dodging, pushing and charging punches for more damage, it can feel comfortable. Watching the enemy occasionally evade strikes also made brawls feel more natural, as did picking up any object on the ground and smacking them silly until they broke.

However, it easily devolves into button-mashing, and in Adventure mode, it feels a little too easy to take down a group. Unless you’ve alerted an entire compound by ziplining down and alerted two dozen enemies to your presence (which I totally haven’t done accidentally on purpose).

All that said, the actual feel of combat is excellent, with punches having some real oomph. You would think that knocking out an enemy with a mean hook and watching their lights go out as they slowly topple to the ground would get boring after a while, but you’d be wrong. Gunplay is also on point, and as much as I would forget about the whip in favor of leaping into the fray and swinging for the fences, it’s visceral and feels fun to abuse.

And while stealth is enjoyable, whether you’re examining different routes and looking for ways to sneak past guards, throwing bottles to split up and isolate patrols, or bonking enemies with an assortment of objects, the AI can feel a bit too forgiving sometimes. I’ll chalk it up to Normal Mode being like that, but taking out an enemy and watching their friend not fully coming to grips with what’s happening, taking his sweet time to get alerted, does disrupt the immersion. At least they’re enthusiastic enough when alerted.

"Adventure has many names across the entertainment space, but when it comes to action-adventure titles, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is as good as it gets, and then some."

However, these are minor complaints when considering the bigger picture. An excellent action-adventure title is very much welcome, but it isn’t exactly rare. Neither is a stellar video game adaptation of a well-known property, strange as it feels to say in this day and age. However, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle goes beyond all that to deliver a truly memorable yet remarkably familiar experience.

It’s almost like welcoming an old friend you haven’t seen in so long, remembering everything that made them so endearing and yet seeing it in a new light. For MachineGames to have captured and translated the very essence of Indiana Jones as remarkably as it did warrants praise. Adventure has many names across the entertainment space, but when it comes to action-adventure titles, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is as good as it gets, and then some.

This game was reviewed on PS5.

Hunting for Secrets

There’s an interesting dichotomy in play with Clair Obscur’s environments. Though many previews note their linearity, they also highlight the different rewards, optional encounters, and more to be discovered off the beaten path. With Sandfall Interactive not providing a mini-map, there’s only one thing to do: Sweep every nook and cranny of these environments to uncover everything. And with how gorgeous they look, it doesn’t feel like a task at all.

Mastering the Art of Parrying

With Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice serving as an inspiration, I’m keen to see how the parrying works out. Not just because timing-based defense is fun (see: Paper Mario) or because the counters look extremely hyped. There’s also the thrill of facing a new enemy and learning their moveset, initially stumbling but quickly dominating once you’ve got the timing down.

Playing on Higher Difficulties

Learning enemy patterns and mastering the art of parrying becomes all the more enticing because Clair Obscur has a higher difficulty (Hard Mode). The parry and dodge windows seemingly become smaller but they’re much more essential to survival. How punishing will it be? Will enemies have newer attacks to compensate? If you’re in for that kind of challenge, it’s enticing to think about.

Exploring the Overworld

Speaking of gorgeous, there’s the overworld. While you traverse the “levels” from a third-person perspective, they’re all tied together via the overworld map. It’s standard RPG fare, but the presentation is something to behold. “Diorama” is the word used, and it really conveys an almost light-hearted yet adventurous scale, especially given the relative size of the characters to the environment.

Sea and Air Travel

While exploring on foot is interesting enough and opens up several unique avenues, it’s the other modes of traversal that excite me. Various trailers have teased crossing water bodies and flying through the air. These are seemingly tied to Esquie, which the official site notes is “able to soar through the heavens and dive deep beneath the sea”. He’s also noted as “lazy” and “born at the dawn of time.” How his story unfolds is something to look forward to, but the added exploration certainly doesn’t hurt.

Wandering Into Higher-Level Areas

Even without air and sea travel, you have a significant amount of freedom to explore the overworld of Clair Obscur. That also means wandering into dangerous areas, which are higher-level. You’ll get a warning, but if I want to run in and test my admittedly subpar skills, nothing is stopping me.

Fighting Optional Bosses

One such location is Abbest Cave, and I’ve spotted some content creators going head-to-head with what seems to be its optional boss – the Chromatic Abbest. Its attack patterns look easy enough to discern, but they involve tons of parrying/dodging, and one hit deals massive amounts of damage. I’m hoping this is only the tip of the iceberg and that there are numerous other optional bosses to fight (and reap rewards from).

