Feb 10, 14:00


GamersHeroes Monday, February 10, 2025 1:50 PM
    

While The Campsite's point-and-click action is short to a fault, this trio of adventurers packs plenty of heart.

The post The Campsite Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.


GamersHeroes Monday, February 10, 2025 12:51 PM
    

NEXON's third-person co-op action RPG shooter The First Descendant will feature a developer livestream tonight (February 10) at 6pm PT to provide additional information around updates coming to the title.

The post The First Descendant Dev Livestream Happening February 10 at 6pm PT appeared first on GamersHeroes.


GamersHeroes Monday, February 10, 2025 10:48 AM
    

A crime-themed PvPvE first-person extraction shooter, players will be breakin' the law (breakin' the law) this week when Okami Studios' OUTLAWED kicks off their technical playtest starting February 13.

The post Extraction Shooter OUTLAWED Technical Playtest Beginning February 13 appeared first on GamersHeroes.


Kotaku Monday, February 10, 2025 1:40 PM
    

Did y'all catch Kendrick Lamar's halftime show? Between the rapper dragging Drake in front of untold millions after a year of feuding and also dishing out a scathing critique about the state of America, it was a lot to process. So if, in the midst of all that, you didn't happen to catch the video game reference in the…

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Kotaku Monday, February 10, 2025 1:20 PM
    

Groot is everyone's favorite living-tree superhero, and is tied with Spider-Man for my daughter's favorite Marvel character. Given his popularity, and his strengths as a Tank, it's no surprise that you want to learn how to play this sprouting sentry like the budding hero you are. Let's break down this Vanguard hero's…

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Kotaku Monday, February 10, 2025 1:10 PM
    

This year's Super Bowl was a mostly boring game of football with a great Kendrick Lamar concert in the middle. Of course, sprinkled liberally through out all of Super Bowl 59 were expensive commercials. And like in years past, nearly every ad included actors, musicians and other famous people selling out for a…

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Kotaku Monday, February 10, 2025 12:31 PM
    

Welcome to February, an otherwise quiet, wintery month that has quickly established itself in recent years as one of the hottest times for developers to release their games. Some of the biggest games of 2025 are out this month, as well as some of the longest, with February bookended by massive RPGs that many players…

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Kotaku Monday, February 10, 2025 11:30 AM
    

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday, and yeah, the Philadelphia Eagles denied the Kansas City Chiefs a three-peat at winning the biggest football event of the year. But sandwiched between the game's four quarters was a spectacular performance by rapper Kendrick Lamar. Lamar's performance transcended sports circles and was…

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Kotaku Monday, February 10, 2025 10:30 AM
    

Super Bowl airtime doesn't come cheap. In fact, this year companies spent $8 million for 30 seconds of screen time at a Super Bowl most people will only remember for Kendrick Lamar's unprecedented rap beef victory lap. There were commercials about Meg Ryan having orgasms at a restaurant with Billy Crystal (a la When…

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Kotaku Monday, February 10, 2025 10:10 AM
    

The PlayStation Network has been back up and running for a bit now, after a major outage took PlayStation 5 and PS4's online features offline for roughly 24 hours at the end of last week. To make up for the extended downtime, Sony is offering every paying PS Plus member a small but free extension of their existing…

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Kotaku Monday, February 10, 2025 8:30 AM
    

If you, like most people on Earth, are a frequent mobile gamer, you'll be all too aware of the bane of in-game ads. Because the freemium model proves by far the most successful way to release games on telephones, you pay by sitting through agonizing ads with fake countdown timers, "X" buttons that don't close…

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PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 12:52 PM
     New Hearts of Iron 4 DLC finally expands Central and South Asia in the WW2 game

For almost a decade now, Hearts of Iron 4 has stood as the definitive World War II grand strategy game. The epic, expansive RTS provides a recreation of WWII so detailed and captivating, the playerbase has remained strong since its first release in 2015. Soon, it'll be getting even bigger thanks to the Graveyard of Empires DLC that bolsters several different countries and is coming in just a few weeks time.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best Hearts of Iron 4 mods, Hearts of Iron 4 DLC guide, The best grand strategy games on PC

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 12:49 PM
     The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D price won't be cheap, if this leak is correct

Unconfirmed pricing for the new AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D gaming CPU, along with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, has just been leaked online. While AMD hasn't released the official prices just yet for these new gaming processors, this new leak suggests that the launch prices for both chips could be remarkably similar to their predecessors, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D and 7950X3D.

AMD officially unveiled the Ryzen 9 9500X3D and 9900X3D at the CES 2025 trade show in January 2025, and while a release date hasn't officially been announced, a release window of Q1 2025 has been mentioned. With the new Zen 5 architecture and 12 to 16 cores between them, we expect these chips to reasonably compete with the best gaming CPUs on the market, even if the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is still expected to remain on top for raw gaming performance.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, Best gaming CPU, Radeon RX 7800 XT review

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 12:40 PM
     Forgotten Assassin's Creed game finally gets Steam achievements, 11 years later

There are a lot of Assassin's Creed games. The adventures of Ezio, Altaïr, and even the Kenway family only really scratch the surface of the Ubisoft series, so it's no surprise that some of the older entries have been forgotten. That's doubly true for Assassin's Creed Liberation, which first launched on the PS Vita and then made its way to other platforms. It's the AC game I don't ever hear come up in conversation, but a new spate of Steam achievements might have us all taking a trip down memory lane.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best stealth games, Best RPGs, Best open-world games

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 12:25 PM
     Pirate Yakuza system requirements won't push your gaming PC to its limits

What are the Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii system requirements? We're setting sail on another Yakuza side quest, this time with Goro Majima after the events of Infinite Wealth. Majima is stranded on an island and slowly losing grip of his memories, so he decides to set off in search of a hidden treasure, because why not?

You won't need the best graphics card to get stuck into Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, or Pirate Yakuza for short, as this game follows the Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth system requirements very closely, with just a few model changes in the mix.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card, Best gaming PC, Best SSD for gaming

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 12:28 PM
     When is the next Steam sale?

When is the next Steam sale? It feels like one Steam sale has just ended when the next one begins, but with some events offering better discounts than others and genre-specific sales to look out for, it's a good idea to keep these dates to hand.

Fortunately, we've got a complete list of all the official Steam sale dates for 2025 and beyond, so you can make a dent in your Steam wishlist without breaking the bank. Whether you're looking for new PC games to sink your teeth into or simply the best PC games of all time, there's something for everyone on Steam. Genre sales can introduce you to hidden gems if you can snap up the bargains in time, while seasonal Steam sales can last for weeks, with more games, DLC, and bundles available at chunkier discounts.

Continue reading When is the next Steam sale?
MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Steam FAQ, Steam family sharing, Steam in-home streaming

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 12:21 PM
     Best Path of Exile 2 Witch build, skills, and equipment

What is the best Path of Exile 2 Witch build? The Witch makes her return in Path of Exile 2, but this time her summoner abilities have been simplified without lowering her skill ceiling. You're now able to automatically summon most minions, but a strong build is still required to see you from early game to endgame.

Controlling an army filled with minions is a difficult task in the original RPG game, but it's easier to get up and running in Path of Exile 2. Now the Path of Exile 2 release date has passed, we've got the best PoE 2 Witch class build, from skills and passives to spirit buffs and equipment. We've also got more tips over in our dedicated PoE 2 builds guide featuring two Witch setups.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Path of Exile 2 builds, Path of Exile 2 classes, Path of Exile 2 quests

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 12:18 PM
     Crimson Desert release date window, story, gameplay, and latest news

When is the Crimson Desert release date? First announced in 2019, Crimson Desert is a story-driven adventure from the team behind the Black Desert MMORPG. Four years since its initial reveal, there's still a significant wait ahead for the Crimson Desert release date following an indefinite delay in July 2021. The devs cited the "need to dedicate more time to added new ideas for an even deeper, more enriching game."

We now know that the enrichment process includes petting dogs, carrying sheep on your shoulders, and fighting giant crabs in the magical action-adventure game. I mean, what more could you ask for? Based on the gameplay footage of Crimson Desert so far, it does seem as though nature and animals play a massive part in the world of Pywel. The region looks at first glance like an ancient medieval continent, but it soon becomes apparent that it's filled with magic and mystery. Here's everything we know about Pywel and the Crimson Desert release date window so far.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best action games, Best fantasy games, Best action-adventure-games

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 11:54 AM
     New Phasmophobia 2025 roadmap is going to rework and expand the whole experience

Co-op and horror go together like bread and butter. You might think that wandering the halls of the Spencer Mansion or USG Ishimura alone makes for the scariest experience, but hearing your friend's muffled screams from the darkest corners of a level before they're unexpectedly snuffed out is much, much worse. While we've seen things like Lethal Company surge up the Steam charts, the game that undoubtedly popularized this trend was Phasmophobia, and while it's been a few years since launch, developer Kinetic Games is revealing a huge 2025 roadmap for all you ghost hunters out there.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best horror games on PC, Best VR games, Best ghost games

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 11:55 AM
     The best skateboard games 2025

What are the best skateboard games? In the past, it was tough to find a skateboarding game on PC, with the genre having its heyday during the PS2 and Xbox 360 console generations. Recently, however, the skateboarding gaming scene has seen a resurgence, with realistic skate sims making the most of the PC platform to deliver the most accurate skateboarding games yet.

Nothing quite captures a moment in time like the years when skateboarding was at its mainstream peak. A mixture of creativity and aggression, skateboarding can be a true expression of style, and the best skateboarding games all manage to capture that in some form. For a niche few, these are some of the best PC games ever. All that, naturally, backed by an energetic soundtrack that seamlessly switches from thrash metal belters and pop punk fare to classic West Coast hip hop - the best skateboarding games often ooze effortless style.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best skateboard games, Best simulation games, Best open-world games

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 11:46 AM
     Best police games on PC 2025

What are the best police games? We have all briefly considered life as a super sleuth or detective. Whether drawn in by the position of authority, the puzzling casework, or even the hard-drinking, police games tend to deliver plenty of action and intrigue.

However, unlike many of the best PC games, cops aren't all gunslingers in John Woo-esque shootouts or chasing criminals in high-speed car chases. The best police games often see you digging through crime scenes for evidence and carrying out routine procedures rather than pursuing perps with your gun drawn. If you're looking for Sherlock and the other gifted PC game sleuths, check out our best detective games list.

Continue reading Best police games on PC 2025
MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ready Or Not system requirements, Best FPS games on PC, Best Co-Op games on PC

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 11:19 AM
     The 17 best action-adventure games 2025

What are the best action-adventure games on PC? These games have been capturing the thrill of an expedition ever since Indiana Jones swung across a chasm with his trusty whip to retrieve an idol from a booby-trapped tomb. The PC boasts some true classics of the genre, from classic tomb raiding to games with enough exploration to fill an entire sandbox - not the one in your backyard.

This list has some of the best PC games ever made, action-adventure or otherwise, including several titles that changed the gaming industry. The original Uncharted trilogy isn't here, as emulation or PlayStation Now doesn't count, but we'd happily change our minds if it ever came to PC. Here's the definitive list of the best action-adventure games, not to be confused with the best action games, which we also have a handy list for.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Tomb Raider System Requirements

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 11:17 AM
     Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti launch date fast approaching, leak suggests

A French retailer has leaked a possible release date for the new Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, and it looks like there's not long to wait. If it's true, then the new gaming GPU that could dominate the middle ground will be here in just a few days.

Nvidia already confirmed a February 2025 release window for the RTX 5070 Ti following the CES 2025 trade show, where some of the best graphics cards of this new generation were unveiled, including the new flagship RTX 5090. The GPU maker hasn't confirmed the date itself, but another RTX 5070 Ti launch date rumor a few weeks ago also pointed to the same launch date.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: RTX 5090 review, DLSS explained, Best graphics cards

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 11:16 AM
     AMD Radeon RX 9070 GPU price could worry Nvidia, according to this leak

AMD is reportedly planning to price its new gaming GPU range extremely competitively compared with the equivalent Nvidia GeForce RTX 5000 graphics cards. With dwindling market share in the gaming GPU business, it's absolutely crucial that the new AMD Radeon RX 9070 price is not only reasonable, but aggressively competitive, if it wants to keep the new RTX 5070 at bay, and this latest leak suggests AMD is taking the situation seriously.

So far, AMD has kept tight-lipped about the pricing of its new GPUs, but with the Radeon RX 9070 release date window drawing near, and the RTX 5070 coming out later in February, it's essential that AMD get it right. Based on the new RDNA 4 architecture, AMD says the new GPUs will offer "improved" ray tracing compared to its previous chips, which could help them compete with Nvidia's latest GPUs too.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, Best gaming CPU, Radeon RX 7800 XT review

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 10:59 AM
     GTA 6 PC launch teased by CEO, who says the platform is more important than ever

There's no doubt in my mind that GTA 6 is going to be beyond huge. Grand Theft Auto 5 has been going from strength to strength for over a decade at this point, so it stands to reason that Rockstar's sequel will be even bigger. Everyone with a PC is still waiting to hear exactly when we can start playing the new GTA, however, as Rockstar's parent company Take-Two just has it listed for consoles only right now. That all might change soon though, as CEO Strauss Zelnick teases GTA 6 while opening up about the PC market.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GTA 6 release date, Best open-world games, GTA 5 cheats

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 10:36 AM
     The 23 best Slay the Spire mods

What are the best Slay the Spire mods? Whether you've exhausted the game and are looking for extra content, or just want to make some small changes to an otherwise perfect experience, the best Slay the Spire mods can fit the bill.

The roguelike card game has official Steam Workshop mod support and a fantastic community, meaning there are tons of mods available to easily integrate into the indie game. These mods range from making the map easier to read to huge expansions featuring brand-new characters. There are hundreds to choose from on Steam, but we've picked out the very best mods in Slay the Spire just for you.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Slay the Spire review, Best card games , Slay the Spire mods

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 10:32 AM
     An Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card power socket has already melted

Less than two weeks after its release, the first report of a melting Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 has surfaced online. While a third-party power cable was used, it's unclear right now what caused the fault, with the graphics card, power supply, and GPU power cable all suffering from damage.

It's unfortunate timing, however, coming just weeks after Nvidia made claims about the RTX 5090 power connection, saying that it "didn't expect" a repeat of issues with melting RTX 4090 cards to reoccur with the RTX 50-series. That's despite the new best graphics card on the market drawing even more power than the RTX 4090 it replaces, with a 125W power draw increase compared to the older card.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: RTX 5090 review, DLSS explained, Best graphics cards

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 10:26 AM
     All Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 romance options

Who can you romance in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2? It makes sense that in a game full of opportunity and self-expression, there is also romance. It may not always be flowery, wonderful, epic romance in KCD2, but there are hints of it, somewhere. Here's everything you need to know about romance, its benefits, and more importantly: which NPCs are on board.

It's good to take a breather now and then when you're playing Kingdom Come Deliverance 2; find a place to lie down, find someone to talk to, anything that takes your mind off the mammoth task ahead of you. Certain individuals in the RPG are interested in spending time with you between Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 quests, and if you're interested too, then that makes for a pretty entertaining evening, we'd say. Here are all the KCD2 romance options, and how they can benefit you.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 review, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 mods, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 map

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 10:48 AM
     GTA 6 release date window, trailers, and latest Rockstar Games news

February 10, 2025: We checked for the latest GTA 6 release date news following Strauss Zelnick's latest comments about the PC release.

When is GTA 6 coming out? Given how many years it takes to create open worlds of the same caliber as GTA 5, it's no surprise that Rockstar Games has already spent years developing GTA 6. Rockstar prefers to keep its secrets close to its chest until close to the end of development, but Take-Two has now confirmed when exactly we can expect it to arrive.

The Grand Theft Auto 6 release date has certainly been a long time coming. Early gameplay leaks of GTA 6 surfaced online last year, along with lines of source code and development footage for the open-world game. There have been plenty of rumors and speculation surrounding the release date since then, but we finally have confirmation of the GTA 6 launch window, story, and setting. Here's all the latest on the GTA 6 release date window, including trailers and news, right here on PCGamesN.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GTA 6 release date, Best open-world games, GTA 5 cheats

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 9:45 AM
     Grab new Hades inspired co-op roguelike Sworn cheap right now, but act fast

As we wait for new Hades 2 content, Sworn is the perfect alternative. The co-op action roguelike clearly takes inspiration from Supergiant's magnum opus, with a similar isometric perspective, endless rooms of enemies, and frenetic combat, but there's so much more to it. Instead of Greek Myth, you're in the midst of Arthurian Legend, and there's even up to four-player co-op. If that sounds like a game you need to try, you can grab Sworn at a huge discount right now via Fanatical, but you don't have long.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best roguelike games, Best fantasy games, Best co-op games

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 9:23 AM
     Manor Lords publisher signs an upcoming roguelike auto battler you can try now

Publisher Hooded Horse is one of the most consistent names in the tactical and strategy game space right now. The team has helped bring some of the best the genre has to offer to PC in recent years, with Xenonauts 2, Against the Storm, Cataclismo, Heart of the Machine, and of course Manor Lords under its umbrella. Each one of these games is a wildly different experience, and Hooded Horse's latest signing is no different. The publisher is partnering with developer Chronocle for its new game He is Coming, which looks like a brilliant mix of minimalist visuals, roguelikes, and auto battlers. Best of all, it has a demo you can try right now.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best fantasy games, Best RPGs, Best auto battler games

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 10:05 AM
     Windblown early access release date, trailers, and latest news

When is the Windblown release date? This delightful action roguelike from the creators of Dead Cells was announced at The Game Awards 2023, and it immediately stole our attention with its fast-paced combat and colorful cartoon violence. Now that it's launched into early access, let's dig into all the latest developments ahead of its full release.

