The team at Grumpyface Studios, together with Oh My Me Games, announced that their 2.5D action-puzzle platformer Seafrog will make its way to the Nintendo Switch on February 19.
Now available via its Steam page, a new demo for IzanagiGames and GOOD SMILE COMPANY's mystery adventure Dark Auction is now available that features more than three hours of gameplay.
Featuring licenses for more 5,000 real players from FIFPRO, J-League, K-League, and Manchester City F.C., the world of SEGA's football management sim SEGA FOOTBALL CLUB CHAMPIONS is now available.
The crew of Koei Tecmo and Bandai Namco's One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is getting that much bigger with the release of its new "Special Selection Pack" DLC that adds Eneru, King, and Z to the fray.
Featuring a variety of modes designed to reward skill and strategy alike, learn more about Screamer's suite of options with the latest trailer for Milestone's arcade racer.
Cap off your January by shorting that baby - Strange Scaffold's truly unique infant stock market sim Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator will open its markets on Steam January 29.
India has banned VPNs in Kashmir amid mounting tensions along the Pakistani border, but as with most VPN bans, I don't think this has been thought out.
Ahead of the debut of Angels of Delusion characters Aria and Sunna in Zenless Zone Zero, HoYoVerse shared new fancam teaser videos for both of those upcoming 2.6 Agents as well as the third member of the faction. These appeared on both the dedicated YouTube channel and social media account for the "idol group." All of these videos seemed more dedicated to showing off the personalities of the characters, compared to past teasers. However, we still don't know the ranks of either of the two playable characters yet.
The first fancam showcased Aria. She's the Intelligent Construct who is part of the group. An earlier YouTube Short already highlighted her robotic form, which doesn't come up here. It also confirmed she is an Anomaly character who deals Ether damage with attacks. She's shown as being very cheerful in that video.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MeUWY7PpYXI
In contrast, the Angels of Delusion character Sunna comes across as being more shy in her new Zenless Zone Zero video. In her initial art and video, she seemed to have a more forceful expression, and another official description noted she is "the most sarcastic composer." She'll be a Support Agent who deals Physical damage.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rze6oAPNCBA
Finally, the last video highlighted Nangong Yu. She's the leader of the group. HoYoVerse also hasn't confirmed if she is a playable Agent in the game yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDM9kEpNRS4
Zenless Zone Zero is available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices, and
Sigono, Safe Flight Games, GameWorks Ventures and Shueisha shared an update on Project Salon, an upcoming pixel art and beastfolk barber adventure game about running a salon for furry characters. This is the first time Signono is tied to the title as a publisher. The Steam page is live for the PC title and there are now three screenshots offering looks at the title. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]
In Project Salon, players act as a barber who cuts the hair (or fur) of certain customers that can include humans or the furry style beastfolk. The three initial screenshots show two potential customers, with one possibly being an orc-like character with horns and bear ears and the other a dragon with two heads. The official art also shows the player character, who seems to be human, working on a cat-like person while a bear, mouse, and unicorn wait their turn.
The three screenshots hint at how gameplay might work in the title. In one, we see the two-headed dragon Varo speaking. This seems to be a phase in which the customer tells us what type of haircut they might want. The two dragons both have long hair as they look at us from the barber mirror. This hints at the atmosphere in the game, as Varo's quote reads, "Under current laws, only I count as a person. My brother is considered an organ." A follow-up screenshot for them shows them both with shorter hair and a zoomed-in section of a knot being cut out of their hair. In another, we see us helping with the other customer and getting to choose what the front and back of her hair will look like. There are three options for each and the hint suggests what her response could be and said, "She should be happy with any of these… if she even has a preference." It also shows there are up to three preview options or someone could just cut.
Here are the three screenshots:
Images via Sigono, Safe Flight Games, GameWorks Ventures and Shueisha
Project Salon is currently in development for PCs, though there's no release date or official name for the beastfolk barber game yet.
Nintendo announced a 2.0.1 patch for Pokemon Legends: Z-A that features quality of life adjustments for berries and Mega Shards. It is now possible to buy more than one at a time of the former and to hold more than 999 of the latter. These come alongside other fixes tied to the Mega Dimension DLC expansion for the game.
Both the increase in limits for purchases of berries and how many Mega Shards we can hold in Pokemon Legends: Z-A can assist with situations in the main game and expansion. In Mega Dimension, berries are used to make donuts for Hoopa. These can be acquired by heading into the pocket dimensions. However, you can buy them at stands in Lumiose before the expansion, and now you can get more than one at a time. Nouveau Cafe Truck 3 sells them too. As for Mega Shards, which can be traded for Mega Stones or used at a certain vendor, we aren't capped out at 999. Many Mega Stones cost hundreds of shards, and one Mythical Pokemon involves spending 540 on four Drives in order to gain access to it. These changes make regular activities easier.
As for the other adjustments, here are the Pokemon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimension bugs fixed in the new patch 2.0.1.
When using moves in certain pockets of hyperspace, Pokémon may sometimes have faced a different direction from the intended target.
There were cases in which the weather remained sunny and did not change.
Shiny Pokémon obtained prior to the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension may not have been registered to the Mega Evolution Pokédex, even if their Mega Stones were obtained after becoming available in the DLC.
During missions, images from unrelated scenes may occasionally have been displayed.
Players may not have been able to complete side mission 188 "Start Special Scanning!" even after earning the maximum number of survey points. (Players who are already experiencing this issue should be able to progress after entering and exiting hyperspace.)
Pokemon Legends: Z-A is available for the Switch and Switch 2.
The finale in the Woolhaven DLC of Cult in the Lamb requires you to make a hard decision about whether you want to embrace the Rot or purge it for once and all.
The ultimate decision has to be made by you, which will also decide the final outcome. This guide will provide you with information about both outcomes so that you can be well-informed when the time comes.
What happens if you embrace the Rot in Cult of the Lamb
To reach the point where you have to decide, you'll need to clear most of the Woolhaven content. Once you return Sariel's spirit to Woolhaven, you'll have completed filling all the graves around Yngya. The first choice is to embrace the Rot.