Embarking on Side Quests

Interestingly, Sandfall Interactive hasn’t spoken too much about the side content in Clair Obscur. It takes 30 hours or so to finish the main story but the side content is seemingly the same amount, which means 60 hours for everything. Exploring levels, finding useful items, venturing into higher-level areas and challenging optional bosses are a few things, but what about any potential side quests? Whatever the case, I’m hoping they veer into truly bizarre directions befitting the setting.

Building Bonds

Various previews have confirmed that you can set up camp on the overworld, which allows for the usual – adjusting character stats, unlocking new skills, and even playing music on a gramophone. However, I’m interested in speaking to different party members and learning more about them. What is Lune’s deal? What kind of dark past does Sciel have? I don’t know if these mysteries will unfold through campfire chats, but the interactions thus far look enticing.

Learning More About the Gestrals

Aside from the expedition and whatever hostile creatures roam the land, you’ll also run into the Gestrals. They’re described as “a group of friendly beings who enjoy the thrill of battle and view competition as a form of meditation,” per the official website, and one of them, Monoco, even joins the party because, to quote, “the prospect of combat” entices him. If the rest of the Gestrals are as charismatic (and bloodthirsty), I’m interested to see what role they play.

Fight the Merchant

As another example – Noco, a Gestral merchant encountered during your travels. You can buy items like Chroma Catalysts and Colour of Lumina, which is straightforward enough. However, you can also fight him. Why? Besides the fact that it unlocks another item for purchase, well, why not? How many other merchants could you take on in combat, and what benefits could they offer?

Experimenting With Pictos

As you progress through Clair Obscur, there are different weapons and Pictos to equip. The latter is interesting because it provides passive benefits like increased Free Aim damage, a chance to Burn on Free Aim shots, and applying Defenceless for one turn with your Base Attack. However, there’s also something called Luminas, which you have limited points for, which seemingly lets you apply a Pictos effect without equipping it in a slot. This is all based on preview footage so we need more details on how this works, but it could open up a lot of potential builds.

Making Broken Builds

To further that point, one of the most important things is the range of skills and how they’ll synergize with different builds. I want to make some truly broken set-ups for each character, and given how characters like Maelle can have 200 percent increased damage ready on demand, there must be ways to tap into that and potentially break the game.

Replaying the Story in French

If replaying the game on a higher difficulty to test your parrying timing and skills isn’t enough, there’s another reason – the French cast. Alongside an incredible assortment of English talent, Clair Obscur also features many famous French actors voicing its characters. On top of adding a more authentic flavor to the experience, it’s always endearing to see how the performances differ. Who knows? The French dub may even be superior in several ways.

Solving the Mystery of Renoir

Last but not least, I want to know about Renoir, played by Andy Serkis. How has he grown so old, especially in a world where humans at a specific age are slowly dying out? Without getting into spoilers, why does he become involved with the expedition? The official website says he’s “relentlessly driven and myopic in his quest to save his family,” but that “His grit masks deep pain, desperation, and fear of loss.” Interpret that as you’d like but he’s ready to sacrifice for the sake of victory, whatever the price may be. Here’s hoping the core mystery behind him is as compelling as Serkis’s performance will doubtless be.

Roster

At launch, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves features 17 playable characters. A good chunk of the roster carries over from Garou: Mark of the Wolves, including B. Jenet, Gato, Hotaru, Rock, Terry, Tizoc, etc. However, some newcomers include Preecha, a Muay Thai fighter trained by Joe Higashi, and Vox Reaper, an assassin and apprentice to Grant. You also have Fatal Fury stalwarts like Mai Shiranui and Billy Kane, and even Kain R. Heinlein, previously a boss, is playable for the first time.

The Wildcards

While all this sounds just fine, SNK announced two more characters which can only be described as out of left field. These include footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who arrives in South Town and immediately sets about schooling opponents with kicks and energy balls, and DJ Salvatore Ganacci who, as you probably guessed, can use his voice as a weapon (and swim in mid-air). Imagine if they end up being the meta.

Stages

While you’re still fighting on a 2.5D plane, City of the Wolves features some returning classic stages. Freight Express is a homage to Terry’s stage from Fatal Fury 2 and Garou, though some new faces adorn the rock in the background, and Tizoc’s Universal Arena looks better than ever. You can also look forward to IP Space Center, Yuri’s Fitness Club (seemingly inspired by Yuri’s Art of Fighting 2 stage), and much more.

Training

Training Mode, as you would expect, lets you practice with various customizable settings. You can measure damage, impact frames, and more while fine-tuning your commands and combos. And of course, it’s possible to enable matchmaking in the background while you practice.

Just Defend and SPG

Just Defend and T.O.P, now known as S.P.G., return. As in Garou, the former is meant for correctly timed blocks (and there’s even Hyper Defense for combos). Both are beneficial for cooling down the REV Meter, slightly recovering health and potentially cancelling into an attack.