For those unfamiliar with Dead Cells, Windblown takes on a similar vibrant aesthetic. However, instead of a 2D platform game, Windblown is a 3D top-down action roguelike that still features the satisfying combat and lightning-fast action that we loved in Dead Cells. Motion Twin describes it as "what happens when a roguelike game guzzles a whole lot of energy drinks, hits the gym, and wears treadmills on its feet." If that sounds right up your alley, here's the latest news surrounding the Windblown release date.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best roguelike games, All upcoming games in 2024, The best action games

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 9:41 AM
     All Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 console commands and cheats

What are the Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 console commands and cheats? Life in Bohemia is tough; in the beginning, you have to fight for every meal, you're forced to use sub-par gear, and your skills are so low that you won't be able to hit a barn door with an arrow at ten paces. Console commands and cheats can change that, though, if you're so inclined.

Even with the best KCD2 swords and KCD2 armor, you can struggle on occasion in the sprawling open-world RPG that is Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. Your enemies are numerous, and it can sometimes feel like an uphill battle, even hours into your adventure. With KCD2 console commands, you can turn the tide and get the upper hand with ease.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 review, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 mods, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 map

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 9:49 AM
     Atomfall release date, gameplay, trailers, and more

When is the Atomfall release date? It might not be the full-scale nuclear war that we recognize from Fallout, but the disaster that takes place in Rebellion's new survival RPG has still left Britain in a bad way.

Atomfall takes inspiration from the 1957 Windscale fire, the worst nuclear disaster in British history. Set a half-decade following the fire, you begin as an amnesiac in an alt-historical quarantine zone in the Lake District. Expect to face esoteric cults and rogue government agencies in your efforts to survive in this RPG game. If you just can't wait to take a trip through the irradiated English countryside, we've got all the information you need ahead of launch.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games, Best RPGs, Best open-world games

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 8:03 AM
     New Civilization 7 leaders and a huge fourth Age may be hidden in Firaxis' code

While the initial Civilization 7 Steam launch has been a bit rocky owing to some pretty damning user reviews, Firaxis' new 4X game still has every chance to be a huge success. The XCOM developer has already promised that it will support Civ 7 for years and assured that fixes for the widely derided UI are currently its top priority. But what about new material? For almost ten years, Civilization 6 was expanded and overhauled with fresh leaders, DLC, and myriad improvements and additions. It seems almost certain that Civilization 7 will get the same treatment - and based on some very intriguing files buried in the game's code, we now have a clearer idea of what Civilization 7 DLC may look like.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Civilization 7 review, Civilization 7 leaders, Civilization 7 Ages

PCGamesN Monday, February 10, 2025 8:00 AM
     Next Blox Fruits update speculation

When is the new Blox Fruit update? Whether you're waiting for the right moment to start or need some new content to conquer, it can be hard to understand when a new Blox Fruits patch is on the horizon.

This large-scale Roblox MMORPG, unofficially based on the famous One Piece franchise, has welcomed pirates and marines alike for years and it's showing no signs of slowing down. Time your sessions around updates, and you're more likely to score some helpful freebies to boost you on your way to the top. The Dragon update has arrived, so here's everything you need to know about the future Blox Fruits release date schedule.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, February 10, 2025 1:36 PM
    

Last March, Sega sold off Company Of Heroes and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War developers Relic Entertainment in the course of wider "restructuring", "realigning" and lay-offening at the house of Sonic. Relic's new corporate partners are a holding company established by the UK investment firm Emona Capital LLP - an arrangement that apparently lets them operate like an independent studio, though I'm fuzzy on the moving parts.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, February 10, 2025 12:26 PM
    

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has hailed PC gaming's "increasing share of the market", in what you could optimistically interpret as the prelude to a GTA 6 PC release date announcement, and less optimistically, as a simple reassurance to investors who are fretting about the decline of console game sales.

Read more


Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Monday, February 10, 2025 7:26 AM
    

Cheery mom-and-pop computer game business Valve have created a new Steamworks page for their policy about in-game adverts and advertising in general, with a troubleshooter's list of dos and don'ts for developers.

As Graham pointed out to me just now, Valve's handling of such things hasn't really changed over the past few years, but I can't pass up the opportunity to chew the fat a little about the intriguingly murky, slippery-slope business of turning your virtual world into an ad platform. Also, I had already written this article by the time he pointed that out to me, and I can't bear to send all my precious words to the abyss.

Read more


Twinfinite Monday, February 10, 2025 9:35 AM
    
What's up, gramps!

Twinfinite Monday, February 10, 2025 8:19 AM
    
You want to be number one? Super Animal Race Simulator codes are here to help!

Twinfinite Monday, February 10, 2025 8:03 AM
    
Freebies? Don't mind if I do.

Twinfinite Monday, February 10, 2025 7:31 AM
    
Get to the finish line first with the help of Train Race codes!

Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 2:00 PM
    

Ren Isuzu Joins Madoka Magica Magia Exedra Characters

Ren Isuzu, a magical girl who appeared in Puella Magi Madoka Magica Magia Record and the anime and manga inspired by it, will also be in the upcoming Magia Exedra game as a playable character. There's a new trailer briefly looking at her in the title. In addition, the game now passed 600,000 pre-registrations, which means a new tier of rewards ended up unlocked.

Ren is voiced by Yuka Ozaki, who also played her in in the previous game. She's always been known for being quite shy, which was exacerbated by bullying. She ended up making a contract and becoming a magical girl as a result of a tragic situation caused by being pushed to the edge of despair. 

Here's the Ren Isuzu Puella Magi Madoka Magica Magia Record character trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aED8a9ZepTY&ab_channel=%E9%AD%94%E6%B3%95%E5%B0%91%E5%A5%B3%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A9%E3%81%8B%E2%98%86%E3%83%9E%E3%82%AE%E3%82%ABMagiaExedra%E3%80%90%E5%85%AC%E5%BC%8F%E3%80%91

Prior to this update, we'd unlocked 3,000 Magica Stones, a Door to a New Kioku five-star Portrait, and a five-star Lux Magica Madoka Kaname Kioku. The latest unlock at 600,000 preregistrations means we'll also get two Magia Keys and a fan kit for Iroha Tamaki, Tsuruno Yui, and Yachiyo Nanami. The 700,000 tier adds a Kyoko Sakura, Mami Tomoe, and Sayaka Miki fan kit and three more Magia Keys. The 800,000 tier involves five Magia Keys and a fan kit for Homura Akemi and Madoka Kaname. 

Here are many of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica Magia Exedra character trailers we've seen so far:

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Magia Exedra will come to the PC and mobile devices in Spring 2025

The post Ren Isuzu Joins Madoka Magica Magia Exedra Characters appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 1:30 PM
    

Unicorn Overlord Berengaria Figure Wields an Axe and Shield

As part of Wonder Festival 2025 Winter, Apex-Toys shared a new Unicorn Overlord figure of Berengaria. She's the former Tricorn Mercenaries leader who eventually joins our army in the game. Since the item is still fairly early in development, we don't know when it will be released or how much it will cost.

Only one photo of the Berengaria prototype figure appeared at WonHobby 39. She's in the unpainted prototype phase, so we only had a general idea of how she will look. However, her armor and full-body suit are entirely black and crimson, and we included a screenshot from the game to highlight how her official art looks. The initial image suggests she'll also be equipped with the same Iron Axe and Iron Greatshield she holds when you recruit her in-game.

Here's how Berengaria looks so far, and there's a screenshot from the game alongside her to allow someone to compare the two.

As a reminder, you can not only recruit Berengaria in the game. She is also one of the characters it is possible to marry

There are quite a few Unicorn Overlord figures that are already available or on the way. Kotobukiya already established that it is working on ones of YahnaRosalindeEltolinde, and Scarlett. Those are at various stages of development. It also confirmed in 2025 that a Melisandre figure is in the works too. While all of these items will appear in Japan first, we'll also eventually see them at retailers that ship worldwide or stores in North America.

There's no word yet on when Apex-Toys will release its Berengaria Unicorn Overlord figure. Unicorn Overlord is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Kotobukiya is working on Melisandre, Yahna, Rosalinde, Eltolinde, and Scarlett figures as well.

The post Unicorn Overlord Berengaria Figure Wields an Axe and Shield appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 1:00 PM
    

Mega Man Mega Buster Cushion Heads to Japanese Arcades

Sega and Capcom announced via Sega Plaza that there will be Mega Man Mega Buster cushions in Japanese arcades. It will begin showing up as a prize on February 14, 2025. As you can guess, it can be worn on someone's arm or used as a pillow.

The Mega Buster cushion is designed to resemble the classic gun weapon on Mega Man's arm. It is made of blue fabric, with the yellow gauge on the side and red light in the barrel. It is about a foot long, six inches wide, and six inches tall. It is a unisex item designed to fit both children and adults. It can be worn, as shown in the one photo on Sega Plaza, or just used as a decorative pillow. 

Here's the full gallery of Sega's photos of the prize:

This is the second recent prize based on the character to appear in arcades. Sega and Capcom also announced a medium-sized plush of Mega Man himself. That started showing up in Japanese arcades in January 2025. 

While there's no new game on the horizon, Udon Entertainment did release some of the manga spin-offs worldwide. The first volumes of the Little Mega Man gag manga and Mr. Mega Man series are now available.

The Mega Man Mega Buster cushion will appear in Japanese arcades on February 14, 2025. 

The post Mega Man Mega Buster Cushion Heads to Japanese Arcades appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 12:30 PM
    

Gundam GQuuuuuuX Portraits figure of Machu and Nyaan

Bandai opened pre-orders for a new Gundam GQuuuuuuX figure set featuring two of the title's main characters, Amate "Machu" Yuzuriha and Nyaan, on the Japanese Premium Bandai website. The figure is officially known as "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Portraits - Machu & Nyaan Set," and it will be available in September 2025 at 8,800 yen (~$58). [Thanks, Hobby Watch!]

The new figure set will depict Machu and Nyaan sitting on top of the same desk. It will have an overall height of around 12.5 cm (~4.92 inches), which is measured from the bottom of the table's base to the highest point of Nyaan's head.

Here are the sample images for the figure set, taken from different angles:

Earlier in February 2025, Bandai Spirits revealed Figure-rise Standard model kits featuring Machu and Nyaan. But unlike those model kits, people do not need to assemble this figure set, which will come packaged in its full appearance already.

The Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Portraits - Machu & Nyaan Set figure will be available in Japan in September 2025. The figure set will feature characters from the new Gundam anime show that will air on Japanese television and global streaming platforms in 2025. Early parts of the show are available via the Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- movie, which has already launched in Japan and will make its way to North American theaters on February 28, 2025.

The post Gundam GQuuuuuuX Portraits Figure Shows Machu and Nyaan appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 12:00 PM
    

Love and Deepspace Valentine's Banner Makes Love Interests Villains

Infold Games released the Love and Deepspace update that covers Valentine's Day 2025, and it makes the five love interest characters into villains in a Savage Overture event storyline with Tomorrow's Catch-22 Memory banner tied to it. The event and banner both run until February 27, 2025. Special messages and rewards show up over Valentine's Day proper as well.

Both Savage Overture and the Tomorrow's Catch-22 Memory banner in Love and Deepspace involve an alternate universe. In it, the player's avatar is still an investigator trying to keep Linkon safe. However, a devastating event in that timeline left the city hit by radiation. This affects certain people and turns them into Praedators that behave recklessly and dangerously. Naturally, Caleb, Rafayel, Sylus, Xavier, and Zayne are now known, notable, and dangerous Praedators in this timeline. Players will need to work with them on an investigation, which involves a storyline that gradually unlocks, opportunities to meet with these versions, and a rather simple platforming game. 

As for the banner, it involves five Lunar Memories. Each one has a brief story tied to it that you can watch if you unlock it. Here are the five new ones for the Love and Deepspace characters:

  • Caleb: Tainted Cuts (Violet Stellarium)
  • Rafayel: Extreme Dose (Ruby Stellarium)
  • Sylus: Innocent Birdcage (Violet Stellarium)
  • Xavier: Deluded Fiction (Pearl Stellarium)
  • Zayne: Immediate Disorder (Amber Stellarium)

Here's the trailer for the banner:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDANTCuT908&ab_channel=LoveandDeepspace

As for the other Love and Deepspace Valentine's Day 2025 update rewards and gifts, there are a few to look forward to. There will Lanternet messages between February 12-14, 2025, and that's also when a Sticker and 200 Diamonds will be sent to everyone's mailbox. There is a general Lanternet Gift available as part of an eight day login event that involves Chocolates, Energy, and Diamonds. 

Love and Deepspace is available on mobile devices, and the Savage Overture event and Tomorrow's Catch-22 Memory banner run until February 27, 2025.

The post Love and Deepspace Valentine's Banner Makes Characters Villains appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 11:30 AM
    

Evangelion Rei and Asuka Kuripan plush toys will have bigger versions

The Kuripan plush toys of Rei Ayanami and Asuka Shikinami Langley from the Rebuild of Evangelion movies will re-appear in 2025 in a bigger size than before. Good Smile Company opened a new listing for the Big Kuripan plush toys featuring both characters on both its Japanese international and North American-exclusive stores. Each plush will be available at ¥18,700 / $112.99.

Good Smile Company originally released the smaller plush toys in Japan in September 2024 and North America in Q1 2025. The newly revealed plushies are based on the same characters' appearances in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, but they will have a bigger size with an approximate height of 40 cm (15.74 inches). The company has also shared sample images that show how the new plushies will be around twice the size of the original releases.

There is a caveat to these new releases, though. The original Kuripan plush toys released in 2024 included Mari Makinami Illustrious as the third character. The listings for the newer and bigger plushies only feature Rei and Asuka, with Mari nowhere to be seen on the pages.

The Big Kuripan plush toys of Rei Ayanami and Asuka Shikinami Langley from Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance will be available to ship from Japan in June 2025 and the US in Q4 2025. Good Smile Company will close the pre-order window on March 19, 2025.

The post Evangelion Rei and Asuka Plush Will Get Bigger appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 11:00 AM
    

3.1 Honkai: Star Rail Special Program Falls on Valentine's Day

HoYoVerse won't be sharing love notes on Valentine's Day 2025. Instead, it will bring up news about the 3.1 update for Honkai: Star Rail in a new Special Program. That will take place at 3:30am PT/6:30am ET on February 14, 2025.

As usual, the showcase will air on both Twitch and YouTube. We already have an idea of which new 3.1 characters will be a part of the Honkai: Star Rail Special Program and update. Both Mydei and Tribbie were teased on social media ahead of their debut in the game and this new update. Both of them also showed up in the 3.0 storyline, with Tribbie being a major character. Both will also be "present" as guests at the event. We'll see gameplay for both of them, as well as information about the new story quests and events. 

Here's the YouTube placeholder for the presentation:

https://www.youtube.com/live/PONPyKx8J80

The other character who will be present during this showcase will be Aglaea. She's the first new character from Amphoreus who is playable in Honkai: Star Rail. Her banner is live in-game right now until February 25, 2025. It showed up alongside rerun banners for Boothill, Robin, and Silver Wolf. The featured four-stars for everyone are Hanya, Sushang, and Tingyun.

Honkai: Star Rail is available for the PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the Special Program for 3.1 airs at 3:30am PT/6:30am ET on February 14, 2025.

The post 3.1 Honkai: Star Rail Special Program Falls on Valentine's Day appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 10:30 AM
    

Monster Hunter Wilds Open Beta Extended Due to PSN Outage

Capcom always intended to hold two Monster Hunter Wilds open beta test 2 sessions in February 2025, but now the second one will last longer due to the PlayStation Network outage that kept PS5 owners from connecting to PSN to participate. It will now last one day longer. This means it ends on February 17, 2025, rather than February 16, 2025. 

Here are the exact dates compared, so you can see about the new timing for the Monster Hunter Wilds open beta test 2. This extension applies to every platform, even though it was only the PS5 experiencing an outage due to the PSN issue. 

  • Old Date and Time: Starts at 7pm PT/10pm ET on February 13, 2025, then ends at 6:59pm PT/9:59pm ET on February 16, 2025.
  • New Date and Time: Starts at 7pm PT/10pm ET on February 13, 2025, then ends at 6:59pm PT/9:59pm ET on February 17, 2025.

An updated infographic for the beta appeared too. You can see and save that below. It also confirmed that crossplay is on and doesn't require Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus.

