Kotaku Saturday, April 4, 2026 11:52 AM  Saying he's lost the spark, the popular gaming chronicler has a parting gift of Kong |
Kotaku Saturday, April 4, 2026 11:48 AM  Recent additions revolving around "brainrot" memes are not faring well among players |
Kotaku Saturday, April 4, 2026 9:37 AM  Footage from the set of Alex Garland's A24 Elden Ring film has made its way online, displaying what appears to be a Church of Marika |
PCGamesN Saturday, April 4, 2026 12:05 PM An update to the Starfield Steam achievements list offers extra clues to what might appear in Free Lanes and the Terran Armada expansion. |
PCGamesN Saturday, April 4, 2026 10:52 AM Meme characters Tung Tung Tung Sahur and Ballerina Cappuccina are now available in the Fortnite Item Shop as part of a 'Brainrot Bundle.' |
PCGamesN Saturday, April 4, 2026 10:32 AM All the new Monopoly Go free dice links for today, with daily codes to redeem for free rolls and occasional bonus rewards, like tokens and shields. |
PCGamesN Saturday, April 4, 2026 8:41 AM Soothing renovation sim House Flipper is free to keep on Steam this weekend, and you'll get a discount on the remaster based on DLC you own. |
PCGamesN Saturday, April 4, 2026 7:54 AM A Marathon Biotoxic Disinjector nerf is being deployed as Bungie acknowledges the extraction shooter's best raid reward is "too strong." |
PCGamesN Saturday, April 4, 2026 7:00 AM With a cooling fan, back massager, and even a heating element, the Hbada X7 mesh gaming chair has impressive specs, but some issues too. |
PCGamesN Saturday, April 4, 2026 6:47 AM A new Crimson Desert update adds the option to switch movement controls, headgear visibility settings, and more private storage capacity. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Saturday, April 4, 2026 7:00 AM  Garth DeAngelis remembers being in the room when Firaxis chose to ditch XCOM: Enemy Unknown's procedurally generated maps. Despite being a feature of the original 1994 game, when Firaxis tried to build the tech for their reboot of the turn-based tactical classic 15 years later, it was causing major headaches. |
Siliconera Saturday, April 4, 2026 9:00 AM
There are some games where, after I play them, I find I remember more about the ambiance and aesthetic than the actual gameplay. This isn't to say the there's no challenge to it or it isn't fun. Just that everything else about the experience is what made it more memorable. That's how I feel about Bubblegum Galaxy, a puzzle game about rebuilding planets that celebrates the same sort of mindset as Keita Takahashi games like Katamari Damacy. Sure, I had fun matching tiles, it was even better talking with coworkers and appreciating the PS2 and 90s design choices.
Haco is a new intern at the company Bubblegum Galaxy, which creates planets in the universe. While training with Magda and seeing how the software works, something goes terribly wrong. A fatal exception occurs, the memory core gets corrupted, and the galaxy is deleted. NO GALAXY FOUND. You're immediately taken to your sad little intern desk in an empty corner of the office, where everyone is panicking and a coworker named Penti is blaming you for everything. Though Bubblegum Galaxy claims their proprietary technology keeps that from happening, the galaxy server is now empty. The only thing left to do is to rebuild by putting together new planets by matching tiles and meeting requirements in levels, while taking breaks between to chat with folks and figure out what happened.
Bubblegum Galaxy looks amazing, and when I compared it to Keita Takahashi's works like Katamari Damacy, Wattam, and To a T, I wasn't kidding. All the characters look whimsical, with lead Paco being a cat person whose head also resembles a house. Penti, a coworker who starts out a bit on-edge and mean to Paco, has a virtual pet-style head. Everything is polygonal, bright, colorful, and whimsical. The offices are floating in space. Sometimes, the text boxes feature rainbow or moving fonts to emphasize tone. There's a cosmetic collection and customization element if you gather extra currency from continuing to play planet challenges. I love it. I love every part.
Especially since we're encouraged to take in the ambiance. During our training, Magda tells us breaks are important. Of course, she also mentions under her breath that they can't have the intern burning out. It's possible to befriend people around the office. (Though some folks, like Rora, are sadly not an option.) We can give gifts, and I loved the dialogue. There's even some binary in there that you can translate, if you want to take the time. At the same time, while it is very lighthearted and often silly, there can be somewhat sharp commentary too. It's just lovely.
The actual planet-building is fine too. We go through stages in Star Systems to create planets there, taking on quests for each one and attempting to earn high scores and meet objectives. There's a matching element to it, as you try to turn, align, and place pieces to basically ensure combos with each move and earn points. There are special skills you can use to help with getting new tiles or perhaps undo one you placed. And each Star System tends to have its own themes to it, which can change up how you think about placing and matching tiles. I also appreciated that you can opt to keep playing after completing your objectives and end early or keep going. It feels somewhat similar to games like Dorfromantik and Pan'orama. Everything is also very clear and visually distinct.
But while that part of Bubblegum Galaxy is fine, I find myself more drawn to and captivated by the other elements. Making the new planets is neat! Especially since we get to see how the finished result would look when they're done. (Sort of like when we'd finish a Katamari Damacy task and learn the name based on what we rolled up!) It's very relaxed and low-pressure, since you can take as much time as you need. I enjoyed it. I just enjoyed the time spent not doing that even more. The characters and world Smarto Club created is that enchanting.
Bubblegum Galaxy is a bright delight of a game with a distinct design direction and captivating storyline. The characters all look fantastic. There's a fun script, complete with some positive messages. I relished getting to explore the office and take in the character and environmental models. The actual tile-based planet-building is pleasant enough too, though I didn't find it as challenging or memorable as contemporaries like Dorfromantik. It's a solid and relaxed puzzle experience that can feel quite cozy.
Bubblegum Galaxy is now on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
The post Review: Bubblegum Galaxy Features a Fantastic Aesthetic appeared first on Siliconera. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, April 4, 2026 11:12 AM The trailer showcases a short cinematic introduction. The post Street Fighter 6 Gets New Ingrid Teaser Trailer appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, April 4, 2026 10:35 AM On Instagram. The post Uncharted Dev Hints At A Potential New Title appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, April 4, 2026 9:58 AM Detailing several features. The post Starfield PS5 Features Gets New Trailer And Details appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
MonsterVine Saturday, April 4, 2026 9:00 AM Ah, April. The birds are singing. The bees are having sex. Or at least, that's how I understand it. And all the while, it's probably raining. Well, at least in the northern hemisphere. So why not enjoy the rain from the inside and cuddle up with a fresh, delicious batch of indies? This month, I […] |
MonsterVine Saturday, April 4, 2026 4:25 AM Dead Party has been announced as a new co-op action game coming to Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with players teaming up to fight off zombies and UFOs using weapons, traps, and music-powered abilities. Set in the town of Shady Hill on Halloween night, the game supports up to four players as they […] |