S.P.G. is a mechanic that activates at a certain point in your health bar, which you can set before a match. It lets you unleash REV Blows for massive damage and shrugging off incoming attacks. You also deal more damage, allowing for a strong starter or comeback if you’re on the ropes.

Ignition, Redline and Hidden Gears

Super moves, known as Gears, also return and depend on your Gear gauge. In Arcade Style, Ignition Gears are activated with one bar while Redline Gears require two (and deal more damage). If you really need to turn things around, there’s also the Hidden Gear. Available only during S.P.G., it spends both bars and executes a devastating attack.

REV System

The REV System is brand new to the franchise and SNK titles in general, dictated by a meter at the bottom of the screen. It allows for executing the previously mentioned REV Blows, REV Arts (which are stronger versions of Special Moves), REV Accel for chaining REV Arts and REV Guard which prevents chip damage and also gives a bit more breathing room.

However, if the meter is in the Overheat stage, your guard meter can be broken, causing temporary stun, and you won’t have access to any of the REV moves. It’s very much akin to Street Fighter 6’s Drive Gauge, but fits pretty well.

Episodes From South Town

Further adding to the Street Fighter 6 comparison is Episodes From South Town. Like World Tour, you’ll explore Central City (and Second South, based on the official trailer) and challenge various other fighters, gaining experience, levelling up and learning skills. The biggest difference is that you can play as a roster member rather than a custom fighter.

Arcade Style and Smart Style

The era of multiple control styles is here to stay and Fatal Fury is hopping on the train. It offers two control schemes – Arcade Style, which functions as your standard control scheme, and Smart Style, a more streamlined set-up for easily executing combos. The differences are interesting because Smart Style lacks a lot of the nuance of Arcade. You can’t brake or feint at all; Hidden Gear isn’t available; and Super Moves will consume the entire meter.

Cosmetic Customization and Jukebox

Expanding on cosmetic customization is the ability to color a character’s eyes, hair, clothing, shoes, and more separately. You can select different textures, adjust their sizes, add a specular effect, and more. Want Hotaru to have yellow tiger print paints? Go for it. The Jukebox is also available and seemingly includes all the songs from past Fatal Fury titles if you want to revisit the classics.

Online Modes

As for online modes available at launch, you can look forward to Casual Match, Room Match and Ranked Match. The latter allows for customizing connection speed and whether you want to enable cross-play while Room Match allows for customizing a room based on the number of members, region, privacy settings and more. The UI also helpfully outlines rank, win-loss record, and winning streaks.

Rollback Netcode and Cross-Play

Fans of Garou had to wait many years for features like rollback netcode and cross-platform play. City of the Wolves includes both, which means you can take on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC players at launch. Impressions for the netcode have been generally positive with the overall quality receiving praise after past betas, though there are a few matchmaking issues. Of course, how this will all perform at launch remains to be seen.

Full English Voice Acting

One of the biggest new features in City of the Wolves relates to the voice-acting. This will be the first Fatal Fury title with English voice-acting, and the first SNK title in years to receive the same. Even if the purists will stick to Japanese, it still says a lot about how seriously SNK is marketing this to the world.

Post-Launch Characters

We already know that Ken Masters and Chun-Li from Street Fighter are joining the roster, seemingly in exchange for Terry and Mai appearing in Street Fighter 6. But that’s not all. The first post-launch DLC character is actually Andy Bogard, who arrives first this Summer (with Ken out shortly after). Joe Higashi is next this Fall, followed by Chun-Li in the Winter. Wrapping up Season 1 is Mr. Big, who debuted in Art of Fighting as a boss. He’ll join the roster in early 2026.

PC Requirements

PC players need 60 GB of storage space to install the game, though an SSD isn’t mandated. Minimum requirements include an Intel Core i5-7500 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200, 8 GB RAM and a GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (4GB). The recommended requirements include a Core i7 8700 or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB RAM, and an RTX 2070 or Radeon RX 5700 XT. Not too shabby, though the graphical quality and resolution that each provides are unknown.

It’s been in early access since June 2023

That’s quite a long time, one-and-three-quarter years developer Far From Home have been remodelling Forever Skies. In that time, the aeronautical survival adventure has received 34 updates to become unrecognisable from its earliest iteration. Resource extracting tools, more methods to safely store and prepare toxic food, recycling stations, a broader selection of airship modifications, plus inventory management overhauls and boons to locale variety the brief highlights of a wealth of changes included in Forever Skies’ 1.0 release.