Remember that if you make a character during this beta, you can carry over its design over. As long as you make the avatar in the beta, save, and then play briefly, that will carry over. However, the design codes in the beta can't be used in the full game.

Monster Hunter Wilds will come to the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on February 28, 2025, the Benchmark Tool is available now for PCs via Steam, and the next open beta test will start on February 6, 2025.

The post Monster Hunter Wilds Open Beta Extended Due to PSN Outage appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 10:00 AM
    

Ultimate Madoka and Devil Homura Prisma Wing figure set

Prime 1 Studio showcased its new Prisma Wing set featuring the Ultimate Madoka and Devil Homura from Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie -Rebellion-. The studio has also opened global pre-orders for the figure set on its web store. It will release the set in September 2025.

The new Prisma Wing set will cost $799. People interested in ordering the figure set can pay $79.90 as the first down payment. They can then opt to have up to four more installments with monthly payments starting from June 2025. However, the above price does not include shipping costs. Prime 1 Studio will charge the latter depending on the destination country ($118 in the US, for example) at the same time as the final installment.

The static figure set will have a scale of 1/7. It will depict Madoka and Homura's appearances in the movie that launched in Japan in 2013. The overall set will have a total height of 43 cm (16.93 in), width of 38 cm (14.96 in), and depth of 30 cm (11.81 in). Prime 1 Studio will also offer a special postcard featuring both characters as a bonus.

Here are some of the sample images for the new figure set:

There has been a renewed interest in the releases of figures from the Madoka Magica -Rebellion- movie. In December 2024, Good Smile Company announced a restock of the Devil Homura Nendoroid that originally came out in 2015. The pre-order window for the new batch already closed on February 5, 2025, and the company will release it in June 2025.

The Prisma Wing figure set featuring Ultimate Madoka and Devil Homura from Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie -Rebellion- will be available to ship worldwide in September 2025. Prime 1 Studio will close the pre-order window when it has reached the allotted order limit.

The post Ultimate Madoka and Devil Homura Prisma Wing Figure Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 9:30 AM
    

Apex-Toys announced Persona 3 and 5 protagonist figures

Apex-Toys revealed during the Wonder Festival 2025 Winter event that it will produce new figures based on the respective protagonists of Persona 3 and 5. It will specifically base the figures on the characters' appearances in Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Royal. Both figures will be part of the company's Limepie lineup with the same scale of 1/8.

The Shanghai-based figure and toy company also made the announcements on its official X account. It usually tweets in Chinese when it reveals character figures based on games made in the same country, like how it did with Honkai: Star Rail's Kafka and Zenless Zone Zero's Nekomata. However, it can also tweet in Japanese when it reveals figures based on Japanese franchises like Atlus' Persona series.

Here is Apex-Toys' announcement tweet for its Persona 3 protagonist figure:

https://twitter.com/APEX_TOYS/status/1888448993245659483?

The company also made a separate tweet for the Persona 5 figure of Joker:

https://twitter.com/APEX_TOYS/status/1888452772208722399

The 1/8 scale Limepie figures of the Persona 3 and 5 protagonists are undergoing production by Apex-Toys. The company will base the characters on Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Royal, both of which are readily playable worldwide on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. Persona 5 Royal is also additionally available on Nintendo Switch.

The post Apex-Toys Will Make Persona 3 & 5 Protagonist Figures appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Monday, February 10, 2025 9:00 AM
    

Interview: Developing Hello Kitty Island Adventure characters

Hello Kitty Island Adventure constantly appears among the top Apple Arcade games, and the Switch and PC versions invited new players to the island resort alongside iconic mascots in 2025. Not to mention PlayStation versions are on the horizon. To find out more about what went into making the game and what's next, Siliconera spoke with Sunblink Chief Product Officer Chelsea Howe about the title.

Jenni Lada, Siliconera: When did work on the other versions of Hello Kitty Island Adventure begin?

Chelsea Howe, Sunblink: We knew we wanted to cover a broad range of form factors from the start, so multiplatform was always present in the back of our minds. Plus, many aspects of our Apple Arcade development, like optimizing for lower-spec devices, translated across all platforms. We worked with other teams with more specific platform knowledge to do the final development, which started in early 2024.

What sorts of challenges did the team face when preparing the Hello Kitty Island Adventure Switch, PlayStation, and PC ports while also adding new content to the Apple Arcade version of the game?

Howe: The biggest challenge had definitely been keeping timelines organized. Each platform has its own process for approvals, certifications, verifications, patches, and so on. The whole team has gone a bit cross-eyed back-tracking all of the dates based on each platform's estimated times.

Besides that, it was a matter of nailing the platform's unique qualities: like getting controller input feeling rock solid for Nintendo Switch or getting Steam Deck Verified for PC.

How will future development and updates for Hello Kitty Island Adventure work, considering there are seasonal events and you added additional characters and regions in the past?

Howe: All platforms should get the same event content at the same time. We'll be releasing free content updates prior to upcoming events to ensure that everyone is experiencing the story and rewards together. Characters and regions require more QA, and while we release storylines bit by bit on Apple Arcade, we're cognizant of the difference in Nintendo Switch and PC audiences and would like to release things more holistically there. That, in addition to the aforementioned timeline differences, means the update cadence outside of events is likely to be staggered between platforms.

When adding additional Hello Kitty Island Adventure characters, how did you pick which ones would be represented and how they will appear?

Howe: There are two main sources of priority: Sanrio and Sanrio fans! Sanrio has characters they love to spotlight, but we also want to enable fans to befriend their favorite characters in the game.

The latter means paying a lot of attention to the annual Sanrio rankings. It's also a great excuse to peruse official merchandise and see what folks are most excited about. My Cinnamoroll plushie collection speaks for itself.

What led to Usahana being picked as the City Town representative in Hello Kitty Island Adventure?

Howe: As more of City Town's story comes out, the big reason will be revealed. For now, let's just say that she was designed to bring joy, color, and happiness to office workers, so we took that to an even bigger extreme and made a whole city based around her vibrant look and feel. 

The whole design of City Town was based on flipping the usual grungy, dirty, busy city trope on its head and having something colorful, clean, optimistic and reflective of Usahana's heart and spirit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6rFhAXSNHc&ab_channel=Sunblink

Big Challenges is the most obscure Hello Kitty Island Adventure character so far. Who else would you also like to add to the game? Do characters like Spottie Dottie or Kirimichan have a chance of appearing?

Howe: They suuuuuuuuuuure do!

We have such a special place in our hearts for the expectation-defying characters like Kirimichan, Fresh Punch, or Nisetama-san. Nisetama-san is a friend of gudetama – a man literally dressed up as an egg yolk who dances around the world. We were able to spotlight him during Month of Meh last year and look forward to bringing other more niche characters to the game in similar ways that show off their uniqueness.

Could we also see more unorthodox or crossover characters break in as Hello Kitty Island Adventure visitors? For example, perhaps someone like Yoshikitty or members from Show by Rock?

Howe: At the moment, the red tape and licensing complexity mean we're unable to add "collab" characters, as we call them. We have a ton of folks at our office who love Yoshikitty, or Adorozatorumary. My favorite is Gaopoweroo! But alas, it's simply not to be. 

Perhaps if we're successful enough, the collab partners will come to us asking for inclusion. We can dream, right?

What did you learn as a developer by working on Hello Kitty Island Adventure over the past few years?

Howe: We all learned way, way more about the world of Hello Kitty than we ever knew existed. Most of us were familiar with Hello Kitty, it's hard not to be, but the quantity of Sanrio characters and decades of lore was unbelievable. Whether it was those niche characters like Big Challenges or the fact that Hello Kitty is not a cat, there was always something to surprise us.

From a game perspective, we've learned a lot about mixing the cozy genre with the open world adventure genre. They have a huge overlap in audience, but some things rub the wrong way. Some cozy players want nothing to do with multiplayer, while some open-world players recoil whenever we have customization-based questing. Overall, we think we brought something new to both groups.

In an ideal situation with no restrictions, what sort of biome or additional feature would you like to add to Hello Kitty Island Adventure?

Howe: HOW CAN I PICK JUST ONE?! I'd love a rainforest or jungle area that leaned more heavily into the puzzle caves – or a far future world that did similar. I've also always wanted an aspen forest, just because Sunblink is headquartered in Boulder, CO, and those forests—especially with their yellow leaves—are iconic. We also created a character named TOPHAT for the game, and I've always wondered what a world in his image would be like.

How long do you think you'll keep updating and adding new content to Hello Kitty Island Adventure?

Howe: While we have a roadmap that extends years ahead, it really depends on if folks are continuing to play the game! As long as we have an audience, it just makes sense for us to continue building out the world and enriching the mechanics.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available on the Nintendo Switch, PC, and Apple Arcade. It will also come to the PS4 and PS5. 

The post Interview: Developing Hello Kitty Island Adventure appeared first on Siliconera.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 1:24 PM
    

Civilization 7 Review Header

There is no one certain way to win in Civilization 7, but knowing all the conditions will help you win quickly.

Of course, certain victory conditions are more straightforward to achieve, but they might not be the best route for you to take. You can exploit the Legacy Path options, which have four subtypes available inside the game. If you don't like to take a direct approach, going for a Domination or Points Victory might be far more suitable.

All Victory types in Civilization 7

There are four Legacy Path Victories, which are divided into Culture, Economics, Military, and Science. First, let's examine how to achieve these four victory conditions.

Victory Type How to Achieve
Culture The main goal is to have as many Wonders at first, and then switch to Legacies as you transition through the different ages. Your Wonders will provide different boons to your civilization, which transfers to having different Relics in the Exploration Age. Finally, you'll discover different Relics to show to the world in your Museums. Completing the tasks will help you get a fair amount of Legacy Points, and secure the win.
Economic If you're more a person who loves to flaunt their riches, Economic Victory might be the best choice for you. You begin in the Antiquity Age by establishing trade routes, before settling down to expand your base further. Modern Age will allow you to further solidify your trading network by creating rail lines, which will help to connect with other civilizations.
Military The Military route is suitable for those who believes in establishing control and creating fear. The first objective is to capture as many settlements as possible, which transfers over from the Antiquity to the Exploration Age. In the Modern Age, you'll have to take a diplomatic approach to create your own ideology, and get a high number of followers. The ultimate aim is to make the whole world believe in you like a mythical God-like character.
Science To win with this route, you'll have to rely heavily on tech. At first, you'll have to collect codices, which will be displayed and studied in your academies. This will be followed by the use of Specialists to increase your yield, before the Modern Age will incentivize you to research flight projects, and hopefully, to outer space.

of course, it's not necessary for you to stick to a Legacy Path Victory formula in Civilization 7. There's the Domination Victory route, along with Points Victory method.

Victory Type How to Win
Domination Domination is the way to go if you want to eradicate every other civilization from existence. To do so, you'll have to overtake every rival town and city across every aspect. Be prepared to use your military might to the fullest, along with making use of your influence. Unless you're playing a single-age game, Domination Victory isn't possible in the Antiquity Age. You'll have to reach the Exploration Age, and travel across the seas (or gain the capability) to exercise the Domination option.
Points In Civilization 7, it's not compulsory for either you or your opponent to achieve one of the five conditions mentioned above. Once the game reaches the final age and times out, the person with the highest number of Legacy Points will be declared as victor.

Before you can win, you'll have to find someone to play the game with. While defeating the AI can be tough test for sure, you can also play against other human opponents withe help of multiplay.

The post All Civilzation 7 Victory types and how to get them (Civ 7) appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 1:22 PM
    

EA FC 25 Croix Bethune Future Stars SBC solutions

The Croix Bethune Future Stars SBC is now available in EA FC 25, and you can complete it to obtain a special card.

To obtain the item, you'll have to complete all the SBC tasks before they expire from the Ultimate Team. To do so, you'll have to submit different squads according to certain requirements. Let's take a look at how to complete the SBC and if it's worth completing at all.

EA FC 25 Croix Bethune Future Stars SBC tasks

The Croix Bethune Future Stars SBC has two tasks, and here are the requirements.

Task 1 - United States

  • Min. 1 Players from: United States
  • Min. Team Rating: 84

Task 2 - Top Form

  • Min. 1 Players: Team of the Week
  • Min. Team Rating: 84

EA FC 25 Croix Bethune Future Stars SBC solutions

Here's a set of solutions you can use to complete the latest Future Stars challenge in Ultimate Team.

Task 1 - United States

  • Sanchez 83
  • Dumornay 83
  • Palmer 85
  • Dovbyk 84
  • Palacios 84
  • Bennacer 83
  • Dimarco 84
  • Neves 84
  • Mane 84
  • Orban 83
  • Casemiro 84

Task 2 - Top Form

  • Sanchez 83
  • Dumornay 83
  • Any 85-rated TOTW item
  • Dovbyk 84
  • Palacios 84
  • Bennacer 83
  • Dimarco 84
  • Neves 84
  • Mane 84
  • Orban 83
  • Casemiro 84

The SBC offers two special items: one with the Incisive Pass+ (CAM) and the other with Power Shot+ (ST). While both cards are average at best, I like the CAM item a lot more. Its stat distribution is superior to that of the ST item, and it has more playstyles. This certainly makes the CAM item a good bargain choice for beginners.

If you want to spend more fodder and obtain top-tier meta items, both the Fernando Torres and Andrea Pirlo Future Stars Icons are great choices. These SBCs cost significantly more in terms of fodder costs, but the cards you get are far more useable in the meta. They're well-suited for players who have a fair few amount of fodder in their clubs.

The post EA FC 25 Croix Bethune Future Stars SBC solutions appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 1:08 PM
    

If you choose to attend the Semine wedding with Radovan during Wedding Crashers in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Henry will be tasked with saving the ceremony by finding out the whereabouts of the recently forged wedding gift. To help you avoid a catastrophe, here's how to find the sword for Lord Semine's son in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.

How to find the young man dressed in yellow

As part of the first sub-objective, you must follow a clue by Radovan —who was too busy showing off to take proper care of the wedding gift— and find a male guest dressed in yellow. To advance through the quest, talk to the man in the spot highlighted in the image below, found by the main dining table.

The young man dressed in yellow's location in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.
Image by Destructoid

After talking to him, head to the second floor of the cellar (the area where Gnarly will be hosting a fighting tournament) to find Hans, who will reveal that the Bailiff's son Svatopluk is the true culprit behind the crime. You can find him by a cart facing the musicians in the courtyard.

Svatya location in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.
Image by Destructoid

After talking to him, I was able to get Svatya to reveal the whereabouts of the sword by selecting '"Not even the bailiff's son will escape punishment." The option will demand a stat check, but don't worry, as your Charisma will be high enough to pull it off.

How to find the Sword for Lord Semine's son in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

As Svatya will reveal that he threw the present on the pond east of Semine, you can find the Sword for Young Lord Semine in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 by going through the door highlighted below —if you choose to help Myshka, she will most likely have shown you its location. From there, take a few steps inside the pond to find the submerged sword.

Now that you have the sword return it to Radovan to progress through the quest and see the wedding. Funnily enough, and just like with Ambrose's Broken Sword, you can actually skip the whole chain of events above by simply picking up the sword from the pond after Radovan tasks you with finding it. I don't recommend doing that, though, as those small interactions, in particular the one between Hans and Henry, are a big part of what makes Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 great.

The post How to find the sword for Lord Semine's son in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 12:57 PM
    

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Trosky REgion Map

In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Trosky is one of the two big regions in the game, and the first one you will explore. It's a massive region full of side quests, towns, NPCs, and tons of other exciting points of interest. We've pieced together a full Trosky Map of the entire region for you to use.

All Trosky Region Map Locations and POIs

The first of two regions in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Trosky is a massive open plain filled with forests and a few rocky cliffsides. The region gets its name from Trosky Castle, the focal point of your main story questline in this region. Each town has its own unique reputation that you will gain or lose favor with based on your actions throughout the region. In total, there are eight different towns or camps in the Trosky region, with 12 different Fast Travel points. Here are some of the important locations in Trosky:

Trosky Castle

Trosky Castle is home to Lord Otto von Bergow, the lord you are trying to deliver an important message to. Unfortunately, Trosky Castle will not be available to you at the start of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Recent bandit attacks have caused the gates to be shut to outsiders. Here are some of the points of interest in the surrounding area:

  • Trosky Castle Fast Travel
  • Quarry Below Trosky
  • Archery Range
  • Vagrant's Hut
  • Roe Hunting Spot

Tachov

Tachov is a small village and home to the Blacksmith Radovan. If you opt to complete his questline, you will gain access to his Blacksmith hut as well as a room with a bed and a chest to call home. Completion of his quests will also eventually gain you access to the wedding. Here is what else resides in Tachov:

  • Tachov Fast Travel
  • Tacho Tavern
  • Dice Game
  • Drying Rack
  • Sharpening Wheel
  • Smithy
  • Skill Teacher

Troskowitz

The town of Troskowitz is where your adventure in Trosky begins after the prologue to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. You'll visit Troskowitz quite a bit, as plenty of quests weave in and out of the town, and there are also some major POIs that you will need to return to as you progress through the game. As such, there are quite a few worthwhile interactive locations throughout the town such as:

  • Troskowitz Fast Travel
  • Troskowitz Tavern
  • Dice Game
  • Troskowitz Carpenter
  • Apothecary Emerich
  • Tailor Bartoshek
  • Scribe
  • Traders
  • Butcher
  • Drying Rack
  • Sharpening Wheel
  • Alchemy Bench

Apollonia

Although a smaller location compared to the others, Apollonia on the eastern side of Trosky does host several questlines, primarily due to their beefing with the town of Semine. You will start hostile with Apollonia due to this.