Screenshot by Destructoid
If you choose to go for this outcome, you'll gain Faith daily if there's a Rotten Follower in your cult. Rotten followers are similar to normal ones, but they survive for longer periods. The number of Rotten followers you have doesn't matter; having one is sufficient.
What happens if you purge the Rot in Cult of the Lamb
If you choose to go with this outcome, you'll gain Faith whenever a Rotten follower gets killed.
There's no wrong decision, and you can continue your playthrough irrespective of whether you embrace or purge the Rot. However, I personally went with embracing it for two simple reasons.
Rotten followers don't consume any resources, which is extremely useful. If they die, you get Rotburn, which is immensely helpful to keep your base warm during the winters.
Rotten followers are a core part of the new Woolhaven DLC. Lore-wise, keeping them alive made sense to me. Garnering sufficient Faith at the endgame stage has never been an issue, either in the base version or in the expansion.
The Woolhaven expansion for Cult of the Lamb has introduced winter, and your task as a leader is to help your cultists survive the harsh winter conditions to the best of your abilities.
Surviving the chill will feel very harsh when you're starting. You won't have many ways to protect your flock, and resources will be limited. However, the winter can become much more manageable if you know what needs to be done.
Best ways to survive the winter in Cult of the Lamb Woolhaven
The winter in Cult of the Lamb comes and goes, but you'll want to be prepared well to combat its challenges.
Build a Weather Vane and Furnace
A Weather Vane and a Furnace are two of the most important buildings to make if you want to survive the winter. The Weather Vane gives you a hint about when the next winter is about to appear. The updated information will be shown at the top-right part of your screen. Knowing the exact arrival of the winter will be immensely helpful for you to survive.
Screenshot by Destructoid
The Furnace allows you to keep your lands warm with the help of Rotburn. You'll want to farm as much Rotburn as possible, and use it to tend to your Furnace daily. Always make sure to completely recharge your Furnace before you're about to set out for an expedition.
Use rituals and consumables
The Bonfire Ritual II allows you to unlock your followers' warmth levels for an entire day. Once you gain access, this ritual is the perfect solution if you're running out of Rotburn. The ritual only costs five wood and twelve bones, and allows your followers to survive the cold.
If you have unlocked the tailor, you can use wool to craft sweaters. Putting the sweaters on your followers will help them to withstand the cold. However, wool is a pretty rare resource, and it has other uses in the game.
Finally, you'll come across Chillis in the dungeons of Ewefall. You can plant the seeds and get a stock of Chillis. You can then use them to make Hot Chilli Mash, which is excellent for the followers to raise their temperature.
Don't waste the Charged Shards
Screenshot by Destructoid
Charged Shards are vital resources that you'll get pretty early on your adventure. While you can use them on decorations, it's essential for you to save them. Once winter comes, your houses will become frozen. To prevent that, you need to make a Heater and place several of them on your base.
Each Heater costs four Charged Shards, so you'll need to have plenty saved from your adventures. Try not to waste them on any decorations that don't offer any actual advantage against the cold.
Lara Croft has persisted as one of the most famous, iconic, and googled characters in media ever since her inception. Like true archeologists, fans have never stopped digging into Croft's secrets, and they've recently unearthed a very old and powerful piece of intel regarding Lara's almost-origins.
Fans have just learned that Lara came very close to looking like what could be Tifa's sister in Final Fantasy VII.
Designs by Takanori Wada and Hiromasa Ohta
If the image above looks a lot like it could be fan art, that's because Lara's final model became so iconic that you can no longer imagine anything else in its place. That's an actual design and model the designers considered putting in the game ahead of its '96 release, instead of the classic one we know and love. Paul Douglas, one of the main developers at Core Design and Tomb Raider's co-creator, recently explained on Bluesky that the team came up with them in response to pressure over fears that the classic Lara model just wouldn't sell in Japan. Now, despite them having come up with these designs, Toby Gard, Lara's creator, just wouldn't have it and compromised on simply having a more Japanese audience-friendly manual and guides in Japan.
Japanese audiences have acquired a reputation for being very picky about main characters, though it's never really clear whether that has any basis in reality. Regardless, the internet had quite a lot to say on the topic.
On ResetEra, non-fans quickly admitted they preferred the anime art and the Tetsuya Nomura vibe. And it's pretty cool to have the unbiased opinion of someone whose life was never impacted by the series, unlike most of us growing up in the '90s. I was, however, surprised to notice that most Resetera users actually preferred the anime makeover. Still, nobody liked the anime-fied CGI model, with most users calling it nightmarish at best. That's a problem, because it's the model players would be stuck with for most of the game. As for the anime artwork, I'm surprised that so many people seem to like such a run-of-the-mill design, especially compared to the immediately iconic, timeless look of classic Lara.
The most interesting piece of intel I got from the anime artwork discourse was a poignant comment on how different the '90s were, a time when anime-fication somehow caused the character to have smaller boobs.
To end on a mindblowing note, Bluesky user Sharky noted how the tentative anime Lara gameplay model, the creepy alien-looking one, actually looks a lot like a non-skinned-alive version of Lara's doppleganger that we encounter in the original Tomb Raider. Nice catch.
Over the course of the decades since its 1996 release, we've learned a lot of wild stories regarding Lara Croft's origins. We know she was originally going to be an adventurer from an unnamed South American country named Laura Cruz, who was then renamed to Lara, possibly because the developers at British Core Design studio thought Americans would be incapable of pronouncing the word "Laura." The thought process culminated in them just making her fully British. We also know about how one of Lara's more famous physical attributes was allegedly the result of one developer accidentally messing up the character proportions slider, then liking the result.
Those are all very interesting pieces of the lore, but I doubt we could find a more interesting and polarizing one in today's anime-dominated gaming landscape.