Release date, platforms, and price

Forever Skies is coming to PC via Steam and PlayStation 5 on April 14^th, 2025. Priced at $29.99 on Steam and $34.99 for the base game on PlayStation. There is a Deluxe Edition pre-orderable for PlayStation users, with 5 unique airship decorations, 5 PSN avatars, and 72-hour early access included for an extra $5. Also of note: PS Plus subscribers can pre-order right up until the 14^th of April release date for 20% off.

What it’s about

Returning to Earth hundreds of years after a mysterious ecological catastrophe blanketed the planet in toxic smog, you’re a scientist pursuing a rumoured cure to the infection rendering Earth unhabitable to humans. You’ll explore rusting ruins, scavenge supplies, scan materials, and enhance your hi-tech airship on a mission to bring the last remnants of humanity out of interstellar limbo and back to their home planet. Mystery behind Earth’s environmental disaster plus the happenstance of prior return expeditions are story beats to unlock throughout your journey.

Developed by an experienced team

Wroclaw-based Far From Home are the team behind this one, and they’re a talented bunch with a wealth of experience working on a host of well-known titles. Between them, the Polish developers are bringing expertise from the Dying Light series, The Medium, and Outriders. If there’s ever a marker for the quality of a game, it’s the experience the team behind it are bringing to the table.

Airship customization

Early on in Forever Skies, you’ll procure the carcass of an airship lying in wait following the failure of a prior expedition. It won’t stay bare for long though; this airship evolves into more than your mode of transport. As more modules and apparatus are added, the airship becomes your laboratory, your workshop, your home. With a host of customisations – from new rooms, furniture, and decorations – the airship becomes uniquely yours. A word of warning though: Forever Skies is a perilous experience. The integrity of your airship, as you probably expect, must be maintained.

Airship maintenance

And on that note, it isn’t just the hull of your airship that’ll need to be patched up following mid-air debris collision or an overzealous approach to your latest abandoned radio tower. No, it’s engines demand fuel – which, thankfully, can be extracted and fabricated from material debris floating through the air – your scientific gizmos require batteries, your air balloon requiring helium. There’s plenty in terms of airship maintenance to keep you occupied during excursions.

Science

You’re a scientist, so naturally scientific discovery plays a huge part in Forever Skies’ progression. Not long after acquiring your airship you’ll be instructed to research and fabricate – via an onboard 3D printer – a scanner. With this scanner you can accumulate information on numerous bric-a-bracs littered across the elevated platforms and dishevelled windfarms explorable via your airship. Rusty turbines, crumbling building material, floating tumble weed, and this knowledge can be fed right into an onboard research station, providing the knowhow to 3D print fuel, cooking appliances, quality of life improvements, airship components – anything, really, to enhance your experience above Earth’s sickly green clouds. Blueprints ascertainable throughout the world provide extra means to craft something integral to survival and discovery too.

Survival mechanics

You’ll need to maintain the integrity of your body as well as your airship, and that means managing hunger, thirst, health, and energy levels. The latter can be easily topped up during quieter moments by having a lie down, whilst health – at least during the game’s demo – is only affected by high falls and can be replenished via collectable health kits. Hunger and thirst are the killers, and this being a toxic world as you can expect the collectable food and drink can be harmful if not cooked or purified respectively. The means boiling moths and filtering water collected from putrid pools should be your top priorities for research and crafting.

Survival activities

We’ve alluded to this already, but the bulk of your activity throughout Forever Skies will be in picking Earth’s elevated ruins clean. Mechanical parts, batteries, health items, these will provide the meat for yours and your airship’s bones. An especially useful gizmo for scavenging is an airship mounted turret which can extract building materials such as metal and glass via transparent laser beam, raw materials required to craft the game’s smorgasbord of items.

You can descend to the Earth’s surface

Eventually, that is. At first, your body and your protective clothing can’t withstand the effects of Earth’s noxious fog, but with enough scientific know-how you’ll get there. Upon the planet’s surface, you’ll encounter strange flora and fauna; plant life which has adapted to the harsh climate and creatures which have forged their own survival. It’s a strange world below the dust, and it’s here, perhaps, where viral antidotes can be sourced.

Combat

Yes, Forever Skies will feature combat. As is typical of games of this genre, the abandoned environment uninhabitable to humanity has birthed hostile life, and it’ll be down to you to wield a range of firearms to protect yourself. Via previews, the team at Far From Home have shared images of mantis-like creatures that’ll provide threat. More enemies – maybe even rival factions – will make an appearance. The gameplay loop currently is rather calm, so there’s a question as to whether this game needs combat. If it’s done without being too intrusive, it could prove welcome.