  • Apollonia Fast Travel
  • Bandit Enemy Camps
  • Deer Hunting Spot

Zhelejov

Serving as somewhat of a central trade hub for the region of Trosky, Zheljov is home to many traders as well a quests when searching the region. With Troskowitz to the east and Semine to the South, you'll constantly be coming through Zhelejov when you are in the Trosky region.

  • Zhelejov Wagoners' Inn Fast Travel
  • Zhelejov Fast Travel
  • Traders
  • Sharpening Wheel

Nomads' Camp

An early questline in Troskowitz will bring you to the Nomads' camp, located near the Cumans camp that they have set up nearby. The traveling band of Nomads has their own series of quests for you but also is home to a very important NPC: Horse Handler Mikolai.

  • Nomads' Camp Fast Travel
  • Horse Handler Mikolai
  • Traders

Semine

The town of Semine is host to a variety of quests, including those featuring their stand off against the region area of Apollonia. It's also home to a large selection of horses that you can purchase, and a few other interested points of interest:

  • Semine Fast Travel
  • Lower Semine Mill Fast Travel
  • Grocer
  • Smokehouse
  • Horse Trader
  • Skill Teacher
  • Combat Arena
  • Saddler
  • Drying Rack

Nebakov Fortress

The military fortress of Nebakov wraps around both sides of the river that passes through Trosky. You'll end up here as part of several quest lines, and it also serves as your southernmost location in Trosky. Here are some of the places to visit while in the Nebakov area:

  • Nebakov Fortress Fast Travel
  • Nebakov Mill Fast Travel

The post Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – Full Trosky Map of Entire Region appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 12:13 PM
    

The Doom Slayer on Doom 16

Video games have only recently (in the grand scheme) begun telling seriously riveting tales of their own, but the tales behind their development have always been the stuff of legends. Sadly, these stories largely go untold, even to the gamers who'd totally love to hear them — so let's fix that.

Here are some of the best books about games that all gamers should read before they despawn.

the cover art of masters of doom
Image via Amazon

Masters Of DOOM by David Kushner

Even though you can pretty much run DOOM on most things nowadays, you still can't run it on a book — yet — but we already have the next best thing. I'm talking about the thrilling story of John Carmack, John Romero, and the remaining OG crew at Id who brought the original title in the revolutionary series to life. This is not a "making of" featurette in the shape of a book, but rather the amazing story of the early days of the company, as well as a great account of the influence the title had all over the industry.

Masters Of Doom is so good it's Hollywood-worthy. An adaptation was going to happen before COVID and other problems caused it to sadly but aptly land in development hell, but here's hoping it'll one day rise from the grave to make everyone realize how cool of a tale this is.

the cover art for Console Wars
Image via Amazon

Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation by Blake J. Harris

For dark and mysterious reasons, war oftentimes proves to be box office gold in movies. Luckily, video game wars lack the moral reprehensibleness of traditional warfare — while they maintain the same level of drama and surprise.

For example, would you believe me if I told you that Sega came close to winning the war against Nintendo? This means we could have been living in a world where Sega owned the market. One where Sony never even got a chance in the console business. That's one of the incredibly interesting details you'll learn from Console Wars, a fantastic account of the late '80s and early '90s war between Sega and Nintendo.

The cover art for Silent Hill 2 by Boss Fights books
Image via Boss Fights books

Silent Hill 2 by Mike Drucker

Do you think the world of Silent Hill 2 would be too scary for you to handle? Then consider learning about it in book form, through the words of super fan Mike Drucker. For those unaware, Drucker made a name for himself as an excellent comedy writer, and here we see him nailing a completely different world by delving deep into one of the most harrowingly unfunny experiences you can have in gaming.

This book is the perfect gift for anyone who'd want to know more about Silent Hill 2, as, even though the Internet is (was?) great, it lacks many of the research materials Drucker lovingly dug into to find out all there is to learn about the history of the game.

Silent Hill 2, the book, is also so good I'd recommend it even to people who know nothing about the game — who knows, you might even finally be tempted enough to play it.

The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World Vol.1 and Vol.2 by Steven L. Kent

Unfortunately, you cannot fit everything one should know about the history of humanity into two volumes. The history of video games remains short enough to accomplish this feat. If you want to learn where it all started, how games evolved into what they are today, and perhaps even to catch up with your kid's hobby and understand the hype, these books are your way in.

The first Volume came out in 2001 and contains everything you should know from the very beginning of video gaming until the turn of the millennium. The second volume covers the two decades that followed. While the second title contains far more recent information, much of it will still surprise you.

the cover art for blood,sweat, and pixels
Image via Amazon

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made by Jason Schreier

The last few years have revealed some of the darker aspects of the game development industry. If that sentence piqued your interest, you definitely want to read Jason Schreier's Blood, Sweat, and Pixels. Schreier spent a lot of time interviewing developers working on various top titles and put his findings about crunch, burnout, and unexpected victories in that bleak battleground together for us to enjoy.

At points, it feels like a scathing critique of the Industry, but Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is even more of a celebration of the true heroes who give it their all to make these beautiful works come to life.

the cover art for video game of the year
Image via Amazon

Video Game Of The Year by Jordan Minor

Interested in acquiring more encyclopedic knowledge on video games? One easy way is by learning all about the games we've deemed GOTY over the years, and no better way to dig into that than via Video Game Of The Year.

Since we only began using the GOTY designation after the release of Half-Life's GOTY edition, anything before that would be speculation. So, Jordan Minor's book does the digging required to bring up the best and most interesting games we could've possibly called the best of the year ever since 1977. The result is an interesting and informative trip down memory lane.

Extra Lives cover art
Image via Amazon

Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell

The question of whether or not video games are art is one that has haunted gamers for a while. Before that, we had to justify whether video games were, in any way, shape, or form, a worthy way of spending our time. If either question sparks even a tiny bit of interest from you, then you should totally consider picking this one up.

In Extra Lives, author Tom Bissell looks into the "why" of video games with this deep dive into the medium and into what makes it a medium so many people care deeply about. Extra Lives is a great pick for anyone interested in video games, even slightly.

the cover for Press Reset
Image via Amazon

Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry by Jason Schreier

If Jason Schreier's Blood, Sweat, and Pixels told you the story of trying to survive in the video games industry, Press Reset, the spiritual successor, talks about coming back to life after "dying" in it.

Press Reset tells the true stories of layoffs and studio closures that continuously leave people without the jobs they love in an industry that seemingly despises them — then about how they deal with it. It's a great, tough, read, but also one that will not leave you completely devoid of hope.

The cover art for Virtual Cities
Image via Amazon

Virtual Cities: An Atlas & Exploration of Video Game Cities by Konstantinos Dimopoulos

Some of us don't care too much about where the game takes place, while others want to immerse themselves in every scrap of lore they can find about the game world. They want to explore, learn more about the world itself, and if you're a part of this group, then Virtual Cities is the book for you.

Konstantinos Dimopoulos' video game city Atlas digs deep into the lore and the reasoning behind the aesthetics and structures in 45 extremely iconic game cities such as Half-Life 2's City 17, Silent Hill, and New Vegas. If that's not enough for you, Virtual Cities then beautifully ties it all together via over 100 full-color illustrations that are gorgeous enough to justify the price on their own.

Cover art for Significant Zero
Image via Amazon

Significant Zero: Heroes, Villains, and the Fight for Art and Soul in Video Games

If you're among the countless people who played Spec Ops: The Line and wanted to read more from the person behind it, then this may be your jam. The Line's lead writer, Walt Williams, wrote an entire book's worth of thoughts about video games.

in Significant Zero, Williams talks about the seemingly unfortunate time when his satirical writing first caused him to lose his job in the Air Force, then paved the way to an awesome career writing for games such as Bioshock and Civilization. He then delves into the billion-dollar video game industry, one filled with incredible talent and even more incredible egos. If you want to read a fun account about this sometimes beautiful, sometimes dreadful industry, then Significant Zero is the book for you.

the cover art for Jacked
Image via Amazon

Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto by David Kushner

What better way to cap it all off than with yet another great work of David Kushner, the man who got the ball running with Masters of Doom? This time Kushner tells us about the origin story of the Grand Theft Auto series, which is now the biggest franchise in the world, but one that started off as anything but.

Did you know GTA started off as a dead average driving game that was pretty much carried by the free publicity it got from outlets everywhere complaining about the amount of violence It contained? Did you know the series owes its success to a glitch that made cop cars go psycho? Did you know the makers of GTA are British?! Those are just the tip of the iceberg in the incredibly outrageous origin story of Dan Houser, Sam Houser, and Rockstar games.

The post Best books all gamers should read appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 12:10 PM
    

Best free Geoguessr alternatives in 2025 - logos of various alternatives to Geoguessr

Who thought that guessing where you are in the world by looking at an image would be this fun? The makers of GeoGuessr thought so, and they were right! If you are looking to get in on the fun but don't want to put up with ads or buy a subscription, we've got you covered.

Here are the best free GeoGuessr alternatives in 2025.

Best free GeoGuessr alternatives in 2025

OpenGuessr

Gameplay modes in OpenGuessr
Image via OpenGuessr

If you have played the original GeoGeussr at all, you may be pleased to know that OpenGuessr offers the same experience, but for free, thanks to community donations. While there is an annoying pop-up that appears every once in a while, you can jump in and play the basic gameplay mode without spending a dime.

You can choose from several map modes, for example, urban cities only. This can make things slightly easier than being dropped in the middle of the desert.

There are also community-selected maps—such as train stations or airports, for example—if you want to play an even more specific mode. There is also multiplayer and a variety of other game modes, so if you plan on using it we recommend creating an account.

The only limitation here is that the game will still show street names, as it doesn't use the original GeoGuessr API to filter them. But this is a small complaint for what is a great (and free) alternative.

Geohub

Maps to select in Geohub
Image via Geohub

This is still one of the best free alternatives to Geoguessr around. You will have to create an account before playing, unlike other options on this list, but it's pretty quick and easy.

The game features a lot of different maps. If you are interested in guessing only countries, cities, famous landmarks, or specific places in the US or Canada, you'll love Geohub.

You can also create and save your own maps and use them to play together with your friends, and you can take part in daily challenges against other players for a spot on the scoreboard. It also features a great menu-based interface that makes customizing a match a breeze.

Geotastic

Geotastic home page

This used to be one of the best free alternatives to GeoGuessr, but to use it now you'll have to create an account and put up with ads. If you aren't bothered too much by ads, this is still an okay alternative, even though some gameplay modes are only accessible through donations.

Still, Geotastic features many different gameplay modes, such as daily challenges and even community tournaments. If you want to be part of a solid community, this will be a great way to do it.

Players can either create a local game as part of the single-player mode or opt for an online lobby for the multiplayer option.

Guess Where You Are

Guess Where You Are map
Image via Guess Where You Are

If you are looking for a more barebones alternative to GeoGuessr, but want one that is entirely free and also features no ads, then Guess Where You Are will do the trick. The site drops you into a random spot in the world and you can start playing right away.

But there are also more gameplay modes since the game will let you access daily challenges and even community-created tournaments where you can compete for a high score. You can also hide street names once you have enough XP points to reach level 3, which will require creating an account and then diving in to guess right a few times.

Overall, while it does not offer a lot of features compared to other alternatives, this is a great option for a quick play with your friends or if you are planning to stream on Twitch.

World Guesser

A bus on a map in World Guesser
Image via World Guesser

Here's another great alternative to GeoGuessr if all you want is the basic gameplay loop. You can also get hints in this iteration of the game.

World Guesser starts out pretty easy, so don't be surprised if you see the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty at first. It will get progressively harder after a few rounds, though.

That is all there is to this simple free alternative, no multiplayer, no other gameplay modes or custom maps. But if all you are looking for is guessing where you are, it's a solid entry.

Zoomtastic

A map in Zoomtastic
Image via Zoomtastic

Time for something a bit different. Zoomtastic uses the same idea as GeoGuessr but presents it differently. You get a zoomed-in map that, over a few seconds, will start slowly zooming out. You get presented with four different answers as to what the place is called, and you need to answer as fast as possible to get more points.

Who doesn't love multiple-choice questions? It is, unfortunately, a bit limited, in that you can only guess countries, cities, and landmarks. There is a recently added historical-based game which is an interesting new idea.

You can also create your own game modes, so if you only want to do airports or train stations with friends, you can.

Worldle

Playing Pinpoint in Worldle
Image via Worldle

This is a simple alternative to GeoGuessr with no ads and no subscription-based service. Simply visit the website and get ready to guess. The catch is that you only get six rounds for free per day. You're also allowed multiple attempts to guess, which is great if you are just learning how to play.

Also, after each round you get a little hint circle to narrow down the place and country you are looking for. Pretty useful if you are not a big fan of the frustration of the original GeoGuessr.

There are a couple of gameplay modes as well, such as Streaks where you try to rack up as many points as possible by guessing correctly consecutively. You can also customize distance and other options to make the game more or less difficult.

Seterra

Outlines of the US states quiz
Image via Seterra

Created by GeoGuessr, this is a bit of a different game. It's a map quiz, rather than a Google Maps-based guessing game. Still, if you love geography then you'll enjoy this game. You can play with friends as well, all for free.

Think of it as a more kid-friendly version of GeoGuessr that helps you learn more about geography, instead of simply trying to guess where you are in the world.

Seterra has a web version for computers and mobile apps for Android and iOS. You can customize quizzes can and you select the locations you want your quiz to feature. The entire world is available across all seven continents, so get ready to learn.

Hide & Seek World

Home page to Hide & Seek online
Image via Hide & Seek World

This multiplayer alternative has a varied and interesting selection of gameplay modes on offer, with the basic one being an iteration of hide and seek. One player hides somewhere on the map while others try to find them.

Unfortunately, its free mode is pretty limited since you only get two public games per day.

You can still join games hosted by players with a membership for free, however. If you're interested, a membership is only a couple of dollars per month.

In other gameplay modes, you can find Wolly (the site's mascot) around the world, while competing with up to twenty other users. It's a great site to enjoy with friends, but as a strict alternative to GeoGuessr, it is a bit limited.

Cityguessr

A bench in a park in Cityguessr
Image via Cityguessr

If you are looking for a highly simplistic (and free) alternative and the thing you like the most from GeoGuessr is just guessing cities, then Cityguessr is perfect for you. You'll see a photo of a city in Europe (or France or the UK) and you will have to guess which city it is.

You have two minutes to guess while looking around and exploring as much as you want. You can take as many guesses as you want as well, so it's not super strict. There are also leaderboards and... that's it. Quite barebones, but still free and with no ads.

The post Best Free GeoGuessr Alternatives in 2025 appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 12:00 PM
    

Bye Bye, Earth Season 2

The highly anticipated second season of Bye Bye, Earth is set to premiere on April 4, as announced by the anime's production team. Alongside the release date, new promotional videos, a key visual, and theme song details have been revealed.

Two newly released trailers provide a sneak peek into the upcoming season, featuring action-packed sequences and dramatic moments. The promotional videos also introduce the show's new theme songs: "Aufheben" by Who-ya Extended as the opening theme and "Moonwork" by ASCA as the ending theme.

Unfortunately, the full trailer posted on YouTube is currently region-locked. Fortunately, a shorter version of the trailer is available on the anime's official X (formerly Twitter) promotion account.

https://twitter.com/BBE_animePR/status/1888875569632133490

According to Anime News Network, Season 2 will continue with the same core production team and voice cast. LIDEN FILMS is still in charge of the second season's production, with Yasuto Nishikata (The Seven Deadly Sins the Movie: Prisoners of the Sky) leading as the director. Sota Yokote will be the assistant editor, while Hiroyuki Yoshino (World Trigger) will remain in charge of the series scripts. Character designs are still created by Yuki Hino, and the anime's soundtrack is done by Kevin Penkin.

Bye Bye, Earth anime
Image via @BBE_animePR

About Bye Bye, Earth

Bye Bye, Earth is based on Tow Ubukata's fantasy novel. It takes place in a world where all inhabitants possess animal-like traits. However, its protagonist, Belle, is the only girl without such features.

The novel was first published in two volumes in 2020, but a new edition with four volumes was published between 2007 and 2008. Ryu Asahi also adapted the novel into manga from 2020 to 2022. Ultimately, the first season of the anime premiered in July 2024.