A surprise announcement from today's Xbox Showcase came in the form of Kiln, the latest title from acclaimed studio Double Fine. The game will be a multiplayer party brawler that lets players create their own fighters out of clay, then battle against others throughout maps inspired by ancient mythology. As for how difficult the pot-making aspect […]
1348 Ex Voto will release on March 12, 2026, bringing its grim medieval action-adventure to PC and PlayStation 5. The game is developed by Italian studio Sedleo and published by Dear Villagers, with pricing set at $24.99 for the Standard Edition and $29.99 for the Deluxe Edition, which includes a digital artbook. Sedleo also confirmed […]
Atari and Fabraz have confirmed that Bubsy 4D will launch on May 22, 2026, marking the character's first full 3D outing since 1996. The game is headed to PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, Windows, and GOG, priced at $19.99. […]
One of the biggest things to be shown at today's Xbox Showcase was undoubtedly Fable, the highly-anticipated reboot of the iconic series. The new game is set to release this coming autumn for the Xbox Series X/S, PC via Steam, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud, and, surprisingly enough, the PlayStation 5. It will also be […]
Dread Meridian launches today, January 22, 2026, bringing cosmic survival horror to Meta Quest and Steam VR. Publisher Level Infinite and developer KUKRGAME marked the occasion with a launch trailer that highlights the frozen island of Oglanbyen and the threats waiting beneath its surface. The game is priced at $19.99, with a 15 percent launch […]
A new Beast of Reincarnation gameplay trailer was released during today's Xbox Showcase, giving fans a look at Game Freak's upcoming action-RPG. The new video shows off the title's intense combat and colorful visuals while also giving players a peek behind the scenes at the game's development, with team members like General Producer Shigeru Ohmori and […]
Bringing together nostalgic charm alongside modern movement, Atari and Fabraz' Bubsy 4D will send players on an intergalactic adventure when it releases for PC and consoles May 22.
The second major Early Access update for Arc Games, Asmodee, and Cephalofair Games' tactical RPG Frosthaven, the free Legacy of the Algox update is now available.
Inspired by arcade hits of the 80s, com8com1 Software announced that their classic single-screen platformer Go! Go! Mister Chickums will launch this April.
Now available on Steam, the hunt for Planet AE-38 awaits with a new demo for Alloy Mushroom's Mega Man-Inspired 2D roguelike brawler Super Alloy Crush.
An original atmospheric VR survival horror title inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness," the world of KUKRGAME and Level Infinite's Dread Meridian is now available for VR devices.
Starting today, Phantom Thieves can prepare to listen to the smooth grooves of Persona 5 Tactica by pre-ordering iam8bit's Persona 5 Tactica 4xLP vinyl collection.
As the price of RAM, GPUs, and even SSDs climbs ever higher off the back of AI data centre demand, it's causing a significant price crunch for hardware manufacturers. "It is such a volatile situation at this point in time it is hard to figure out pricing," Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan said in a recent episode of The Verge's Decoder podcast. "I don't know if I can pick a number right now as I speak with you and [be confident in it] by the end of the podcast."
The rapidly increasing prices mean the company are keeping schtum on how much their next round of gaming laptops will cost. "This is something that concerns me," Tan explained. "The RAM prices are going up and we want to be able to make sure our laptops remain affordable and in the reach of gamers out there."
But it wasn't all doom and gloom during the CES podcast recording.
Out today in early access, Turnbound is a tile and turn-based autobattler about mythical heroes trapped in a haunted boardgame, where the starting player is chosen by flipping a coin bearing a picture of a cat's anus. It's saying a lot for Turnbound's mellow, fairytale ambience and rich, rosy tile designs that I consider the cat's anus a positive – a touch of whimsy, rather than just, well, that feeling you get when you've been flashbanged by a picture of a cat's anus. Rare indeed are the videogames that contain a cat's anus, and rarer still are the videogames in which the cat's anus isn't grounds for a refund.
The second post-release update to Hytale is currently set to rock up this weekend, but the notes outlining what it'll include have rocked up a couple of days early. As with last week's first update to the early access sandbox, this is another pretty beefy one, and especially noteworthy if raising the dead's your jam or you share Indiana Jones' main fear.
Fine, we'll let you hop in whatever the MMO equivalent of Superman's phone booth is for a single round of free outfit transmog just before the launch of March's Midnight expansion. So have degreed World of Warcraft makers Blizzard, in the face of vocal vexation among players unhappy about a sudden hike in clothes changing prices that arrived with the game's latest patch.
Often, the gaming internet depresses me with *gestures expansively*, but sometimes, it delights me with some relatively specific and impassioned Thing like, in this case, a single-player aerobatics sim dedicated to formation flying. Created by Japanese indie CloveTek, Dancing Wings – The Aerobatic Simulator is as far from yer Ace Combats and Delivery Must Completes as you can get while still having wings. A bunch of wise guys have tagged it "Automobile Sim" on the Steam page, but ignore them! I expect they're just sore about never having performed a genuine Immelmann turn. Here's a trailer.
A new Helldivers 2 patch has arrived ahead of the slightly delayed Redacted Regiment warbond also making its sneaky debut today, January 22nd. In line with that warbond's stealthy shushness, this patch has seen Arrowhead add in new commando missions designed to reward those who know when to crouch-walk. They've also revealed that the slim build that's been in beta for a little while is finally ready to take the reigns from the standard version and its very chunky install size.
Battlefield 6's efforts to break ground while Gittin' Back To When Battlefield Was Gud continue with the announcement of two forthcoming maps in the EA shooter's second season, which begins 17th February. One of the maps is Contaminated, a brand new field of battle that is comparable in scale to Battlefield 1's St Quentin Scar and Arras in Battlefield 5. The other is a remake of Battlefield 4's Golmud Railway – a big, grassy vehicular affair, based on China's actually existing Golmud-Lhasa railway line.
Nintendo shared additional details about the Super Mario Bros Wonder Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack, including information about its release date, cost, and new amiibo. If you already own the $59.99 game, it will cost $19.99 to get the pack for the Switch 2 content. The new version and upgrade will be available on March 26, 2026, alongside Captain Toad with Talking Flower, Elephant Mario, and Prince Florian with Poplin figures. There's also a new trailer showing off the new features in the platformer.
The Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park trailer begins with a look at "Attraction Center" at Bellabel Park. Local Multiplayer Plaza and Game Room Plaza are each available in this part. The former has 17 versus and co-op experiences, with GameShare supported for them. Game Room Plaza is local and online for up to eight people for its six minigames. At the 1:20 mark, the Toad Brigade Training Camp is shown. That's the Bellabel Park area with challenge courses and rankings based on our performance. More of these come up as we play through the adventure. From there, we see how we'll need to face Koopaling bosses in areas after the update, with Rosalina showing up as an additional playable character to help.
Here's the full trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVB3hZoOF0A
As for the Super Mario Bros Wonder Captain Toad with Talking Flower, Elephant Mario, and Prince Florian with Poplin amiibo, here's how all three of those figures will look. When used in either the Switch or Switch 2 version, they'll grant the party power-ups.
Images via Nintendo
Super Mario Bros Wonder is on the Switch now, and the Switch 2 Edition and upgrade pack release date is March 26, 2026.
Risk Monster revealed its ranking of the top companies and industries that Japanese university students in their first and second years would want to work at, and Nintendo is in first place. This comes after the Switch 2 debut. Sanrio is also in the top ten, as it came in at sixth place. [Thanks, Inside Games]
The study took place between August 25 and 27, 2025, and it surveyed 600 students in their first and second years of university. Nintendo was especially popular among STEM students, and this is the second time that students voted it to the top spot for companies they'd want to work for. Though it wasn't first last year, it was still in third place. 4.7% of the surveyed students chose Nintendo as the company they would want to work at.
As mentioned earlier, Sanrio was sixth this year, rising up from last year's fourteenth place. Google is third. The government's in second and fourth place (with a national government official scoring higher than a local civil employee). Sony is in seventh place, and last year, it tied with Sanrio for fourteenth place.
According to Risk Monster, students wanted to prioritize their work-life balance. Japan is infamous for its corporate culture, and there is even a specific word for death by overworking. It might not be a surprise that younger generations want something different for their futures.
As the Switch 2 came out in 2025, Nintendo was the major video game hardware company on everyone's minds in 2025. It's hard to say if it will continue to hold its first place spot when Risk Monster polls university students on their employment aspirations for 2026.
Capcom announced a March 17, 2026 release date for the Alex DLC in Street Fighter 6, and it also confirmed wrestler Kenny Omega was involved in his Super Art special move development. The company also shared a new trailer, which features some of the JAM Project character theme song. Capcom also noted he's not a "charge character" in the Steam reveal.
Kenny Omega was involved with the Alex Level 2 Super Art Omega Wing Buster. It is a variant of his Level 2 Super Art, since the standard one is Sledgecross Hammer. Capcom noted it only triggers if an OD Power Drop is performed on his opponent. Omega also shared photos of himself performing the motion capture for this move at Capcom's studio on social media.
Here are those official photos.
Images via Capcom and Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega also appeared in the Street Fighter 6 Year 3 DLC character trailer commercial, during which he cosplayed as characters like Alex, Ingrid, and Sagat.
You can see the "Alex Gameplay Trailer" below. At about the 30 second mark, you can hear some of JAM Project's "GO! ALEX! Hope is Born."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1fqbyMXt1Y
Street Fighter 6 is available for the PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Switch 2, and PC, and Alex will debut as DLC on March 17, 2026.
Following multiple reports on sites like Reddit about a major Arknights: Endfield Paypal problem regarding fraudulent charges, Gryphline and Hyperglyph announced on social media and Reddit that it was aware of the issue in the gacha game and handling refunds. Essentially, the issue affected people who played the game, added their PayPal information to their account for in-app purchases in the free-to-play adventure, then started making unauthorized charges. While refunds are going out and Paypal is now disabled, the developer and publisher also noted affected users who haven't been properly can contact support at endfield_cs@gryphline.com.
People on the subreddit began sharing screenshots of the Arknights: Endfield PayPal issue. Purchases of various amounts in different currencies would be tied to their accounts. One image from a user named ValorsHero noted Gryph Fontier PTE. LTD. charges for $9.53 USD, 10,000円, €33.99, $7.97 CAD, $10.79 USD, 10,000円, €4.99, 10,000円, €0.99, and 10,000円 on January 22, 2026. Others hit by the same problem reported similar situations. Another person going Zeto- shared images showing the problem led to €1,302.08 being taken.
Gryphline and Hyperglyph themselves shared an official timeline of the issue. Here's what happened and the times affected on January 22, 2026. It also noted people who haven't gotten a refund and were hit by the Arknights: Endfield PayPal fraudulent charges should contact support with their region in and UID for the gacha game to report it.
9:58 AM (UTC+8) – We received our first player report related to PayPal payments.
11:05 AM (UTC+8) – After confirming the issue, we immediately disabled PayPal as a payment option to prevent further impact.
6:20 PM (UTC+8) – We completed a full review of all PayPal transactions and identified the affected transactions.
6:30 PM (UTC+8) – We began issuing full refunds for all PayPal orders created between 9:36:51AM (UTC+8) and 11:05:36AM (UTC+8), including purchases using the official launcher and top-ups made via topup.gryphline.com. All refunds are expected to be completed within four hours.
Atlus has revealed that Motto Cafe in Osaka will revive a collaboration cafe that features both Persona 5 Royal and The Phantom X. This temporary-themed cafe will run for roughly a month from February 2026 to March 2026.