4-player co-op

One of the community’s most asked for features during the game’s early access period launched on December 9^th and will be available upon launch. In fact, footage of players working together to procure resources has featured prominently in gameplay shared thus far. Building airships, exploring, and plain surviving will be enjoyable in squads of up to four.

Post-launch roadmap

There’s a hefty roadmap, or, rather, a flight plan, of post-launch updates confirmed for Forever Skies. Coming summer 2025 is an update to airship expansions, whilst a substantial content update is slated for late-summer, early fall. Coming in December 2025 will be a seasonal update – snow perhaps?

PS5 demo currently available

Right up until the game’s launch on April 14^th there is a demo for PlayStation players available directly from the PS Store. The demo covers at least the first hours’ worth of play – acquiring an airship, laying foundation for the narrative’s mystery, exploring a range of creaking platforms above the green clouds. For PC players, well, there was once a demo available on Steam, but this is currently unlisted.

PC requirements

At a bare minimum, to run Forever Skies on your PC you’ll need an Intel Core i5-7600 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 processor, RX 580 8GB VRAM, Intel Arc A750, or GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GPU, and 12GB RAM. Recommend specs as per the game’s Steam page include an Intel Core i7-7700k or Ryzen 7 3800X, RX 5700-XT, Intel Arc A770, or GeForce RTX 2070 GPU, and 16GB RAM. No matter your setup, you’ll need 31GB of storage space.

However, the one release that arguably generated the most buzz is the same that closed the show—the multiplayer trailer for Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall. The setting, the movement, the little details, and most importantly, the Titans. Hearing the words “Standby for Titanfall” still gives me chills more than a decade later.

And say what you will about the iffy “story” mode (which was no replacement for a proper campaign), lackluster post-launch support, the challenge grind, the paid map packs, or how it should have also been released on PS4. Titanfall was a masterpiece, combining high-skill ceiling movement and combat with a beyond-cool premise to deliver a multiplayer experience like no other. Even if you weren’t looking to hit the highest Pilot Generation, playing Extraction was a wondrous experience that felt organic and exciting.

Given the sales ambiguity and how quickly its player base fell off in the first year, there wasn’t much hope for a sequel. And yet, Respawn Entertainment would reveal Titanfall 2 in 2015, addressing nearly every single complaint from the original. It boasted an incredible single-player campaign that’s still one of the best in the genre. It revamped player and Titan progression, giving the latter more personality and strategic options. New weapons, cosmetic customization, maps, modes, execution animations – the list went on. Even the Smart Pistol was relegated to being a Boost weapon instead of a regular tool.

Again, there were some flaws, but once again, Titanfall 2 was special. So it’s a shame that Electronic Arts once again screwed the franchise over by dropping it close to the release of Battlefield 1, never mind Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare launching a few weeks later (yes, even if it was Infinite Warfare).

Since then, Respawn has trailblazed its own path, particularly with the acclaimed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor. It also made serious bank with its take on the battle royale formula, but no matter how many tie-ins and connections it made, it couldn’t replace the feeling of boost-jumping, wall-running, and calling down Titans.

A recent rumor gave fans some hope for the series return. Leaker Yorotsuki, who seemingly has a history of leaking news for the series, alleged that Titanfall 3 is in development with a reveal at this year’s The Game Awards and a release in 2026. Another leaker, Osvaldatore, apparently corroborated the same, and more details emerged shortly after about it featuring a single-player campaign and several modes from Titanfall 2, though the main mode was apparently an extraction shooter.

Before anyone could really process all of this and whether Electronic Arts was to blame for ruining yet another beloved formula, Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb quashed the rumor, noting on the Power Block, “It’s not real.”

“There is a Skunk Works team headed up by Titanfall 1 director Steve Fukuda…he’s got a small team over there that is probably messing around with games that have Titans in them, right? Titanfall 1 creator over there, messing around with the small team, prototyping stuff the way Respawn has traditionally done.

“Does he have something that’s a prototype that has Titans in it? I would guess so. I don’t know for sure, but I would certainly assume that that is a safe thing to think. Now, is that gonna get announced in 2025 and released in 2026? No way.” And that’s even if Fukuda’s project or whatever it ends up becoming even gets off the ground.

This is far from the first rumor about a new Titanfall. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported that a single-player spin-off was cancelled in 2023. There was also news last month from former executive assistant and production coordinator Emilee Evans that an “unannounced incubation project” had been cancelled. This same team was set up several years ago and meant for developers with experience in multiplayer shooters. The safe assumption is that this was another such project, though whether it was the next Titanfall or not is unknown.

Whether a new game is in development or not, it’s still reasonable for fans to wonder: Where the heck is Titanfall 3? It’s beloved among the fan base, and given the downturn that Respawn’s battle royale shooter has seen, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to bring it back.

