PCGamesN Sunday, March 29, 2026 8:13 AM Minecraft product manager Anna Lundgren says its new game drops model is "more sustainable," but Mojang is still open to bigger updates. |
PCGamesN Sunday, March 29, 2026 7:07 AM Crimson Desert patch notes 1.01.00 are here, with improved movement controls, smoother flight, reduced stamina costs, and a better minimap. |
PCGamesN Sunday, March 29, 2026 4:00 AM With an engaging story and intriguing mechanics, The Medium is a game that will delight many horror fans, and this Humble Bundle lets you get it |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Sunday, March 29, 2026 6:00 AM  Sundays are for deciding to re-watch The Sopranos. Specifically that episode in which Tony gets a bad tummy and then talks to a fish. You wonder what you might fever dream of, if you too were to go and eat at an Indian restaurant, then have enough room for a snack at Artie Bucco's fine Italian eatery? Would you too dream of surreal wandering down a boardwalk? Would you instead dream something different? Would you dream of a platypus sitting in a high-rise apartment, looking up from the newspaper as he reminds a house guest not to trip over a potted cactus when they exit his bathroom? Would that be the-Oh. Oh no. It's happening again. The person who's emerged from the bathroom, tripping over the plant on the way, is bald and reeks of alternative comedy. Ready the words and prepare to fire. |
Siliconera Sunday, March 29, 2026 9:00 AM
I don't know if you've been keeping up with anime, manga, and light novels lately, but villainess and isekai series are big. Huge. Woman dies. Reincarnates as a villainess. Turns out she's actually not bad and happens to be one of the nicest people ever, but ends up billed as a "villainess" for reasons. It's a whole thing. With NIS America, Gemdrops, Superniche, and Broccoli's Etrange Overlord, we're seeing that sentiment carry over to a game. While the Musou-style beat'em up element isn't all that exciting, the ambiance and story is pretty fun.
Etrange von Rosenburg is a noblewoman engaged to the prince of Edelstein. (Though royalty, he's apparently not important enough to get a name.) Instead of a happily ever after, her tale begins with her in a guillotine and him at the side ordering her execution because she "allegedly" attempted to have him killed. She awakes in hell, even though she's innocent, with three demons trying to torture her. Except Etrange is smart and uses her wits, money, and apparent skill with dark magic to beat them. Fortunately, this is the sort of scenario where defeat means friendship and not death! Because of her kindness and generally upstanding personality, said demons Cackie, Chuckie, and Chortie become her new minions and, with a retinue of her former followers and newfound admirers, she gradually begins to take over hell as its newest overlord. Meanwhile, we get occasional glimpses into what's actually happening in the kingdom with those left behind and the real villains.
I adored Etrange Overlord's story and characters. Folks at Gemdrops, Superniche, and Broccoli clearly looked into this genre of shojo stories, as they nailed the concept, characterizations, and vibe. It's over the top, but in an affectionate and silly way that doesn't actually mock the genre or people who enjoy it. Etrange is a fantastic, strong, genuinely kind heroine! Some of her allies, though a bit more subdued in terms of personality and clever lines, are equally entertaining and memorable. The actual villainess is hilarious in a dastardly way. The localization's well done. It doesn't involve any major twists or big drama, but it reminds me of similar villainess series like Tearmoon Empire and My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom.
That isn't the only fun element to Etrange Overlord. Remember Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure? It was the NIS America comedic RPG with songs littered throughout. Well, Etrange Overlord is exactly like that. There are lots of music numbers with really wonderful singers involved. Since this is a comedy, they're just as over-the-top as the adventure and delightfully silly. It's very campy in the best way!
Unfortunately, the combat and territory management elements of Etrange Overlord aren't as captivating. You know how Koei Tecmo and Omega Force's Musou action-RPGs involve a lot of depth and strategy when it comes to swapping characters, handling situations, and traversing the massive maps? None of that happens here. Characters' standard attack range and combos tends to fall into the category of fine or finicky, sometimes not having the right range or scope to properly hit enemies. For example, I found Cat-Smith, Cackie, Chuckie, and Erit to be pretty adequate and accurate early allies, but Etrange, Chortie, Scwatrz, and Sweetia's attack range and style sometimes made it difficult to pin down opponents, even if everyone's special attacks seemed pretty helpful.