While the same cafe theme had a run in Tokyo in 2025, the revival cafe in Osaka will have several new entries on both the menu and merchandise lineup. The following food and drink entries will be newly available in the Osaka cafe, with prices listed in Japanese yen:
"Ore no Beko" Beef Bowl - ¥1,650
Lufel's Pancake - ¥1,500
Morgana's Tea Squash - ¥800
Lufel's Ice Caffe Latte - ¥800
And while all the goods from the original Tokyo run will also be available for purchase, the Osaka cafe will have the following new items that mostly feature "Joker," "Wonder," Morgana, and Lufel:
Connectable acrylic charms - ¥660 for a single item or ¥3,600 for a box of 6
Trading hologram cards - ¥550 for a pack of 2 cards or ¥3,300 for a box of 6 packs
Foil-stamped acrylic panel - ¥3,300 each
Images via Motto Cafe
The previous collaboration held at Animax Cafe+ in Tokyo from January 24 to February 26, 2025, was actually ahead of Persona 5: The Phantom X's official release. Sega and Atlus formally released the free-to-play game simultaneously in Japan and the West on June 26, 2025. More than half a year has passed since The Phantom X's release, as the newer Osaka cafe opens in February 2026.
The Persona 5 Royal and The Phantom X Revival Cafe will run at Motto Cafe in Osaka from February 11 until March 8, 2026. It will feature the console game Persona 5 Royal—available worldwide on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and Switch—and the PC and mobile free-to-play game Persona 5: The Phantom X.
It's a pretty good time to be a Switch 2 owner who missed out on major releases on other platforms like Final Fantasy VII Remakeand Dynasty Warriors: Origins. It's basically the year of games that might not look as sharp or perform as spectacularly on Nintendo's new console as other platforms, but are still quite impressive for how things turned out. I feel like this is especially noticeable with Koei Tecmo's title. Musou games are great at pointing out when systems can't keep up, but the Switch 2 version still feels strong even with its compromises
To start, Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a means of exploring Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a more extensive manner. We follow our amnesiac avatar Ziluan. We make choices that determine how our presence affects Cao Cao, Liu Bei, or Sun Jian and their fight to bring China together. Since this is more focused, we don't see the full campaign, but it does get about halfway through since we reach and finish the Battle of Chibi. It means we see basically every pivotal fight from this period and get a better sense of the political and societal situation, especially since ones we haven't seen in the mainline series like Battle of Lujiang show up. So performance aside, we're seeing an incredibly comprehensive approach to the story. And I appreciate that, as well as the sense of choice and character relationship development.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL69vFOt_lM
As a Musou game, Dynasty Warriors: Origins involves cutting through hordes of enemies as our avatar and other notable figures from Chinese history fight back. Do we have NPC allies? Sure. Are they cutting down 300 to 1,000 enemies over the course of a battle? Nope! We take control of key points and cut down major figures to decrease opponents' morale and bolster our own army's to turn the tide. Different type of opponents are best handled with certain attacks, such as needing to use a Battle Art to ensure a shield bearer drops their guard. We also have our standard attacks of varying strength, the ability to dodge, evade, and parry to counter. The best assaults can build to major Musou Attacks, with some of these being specials and others being tied to Musou rage and Ultimate Musou.
In short, it's very flashy. There are more enemies onscreen at once in Dynasty Warriors: Origins than in the other Switch 2 Musou out now, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Even from the outset, you will see dozens coming at you at once of varying types. I played exclusively in handheld mode, since that feels like the real draw here, and Omega Force handled it like a champ. This does mean that some finer details and textures are sacrificed. Foliage and hair textures especially fall victim, as do character faces. But then, with how swiftly we're cutting through enemies, I found some of the general folks weren't on their feet long enough for me to notice their hair is choppy or I couldn't make out if they even had eyes before I leveled them. It's more noticeable with major characters, but then I didn't realize some issues until I reviewed the handful of screenshots I took after.
Screenshots by Siliconera
I was also impressed with the variable frame rate option. When you head into graphics, you can choose between it and locked 30fps in Dynasty Warriors: Origin on the Switch 2. I found it definitely made a difference. Is it PS5 quality? Of course not. Is it great for what it is and way more stable than I expected? Yes. It tried both options and appreciated the noticeable difference variable offered in combat, and it seemed like it helped in general when exploring the map or going through other elements.
There are two other optional elements in Dynasty Warriors: Origins on Switch 2 that I worried might have a negative effect performance on this less powerful device, but turned out to just offer helpful tactical assistance or ambiance. In the display options, you can opt to have semi-transparent soldiers. I worried it might be taxing to offer that, but it didn't have any influence on performance. The same goes for choosing for defeated soldiers to remain visible on the battlefield instead of immediately disappearing. Frame rates weren't a problem.
Images via Koei Tecmo
There is only one problem I did experience, and it's something that I've found happens a lot in both Switch and Switch 2 games. The font is too small. Yes, accessibility options included an opportunity to change it. But large isn't large enough. If an extra large option that was a bit bigger had been present, that would have made a marked difference. As is, eyestrain did end up being an issue for me when I attempted to follow along with situations where there'd be tons of text in dialogue or menus.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins is another good example of an existing game working well on the Switch 2 even if it isn't as pretty. It performs well. We still get the degree of enemies we expect. The frame rate is consistent, and I highly recommend variable. It's a solid handheld win for the system.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins is available on the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
The Wool of the Rancher is a quest item in Cult of the Lamb that will be required if you're completing the Woolhaven campaign.
While it's a quest item, the in-game clues don't disclose its location. You'll also need to solve a mini puzzle that initially blocks access to the Wool of the Rancher. This guide will help you figure out how to find the item and solve the puzzle in the process.
Wool of the Rancher is located in the final room of the Ewefall Base. To reach the location, you'll need to unlock and start the Woolhaven DLC campaign. Once done, you'll need to defeat all enemies to reach the final room.
Screenshot by Destructoid
You'll locate a gigantic statue at this location, and four glowing structures. You'll have to place these four glowing structures at the correct locations. You'll find several rooms with different enemies along the way; don't succumb early, or else you'll need to start from the beginning.
How to solve the Ewefall Base puzzle in Cult of the Lamb
You'll notice four structures enclosed in circles at the four corners of the room. To solve the puzzle, here's how you'll want to place them.
