Stray Gets Gameplay Walkthrough, Now Releasing Early 2022 For PS5, PS4, And PC
Stray was a game that caught many people's eye when it was revealed at a PS5 showcase last year. We didn't see a lot of it then, only a small reveal trailer, but it what was most remembered was that you seemed to be playing a cat in what appeared to be a city filled with robots. It's been largely silent on the game since then, but now, we have more details and a new gameplay walkthrough.
Publisher Annapurna Interactive released a new video, which you can see in full below. In Stray, you will play an injured cat who finds itself stuck in a strange city. Wanting to find its way back to its family, the cat finds aid from a drone that will help navigate the friendly and not so friendly side of this strange place. The walkthrough shows several puzzles, a lot involving jumping up and down from places as you'd expect being a cat and all, as well as some combat and chase sequences.
Stray will come to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and PC. While originally aiming for a release this year, the new video confirms they are now planning a release in early 2022.
A Plague Tale: Innocence And Speed Brawl To Be Free On Epic Games Store Week Of August 5
Say what you will about the Epic Games Store, and some people certainly have strong opinions about it, but they have been pretty consistent in their giveaways. Ever since its launch way back in December 2018, the service has given out at least one free game and looks to continue doing so for the foreseeable future. That continues, and next week's titles look to be an interesting inverse of one another.
It's been announced that next week, we will get A Plague Tale: Innocence. The game is a narrative-driven title where you play a sister and brother in a dangerous world during the Black Death years in France, with gameplay focus on stealth and puzzles. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Speed Brawl. This game is a multiplayer-focused brawler, based around speed, billed as "Sonic meets Streets of Rage."
A Plague Tale: Innocence and Speed Brawl will be free from August 5th-12th. The current free titles are Train Sim World 2 and Mothergunship. You can check out current and future free titles at the Epic Games Store through here.
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye Announced, Releases September 29th
As leaked several weeks ago, Mobius Digital's Outer Wilds will be receiving some new content called Echoes of the Eye. It's actually an expansion that's full of strange new sights and mysteries. Check out the reveal trailer below to see some of the new content in store.
The story seems to concern a new exhibit that's popped up in the museum and prompts one last journey. The player will seemingly uncover the solar system's "deepest secret" but it seems there will be consequences for the same. The sun being blocked and a mysterious location with hidden depths and technology are teased in the new trailer.
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye will be releasing on September 28th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. The base game is also coming to Nintendo Switch this Summer, though a release date hasn't been provided. Stay tuned for updates in the coming days.
Solar Ash Releases on October 26th for PS4, PS5 and PC
In the recent Annapurna Showcase, Heart Machine finally provided a release date for its upcoming 3D action adventure Solar Ash. It releases on October 26th for PS4, PS5 and PC via the Epic Games Store. A new trailer was also revealed – check it out below.
The story concerns Rei, a Voidrunner who ventures into the Ultravoid, an enormous black hole full of surreal environments and the ruins of various worlds. In an effort to save her world, Rei will have to deal with all kinds of obstacles, gliding and grappling through dangerous environments, destroyed cities and even defying gravity. There are also massive bosses called Sentinels who must be defeated and they give a real Shadow of the Colossus vibe with their scale.
For a more in-depth look at one of the boss fights, head here. On PS5, Solar Ash will leverage the SSD for fast load times and even support the DualSense's haptic feedback. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay for the title in the coming months.
Apex Legends Character Trailer Highlights Seer's Abilities
Following its gameplay reveal for Apex Legends – Season 10: Emergence, Respawn Entertainment has released a new trailer that details the abilities of Obi Edolasim aka Seer. The newest Legend is described as an ambush artist, one who takes pride in tracking his foes and artfully dismantling them. Check out his abilities below.
Heart Seeker is Seer's passive ability and allows for hearing and detecting heartbeats of nearby foes when aiming down sights. His tactical is Focus of Attention, which uses his micro-drones to interrupt and reveal enemies through walls with a blast. Exhibit is his Ultimate that creates a sphere that causes enemies moving quickly or firing inside to have their locations revealed.
Overall, Seer is a pretty interesting tracker, one that's more suited to carefully following his foes and then taking them down when there's an opening. Time will tell just how effective (or ineffective) he is in the meta especially on the updated World's Edge map. Stay tuned for more details in the coming week since Season 10 goes live on August 3rd.
Marvel's Avengers: Black Panther – War for Wakanda Releases August 17th
In a new press release, Square Enix has confirmed that the Marvel's Avengers expansion Black Panther – War for Wakanda would be releasing on August 17th. It will be a free update for all players and adds two new villains, a new environment, new solo and multiplayer Drop Zone and Threat Sector missions and, of course, Black Panther as a playable hero.