Unfortunately, there are several potential reasons why that may not happen. Electronic Arts could very well look at the overall success of Titanfall 2 and decide it’s not worth pursuing a traditional competitive shooter, that too, one that doesn’t feature your usual live-service elements. And even more unfortunately, in this age of extraction shooters, hero shooters and Fortnite, it’s likely not going to greenlight a game like Titanfall 3 if it follows the same formula as its predecessor.

Keep in mind that Titanfall 2 already featured some of those elements – the Titans were already hero-like in their design – and even received more support than the first game. Even if EA launched it at the worst possible time, there’s no way it looked at the game’s success and decided it was worth investing in a sequel.

If Titanfall 3 were to adopt other more popular shooter elements, there is a chance that it could be worth playing if it retains that signature gameplay feel. However, the problem, yet again, is EA looking to monetize it, much like it did for Respawn’s battle royale shooter, and squeeze as much revenue as possible. And given that it’s discussed a 2.0 version of the latter rather than anything remotely resembling a sequel to Titanfall further dashes our hopes.

Maybe it’s down to the multiplayer shooter fans want more games like Valorant, Fortnite, Marvel Rivals, Battlefield, Call of Duty or even Overwatch 2. Maybe the time isn’t right for the Titans to return, though it’s always faced competition, even before many of those games existed.

Regardless of how much sense it makes financially or whether it could find an audience, there’s no denying the appeal of a new Titanfall. I still have fond memories of grappling around, jump-shotting and sliding into enemies, or climbing on a Titan’s back to dismantle it, never mind skeet shooting ejecting pilots out of the air. Maps like Airbase, Lagoon, Smuggler’s Cove, Boomtown, and Crash Site were so much fun to play – the balance of elements for both Pilot and Titan traversal and combat is still a triumph to this very day.

There may be other shooters out there to pursue – as evidenced by all the resources and development teams that EA is throwing at the next Battlefield. But maybe the genre needs a game like Titanfall 3 to shake things up and prove that it’s not all about following the latest trends or trying to bleed your audience as much as possible. It may be impossible, but stranger things have happened in the gaming industry.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

If you were someone who didn’t vibe with the “survival” part of Don’t Starve, then Crashlands served as a pretty good alternative. However, the genre’s landscape is significant all these years later. Amid games with realm-hopping, monster-capturing and loot grinding – not to mention all the heavy hitters receiving extensive amounts of new content and updates – Butterscotch Shenanigans returns with Crashlands 2.

"Quests are still the backbone of the narrative, as you meet with new characters like Atlaa in Haarlipol, who initially dispenses you to various parts of the map to investigate the effects of the Withering."

On the surface, it feels like a worthwhile follow-up with highly improved and even more stylized visuals, highlighting the quirkiness of Woanope and its denizens. Combat is more strategic, even with some nagging issues, and there is an intriguing narrative to dive into. However, like its predecessor, Crashlands 2 is just that – light-hearted and survival-friendly but significantly below the genre’s heavy hitters.

Following her departure from Woanope, Flux is something of a celebrity for “saving” the planet. After years of media stints and appearances, she quits the Bureau of Shipping and ventures back to Woanope to reconnect with her beloved companions (with droid assistant JuiceBox in tow). Upon entering the planet’s atmosphere, a strange phenomenon affects her ship, causing it to crash yet again, but on a different section than the first game.

After meeting with Graal, whose house they, unfortunately, demolished in the process, Flux and JuiceBox learn of a strange Withering taking over various spots in the region. And who else should have their shady fingerprints all over the incident but the Bureau of Shipping? Thus our heroes set out yet again to save Woanope from whatever is occurring.

At least, eventually. Like the original Crashlands, the scenario is fairly open-ended and you have extensive amounts of freedom to explore. On top of materials, exploring nets Juice Gems for upgrading various stats for Flux, from passive regeneration to higher crit chance. It’s simple enough and gets the job done.

Quests are still the backbone of the narrative, as you meet with new characters like Atlaa in Haarlipol, who initially dispenses you to various parts of the map to investigate the effects of the Withering. They’re fairly straightforward, offering enough direction to unlock new parts and potentially discover new resources, but they’re not the most thrilling and the pattern of going somewhere, investigating, and then returning to Haarlipol wears out its welcome quickly.

"Combat features interesting wrinkles, like a brief charge before you attack, and dodge-rolling, which is nuanced enough to differentiate between avoiding an attack and getting scrapped, resulting in reduced damage."

Nevertheless, it’s necessary to gain access to new recipes, which you’ll need to craft more items. The open-ended nature of everything means having to figure out what to complete first to facilitate progression in other quests. For example, raising Graal’s comfort is essential to his Insights, the fancy name for research, and improving his cabin is one method to achieve that.