Screenshot by Destructoid
Green - Bottom right corner structure
Blue - Bottom left corner structure
Purple - Top right corner structure
Yellow - Top left corner structure
When you place an item on the correct structure, it will transform into a meaty goo. When you solve the puzzle, the large structure will transform into a meaty mass, revealing the Wool of the Rancher. Return to your cult, and the rest of the instructions are self-explanatory.
Return to Silent Hill has gotten its first wave of reviews. As some might have anticipated, they aren't great, with critics slamming the film for its mediocre CGI and less-than-amazing story. This tracks with the original, which had a similar experience with movie connoisseurs, but it became a cult classic nevertheless.
Could this one replicate that? My heart would like to say yes, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
Whenever Silent Hill (the movie) first came out, video game adaptations didn't have the best track record. Most of them were attempts at making a quick buck over this "new craze with the kids," with little thought, care, or effort put into actually capturing the essence of the source material. What made the games great never translated to the silver screen, and Silent Hill was no exception.
However, it stood out by actually giving a damn about what it was adapting and sought to be faithful in tone and representation, if not great overall. It succeeded, but not among critics, who generally hated its story, convoluted plot, and mediocre acting. I loved the first half of the movie, but hated the second, even if both parts had good visuals and moment-to-moment action scenes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eej34Jw7woA
Its attempt at trying to be the quintessential Silent Hill movie (despite the fact that it was the only one at the time) by putting in characters from multiple games into one story further hampered the experience. Do I love the scenes with Pyramid Head? Yes, but he only appeared in the second game, whereas the movie used the first title for its plot, leading to convolution and confusion.
I have yet to see Return to Silent Hill, but much like its predecessor, I feel like it's not landing with critics for the same reasons the OG one didn't. It's almost guaranteed it'll have average writing and acting, even mediocre CGI, as we saw in the trailers, but fans could still look past that if it keeps to the core of the Silent Hill aesthetic.
However, with only six percent of critics on Rotten Tomatoes willing to rate it above a 6/10 (compared to the 2006 movie sitting at 33 percent), caution should be advised. IMDB does show a 5.9 average, in contrast to 2006's 6.5, though the latter does include audiences in the calculation.
The starting point seems much like the past, but we'll have to wait for its full release tomorrow, Jan. 23, to valuably judge the damn thing. Based on the trailers and the fan reaction, it stands to attract a lot of people, even if they wind up hating it by the end.
I just hope it's got enough soul to warrant a cult following, which many of these lower-budget horror films tend to have, even if they're tied to a major AAA IP that's been an inexhaustible well of inspiration for an entire genre, globally.
The Woolhaven DLC is now live in Cult of the Lamb, and you can access a new region, along with a fresh campaign.
As you might have known, Woolhaven is a post-launch expansion, which means you'll need to complete the base game to gain access. However, there are some more tasks to complete before you can get there, and this guide will provide you with all the required information necessary for starting the new campaign.
How to start the Woolhaven campaign in Cult of the Lamb
As Woolhaven is a paid DLC, you'll need to own it on your console/PC. In my case, I have it added and downloaded on Steam.
Start Cult of the Lamb, and open the DLC section.
Enable Woolhaven, and return to the main menu. You can choose to keep other DLCs enabled if you want.
Load your existing save to complete the first step.
The next part requires you to defeat all four Bishops who are part of the base campaign. If you're an existing player, chances are that you have already completed this part. If you're new, it should take you around 12-13 hours to clear the content (of defeating the Bishops). Defeating The One Who Waits is optional.
Screenshot by Destructoid
Once you've completed all the steps till here, here's what happens next.
Go to the teleporter on the north side of your base.
You'll find a Yngya statue near the teleporter.
Interact with the statue, and you'll unlock and begin the Woolhaven campaign.
You're also going to need the following resources.
Five Mushrooms
Five Crystals
Five Silk
One Sin
Your followers can generate sin, while the rest of the items are quite easy to find. Once you complete the offerings, you'll be able to access the new campaign and everything it has to offer.
Your save will only work with Woolhaven DLC once you have activated the DLC. However, a backup will be automatically created if you choose to go back to your base before the Woolhaven campaign begins.
Saddle up, fellow Fortnite and Chappell Roan enjoyers, and get ready to hit the Pink Pony Club as the pop megastar seems to be making her way to the island. She's rumored to be the next Fortnite Festival artist taking over the main stage quite soon.
On Jan. 22, a minor new update was released for Fortnite, adding a special room packed with Easter eggs that seem to hint at Chappell Roan. Based on files released with it, several big dataminers in the community also shared that they expect her to be the next Festival icon, allegedly set to arrive on Feb. 5 when the current Festival season ends.
Screenshot by Destructoid
The leakers who shared this information include HYPEX, Shiina, and FireMonkey on X (formerly Twitter). They're all fairly reliable and usually end up being right, so it's looking good for all of my fellow Midwest Princesses. The room of Easter eggs, which can be found at Battlewood Boulevard, is by far the most substantial evidence, though. This room has a dancing pink pony, a metal suit of armor, a sparkly pink microphone, and quite a few other potential Easter eggs for the pop singer.
The biggest teaser is a pink pony, which seems to be a reference to one of Chappell Roan's biggest songs, "Pink Pony Club." She's also performed while riding a pink horse that looks very similar to this one. The tiny horse is even wearing a bright pink cowboy hat similar to one the star herself has worn many times. This creature is fully animated, which likely means it will eventually be added as a Sidekick you can buy and have at your side in battle.
The knight outfit Easter egg is a bit of a deeper cut, but real fans know it's likely a nod to one of her most iconic performance looks to date. At the 2024 VMAs event, she performed "Good Luck, Babe!" while wearing a suit of armor and carrying a real crossbow in front of a flaming castle. I'm hoping this little teaser means that one of her potential Fortnite skins might be this iconic knight look, but we'll have to wait and see.
On the balcony in front of the room, there's a sparkly pink and black drumset next to a microphone. These items aren't in the game yet, and match Chappell Roan's flashy glitz and glam look perfectly, so they'll likely be released alongside her. There's also a princess doll wearing a blue dress on the bed, which may be a reference to her album "The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess." Stars are a big motif throughout her album art and music videos, too, and there are plenty to be found around the room.