Crunchyroll summarizes the anime's plot:
"Belle Lablac doesn't really fit in as the only human being in a world full of anthropomorphic animals. No fangs, no fur, no scales, no claws. Lonely and eager to discover where she comes from, Belle journeys to find answers to the questions of her heart. Carrying nothing but her giant sword, the Runding, she faces a world of possibilities and pitfalls in hopes of discovering the truth."

The post Bye Bye, Earth Season 2 gets new trailer, April 4 release date appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 11:37 AM
    

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Voivode

During Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's Miri Fajta quest, the Voivode of the Nomad's Camp will ask you to get his letter of safe conduct back from Marika. It was originally from the emperor, making it quite powerful. Without it, you can't save Marika or Bohush from their current predicament.

Voivode's Letter of Safe Conduct location in KCD2

The Voivode's letter of safe conduct is inside a tree directly north of Marika's hiding spot in Apollonia. After exiting the cave she and Bohush are staying in, head northeast until you encounter a small stream and the Well map marker. The "well" will appear as a small puddle with a bucket next to it, while the tree has a chunk taken out of it that you can interact with.

Once you dig through this tree, an inventory menu with the Voivode's letter of safe conduct will appear. From here, you can freely transfer it to your inventory and even place your own items inside if you want to use it as a makeshift storage spot. It's not the most convenient spot, but at least it's immersive.

Should you give the Voivode the Letter of Safe Conduct?

Once you have the Voivode's letter of safe conduct, you have two options: immediately give it to him without helping Marika or figure out how to get the amulet back using it. If you try to negotiate trading the letter for the amulet, he'll immediately say no, requiring you to resort to other means.

Your first option is to give him the letter with zero regard for Marika's situation. The dialogue option, bluntly named "Here's the letter, to hell with Marika," will end the quest with the Voivode rewarding you and you either celebrating or leaving and moving on to your next adventure. Aranka and Marika will be upset with you, but at least you'll save yourself some time.

If you want the "best" ending with Marika and Bohush, you'll have to chat with Aranka. She reveals that the Voivode is a gambling man who likes to make bets. With this new intel on hand, you can ask the Voivode to make a wager, to which you'll engage in some competitions with Tibor to decide who wins. You can sabotage Tibor to win the first match easily, making the rest of the quest easier, or you can try to beat him fair and square if that's your preferred playstyle. Finding the best horse possible is a solid first step to winning.

The post Where to find Voivode's Letter of Safe Conduct in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 10:47 AM
    

2025 Video Game release date calendar

2024 is already looking to be an interesting year for gaming, with several remakes and remasters arriving in early January and brand-new releases making the waves later on. 2023 was an exciting time, gaming in 2024 was slightly underwhelming, and it's only a matter of time before we learn what 2025 entails.

It is very easy to forget the sheer volume of games that launch throughout an entire year. One month alone can have dozens of releases, let alone the rest as game development teams announce their plans.

If you're looking to plan ahead or tell others about an upcoming release, we have an ongoing list of games confirmed to launch in 2025. We'll also continue updating this list as we learn about new releases and delays.

Updated February 10, 2025: Updated with several new titles, both within the indie and AAA space.

January 2025 game releases

  • Beyond Citadel (PC) - January 2
  • Wuthering Waves (PS5) - January 2
  • Click Mage (PC) - January 6
  • Chocolate Factory Simulator (PC) - January 7
  • Desktop Mate (PC) - January 7
  • Sea Fantasy (PC) - January 7
  • Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana (PC4, PS5, Switch) - January 7
  • My Summer Car (PC) - January 8
  • The Last Flame (PC) - January 9
  • Freedom Wars Remastered (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch) - January 10
  • Airborne Empire (PC, Early Access) - January 13
  • Dreaming Isles (PC) - January 13
  • Heroes of Hammerwatch II (PC) January 14
  • Hyper Light Breaker (PC) - January 14
  • Turnip Boy Robs a Bank (iOS, Android) - January 14
  • Aloft (PC) - January 15
  • Age of Darkness: Final Stand (PC) - January 15
  • The Roottrees are Dead (PC) - January 15
  • Age of Water (PC) - January 16
  • Assetto Corsa EVO (PC, Early Access) - January 16
  • Blade Chimera (PC, Switch) - January 16
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) - January 16
  • DreadOut Remastered Collection (PC, PS4, Switch) - January 16
  • Dynasty Warriors: Origins (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - January 16
  • Football Coach: College Dynasty (PC) - January 16
  • Morkull Ragast's Rage (PC, Xbox Series X/S) - January 16
  • Cyclopean: The Great Abyss (PC, Early Access) - January 17
  • Skystead Ranch (PC) - January 17
  • Tales of Graces f Remastered (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - January 17
  • Helskate (PC) - January 20
  • Into the Emberlands (PC) - January 20
  • Needy Streamer Overload (PS4, PS5) - January 21
  • Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - January 22
  • Gravelord (PC, Early Access) - January 22
  • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PC) - January 23
  • Guilty Gear Strive (Switch) - January 23
  • Ninja Gaiden 2 Black (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - January 23
  • Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - January 23
  • Synduality: Echo of Ada (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - January 23
  • Space Engineers 2 (PC, Early Access) - January 27
  • Cuisineer (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - January 28
  • Eternal Strands (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - January 28
  • Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos (PS4, PS5, Switch) - January 28
  • Tails of Iron II: Whiskers of Winter (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - January 28
  • The Stone of Madness (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - January 28
  • Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. (PC) - January 28
  • Warside (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Switch) - January 28
  • Ropuka's Idle Island (PC) - January 29
  • Cardfight!! Vanguard Dear Days 2 (PC, Switch) - January 30
  • Hello Kitty Island Adventure (PC, Switch) - January 30
  • Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch) - January 30
  • Sniper Elite: Resistance (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - January 30
  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (PC) - January 30
  • The Headliners (PC) - January 30
  • Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - January 31
  • FlyKnight (PC) - January 31
  • Foundation 1.0 (PC) - January 31
  • The Sims Legacy Collection (PC) - January 31

February 2025 game releases

  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - February 4
  • Rift of the NecroDancer (PC) - February 5
  • While Waiting (PC, Switch) - February 5
  • Border Pioneer (PC) - February 6
  • Keep Driving (PC) - February 6
  • Stray Path (PC) - February 6
  • Momodora: Moonlit Farewell (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - February 6
  • A Game About Digging a Hole (PC) - February 7
  • Astral Throne (PC) - February 7
  • Civilization VII (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - February 11
  • Urban Myth Dissolution Center (PC, PS5, Switch) - February 12
  • Amber Isle (Switch) - February 13
  • Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart (Switch) - February 13
  • Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - February 14
  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II (PC, Switch) - February 14
  • Avowed (PC, Xbox Series X/S) - February 18
  • Lost Records: Bloom & Rage - Tape one (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - February 18
  • Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch) - February 20
  • Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - February 21
  • Crystar (PS5) - February 27
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection (PC, Switch) - February 27
  • Monster Hunter Wilds (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - February 28
  • Midnight Murder Club (PC, PS5, Early Access) - February
  • On Your Tail (Switch) - February

March 2025 game releases

  • Age of Mythology: Retold (PS5) - March 4
  • Everhood 2 (PC, Switch) - March 4
  • Two Point Museum (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - March 4
  • Dragonkin: The Banished (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - March 6
  • Fragpunk (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - March 6
  • Grimoire Groves (PC) - March 6
  • Split Fiction (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - March 6
  • Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch) - March 6
  • The Sims 4: Businesses and Hobbies (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - March 6
  • Rise of the Ronin (PC) - March 10
  • Wanderstop (PC, PS5) - March 11
  • Beyond the Ice Palace 2 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - March 13
  • Bionic Bay (PC, PS5) - March 13
  • Dungeons of Hinterberg (PS4, PS5) - March 13
  • Matcho (PC, PS5) - March 13
  • WWE 2K25 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - March 14
  • Lost Records: Bloom & Rage - Tape two (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - March 18
  • MLB The Show 25 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - March 18
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - March 20
  • Rendering Ranger: R² [Rewind] (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch) - March 20
  • Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (Switch) - March 20
  • Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - March 21
  • BLEACH Rebirth of Souls (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - March 21
  • Gedonia 2 (PC) - March 24
  • Killing Floor 3 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - March 25
  • Steel Paws (Android, iOS) - March 25
  • Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - March 25
  • JDM: Japanese Drift Master (PC) - March 26
  • Atomfall (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - March 27
  • The First Berserker: Khazan (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - March 27
  • inZOI (PC) - March 28
  • Psycho Patrol R (PC, Early Access) - March 31

April 2025 game releases

  • The Last of Us Part II (PC) - April 3
  • South of Midnight (PC, Xbox Series X/S) - April 8
  • All in Abyss: Judge the Fake (PC, PS5, Switch) - April 10
  • Crashlands 2 (PC, Android, iOS) - April 10
  • Star Overdrive (Switch) - April 10
  • Koira (PC, PS5) - April 17
  • Mandragora (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - April 17
  • Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - April 17
  • Rusty Rabbit (PC, PS5, Switch) - April 17
  • Lunar Remastered Collection (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch) - April 18
  • Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - April 23
  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - April 24
  • FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - April 24
  • Super Technos World: River City & Arcade Classics (PC, PS5, Switch) - April 24
  • Tempest Rising (PC) - April 24
  • The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- (PC, Switch) - April 24
  • Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (Switch) - April
  • Magic Inn (PC) - April
  • Ratatan (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - April

May 2025 game releases

  • Captain Blood (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - May 6
  • Doom: The Dark Ages (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - May 15
  • Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch) - May 16
  • Fuga: Melodies of Steel 3 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - May 29
  • Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma (PC, Switch) - May 30
  • Revenge of the Savage Planet (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - May

June 2025 game releases

  • Date Everything! (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch) - June 25
  • Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road (PC, PS4, PS5, iOS, Android, Switch) - June

July 2025 game releases

  • Last Spartan: Glory Over Madness (PC) - July

August 2025 game releases

  • Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) - August 28

October 2025 game releases

  • Double Dragon Revive (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S) - October 23

Games with unknown release dates (2025)

  • A.I.L.A
  • ARC Raiders
  • Astrobotanica
  • Biped 2
  • Borderlands 4
  • Breakout Beyond
  • Coffee Talk Tokyo
  • Crimson Desert
  • Crown Gambit
  • Dave the Diver: In the Jungle
  • Demonschool
  • Descenders Next
  • Directive 8020
  • Dispatch
  • Doom (SNES)
  • Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake (PC)
  • Dune Awakening
  • Dying Light: The Beast
  • EDENS ZERO
  • Elden Ring: Nightreign
  • Fable
  • FBC: Firebreak
  • Flappy Bird
  • Floatopia
  • Forza Horizon 5 (PS5)
  • Freeride
  • Game of Thrones: Kingsroad
  • Hello Kitty Island Adventure (PS, PS5)
  • Herdling
  • Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era
  • Hotel Barcelona
  • inZOI (PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
  • Last Spartan: Glory Over Madness
  • Little Nightmares 3
  • Lost Soul Aside
  • Mafia: The Old Country
  • Mecha Break
  • Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
  • Mio: Memories in Orbit
  • Mistfall Hunter
  • Morsels
  • Moth Kubit
  • MOUSE: P.I. For Hire
  • Nanuka: Secret of the Shattering Mood
  • Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
  • Ninja Gaiden 4
  • Nivalis
  • One Move Away
  • Paralives
  • Perfect Dark
  • Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale HD Edition
  • Rematch
  • Ritual of Raven
  • Rune Factory: Project Dragon
  • Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker
  • Shadow Labyrinth (Pac-Man)
  • Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope DX
  • Showa American Story
  • Slay the Spire II (Early Access)
  • Solasta II (Early Access)
  • Sonic Racing CrossWorlds
  • Splitgate 2
  • Stalcraft Operations
  • Star Overdrive (PC, PS5)
  • StarRupture
  • State of Decay 3
  • Subnautica 2
  • Terminator: Survivors
  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 1st
  • The Legend of Baboo
  • The Outer Worlds 2
  • Time Flies
  • Vampires: Bloodlord Rising
  • Wheel World
  • Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

Games with unknown release dates (2026)

  • Blackfrost the Long Dark 2 (Early Access)
  • Onimusha Way of the Sword
  • Screamer
  • The Witcher 4

The post 2025 Video Game release date calendar appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 10:34 AM
    

Recycling Plant in Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Friendship Island is filled with useful locations in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, allowing players to interact with the world around them and possibly get items or assistance to progress. The Recycling Plant is one such location, and it can offer various great rewards. 

The Recycling Plant can be found in Rainbow Reef, southeast of the Cozy Islands Mailbox and just off the shore of Cozy Island itself. It's a giant flower with large, flowing petals, and it serves a very unique purpose. 

How to unlock the Recycling Plant in Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Recycling Plant in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Screenshot by Destructoid

The Recycling Plant is always there, and you can interact with it prior to unlocking it, although you'll just be told that Keroppi probably knows more about it. To actually use the Plant, you'll need to reach level 11 friendship with Hello Kitty, and then begin the "Reef Revival" quest. 

You will also need to complete Keroppi's level 1 quest (Finding Flippers) to unlock Flippers, and Kuromi's level 6 quest "Deep Diving" to unlock the Snorkel.

Location of the Recycling Plant in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Image by Destructoid

During "Reef Revival", you'll be instructed to place Trash into the Recycling Plant (shown above on the map). If you've been gathering bags of Trash since you began playing, it can be very tempting to put all of your Trash in at this point in the hopes of getting more rewards. I beg of you, please don't do this!

Regardless of how many bags you put into the Recycling Plant during this tutorial, the game will only register the first 10. Any further Trash will be removed permanently from your inventory and lost forever, with no additional reward for your efforts. 

Once you've completed the tutorial, you'll have free access to the Recycling Plant and you can put the rest of your Trash into it, getting the rewards you've earned for picking it all up. 

How to use the Recycling Plant in Hello Kitty Island Adventure

You can use the Recycling Plant to turn unwanted items into different, more useful items. There are two types of items you can produce at the Recycling Plant. 

Turning Trash into treasure

Trash in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Screenshot by Destructoid

Trash Bags spawn daily around Rainbow Reef, particularly in the area around the Comedy Club. Unlike other resource spawns in Island Adventure, Trash will continuously respawn every 2-3 minutes, allowing you to gather up a huge amount of it very quickly. 

Trash Bags can be placed in the Recycling Plant, and you'll have a chance to get either Coral Keys or Coral Spores. Coral Keys can then be used to open seashell-decorated chests, while Coral Spores can be planted on the rock beds around Rainbow Reef. 

Turning items into Dye Pouches

Dye Pouches in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Screenshot by Destructoid

The other use for the Recycling Plant is to stock up on Dye Pouches of every color. You'll receive a different color Dye Pouch depending on what you put into the Recycling Plant. Some items can even result in different Dye colors, so there is an element of chance involved.

Here's a full list of Dyes, and what items can be exchanged to get them:

Dye color Exchange items
Black Obsidian Shard
Trash
Mechanism
Darkgrapeman
Blue Meditations on Resilience
Calming Crystal
Fabric
Gizmo
Little Challenge
Lotus Blossom
Rubber
Seashell
Thread
Water Balloon
Snowcicle
Soda
Badtz-maru Comic
Froggy Power
Brown Coconut
Stick
Mushroom
Woodblock
Rocky Material
Candlenut
Chocolate Coin
Cinna Bloom
Toasted Almond
Gray Iron
Ingot
Tofu
Dough
The Incredible Hello Kitty
Green Meditations on Resilience
Little Challenge
Lotus Blossom
Cactus Cream
Candlenut
Glow Berry
Mundane Potion
Froggy Power
Fantastic Friends
Indigo Fizzy Ore
Blank Book
Rubber
Fizzy Crystal
The Adventures
Orange Mechanism
Rubber
Pumpkin
Magma Bloom
Sugarkelp
Fantastic Friends
Pink Fabric
Light Stone
Shiny
Starfish
Candy Cloud
Glow Berry
Sakura
Swampmallow
Amazing My Melody
Little Twin Stars' Trip
Red Apple
Magma Bloom
Strawberry
Sugarkelp
The Adventures
Ichigoman Chronicles
Danger Doodler
Violet Glitchy Book
Box Clam
Spark
Wool
Spinip
Darkgrapeman
White Fabric
Feather
Gift Box
Glitch
Paper
Sand Dollar
Coral Milk
Dough
Flour
Glow Berry
Snowcicle
Swampmallow
Tofu
Egg
Little Twin Stars' Trip
Ichigoman Chronicles
Yellow Star
Stardust
Spark
Honeycomb
Beeswax
Banana
Glow Berry
Magma Bloom
Moon Cheese
Pineapple
Starfruit
The Incredible Hello Kitty
The Great Gudetama
Badtz-maru Comic
Fantastic Friends

The post How to unlock and use the Recycling Plant in Hello Kitty Island Adventure appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 10:08 AM
    

A Demon race is holding a sword next to the DBOG logo

Dragon Ball Online Generations (DBOG) lets you live out your ultimate Dragon Ball dream by letting you create your own character. When you first start the game, you'll get to pick from a whopping 14 races to pick from (some of which we even forgot about, and we're fans of the series).