However, you can’t craft pillars, which are necessary to support walls, from the outset. Another quest that involves hatching an egg hinges on creating a cramped room, but, once again, you can’t do that without pillars. It’s only after visiting another NPC that you’re given the recipe and can thus progress further.

Is it the most challenging thing to figure out? Not really, especially when you’re forced to run down the list of quests due to certain aspects requiring Insight to unlock them and progress the story further. I don’t necessarily mind all this since the overarching narrative and trying to solve the mystery of the Withering is intriguing. Characters like Graal have some pretty decent nuance to them, and the moments of levity pair nicely with the silliness.

However, sometimes the silliness gets a bit too much. Don’t get me wrong – when I see it in the art style, be it in the expressions of creatures before they chomp on a plant or in some of the item descriptions, it works. Even seeing Flux twist herself while dodge-rolling can be humorous just for how random it feels. The dialogue also drew some genuine laughs, even if some conversations can get a bit winded. However, the number of times characters pause to emote with speech bubbles, like the video game equivalent of “That just happened” is a little too high. Not enough to completely dissuade me but enough to trip up the flow.

Combat features interesting wrinkles, like a brief charge before you attack, and dodge-rolling, which is nuanced enough to differentiate between avoiding an attack and getting scrapped, resulting in reduced damage. While it works in 1v1 or 1v2 encounters depending on the enemies, it gets a bit dicier when dealing with multiple foes with more elaborate attack patterns (that too on Normal difficulty).

"Crashlands 2, much like the original, should be viewed as sandbox crafting comfort food. It has its character moments and may pose some decent combat challenges, but it’s still very much in line with the original."

The gear progression didn’t feel super-optimal in the early going either, as I had a trinket, some boots and the same dual blades since the start to fend off against enemies. At least there is some incentive to exploit the environment and lure foes into hazards, even if it’s not the best long-term strategy. I also appreciate the nuance of each enemy’s design, right down to their attack paths (like the Amphy Charger and their bolt-like designs).

Crafting is also straightforward, though it feels like the practice of mashing the button continuously to make an item makes more sense for mobile. It would be nice if various items were divided into different categories or if there were filters for those that use specific materials. At least you can favorite recipes or archive them to avoid clogging up space.

It feels like a tad too many resources are required for some of the more basic items, but at least their cost reduces as you continually craft more, even if I’m not the biggest fan of this mechanic. The building interface takes some getting used to, especially when replacing different structures, but it works well enough.

At its core, Crashlands 2 evolves on the first game’s mechanics and visuals while offering tons of new content. The lack of survival elements, streamlined progression, quests, and colorful characters certainly provide enough entertainment, but the whole doesn’t feel significantly more special than the sum of its parts. Perhaps it’s because the formula feels fairly safe, sticking close to the series’ roots while iterating on it just enough to facilitate the new vision.

Hardcore fans of sandbox crafting titles may still find things a bit too simplistic and narrative-focused for their liking, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time. Crashlands 2, much like the original, should be viewed as sandbox crafting comfort food. It has its character moments and may pose some decent combat challenges, but it’s still very much in line with the original. And that’s fine, but I was left wanting for more.

This game was reviewed on PC.

SCREEN

Let’s get started with the basics- the screen, which brings several upgrades. For starters, the Switch 2’s screen is larger than the base Switch model’s by a noticeable margin, going from 6.2 inches to 7.9 inches. Meanwhile, where the Switch 1’s screen outputs at 720p at most, the Switch 2 will be capable of 1080p output. It also touts support for VRR and 120 FPS gameplay.

MAGNETIC JOY-CONS

We’ve gotten used to how the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons detach and slot back in over the last several years, but Nintendo is changing things up with the Switch 2. Unlike the Switch 1’s Joy-Cons, which would slide into (and out of) rails on either side of the tablet, the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons will attach to the tablet magnetically. To detach them, players will have to hold down a new button close to the trigger, with Nintendo providing assurances that the magnetic controllers won’t just separate and fall off by themselves.

MOUSE FUNCTIONALITY

Here’s another major change you can expect with the Joy-Con 2 controllers, and one that leaks had actually talked about for a while. The new controllers feature sensors on their side, which will allow you to simply turn either Joy-Con sideways and use it like a mouse on a flat surface. The Switch 1 boasted three different play styles in handheld mode, console mode, and tabletop mode, allowing you to seamlessly and instantly swap between them. The Switch 2 is adding mouse mode to that list.