Screenshot by Destructoid
Before Sabrina Carpenter landed on the island as the season eight icon, she also got a room full of Easter eggs. It seems like Chappell Roan is getting the same treatment here, although her teasers seem even more obvious since they include several items that aren't in the game yet.
If Chappell Roan does arrive as a Festival artist, we can expect to see quite a collection of new items themed around her. This includes at least two Outfits, likely several Jam Tracks, like "HOT TO GO!" and "Pink Pony Club," Emotes featuring some of her most iconic songs, and much more.
At the time of writing, Chappell Roan's arrival is only based on leaks, speculation, and the Easter eggs you can see for yourself on the island. We'll likely get an official announcement from Fortnite sometime in the next week or so, though, so it shouldn't be long before the Femininomenon actually takes over.
A familiar face for longtime fans and an operator known for her unmatched Heat DMG output, Laevatain is a top priority for a large portion of the Arknights Endfield playerbase.
But pulling for her is half the battle, as she is far from being easy or cheap to build. Here's the best Laevatain build inArknights Endfield, as well as which operators work the best with her.
A Striker type, Laevatain has in her enhanced Battle Skill and Ultimate her most devastating weapons, with the latter seeing her summon Sviga Lævi to momentarily gain access to an enhanced moveset, increased Heat DMG, and the ability to apply Heat Infliction via her basic attacks.
As you can guess, the infliction is also a cornerstone here. She can absorb it from nearby enemies and convert it into Melting Flame stacks, also acquirable via her regular Battle and Combo Skills. Once at four stacks, Laevatain becomes able to ignore 20% of the Heat Resistance of targets for 20 seconds, thus giving you more than enough time to let it rip with her Ultimate or go for a guaranteed AOE Combustion fest. She's also extremely self-sufficient at a high level, with her Re-Ignition talent providing both +90% Protection and healing once her health falls below 40% (120-second interval).
The best weapons for Laevatain in Arknights Endfield
Screenshot by Destructoid
Laevatain's best weapon is by far her signature 6-star, Forgeborn Scathe, which boosts her Primary stat (Intellect), increases her Heat DMG, and allows her Basic Attacks to deal 120% more damage while in her Ultimate state. Her second-best pick is then the Protocol Pass exclusive, Umbral Torch, followed by White Night Nova, whose Combustion/Corrosion passive matches her kit perfectly. The latter is also our F2P choice and can be claimed as your Curated Weapon Supply Pick. You can check out an overview of all weapons below, based on their native values at level 90:
Weapon
Reason
How To Acquire
Forgeborn Scathe (6-star)
Tailor-made for Laevatain, offers a massive boost to Intellect (156) and Heat DMG (+25.6%). Allows her Basic Attacks to deal +120% DMG following her Ultimate.
Pull on its Limited Arsenal Exchange Banner (Smelting Forge).
Umbral Torch (6-star)
Offers the same Intellect boost as Forgeborn Scathe, while also providing +43% Heat DMG.
Select it as your 6-star Weapon Pattern pick. You can do so by reaching Level 40 in the game's Protocol Pass (Originum Supply).
White Night Nova (6-star)
Provides a generous boost to Intellect (132), Arts Intensity (78), and Arts DMG Dealt (19.2%). Allows Laevatain to get another 19.2% increase in Arts DMG Dealt and a +40 Arts Intensity boost after triggering Combustion.
Via the Arsenal Exchange or by selecting it as your free Curated Weapon Supply pick. Can also be purchased for 20 Endpoint Quota at the Exchange Shop
Best Laevatain gear in Arknights Endfield
Thanks to her enhanced Battle Skill's Combustion effect, we consider Hot Work to be the best gear set for Laevatain in Arknights Endfield. When equipped, its three-piece effect will boost her Arts Intensity by 30 and allow her to get a 50% Heat DMG increase after triggering either Combustion or Corrosion. Regarding the individual pieces, pair the Hot Work Gauntlets and a couple of Pyrometers with the Tide Fall Light Armor. Why? Apart from boosting her primary and secondary stats, the chest piece comes with an 12.3% Ultimate Gain Efficiency bonus, which I consider to be a must. Here's an overview of the stats provided by our recommended loadout:
Tide Fall Light Armor: +56 Defense, +87 Intellect, +58 Strength, and +12.8% Ultimate Gain Efficiency.
Hot Work Gauntlets: +42 Defense, +65 Intellect, +43 Strength, and +19.2% Heat/Nature DMG
Hot Work Pyrometer x2: +21 Defense, +41 Intellect, and +41.4% Battle Skill DMG Bonus each
Best Laevatain teams
Image via Hypergryph
As Laevatain's damage relies heavily on Heat Infliction, her best team features Wulfgard as its Caster/secondary damage dealer. Ardelia is then its healer, given her ability to apply both Nature Infliction and Arts Susceptibility at quick intervals. To close out, we have Antal as both the team's Heat buffer and another source of Heat Susceptibility. You can check out a more in-depth overview of why we chose each operator and how they synergize below:
Wulfgard: The best sub-DPS for Laevatain and her best partner overall. Allows her to quickly farm four Melting Flame stacks following his easy-to-trigger and signature Battle + Combo Skill one-two.
Ardelia: Our main support. Offers Arts Susceptibility, all while being able to apply massive amounts of Nature Infliction and healing the whole party multiple times per rotation.
Antal: An all-rounder support, capable of enabling Corrosion/Combustion, buffing the team's Heat DMG, and applying Heat Susceptibility.
Thankfully, given the way all players can claim a free Ardelia as a login bonus reward, Wulfgard as part of the main story, and multiple copies of Antal via regular pulls, the team above is also Laevatain's best F2P squad. If you want, using Akekuri or Gilberta in Antal's place can also work, so don't forget to try it out.
Exploring the island and engaging in battle entirely on your own can be tough, so it's sometimes nice to find a friend to fight with you in Fortnite. Recruiting some help is also part of certain quests, so it's crucial you know where to find hireable specialists when you need them.