Of course, if you want to be competitive in DBOG, the obvious question is: which race is the best? To help you out, we made this handy tier list. Spoiler alert: Saiyans aren't S-tier.

Dragon Ball Online Generations Tier List

A Frost Demon is attacking an enemy in DBOG
Screenshot by Destructoid

Before we start, let's get one thing out of the way: racial stat points don't really matter. Unless you want to absolutely mid-max a certain stat, you shouldn't really look at them. The thing you DO need to look at, are racial abilities because they are what ultimately determine which races are better than others.

Note: The meta for DBOG has recently changed, which nerfed a bunch of stuff, especially basic and melee attacks. Because of this, many races that rely on these have been taken down a tier or two.

S-Tier

Race Info
Model for the Human race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Human
As a Human, you can charge your Ultimate twice as fast. This is invaluable if you rely on spamming your ultimates.
Model for the Frost Demon race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Frost Demon (Frieza)
Similar to humans, Frost Demons charge their Ki Charge abilities faster (probably so they can destroy all the filthy monkeys).
Model for the Majin race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Majin
Majin are constantly regenerating their health thanks to the Super Regeneration Skill. Because of this, taking out a Majin is extremely difficult.

A-Tier

Race Info
Model for the Tuffle race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Tuffle
When Tuffles lands a critical hit (any kind), they steal 7% of the opponent's stamina. This is really useful in PvP.
Model for the Half-Saiyan race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Half-Saiyan
When they are low on health, Half-Sayians do double damage with their moves. This can be useful if they have a bunch of ranged moves.
Model for the Bojack race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Bojack
When a Bojack's health is low (in red), their Physical Skills have no consumption, meaning, they can just spamthem without any cooldowns.

B-Tier

Race Info
Model for the Bio-Android race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Bio-Android (Cell)
When you regenerate Ki, you also regenerate health (it's fast). Useful if you're constantly charging up.
Model for the Kai race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Kai (Kaio-Shin)
When Kais attack with Energy Weapons, they change their damage scaling with basic melee attacks to use Ki Damage. This can be useful, but more often than not, it's very situational.
Model for the Yardratian race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Yardratian
Yardratian gain Ki when they hit their opponent. Can be useful, especially in PvP, but not so much for other activities.
Model for the Kanassan race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Kanassan
Kanassans regenerate Stamina twice as fast. This can be useful in certain situations, but not very often.

C-Tier

Race Info
Model for the Saiyan race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Saiyan
Saiyans double their basic attack damage when their health is low. Unfortunately, basic attacks are almost useless in this game, hence why this racial ability is also not that great.
Model for the Demon race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Demon
When Demons use a Melee Weapon, they increase their melee damage by 1.1. This ability would be more useful if melee hits were more useful.
Model for the Namekian race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Namekian (Piccolo)
They can slowly regenerate health but it's barely noticeable, especially when compared to a Majin.
Model for the Android race in Dragon Ball Online Generations
Android
Androids slowly regenerate their Ki, and similar to Namekians, it's barely noticable.

Those are all the races in DBOG. If you need a boost, check out our Dragon Ball Online Generations codes guide.

The post The Ultimate Dragon Ball Online Generations Tier List appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 10:01 AM
    

A player posing with the Sung Jin Woo sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience

Swords in Verse Piece are your go-to damage option in the late game. However, there is a huge difference in damage output between certain swords. Some swords have way better M1 damage, CC, and AoE to boot. So, to help you decide which swords to grind for, we prepared the following Verse Piece swords guide and tier list below.

What are Swords in Verse Piece?

Swords are your primary damage source in Verse Piece, especially in the late game. They grant you enhanced M1 attacks and a variety of other powerful moves. Each sword has up to five moves (Z, X, C, V, F). Lower rarity swords usually only have two or three, while Mythic and Exotic swords usually have at least four moves and very high damage.

Verse Piece Swords Tier List

Tier list of all Swords in Verse Piece Roblox experience made via TierMaker that goes as follows:    S tier: Sung Jin Woo, Cid V2, Toji V2 (Unleashed), Red Mist, Yoriichi, Kokushibo  A tier: Zenitsu, Butterfiles, Starkk V2 (LL), Cid V1, Vergil, Alucard, Anubis  B tier: Ichigo, Shusui, Maki, Rowan, Starkk V1  C tier: Toji, Grimmjow, Rengoku, Kashimo, Excalibur, Yoru, Saber  D tier: Katana
Image via TierMaker

The above tier list ranks all swords in Verse Piece primarily based on their DPS, M1 damage, AoE, and the amount of CC they have. When calculating the DPS of each sword, we took the cooldown and channel time of their moves into consideration as well. In the list further in the guide, we listed only the base damage for each of the sword's moves.

Best Swords in Verse Piece

  • Preview of the Sung Jin Woo Sword's Z move in Verse Piece Roblox experience
  • Preview of the Sung Jin Woo Sword's X move in Verse Piece Roblox experience
  • Preview of the Sung Jin Woo Sword's C move in Verse Piece Roblox experience
  • Preview of the Sung Jin Woo Sword's V move in Verse Piece Roblox experience
  • Preview of the Sung Jin Woo Sword's F move in Verse Piece Roblox experience

Sung Jin Woo is currently the best sword in Verse Piece, as it has the highest DPS and M1 damage of all swords. Cid V2 is a close second with more damage in his kit but with less overall DPS because of his M1 damage and long cooldowns. Toji, Red Mist, Yoriichi, and Kokushibo are all great, with decent AoE and very high damage that is only slightly lower than Cid V2's. Swords placed in A tier and below either lack M1 damage, DPS, or AoE when compared to the S-tier swords.

Verse Piece Swords List

Below is a list of all swords in Verse Piece, including swords that you can't get anymore. The moves of each sword are also described in the following list, along with the requirements needed to obtain each sword. Keep in mind that damage values for each sword move do not represent their overall DPS.

Sword Moves How to get it
Sung Jin Woo sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Sung Jin Woo
Z (40,200 DMG) - Multiple AoE slashes and a slam
X (36,000 DMG) - Long-range thrust attack
C (42,800 DMG) - A flurry of slashes in front of you
V (58,700 DMG) - You become invulnerable and slash around everywhere in a large area
F - You summon Igris to fight alongside you until you kill one enemy
• Purchased from Sung Jin Woo Teacher NPC on Starter Island
• Cost: 10,000 Gems, 1 Basaka Dagger, 1 Knight Dagger
• Requirements: 2nd Awakening title, Monarch trait
Toji V2 (Unleashed) sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Toju (UL)
Z (40,200 DMG) - Multiple AoE slashes and a slam
X (36,000 DMG) - Long-range thrust attack
C (42,800 DMG) - A flurry of slashes in front of you
V (58,700 DMG) - You become invulnerable and slash around everywhere in a large area
• Purchased from Toji Unleashed Teacher NPC in Jujutsu Village
• Cost: 10,000 Gems, 1 Heavenly Spear, 1 Split Soul Katana, 1 Curse Worm
• Requirements: Rejected Zenin trait, Truthseeker race, Toji sword
Yoriichi sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Yoriichi
Z (43,900 DMG) - A huge blast in front of you
X (55,600 DMG) - Flames for around you before you dash forward and do a double slash
C (49,700 DMG) - Vertical slashing slam attack
V (114,200 DMG) - Numerous slashes in a large area around you
• Place among the top five on the Endless Dungeon leaderboard
Zenitsu sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Zenitsu
Z (25,100 DMG) - Medium-range forward dash
X (18,800 DMG) - A barrage of slashes in front of you
C (25,700 DMG) - Long-range beam attack
V (34,200 DMG) - Multiple dashes in an X pattern
• Use the Zenitsu material dropped by the Zenitsu Boss
Starkk V2 (LL) sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Starkk (LL)
Z (48,400 DMG) - Barrage of smaller beam attacks
X (42,000 DMG) - Long channeling beam
C (37,700 DMG) - You slice and dash a long distance forwards
V (60,300 DMG) - Double long-range beam attack
F - Increases your sword damage by 25%
• Purchased from Stark Los Lobos Teacher NPC in Karakura Town
• Cost: 10,000 Gems, 100 Ressurecion Energy, 100 True Hogyoku, 2 Gun Barrel (Starkk), 2 Handle (Starkk), 1 Los Lobos Core
• Requirements: Starkk sword, Los Lobos title
Cid V2 sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Cid v2
Z (41,900 DMG) - Multiple short-range slashes around you
X (51,900 DMG) - Slam, followed up by multiple slashes around you
C (42,800 DMG) - A whirlwind of attacks in a large area around you
V (62,800 DMG) - Huge full AoE sky beam barrage around you
F (134,100 DMG) - Huge full AoE blast
• Purchased from Shadow Teacher NPC in Frost Town during the night
• Cost: 2 Cid Eyes, 2500 Shadow Fragments, Cid v1, Shadow King trait
• Requirements: Shadow Garden title
Kokushibo sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Kokushibo
Z (23,400 DMG) - Multiple small but Full AoE slashes around you
X (24,100 DMG) - Slash around you, followed up by throwing out three celestial shurikens
C (25,100 DMG) - Double vertical curtain slash in a 60 degree cone
V (25,100 DMG) - A whirlwind of slashes all around you
• Use Kokushibo's Sword material
Red Mist sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Red Mist
Z (20,900 DMG) - Two angled slashes followed by a larger double slash
X (25,100 DMG) - Multiple short-range slashes
C (25,100 DMG) - Short-range cone pull
V (33,500 DMG) - Single large slash around you
F - Buffs your damage by 40% for a short duration
• Obtained by using Mimicry material (Purchased from Dungeon Medal Exchanger NPC for 250 Dungeon Medals)
Butterfiles sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Butterflies
Z (23,900 DMG) - Multiple short-range beams
X (25,100 DMG) - Medium-range cone shot
C (24,300 DMG) - Multiple medium-range cone shots
V (30,100 DMG) - Forward barrage of butterflies
F - Buffs the sword's damage by 40% for a short duration
• Purchased from Butterflies Teacher on the Runes Island
• Cost: 10,000 Gems, 100 Death Butterflies, 1 Solemn, and 1 Lament
Vergil sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Vergil
Z (2,515 DMG) - Backwards evade
X (13,413 DMG) - Multiple small slashes around you
C (16,766 DMG) - Small burst of fire around you, followed up by a huge full AoE slash
V (25,150 DMG) - Huge AoE barrage from the sky
• Purchased from Vergil Teacher on Runes Island
• Cost: 5,000¥, 1 Yamato's Sword, 1 Motived Chair
• Requirements: The Alpha & The Omega trait
Cid V1 sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Cid v1
Z (9,146 DMG) - Full AoE slash
X (9,146 DMG) - Slam, followed up by multiple slashes around you
C (11,404 DMG) - A whirlwind of attacks in a large area around you
V (13,720 DMG) - Huge full AoE sky beam barrage around you
• Obtained by trading 1000 Shadow Fragments to the Shadow Raid exchange NPC
• 1% chance to drop from the Shadow Castle Dungeon boss as a material that can be used to get the sword
Alucard sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Alucard
Passive - You heal when you land moves
Z (12,577 DMG) - Short-range barrage
X (9,004 DMG) - Cone of frost that freezes enemies
C (9,861 DMG) - Huge AoE vertical beam
V (10,005 DMG) - Multiple large full AoE novas around you that freeze
• Crafted at the Crafter NPC
• Requirements: Alucard Blood, Casull, Jackal, and Vampire race
Anubis sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Anubis
Z (8,632 DMG) - Multiple small AoE slashes
X (9,489 DMG) - Long dash forward ending with a double slash
C (8,003 DMG) - Forward AoE pull
V (16,063 DMG) - Full AoE whirlwind slashes around you
• Crafted at the Crafter NPC
• Requirements: 5,000 Gems, 1 Anubis Sword, and 10 Curse Aura
Rowan sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Rowan
Z (8,575 DMG) - Forward-moving boomerang that returns to you
X (8,575 DMG) - Huge AoE slam followed up by a slash
C (10,290 DMG) - Slash, followed up by three fires fired in a cone
• Obtained by opening Halloween chests or by purchasing it from the Halloween NPC for Candy
Ichigo sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Ichigo
Z (15,090 DMG) - Multiple huge AoE slashes
X (13,413 DMG) - Single large vertical slash
C (16,766 DMG) - Long-range shadow curtain
• Purchased from Ichigo Teacher on the Boss Island
• Cost: 1 Zangetsu, 1 Zangetsu Handle, 1 Zangetsu Blade, and 1 Zangetsu Hilt
Shusui sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Shusui
Z (8,574 DMG) - Full AoE tornado around you
X (8,574 DMG) - Long-range beam that explodes on hit
C (9,146 DMG) - Long dash forward
• Purchased from Shusui Master that spawns randomly every 5 minutes
• Cost: 5,000,000¥
Maki sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Maki
Z (6,860 DMG) - Huge AoE forward slash
X (8,575 DMG) - Long forward-traveling sky beams
C (6,860 DMG) - Multiple forward slashes
• Purchased from Maki Teacher in Jujutsu Village
• Cost: 5,000 Gems and 1 Split Soul Katana
• Requirements: Zenin trait
Starkk sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Starkk
Z (5,145 DMG) - Short forward beam
X (6,288 DMG) - A barrage of short beams around you
C (8,574 DMG) - A barrage of short beams focused on a point in front of you
• Purchased from Starkk Teacher on the Beach isle
• Cost: 5,000 Gems, 1 Resurrection Energy, 2 Gun Barrels, 2 Handles, and 5 True Hogs
Toji sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Toji
Z (4,573 DMG) - Double slash
X (4,573 DMG) - Multiple medium-sized AoE slashes around you
C (5,145 DMG) - Huge AoE dash forward
• Purchased from Toji Teacher in Desert Town
• Cost: 2,500 Gems, 1 Heavenly Spear
• Requirements: Heavenly Restriction trait
Grimmjow sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Grimmjow
Z (4,030 DMG) - Short-range push
X (5,037 DMG) - Huge full AoE whirlwind around you
C (3,358 DMG) - Two claw attacks followed up by a slash around you
• Unavailable (Previously obtained by talking to Grimmjow Teacher in Frost Town after liking the game and joining the Vermillion group)
Rengoku sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Rengoku
Z (5,780 DMG) - Huge vertical angled slash
X (7,149 DMG) - Medium AoE dash forward
• Unobtainable (Previously available by redeeming a code)
Kashimo sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Kashimo
Z (3,430 DMG) - Medium-sized forward push
X (3,430 DMG) - Beam strike
C (5,145 DMG) - Long-distance forward dash
• 5% chance to drop when defeating Kashimo Boss
Excalibur sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Excalibur
Z (4,001 DMG) - Full AoE slash around you
X (5,716 DMG) - Long forward slash
• Purchased from Saber in Snow Village
• Cost: 2,500 Gems, 20 Goblets, and 5 Light Shards

Yoru
Z (4,191 DMG) - Angled slash that travels forward
X (3,353 DMG) - Full AoE slash around you
• Purchased from the Yoru Teacher in Snow Village
• Cost: 25,000¥, 30 Black Iron, and 25 Wood
Saber sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Saber
Z (3,430 DMG) - Double slash that travels forward
X (4,001 DMG) - Multiple medium-sized AoE slashes
• Purchased from Shanks Teacher on Jungle Island
• Requirements: 1000 Reputation/Bounty
• Cost: 1,500 Gems
Katana sword in Verse Piece Roblox experience
Katana
Z (1,676 DMG) - Projectile that deals a small amount of damage • Purchased from Katana Seller on Starter Island
• Cost: 2,500¥, 10 Wood, and 5 Iron

How to Upgrade Swords in Verse Piece

You can upgrade your swords in Verse Piece by interacting with the Blacksmith NPC on the Blacksmith Isle. However, each upgrade costs you one Enhance Stone, and there is only a 10% chance of it being successful. So, on average, you will need 50 Enhance Stones to max out a sword.

How to Get Enhance Stones

You can get Enhance Stones by opening any chest in Verse Piece. Chests are dropped by Bosses found around the map and in dungeons. The best way to farm chests is to grind Boss Rush dungeons. Each Boss Rush dungeon contains five Bosses, and all of them drop one to two chests when you defeat them.

I hope the above tier list helps you focus your grind on the best swords in Verse Piece. If you want to find out how to really max out your build, then check out our Verse Piece abilities and trait passives guides.

The post Ultimate Verse Piece Swords Guide & Tier List [Vergil Rerun] appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 9:27 AM
    

A modded, custom-built .300 AR-15 carbine from Escape From Tarkov.

It was just as I was deciding between the 10.3-inch carbine barrel and a 16-inch rifle barrel for my fancy new M4A1 build in Single-Player Tarkov that it struck me just how far gun customization has come in video games. But how? Why? Where did it all come from?