On top of this, the Birnin Zana Outpost will be added as well. To detail everything one should know about the expansion, there will be a new War Table stream on August 16th at 10 AM PDT. Overall, it seems that the single-player campaign length – from the base game to the upcoming expansion – will total over 25 hours.
This is especially relevant for those jumping in during the all-access weekend, which starts today and ends on August 1st. Available for PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia, it allows for playing the entire game with a 400 percent bonus to XP earned. The game will also be discounted by 40 percent, allowing new users to continue their progress from the free trial. A similar opportunity will be coming to Xbox platforms in the "coming months."
Naraka: Bladepoint Receives PS5 Gameplay Trailer Ahead of August PC Launch
24 Entertainment's upcoming 60 player battle royale Naraka: Bladepoint receives a new gameplay trailer for PS5. As posted on IGN's official YouTube channel, the video confirms the existence of console releases. Check out the video below for more information.
Apart from the PS5 trailer, no other details have been revealed as of the time of writing. As posted by the game's official Twitter handle, consoles versions are still 'coming soon'. There's still no confirmation whether it might come to Xbox or even last-gen consoles for that matter.
Naraka: Bladepoint is just a few weeks ahead of its imminent release on August 12 this year. Prior to this announcement, the game is was a PC exclusive, and it's great to see more versions of the game being announced. Naraka: Bladepoint features a mix of parkour elements and fast-paced combat which seems to be quite exciting, which is an achievement in a genre that has become quite saturated in recent years.
#NARAKABLADEPOINT PlayStation 5 Gameplay Preview
Console Versions coming SOON.https://t.co/yJy9SQ4Y5K— NARAKA: BLADEPOINT (@NARAKATHEGAME) July 29, 2021
Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island Expansion Length Revealed, Similar to Act 1 of Base Game
In a recent interview with PushSquare, Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut's creative director Nate Fox talked about the length of the game, which seems to be a burning question in the hearts of many fans. In the interview, Nate told that the game's length is similar to Act 1 of the main game, Izuhara.
While Izuhara is a pretty meaty chunk on its own – offering anywhere from 10 to 20 hours – even more if players want to see and do everything, the length greatly depends on player choice at the end of the day. Hence, Nate's answer to the question revolves more around the scope of the expansion, rather than citing a specific number of hours.
Of course, this aligns with a previous leak suggesting the same. While the pricing models of Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut are still disappointing, this new information does give one more reason to be excited about the game.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Planning to Go Free-to-Play Soon – Rumor
A new rumor has recently surfaced on social media that suggests that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is planning to go free-to-play very soon. The incredibly popular battle royale launched on Steam in 2017, and now has plans of going free-to-play – as reported by reputable leaker PlayerIGN on Twitter.
According to the leaker, a new free-to-play test will go live next month – following which PUBG Corp. will track responses and act accordingly. The leaker also revealed that the developer had plans of going the free-to-play route earlier in 2019 with a similar test, but didn't get the responses it required.
Going the free-to-play route makes total sense, since most of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' competitors – Fortnite, Apex Legends, Warzone and countless others are all free to play. However, interest for the game seems to be waning out now – so it'd be interesting to see if it actually goes free to play or remains a paid affair. That's of course, considering the leak is indeed true.
Leak:
PUBG wants to go free-to-play.They're going to track player responses in a F2P week that's happening next month.
Keep in mind, PUBG originally wanted to go F2P in 2019; but didn't get the player response they wanted att from 2019's F2P test.
— PlayerIGN (@PlayerIGN) July 24, 2021
King's Bounty 2 Gameplay Trailer Highlights Combat and Decision-Making
Over 20 years after the first King's Bounty released, its direct sequel is nearly upon us. Developed by 1C Entertainment, King's Bounty 2 takes place in the Kingdom of Nostria with three playable characters that each have their own backstories and motives. A new gameplay trailer has been released, showcasing just how questing and combat can play out.
As seen below, trying to overcome foes with brute strength in battle isn't always the best option. Positioning and use of magic, with spell books akin to Heroes of Might and Magic, can often make a huge difference. Equipping different items, managing your troops (and mixing together units that can play off each other) and choosing different skills should also provide an advantage.
One's decisions will also influence how the story plays out. For example, as Prince Adrian, you need to enter the castle and the most straightforward route is by talking to the palace guard. But perhaps you'll ally with shadowy forces who lend some assassins to help in battle. You could also venture to a cemetery and run into the souls of the dead – retrieve a key item to pacify them and you'll earn some undead soldiers for battle.
King's Bounty 2 is out Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC on August 24th. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay en route to release.