C BUTTON AND GAMECHAT

Another major (according to Nintendo, at least) new feature being introduced with the Switch 2 is the new C button, which is tied to the new GameChat feature. Pressing the button will bring up the GameChat menu, which will let you voice chat (or video chat, if you have the requisite accessory) with other players while playing your own game. Sadly, GameChat will be available exclusively to NSO subscribers past its open access period (which runs until March next year).

MORE JOY-CON CHANGES

Nintendo has improved the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons in other areas as well. One of the most common criticisms for the original controllers continues to be the tiny size of the SL and SR buttons, which Nintendo has directly addressed by expanding their dimensions a tad. The Switch 2’s analog sticks are also larger, while the company has also offered assurances that stick drift issues – a major problem with the Switch 1 – will be less of a concern with the new console.

PRO CONTROLLER CHANGES

As you would expect, the Switch 2 will also have its own new Pro Controller for players to purchase as an accessory, and it, too, will come with several changes. The aforementioned C button will of course be featured, in addition to an audio jack, something that is glaringly missing in the otherwise excellent Switch Pro Controller. Additional, the Switch 2’s Pro Controller will also feature new GL and GR buttons on the grip that you’ll be able to program and assign to whatever inputs you wish.

4K CAPABLE

From a tech and hardware perspective, the Switch 2 is going to be Nintendo’s biggest generational leap since the GameCube. The Switch 1 was an outdated piece of kit even back when it launched in 2017, but the Switch 2 is going to be a completely different story. Nintendo has, for instance, confirmed that the console will be capable of outputting games at a 4K resolution, something that is completely impossible on the Switch.

SUPPORTS RAY TRACING AND DLSS

That the Switch 2 will use Nvidia’s DLSS is something that rumours have been claiming for several years, going back far enough that they were initially tied to the fabled and nonexistent Switch Pro. That is now officially confirmed, in case you were wondering how the Switch 2 is 4K capable after all, given that its specs would put it below even the Xbox Series S in terms of pure, raw numbers. Meanwhile, in addition to DLSS, the Switch 2 also features ray tracing support.

3D AUDIO

We’ve spoken plenty about the many visual enhancements we can look forward to with the Switch 2, but its upgrades don’t end there. On the audio side of things, on top of louder and higher-quality speakers, the Switch 2 also touts support for 3D audio in both console and handheld mode.

SWITCH 2 EDITION GAMES

The upcoming next-gen console’s greater hardware capabilities will obviously mean better looking new games, but even existing existing Switch 1 titles are going to benefit. It’ll ultimately be up to each publisher’s discretion, but for several, you can expect what are being called Nintendo Switch 2 Edition releases, which are basically Switch 2-enhanced versions of Switch 1 titles. The upgrades, pricing, and what have you will obviously vary from game to game and developer to developer.

STORAGE

As you’d expect, the Switch 2’s internal storage is also significantly more substantial than the Switch 1. The latter launched in 2017 with 32 GB of internal storage, but its successor will tout as much as 256 GB- though Switch 2 titles are, of course, going to weigh more than Switch 1 games. The console’s storage will also be expandable, but regular microSD cards will no longer be supported, with new microSD Express cards instead being required.

BATTERY

Given the more powerful hardware of the Switch 2, it comes as no surprise that the console’s battery life is taking a hit. Where the Switch 1 can last anywhere between 4-10 hours on a full charge depending on your usage, according to Nintendo, the Switch 2’s battery life will range between 2 to six-and-a-half hours. In terms of charging time, however, Nintendo estimates three hours for a full charge, which is about the same as the Switch 1.

DOCK

Similar to the tablet itself, the Switch 2’s dock will also be different from the Switch 1’s. At 4.5 inches tall, 7.9 inches wide, and 2 inches thick, it’s somewhat larger the the Switch 1’s dock, which is 4.1 inches tall, 6.8 inches wide, and 2.12 inches thick. Unlike the original base dock, the new one will will also have an ethernet port for those who wish to directly plug in a LAN cable.

GAMECUBE TITLES ON NINTENDO SWITCH ONLJNE

Fans have been hoping to see GameCube titles being added to NSO’s library for a while now, and that is finally set to happen starting June 5- but only for the Switch 2. Switch 1’s Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription includes games for the NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. On the Switch 2, on top of all of that, subscribers will also get GameCube games, with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soulcalibur 2, and F-Zero GX set to be there day one, and more (including Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Sunshin, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and many others) arriving later.

PRICING CHANGES

This is the big one, and unfortunately, not for the right reasons. The original Switch launched in the US at a price of $299, but the Switch 2 is bringing about a steep increase. Nintendo has announced a price of $449 for the console, though with the tariff-shaped clouds looming large, there’s a good chance that thar price is going to increase before the console has launched, at least in the US.