Especially since the points of stages can get rather repetitive and usually involve beating up X amount of characters or a boss to progress. (Okay, sometimes you'll also have to do something like get key items, survive, or keep an NPC running around with no regard for their life safe too.) It got to a point at which getting through things as quickly as possible is what mattered at most, so when I could I'd default to someone who would make that possible. Especially since stages are small and aren't all that varied, and using someone with decent range to sweep through foes is a huge positive. Taking advantage of the RPG crafting staple, which is used here to get more powerful equipment or make food to offer your team of four characters in the fight buffs, helped with that too. Mainly for equipment, however. Since I didn't find the enemies all that challenging, the meals didn't matter all that much to me.
Especially since there is the lane system. To fit in with the music theme, this looks like the staff used on sheet music. These constantly runs through the area circling about, with power-ups, items that let you perform special attacks, and occasionally platforms or helpful goods on them. Depending on the area and layout, there may be one or multiple ones around. You can also use Land Selection at the start of a stage to set what you'd like to see in each lane, enabling things like attack buffs, healing items, and special support. These need to be invested in with items you've found via exploring when wandering the world, going through stages, using the Dispatch feature to send allies to different areas of hell you've visited to get new items, or dealing with revolts in past places via Recapture. Though honestly, while I appreciated the "management" element that stemmed from dealing with past areas and the extra materials, it felt like a means of padding out a pretty short game with even more of the same, repetitive fights.
Etrange Overlord is packed with personality, with a story and songs that show love for the shojo trope where the villainess is actually the good guy. Etrange herself is a standout, and it's silly and over-the-top without being ridiculous. But as delightful and refreshing as the narrative and soundtrack can be, the battles get boring fast. It's incredibly repetitive! But at least those stages tend to be short, so you can race through them and get back to the campy story.
Etrange Overlord is available for the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC.
The post Review: Etrange Overlord's Story Is Its Strongest Element appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Sunday, March 29, 2026 4:57 AM
The Acria Sword is one of the hardest weapons to find and add to your arsenal in Crimson Desert, as there are two puzzles to be solved. That's after you manage to discover its hidden location, which is a test in itself.
Let's find out how to get the Acria Sword after solving the puzzles.
Table of contents
Acria Sword location in Crimson Desert
The Acria Sword is located in the Stellen Manor, which is found in the north of Hernand Town. To find the manor, go past the Hook Rapids and the Hills of No Return. You'll find a river; follow it, and the manor will be at the end of the path.
Go to the northern side of the manor and enter through the window. You'll now be in the dining room, and the Strongbox Puzzle will be to your right.
How to solve the Strongbox Puzzles in Crimson Desert
The Strongbox features five keys, and you have to press them in the correct sequence to unlock it. The buttons are numbered 1,2,3,4,5 (beginning with the one on the left).
This will open the Stronbox, and you'll find the Stellen Manor Closet key inside.
How to find the Acria Sword in Crimson Desert
Once you have the closet key, go to the main area and take the stairs to the master bedroom on the second floor. There's a handrobe inside; you'll find a handwheel behind its panels. Grab the handwheel and press the E button to lower the floor, and this will reveal a secret table.
Jump on the table, pick up the book, and get down. You'll now need to place the book in the right spot. You'll find a bookshelf on the ground floor. Inspect it, and you'll find an empty slot where the book has to be kept. The bookshelf will now open, and there's a hidden door in the back.
Go through the door to enter the storage room. Move behind the barrels, and you'll find the cellar. The Acria Sword is in this cellar on the lower shelf that you'll find at the end of the room.
The post How to get the Acria Sword in Crimson Desert appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Sunday, March 29, 2026 3:36 AM
Patch 1.01.00 is now live in Crimson Desert on PC (more platforms coming soon), and there are plenty of major changes in the current update. We now have five new Legendary animal mounts to collect as permanent additions.
But that's not all, so let's look at the major additions.
Table of contents
Complete Crimson Desert 1.01.00 patch notes
Before we dive into the full patch notes, let's first look at the highlights.
Here's the complete list of changes in the new patch.
Content
Controls & Combat
Quests
UI Fixes & Improvements
Graphics & Settings
Performance, Stability, Gameplay
Localization
Others
Other Fixes
The post Crimson Desert 1.01.00 patch notes: All major changes appeared first on Destructoid. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Sunday, March 29, 2026 9:52 AM A trailer was also released. The post Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game Release Date Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
iDev Games Feed Sunday, March 29, 2026 3:47 AM Scamulator is a satirical comedy simulator game developed by happstoner5420 Games that puts you in the shoes of an incompetent tech support scammer!... |