NPCs can be found hanging out all around the island, but their locations are pretty well hidden, so it's fairly tough to track them down. It's even more difficult to find specific characters who have extra abilities, so if you're having trouble doing so, here are all the hired specialist locations in Fortnite.
Hired specialists are a unique type of NPC you can spend gold bars to hire in Fortnite. There are many different NPCs you can find in Chapter Seven, season one, but only a select few are classified as hired specialists who are willing to lend their aid to fight at your side.
Hired specialist locations in Fortnite
In total, there are five specialists you can hire across the entire island in Fortnite. This number has changed throughout the season, and may shift around even more before it ends, so if any NPCs are altered or added before this quest is no longer available, we'll update all relevant details here. For now, though, there are just five recruits to choose from, each of which can be hired for 600 gold bars.
Carina is an ammo specialist who can be found near the northeast end of Lethal Labs.
Carter Wu is a heavy specialist who can be found near the south end of Latte Landing.
Cat Holloway is a medic specialist who can be found near the south end of Humble Hills.
Miles Cross is a heavy specialist who can be found near the middle of Painted Palms.
Kingston is a medic specialist who can be found near the west end of Bumpy Bay.
Screenshot by Destructoid
How to damage opponents with a hired specialist in Fortnite
To complete the damage opponents with a hired specialist quest, you need to hire an NPC and have them deal 200 damage against enemy players. You can get this done in one go by ensuring you take a powerful specialist into a few fights, or work on this across a few different rounds by hiring a couple of different characters and dealing a small amount of damage each time.
Some specialists are more effective at dealing damage than others, as each one has a unique specialization. To work through this quest as quickly and efficiently as possible, it's a good idea to hire one of the two heavy specialists, either Carter Wu or Miles Cross. These two are much more potent damage dealers than the rest of the options since they specialize in explosives and fighting.
All other horeable specialists work, too, but it'll likely just take a lot longer to get this mission done since their damage is less potent. They'll also be more focused on their specializations, which are ammo for Carina and healing for Kingston and Cat Holloway, so they're less likely to damage foes quickly.
The Beginner banner in Arknights Endfield is your best shot at getting a guaranteed 6-star rarity character, and there are some decent options available in the pool.
The New Horizons permanent banner is exclusively available to you when starting the game. The banner guarantees you a 6-star character from the first 40 pulls, which is half of the original pity rate. However, not every 6-star character is available in the pool.
Who is the best 6-star operator to get from Arknights Endfield New Horizons banner
While all 6-star operators in the New Horizons banner are strong, I have two clear favorites. These two characters fit well with most other operators and are among the best choices in their respective roles.
Ardelia
Image via Gryphline
Ardelia is the best support unit and healer in version 1.0, and to obtain her for free is amazing. While she is available from the beginner banner, you can get her and the signature weapon from the beginner sing-in event as well. However, obtaining a duplicate Ardelia early on your save works pretty well.
While she's a Nature character, Ardelia fits well with all elements. She has excellent healing powers that can be beneficial in all types of fights. She can also buff the damage of her allies, making her a great choice with a powerful DPS unit like Laevatain. You can also apply 25% Physical and Arts Susceptibility on enemies so that they take more damage. Overall, Ardelia is, and will probably remain, the best support for a long time.
Last Rite
Image via Gryphline
Everyone needs a good DPS unit to build their team around. It's not easy to get Laevatain, and more so if you're F2P. Cryo unit Last Rite is probably the best alternative to have, and more so because she's easier to obtain. Compared to other DPS units, Last Rite requires a bit of time and patience to master.
Ideally, you will want her to have allies who can put Cryo Inflictions on enemies. Having at least three stacks or more of Cryo Inflictions will enhance Last Rite's damage. As a bonus, you can use cheaper characters like Xaihi and Fluorite to build a team with her, which also makes her a great choice for those staying away from microtransactions.
The South Park crossover event in Fortnite comes with all kinds of wacky missions for you to tackle, with fresh ones releasing every few days. One of these weird and tricky missions asks you to jump from Sunset Falls into the water below.
This quest doesn't actually tell you where to find Sunset Falls, so it can be a tough one to solve on your own, since the island is quite large and has both many named POIs marked by name on the map as well as smaller Landmark locations that aren't. This mission is very doable once you know where to look, and a crucial one to check off if you want to earn the free South Park rewards, so here's how to jump from Sunset Falls into the water below in Fortnite.
Sunset Falls location in Fortnite
Screenshot by Destructoid
Sunset Falls is a waterfall located slightly north of the middle of the island. It's a Landmark location rather than a main POI, so it's not marked by name on the map, making it a rather tricky spot to pinpoint on your own.
You can find Sunset Falls a bit south of Clawsy Lodge, east of Cartmanland, north of Lethal Labs, and west of Painted Palms. The waterfall is located between the massive lake in front of Clawsy Lodge and the river that runs south from it, passing Lethal Labs.
The easiest way to find it is by locating the massive lake near the north end of the island and heading to the very south end of it. Sunset Falls is also fairly close to a small, cozy brown cabin with a red roof.
Jump from Sunset Falls into the water below in Fortnite
To complete the jump from Sunset Falls into the water below quest, you simply need to locate the waterfall at Sunset Falls and leap from it down to the water waiting below. It's a huge jump, so it requires careful precision since you may accidentally jump onto land and die if you're not careful.
The best way to ensure you safely complete this task is by walking into the middle of the water at the top of the waterfall. Once you're there, start running, and don't stop. Make sure you are facing exactly straight, and maintain this position moving forward. Run right off the edge of the cliff to dive down into the water at the bottom.
Screenshot by Destructoid
As long as you start from the middle of the river at the top and head exactly straight, you'll land in the water at the bottom with ease. When you reach the bottom, swim around a bit if the quest doesn't check off right away. It didn't for me, but as soon as I started swimming around, it finally did. You only need to make this jump once to finish the mission.