The younger folks among us might find it strange to discuss the current, borderline fetishistic approach to weapon customization and gear fine-tuning as it's absolutely become the default way to play a tactical shooter, for example. But this wasn't always the case, and I specifically remember having my mind blown by the ability to switch between different attachments in Crysis. Or, say, the option to equip a single (!) shoddy silencer or optic to a gun in the old, classic Modern Warfare. To come from that to the likes of Escape From Tarkov is nothing short of mind-boggling.

True enough, one shouldn't disregard the fact that many video games only let us interact with them via gunfire: everything looks like a nail when you're a hammer, after all. The trend of weapon adoration in certain modern countries, too, ought to be kept in mind, but those are two different cans of two different types of worms, and I'm not going to muck about with them this time around.

Instead, I'm most interested in figuring out just why on earth weapons at large and firearms, specifically, are such a natural fit for video games. Furthermore, why are we so intent on complicating firearms in video games? What merit is there in allowing us to choose grips, charging handles, and magazine types when they all do precisely the same thing? We've got to start from the beginning, though.

An MTZ-762 battle rifle against a black background
Screenshot via Destructoid

From one extreme to the other

It's all too easy to forget that, once upon a time, your average first-person shooter didn't play host to about two dozen unique weapon platforms. What we would usually get, instead, was a small handful of BLUFOR (i.e. NATO) and OPFOR (i.e. Warsaw-pact) guns and gear attached to each opposing faction. Games such as ARMA were exceptions to the rule, and even the likes of Battlefield and Call of Duty settled for relatively small arsenals.

And why wouldn't they? It was more than enough for the longest time, with minor weapon variations fitting into, say, specialist combat roles if necessary. Instead of letting your spec-ops run around with five different kinds of sub-gun, they'd get a short-barreled M4 or an MP5. Your marksmen, on the other hand, would get that same exact M4 with a scope and maybe an extended barrel if they got lucky.

Think back to Call of Duty 2, for example, where every single Tommy gun was precisely the same. Compare and contrast that with 2017's Call of Duty: WW2, which inserted jury-rigged reflex sights and suppressors into historical combat theatre, and you get just how far we've come. The fact that the modern operational paradigm is being backported into scenarios where it wasn't present is fairly ridiculous in its own right, but it does illustrate my point rather well.

The transition from extreme simplification to the absolutely egregious overcomplication we have today has been long, laborious, and (most importantly) extremely rewarding if you think about it. Please note that I'm not dissing gun customization in any sense: I enjoy these systems quite a lot. It's just that, once again, it feels quite funny to see the likes of Escape From Tarkov being as popular as they are in the context of legacy tactical shooters.

A screenshot from COD: Zombies featuring a flashy, ugly mag-fed shotgun.
Image via Activision

Itemization, itemization, itemization (and some RPGification)

Thinking about all this, I actually believe the modern shooters' penchant for extreme gear modification is tied up with an entirely different yet related gaming trend: RPGification. In fact, it kind of stems from the same source if you squint hard enough.

Though one might claim trends were pointing this way ahead of time, it really was Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare that kinda-sorta kickstarted both a forced inclusion of RPG features (progression, unlocks, etc.) into virtually any game. Coincidentally, it was also the first COD to let you add a doodad to your guns, which is the whole point of this article.

When Modern Warfare took the gaming world by storm, and Modern Warfare 2 subsequently doubled down on both RPG progression mechanics and weapon customization, the rest was history. Now, I get to strip guns almost down to the firing pin in Escape From Tarkov. It's the natural progression of things.

All jokes and cheekiness aside, it'd be silly not to admit that a huge chunk of Escape From Tarkov takes its cues from proper RPGs. Between inventory management, loot mechanics, gear maintenance, and the Flea Market, the influence of Diablo and other such games is felt wherever you look. Heck, depending on how proficient you are, the actual tactical gunplay might not even be the most important part of the experience to you (anymore).

The USP 45 Classic sidearm in Escape from Tarkov.
Image via BSG

All life turns into crab, all games turn into RPGs

Ubisoft games really are the best examples of genre-melding we've got nowadays, and you don't even need to look far ahead to exemplify the point I'm trying to make here. The Division and Ghost Recon games are two sides of the same coin, one leaning more heavily towards the tactical shooter angle, while the other wants to be a Diablo with guns set in modern-day mid-apocalyptic America. Fun stuff, that.

My point is that whereas virtually everyone is talking about the constant RPGification of game progression systems and hybridization of genres, gun customization has just sort of crept in by the backdoor.

Look at it this way: what do gun attachments actually do in a game? Why do you need half a dozen different flashlights, aim modules, and a sub-classification of reflex sights in a twitch-shooter? Because it's fun. It's plain old fun to kit out a fancy gun with a specific kind of suppressor and a specific kind of sight that's hardly different than Eotech's old 553. And the more specific you can get with your tweaking and fine-tuning, the more satisfying it gets. It's your gun, you made it.

Instead of farming, combining, and attaching runes in Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, I'm repeatedly doing Labs runs in Single-Player Tarkov to fund an ever-growing number of questionably varied AR-15 builds in my inventory. I sometimes struggle to see the difference.

We all play games for different reasons, of course, but I genuinely think that modern gun customization taps into the same monkey/lizard parts of our brains as the classic "number go up" progression systems do. It's micro-management, loot procurement, and customization, all wrapped into the same umbrella feature. It really should come as no surprise that every modern (realistic) shooter worth its salt comes with more guns and attachments than entire franchises previously had. It's not a bad thing at all, but it's interesting to think about, and makes you wonder what might come next.

The post From Battlefield to Tarkov: How gun customization has changed gaming appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 9:25 AM
    

type cc trello board

If you find your self hitting a roadblock or not sure how good your character's weapon really is, the active Trello board and bustling Discord server are at your disposal. Whether it's finding the best Hollow weapons, organizing war raids, or collaborating with your faction, you won't be disappointed by what the community has cooking up. Here's how you can access the Type // CC Trello and Discord.

Type // CC Trello Trello & Discord

type cc discord server
Screenshot by Destructoid

Here's a list of all Type // CC community channels:

Let's face it, you most likely won't be happy with what you've rolled for the first couple times, so don't hesitate to dip into our Type // C codes as well. Generally, I'd advise you to pay the most attention to the Trello board. The community is surprisingly efficient in moderating itself, and the squeaky-clean overview will present no issues. In short, you'll be able to find info about:

  • All three races and their progression 
  • Different items you can roll when creating a character
  • Accessories
  • Classes
  • Raids/Lore Events
  • Bosses
  • Archived content 

If you were wondering about the Discord server, it's, truth be told, a bit chaotic. Nevertheless, the Type // CC hivemind will be quick to jump on any questions you might have about the game. Mods try to segment different conversations, but everything inevitably gravitates around general chat. 

I love how the server is a database in and of itself, containing info about everything from announcements and giveaways, to faction news, hunts, challenges, boss sightings and so much more. Check out the Discord server at least weekly to keep up with all the changes. 

I guess that's it for today's Type // CC Trello guide. Check out our other Roblox codes in their dedicated section. 

The post Official Type // CC Trello Board & Discord Server appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 8:47 AM
    

Wish me mell in Hello Kitty Island Adventure

When it comes to leveling up friendships with the Sanrio characters in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, little is more worthwhile than seeking out the perfect gifts. There's a long list of things to choose from, but three-heart gifts are definitely the most worthwhile. 

Every character in Island Adventure has their own preferred gifts, and each of them has one particular gift that will earn three hearts worth of friendship points, allowing you to level them up much faster. Here's how to get those gifts.

How to get all three heart gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Crafting Station in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Screenshot by Destructoid

These gifts are more challenging to procure than others, with some of them unlocking as part of quests or by reaching a certain friendship level with different characters. Here's every Friendship Island resident's three-heart gift, and how to get it. 

Note: You can make the Cooking Recipes, before you own the recipe, as long as you know what to use to make the food. Crafting Plans will have to be unlocked before you can craft any of the three-heart gifts listed below.

It's also possible that you can get any of these items from Gift Flowers (pink buds on the ground in all areas that can be opened by watering them once you've obtained the Watering Can), or the Crane Craze mini-game, which is found in Merry Meadow once you've grown three beanstalks and fully unlocked the area.

Character Three heart gift Source Recipe unlock Recipe
Hello Kitty Red Bow Apple Pie Oven Oven upgrade
(Hello Kitty level 15)
1 Flour
1 Apple
1 Magma Bloom
My Melody Pink Clouds Ice Cream Dessert Machine Dessert Machine upgrade
(Pompompurin level 13)
1 Cactus Cream
1 Candy Cloud
1 Sakura
Chococat Interactive History of Chocolate Crafting Level 3 friendship with TOPHAT 1 Blank Book
1 Mechanism
1 Spark
3 Chocolate Coins
Tuxedosam Designer Island Doll Crafting Level 16 friendship with My Melody 5 Sand Dollars
2 Fabric
1 Gift Box
Badtz-maru Ultimate Joke Pizza Pizza Oven Pizza Oven upgrade
(Retsuko level 9)
1 Dough
1 Pineapple
1 Tofu
Pochacco Pochacco Energy Pop Soda Machine Soda Machine upgrade
(Pekkle level 6)
1 Fizzy Crystal
1 Tofu
1 Spinip
Keroppi Critter Totem Crafting Level 10 friendship with Keroppi 1 Woodblock
3 Coconuts
5 Mushrooms
Kuromi Pumpkin Spice Soda Soda Machine Soda Machine upgrade
(Pekkle level 6)
1 Fizzy Crystal
1 Cinna Bloom
1 Pumpkin
Pekkle Mountain Soundtrack Crafting Level 8 friendship with Retsuko 1 Mechanism
5 Feathers
5 Shinys
Pompompurin Mama's Pudding Dessert Machine Dessert Machine upgrade
(Pompompurin level 13)
1 Cactus Cream
1 Coral Milk
1 Banana
Retsuko Volcanic Guitar Crafting Level 4 friendship with TOPHAT 2 Ingots
2 Sparks
1 Mechanism
Hangyodon Mermaid Figure Crafting Level 13 friendship with My Melody 2 Fabric
3 Pineapples
5 Seashells
Cinnamoroll Chocolate Chai Espresso Machine Espresso Machine upgrade
(Hangyodon level 4)
1 Candlenut
1 Chocolate Coin
1 Cinna Bloom

OR

1 Candlenut
1 Chocolate Coin
1 Magma Bloom

Wish me mell Rare Candle Creation Station Use 5 plucked patterned flowers when making a Flower Candle 5 Beeswax
5 Patterned Flowers
My Sweet Piano Colorful Lamb Plush Crafting Level 10 friendship with My Sweet Piano 1 Lamb Plush
1 Art Supplies

OR

1 Lamb Plush
1 Rainbow Beam

Big Challenges The Greatest Challenge Crafting Level 4 friendship with Lala 2 Ingots
2 Sparks
2 Little Challenges
TOPHAT The Future of Everything Crafting In a treasure chest on Cloud Island 3 Little Challenges
3 Glitches
3 Stars
Lala Quattro Formaggi Pizza Pizza Oven Pizza Oven upgrade
(Retsuko level 9)
1 Dough
1 Moon Cheese
1 Coral Milk
Kiki Starry Skies Shake Dessert Machine Dessert Machine upgrade
(Pompompurin level 13)
1 Cactus Cream
1 Snowcicle
1 Starfruit

The post How to unlock and make all 3 heart gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 8:30 AM
    

Monopoly GO event schedule featured

Monopoly GO has tons of different events for you to participate in, from daily tournaments to monthly Partners events and seasonal minigames with dozens of valuable rewards. Events are the way to go if you want to keep your dice high and obtain prizes like Wild Stickers and five-star card packs.

Monopoly GO event schedule

As of February 10, 2025, Monopoly GO has an ongoing main event, tournament, and the return of Tycoon Racers. Tycoon Racers is ending today, giving you just a few extra hours to complete your races and win the grand prize. A new season, Artful Tales, also began last month and will last until March 2025.

Let's check out every Monopoly GO event, tournament, and season, including any publicly known upcoming events.

Monopoly GO Jingle Joy featured image
Screenshot by Destructoid

Season - Artful Tales

  • Start Date: January 16, 2025
  • End Date: March 6, 2025

Monopoly GO's Artful Tales album includes 17 themed sets, with 10,000 dice, a Visual Virtuoso board token, and cash up for grabs as completion rewards.

Banner Event - Highway to Fame

  • Start Date: February 8, 2025, 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET
  • End Date: February 10, 2025, 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET

The current Monopoly GO main event began on February 8, 2025, at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET. Highway to Fame is your last opportunity to receive Tycoon Racers tokens, giving you an extra chance to get first place in the race's final round. Collecting these is the key to winning first place and obtaining a Swap Pack as a grand prize.

Tournament - Grease & Glory

  • Start Date: February 9, 2025, 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET
  • End Date: February 10, 2025, 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET

Monopoly GO's tournaments are typically daily, giving you a few thousand dice as potential rewards and leaderboard ranking prizes depending on how many railroad points you collect. Grease & Glory, in particular, lets you grab Tycoon Racers flags to drive around a race track and obtain checkpoint prizes.

Monopoly GO Peg-E
Image via Scopely

Special Event - Tycoon Racers

  • Start Date: February 6, 2025
  • End Date: February 11, 2025

Monopoly GO's latest special event is Tycoon Racers, a recurring event where you drive around a race track as either a solo player or a team of four. You'll compete against other solo players or teams to get first place in each race, collect medals, and win the final grand prize. You can also get small prizes as you race around the track, ranging from additional flags to dice and sticker packs.

The previous event was the return of Juggle Jam, a carnival-style game where you arrange colored balls and exchange tickets for rewards. Your goal is to guess the correct sequence of ball colors, with one guess equaling one purple token. Completing a round grants you tickets to spend on random prizes.

Monopoly GO Quick Wins list - February 10

Alongside your regular events and minigames, Monopoly GO also has a Quick Wins list that gives you a small amount of dice and cash. Each day, you can collect various milestone prizes for finishing all three Quick Wins, with a weekly prize usually consisting of five-star packs or Wild Stickers.

Here is today's Quick Wins list, updated on February 10, 2025.

Quick Win Rewards
Upgrade one Landmark 10 Dice
60 Tycoon Racers flags
Three progress points
Complete one Bank Heist Cash
60 Tycoon Racers flags
Four progress points
Roll Doubles four times One-Star Sticker Pack
90 Tycoon Racers flags
Five progress points

The post What's the next event in Monopoly GO? appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 8:29 AM
    

Monopoly GO Quick Wins list featured image

Monopoly GO's daily Quick Win tasks are among the most helpful ways to get dice, cash, and sticker packs as a new or experienced player. These rewards can make a huge difference between completing your seasonal sticker packs and being just a few cards short.

Today's Monopoly GO Quick Wins tasks and rewards

Monopoly GO has three Quick Win objectives you can complete daily. These are typically quick and easy tasks you can finish to gain some small rewards and advance through a weekly prize pool. While early week rewards are small, the grand prize is usually a Five-Star pack, Swap Pack, or a Wild Sticker if we're lucky.

Here's a complete list of today's Quick Win tasks and rewards, updated on February 10, 2025.

Quick Win Rewards
Upgrade one Landmark 10 Dice
60 Tycoon Racers flags
Three progress points
Complete one Bank Heist Cash
60 Tycoon Racers flags
Four progress points
Roll Doubles four times One-Star Sticker Pack
90 Tycoon Racers flags
Five progress points

What are Quick Win tasks?

Monopoly GO's Quick Wins are daily tasks you complete for weekly rewards. You'll receive five small prizes daily, including dice, low-tier sticker packs, or emojis. The end-of-week reward is the most valuable, ranging between a Five-Star pack, Swap Packs, or even a Wild Sticker.

Here are some Quick Win objectives you might encounter throughout your Monopoly GO playthrough:

  • Pass Go X times
  • Collect one sticker
  • Land on X space one time
  • Collect cash
  • Roll doubles X times
  • Upgrade X landmarks
  • Complete a Landmark Shutdown/Bank Heist X times

Since these are daily tasks, Scopely has designed them to be relatively easy to complete, even if you're a new player. However, you may still miss a few, especially if you're out of dice or don't get opportunities to open sticker packs.

How to find Monopoly GO's Quick Win task list

Monopoly GO Quick Wins button
Screenshot by Destructoid

Your Quick Wins list is available directly on your main Monopoly GO screen. After loading in and arriving on your board, tap the "Wins" button in the bottom left corner of your screen to find your Quick Win objectives. You'll also spot a timer until the list refreshes, your weekly progress, and a reward bar at the bottom of the screen.

How many Quick Wins can you miss?

In Monopoly GO, completing all three Quick Win objectives daily will grant you 84 progress points a week. You only need 74 points to get a week's grand prize, allowing you to miss up to ten points worth of tasks.

Monopoly GO Quick Wins points
Screenshot by Destructoid

However, one day gives you 12 points, so you can't miss a full day. Instead, you can have one day to complete the first task and skip the last two or two days to miss the third objective. As long as your missed tasks don't exceed ten progress points, you're in the clear for the week's end.

Tips for completing Monopoly GO Daily Quick Wins

Your exact strategies to finish your Quick Win tasks will depend on the day's objectives. While some days rely heavily on your dice rolls, others focus on upgrading landmarks and collecting stickers. That said, below are some tips for ensuring you complete all three of your daily Quick Win tasks and get your weekly grand prize:

  • Log on every day, even for a few minutes. Missing one day automatically locks you out of the weekly grand prize until the following week!
  • Try to finish your objectives early in the day so you don't forget about them later.
  • Plan your dice rolling, sticker trading, and money spending carefully. If you upgrade your landmarks before it appears as a Quick Win task, there's a chance you won't be able to finish it unless you have enough dice to collect more cash.
  • If you're not active in the sticker trading community, ask a friend or family member to swap one-star cards for sticker-collecting tasks.
  • If you run out of dice and need to complete a task like passing Go or rolling doubles, use resources like events, tournaments, and free dice links to obtain some more.

Good luck finishing your Quick Wins and grabbing some weekly prizes. Whether you're completing a Partners event or want to snag a five-star pack, hopping on and completing these is one of the easiest ways to get valuables items each week, especially if you're a new player who doesn't have access to thousands of dice and tens of thousands of levels worth of profile upgrades.

The post Monopoly GO: Today's Quick Wins tasks and rewards (February 10) appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 8:28 AM
    

The best deckbuilder games for the Steam Deck - a Steam Deck oled running Dicey Dungeons

While the controls on the Deck work pretty fine for most genres, there's something innately relaxing about sitting back and playing with the touch screen. And few games are quite as suited to this purpose as deck builders.

So here are some of the best deck builder games you can play on the Steam Deck.

Which are the best deck builder games on the Steam Deck?

Slay the Spire

Series of cards in Slay the spire
Image via Mega Crit

Nothing comes close to this—one of the original roguelike deck builders. While there were games in the genre before, Slay the Spire kickstarted the overall idea. Many have tried to imitate it, but few have come close. Choose one of the starting characters and prepare for a long sequence of fights while you try to climb to the top of the spire.

However, the path you choose will be the key to success, since your chosen strategy is the only difference between a successful climb and a miserable failure. Every encounter, event, and path on the spire map presents opportunities for risk and reward.

Are you going to take a chance on a mysterious event, and perhaps get your hands on rewards and boons, or stick to a safer route with no rewards in sight? With a unique 2D graphic style, atmospheric music, and lore far deeper than it might seem at first, Slay The Spire remains the best game in the genre. It runs great on the Deck, and both the touch screen and controls are a joy to use.

Wildfrost

Battle in Wildfrost
Image via Chucklefish

With an overwhelming slew of positive reviews, this is another great addition to your collection of deckbuilders. Wildfrost will have you thinking about which cards to add to your deck and which ones to use in battles.

Each journey starts by choosing a leader for your flock, with each one bringing its very own skills and unique stats. You then start your trek in the wild frozen lands, trying to survive and find companions that can help you along the way.

With a cute art style and an overall clean look, this is perfect for fans of the genre who want to bring their decks on the go. Indeed, Wildfrost works perfectly well on the Steam Deck and is verified.

Stacklands

Villager fighting a rat in Stacklands
Image via Sokpop Collective

Do you want to build your deck using people, buildings, and food instead of cards? Then you are ready to establish your own medieval settlement in Stacklands. Open packs of cards to add villagers, resources, buildings, and tasks to your settlement. But that's not all, since stacking them in creative ways will be the main mechanic used to grow your little village while enjoying a wonderful sense of discovery.

Help feed hungry villagers with new technologies such as fire and the fridge while you arm your warriors to repel attacks from rats, goblins, and evil wizards beset on conquering your realm.

Stacklands works like a dream on the deck, and the touchscreen is easy to use. If you're not a fan of fast-paced combat and loops, you can also play in "pacifist" mode and enjoy a more chilled experience.

Ballionaire

A Pachinko wheel with symbols and dollar signs
Image via Raw Fury

While most of the deck builders on this list are pretty relaxed in terms of pacing, Ballionaire is a bit of an exception. Instead of collecting cards, you build your very own Pachinko board.

Your goal is to build the perfect pachinko board to trigger insane combos and earn boons. You can then modify the very rules of the game using these boons to further your progress.

With so many different combinations to try out, plus endless replayability via mods, Ballionaire will be perfect for those looking for a different, more action-oriented flavor of deck builder. Plus, it works pretty great on the Steam Deck, with fantastic touch controls that give you complete control of the board.

Dicey Dungeons

A list of effects and abilities in Dicey Dungeons
Image via Terry Cavanagh

Despite being a few years old, this classic roguelite featuring dice protagonists is still one of the best offerings in the genre. This delightful game combines a great art style with a quirky story that will have you root for your die as they go against the evil Lady Luck. The gameplay is also rich in ideas and quirky mechanics.

While it might feel a bit on the easy side, especially compared to other offerings in the genre, it offers great bang for your buck, even featuring limited-time events during special occasions throughout the year—such as Haloween.

Each of the six characters feels unique and has their own style of gameplay and dialogue, making Dicey Dungeons a great pick. It works great on the Deck, too, whatever your style of play.

Backpack Battles

A battle in Backpack Battles
Image via PlayWithFurcifer

What if the strength of your character came from how well you organized the items in your backpack? That'd be pretty strange, right? Backpack Battles offers a different flavor of roguelike deckbuilding by having you collect and combine items in your backpack. The more stacked it is, the more likely you are to win the next battle.

You can also go up against real builds of other players in the online Ranked mode, or simply have a good time in Casual for a good time without pressure.

While still in Early Access, the team is working hard on the game and what's on offer is already great value. Backpack Battles is also already verified on the Deck, so it's perfect for those quick sessions.

Ascension: Deckbuilding Game

Several cards from the deck in Ascension
Image via Playdek

Want to go back to the classic deck builder experience? Meet Ascension, the game adaptation of the original board game. While this might be more complex than other titles on this list, it will be manna from heaven for any serious lovers of the genre.

Not only can you play against the computer, but also online against friends to see who can employ the better strategy through their selection of cards. The game also comes with well-made tutorials that teach you how to play in just a few minutes.

It's a great game for short sessions since it doesn't feature a story or campaign mode—it's all about single matches. Also, if you want to expand the base game, there are tons of DLCs to try out.

The game, overall, works fine on the Deck even though it might require you to input some text via the keyboard sometimes, which you can conjure up by pressing the Steam button plus X.

Loop Hero

Examining a skeleton enemy
Image via Devolver Digital

In Loop Hero, you wield an expanding deck of mystical cards to place enemies, buildings, and terrain along each unique expedition loop for the brave hero.

By surviving as long as possible and using all the cards at your disposal, you can recover loot that will make your hero powerful and unlock new hero classes. Plus, between loops, you can return to the survivors' camp to expand and unlock new features and abilities.

This is a slightly different flavor on your classic deckbuilder, but a strong contender for one of the best in the genre. It's genuinely hard to put down. Since this is a great game to play in short bursts, it is perfect for on-the-go sessions with your Steam Deck. It works pretty well on the device with no big issues.

Across the Obelisk

Stack of cards in Across the Obelisk
Image via Paradox Interactive

Lead your team on a quest to save a brave party of strong heroes while trying to survive as long as possible. You'll face tough battles and tricky events on the way through. You can play this deck builder with friends in co-op mode, but it's also enjoyable solo.

There are an incredible number of cards to choose from, and several interesting class combinations that you can unlock while upgrading your party of heroes. Across the Obelisk doesn't reinvent the wheel in terms of mechanics or ideas, but for any fans of the genre, this is a great game to sink a few hours into every day.

On the Deck, it works perfectly most of the time, but there can be times when you'll have to squint to read the small text descriptions, but it's not a serious problem.

Knock on the Coffin Lid

Fighting a scary monster in the woods
Image via Redboon

If you've already played the classics such as Slay the Spire and Monster Train, then it may be time to go beyond the grave and sink into this grim, horror-tinged deck builder. You have three characters to choose from, which might not feel like much, but they have four subclasses as well. Each one basically works like an entirely different character, with unique attacks and cards.

Exploring maps will uncover events with unique options for each character, and the story is well-written and brought to life thanks to some excellent voice acting.

This title also works great on the Steam Deck, even though it is currently unverified. Since the overall action does not reach a crazy pace, the touchscreen should be more than enough to win battles by choosing the right strategy. Knock on the Coffin Lid is a labor of love that will please deck builder fans.

The post The best deck builder games for the Steam Deck appeared first on Destructoid.


Destructoid Monday, February 10, 2025 7:18 AM
    

All romanceable characters in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma

There are a total of 16 romanceable characters in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma for you to fall in love with. 14 of them come with the game, and two will arrive later in the form of DLC; here's everyone you'll be able to flirt with and possibly marry in this farming RPG.

All Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma bachelors

Subaru

Subaru can be one of the main protagonists of the game but can be romanced if you pick the female option Kaguya. Voiced by Brandon McInnis (Fire Emblem: Engage), he's an easy-going fella who has a strong sense of justice and will fight for his friends. He left his village to save his homeland of Azuma, and he's a childhood friend of Kaguya.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma lets you romance the other protagonist character
Screenshot via Nintendo of America's YouTube channel

Murasame

Murasame is a muscular samurai who wants to become the world's greatest swordsman. He is a master of the Munen Muso sword style, which frees him from empty thoughts. It doesn't seem like he has many other hobbies as he "spends his days training and keeping his sword in good condition," according to the Rune Factory website.

Mauro

Mauro is an adorable treasure hunter who hails from a faraway land. He's in Azuma on a hunt to find a legendary treasure. He seems to be a crybaby who has a "sentimental soul," according to the official website.

Kurama

Kurama's the proclaimed god of autumn and the wind and has a cool head on his shoulders. He seems to be the one that everyone goes to for knowledge as he is well-versed in a wide variety of subjects, says the official website. He "excels at every game imaginable" because of his tactical nature.

Fubuki

Fubuki is the Half-Beast God of Winter and Water and is warmhearted towards his friends. He is a "somewhat anxious soul who hates to hurt others," according to the developer Marvelous.

Kai

As the Oni God of the Underworld, Kai does seem a bit scary due to his mighty power and being the leader of the Oni. However, he treats his friends well. He always hides behind a mask to obscure his face. Maybe we'll see it as the story unfolds.

Ikaruga

This mystic is the leader of the Jingasa Corps, and despite having this role, he is surprisingly mild-mannered. However, don't let his personality fool you, "he stops at nothing to achieve" his personal goals, according to the official website.

Cuilang

Hailing from the Autumn Village, Cuilang is a mechanical expert who is fairly antisocial. Despite this, he helps anyone in need of his abilities. You'll need the Seasons of Love DLC pack for this character.

There are plenty of characters to romance in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
Image via Marvelous

All Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma bachelorettes

Kaguya

Kaguya can also be a main protagonist for the game but can be romanced if you pick the male option Subaru. She is a childhood friend of Subaru. She's similar to Snow White because she loves to interact with animals and involves herself with nature. Like Subaru, she's a calm presence, but according to the official website, "she despises evil and resents any acts of injustice." She's voiced by Suzie Yeung (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth).

Iroha

This friendly woman is the owner of the teahouse in Spring Village. According to the official website, she wants to revitalize Spring Village and return it to its former glory.

Hina

Voiced by Mela Lee (Mortal Kombat 11), Hina is a half-human half-fox who arrives in the village alongside Mauro. She is an archaeologist, which goes hand-in-hand with Mauro's treasure-hunter instincts. She wants to help others in whatever way possible.

Ulalaka

As the God of Spring and Mirth, she tries to spread positivity across the land. She is supposedly kind and gentle to everyone who comes across her.

Matsuri

Matsuri is a carefree God of summer and swords who enjoys physical activities. She prefers to deal with her enemies with brute force instead of using the blade.

Kanata

Kanata is a god of light and the heavens, who is serious and intelligent. According to the official website, she is "prone to flights of fancy."

Clarice

She's a mysterious leader who traveled to Azuma for an unknown goal. She is unlike other characters in the game as she's a "cold, battle-hardened soldier who fears little," according to the official website.

Pilika

This quiet huntress hails from the far north region of Azuma. She is great at hunting but also "feels deep respect for every living thing," says the official website. She's a DLC character that requires you to get the "Seasons of Love" DLC pack.

Hopefully, one of these romanceable characters in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma can lift your spirits in between farming and battling.

Are there same-sex relationships in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma?

It has been confirmed that the characters in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma will fall in love with the protagonist, no matter the gender you pick. This allows for same-sex relationships and marriages in this RPG. Despite this, it might take you a while to romance these characters as the previous entry, Rune Factory 5, is one of the longest Switch games you can play.

The post All romanceable characters in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma appeared first on Destructoid.


PC Invasion - FeedDDD Monday, February 10, 2025 10:17 AM
     Fabled Legacy promo image.Updated February 10, 2025: We added new codes! There are many dungeons to crawl in Fabled Legacy, and who else is going to do it other than you—the hero destined for greatness? The good news is that you can bring your friends along with you. If you need better weapons and armor, Fabled Legacy codes can help. All Fabled Legacy codes list Active Fabled Legacy codes HEARTBREAKER — Free rewards (New) 100MVISITS — 200 Gems LEGACY — 200 Gems CURSED — 200 Gems 105KLIKES — 200 Gems NEWYEAR — 200 Gems CELEBRATIONS — 200 Gems HELLBOUND — 200 Gems DARKNESS — 100 Gems PATIENCE — 200 Gems TURKEY — 100 Gems 100KLIKES — 200 Gems THANKSFOR100K — 15 minutes of All Boosts HALLOWEEN — 100 Gems DELAY — 100 Gems SOULS — 100 Gems FLAMINGO — 100 Gems 95KLIKES — 100 Gems PEARLS — 100 Gems CALAMITOUS — 100 Gems 90KLIKES — 100 Gems EMBERWING — 100 Gems EMBERS — 100 Gems ...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Monday, February 10, 2025 8:23 AM
     Flame Of Valhalla official promo artwork.Updated February 10, 2025: Added more codes! Plunge into the world of Norse mythology and claim your place amongst the gods in this thrilling MMORPG experience. Once you create your character and start exploring, other players and bosses will try to defeat you and take your loot. Use Flame of Valhalla codes to fight back! All Flame of Valhalla codes list Active Flame of Valhalla codes  ZKYQ6W — Free rewards (New) JPU8XH — Free rewards 9ZS8LY — Free rewards 5UKM4DIK — Free rewards 3J8LCA — Free rewards 3ZDCBY — 10k Silver Coins, 5 Pet Essences, and a Small Attribute Elixir Gift Pack 91XO45 — 20 Bound Diamonds, Level 1 Solid Gem, and a Small Attribute Elixir Gift Pack 9H1LRA — 20 Bound Diamonds, 5 Pet Essences, and One Rose A154YO — 10k Silver Coins, 5 Wings Essences, and a Small Attribute Elixir Gift Pack CFH37I — 10k Silver Coins, 5 Mount Essences, and a Small Attribute Elixir Gift Pack E7GTVJ — 20 Bou...

PC Invasion - FeedDDD Monday, February 10, 2025 7:52 AM
     (21) Version 1.4 Trailer Jolted Awake From A Winter Dream Honkai Star Rail Youtube 0 0 48 codesAdded new codes! Honkai: Star Rail is a free-to-play gacha game from HoYoverse, creators of other popular gacha games such as Honkai Impact 3rd and Genshin Impact. Like any gacha game, you'll need to collect plenty of materials and premium currency to obtain and level up new characters and weapons. You'll also need to earn in-game cash and other unique items. Fortunately, HoYoverse frequently hands out codes for free, allowing players to get a small boost in important items. Here's our guide to all the Honkai: Star Rail codes currently active. Related: Honkai Star Rail: Best Build for Jingliu – Relics, Light Cones, Eidolons, and Abilities All Honkai: Star Rail Version 3.0 codes Honkai: Star Rail is currently in its Version 3.0 update. Here are all of the active codes for the game so far: BP6Q5Z6X7C8VB — 3 Bija of Consciousness and 20k Credits (New) XYZ7OPQR9012 — 50 Stellar Jade and 10k Credits (New) AGLAEAGIFT — 3 Traveler's ...

iDev Games Feed Monday, February 10, 2025 7:56 AM
     Shinobie Sprint is an action-packed endless runner....

MonsterVine Monday, February 10, 2025 12:00 PM
     Relic Entertainment, developers of real-time strategy games like Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes, announced today that it has a plan for the future! Hey, that's great. Announced in a press release, Relic's plans are to support existing titles, indie dev, and "Re-imagining Classics." I'll post the full description of these after […]

MonsterVine Monday, February 10, 2025 9:00 AM
     The cozy cat café sim, Calico, just got even cuter with the release of the Neat Things DLC, available now on PC and Nintendo Switch. This update expands the world of Calico with new quests, fresh animal companions, a charming new character, and fun new mini-games to discover. Whether you're decorating your dream café, snuggling […]