GamersHeroes Monday, February 9, 2026 7:05 PM Now available in Capcom and Niantic's Monster Hunter Now, Hunters can now take part in an Upgrade Rush Quest to net themselves Zenny and monster materials. The post Monster Hunter Now Upgrade Rush Quest Live appeared first on GamersHeroes. |
Kotaku Monday, February 9, 2026 6:10 PM  Also: is Blizzard preparing to reveal a StarCraft shooter? |
Kotaku Monday, February 9, 2026 5:47 PM  This might explain why the Switch 2 port isn't coming anytime soon... |
Kotaku Monday, February 9, 2026 4:40 PM  2XKO isn't meeting Riot Games' expectations |
Kotaku Monday, February 9, 2026 4:18 PM  The action-RPG's tutorial ends with a lesson in getting good |
Kotaku Monday, February 9, 2026 3:30 PM  Speedy little drones and talented operators are providing the coolest views of the 2026 Winter Olympics |
Kotaku Monday, February 9, 2026 3:19 PM  The latest game from Edmund McMillen combines a vast array of systems with a giant pile of poo jokes |
Kotaku Monday, February 9, 2026 3:02 PM  The Warcraft card game has only been available digitally since it launched in 2014 |
Kotaku Monday, February 9, 2026 2:24 PM  Epic claims it was communicative but Santa Ragione disagrees |
Kotaku Monday, February 9, 2026 1:33 PM  One of the first Pokémon Lego sets has a fun detail in the build |
Kotaku Monday, February 9, 2026 1:00 PM  Amazon's live-action series is bringing back some actors who were part of the games |
PCGamesN Monday, February 9, 2026 5:00 PM Grok is under investigation from the ICO for generating disturbing illicit images of women and children, giving a horrible glimpse of what your data can be used for without a VPN. |
PCGamesN Monday, February 9, 2026 2:00 PM We've got one Nioh 3 Steam key to give to a lucky person, so if you've been hoping to give Team Ninja's latest soulslike a try, here's your chance. |
PCGamesN Monday, February 9, 2026 1:05 PM Super People's second attempt to survive in the harsh world of battle royales is coming to an end, and even its shutdown has been a mess. |
Siliconera Monday, February 9, 2026 6:00 PM
Cover announced that Octavio, a Holostars English Armis Vtuber, is on hiatus in February 2026. This comes after the performer canceled a February 6, 2026 stream. There is no date set yet for his return, and his manager ended up being the person who shared the official notice about the break on social media.
Octavio first announced he'd be taking a bit of a break on February 5, 2026. He did stream the Digimon Story: Time Stranger finale as scheduled on February 4, 2026. However, his Membership Recording didn't happen. He noted he wouldn't be present for the weekend streams and might be away for a bit, as he noted, "I'll be taking my mom to the hopital [sic] and I might need to stay there for a few days." The update from his manager confirmed the hiatus would be extended.
Here is the full statement from Cover and Octavio's manager:
"Thank you for your support of Octavio's activities. We would like to inform you that Octavio will be taking a break from talent activities for February due to urgent family matters. "We ask for your kind understanding and support for the time being. "Please note that until further notice, Octavio may still feature in upcoming group releases that had been completed prior to this announcement."
Octavio has been a Vtuber with Holostars English since November 2023. He's not only well known for streaming games, but also for his original songs and covers. One of his latest releases was a duet with fellow Armis member Jurard T Rexford, as the two covered Deco&27's "Monitoring."
The post Holostars Vtuber Octavio on Hiatus appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, February 9, 2026 5:00 PM
Good Smile Company shared its next Pop Up Parade L figure, and it will be a larger-than-usual Hatsune Miku x Cinnamoroll cross-over statue. That showed up as a painted prototype for the first time at Wonder Festival 2026 Winter. As it is that far along in development, we could see pre-orders open soon and it appear alongside other figures from the company in that Vocaloid and Sanrio Mascot collection.
The standard Pop Up Parade figures are the budget line that costs usually around ￥5,500/$33.99 and stands around 160mm (six inches). The L variants are larger and more detailed, but cost more money as a result. For example, the Song of Saya/Saya no Uta one is $57.99 and sits at 120mm (almost five inches). This Hatsune Miku x Cinnamoroll one features both the Vocaloid and mascot with their hair/ears held up in blue bows on top of their heads to make them look like rabbit ears. Since she's standing up with the Sanrio star on her shoulder, it could end up standing at about 220mm (eight and a half inches). As for price, some of the other L versions come in around ￥8,800/$57.99, so she might be around that price point.
Here's the sample photo Good Smile Company shared:
While we don't have a release date for this figure yet, there are some others from this crossover collaboration that will appear this year. Good Smile Company announced a chibi blind box collection. There are five versions in it, and they'll be in Japan in July 2026 and North America in Q4 2026.
The Pop Up Parade L Hatsune Miku x Cinnamoroll figure is in development. It is unknown when we'll see it appear worldwide, but Good Smile Company always does release its Pop Up Parade figures in every region.
The post Next Hatsune Miku Cinnamoroll Figure Is Pop Up Parade L appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, February 9, 2026 4:00 PM
Apex-Toys showed off one Persona 3 Reload figure and two based on Persona 5 Royal at Wonder Festival 2026 Winter. All three are inspired by the protagonists of the two entries in the series. Two of them are quite far along in development and showed up as painted prototypes at the event. One is still in the unpainted prototype phase. These will all be static figures, like many others in the past, with two being scale models.
Two of these figures showed up before, as Apex-Toys highlighted the unpainted prototypes of the Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Royal protagonists at Wonder Festival 2025 Summer. Both were very early along at that point. While the eyes were visible on the sculptures at that event, both were still in-progress and not finalized. At this point, both are much closer to being ready for launch, which could mean pre-orders will open soon.
The third piece is the newest reveal. That's a HappyClick version of Persona 5 Royal's Ren Amamiya in his Shujin Academy uniform. This involves a chibi version of the character. It looks like he's walking along a street with the city backdrop behind him.
Here's how all three items will look:
Persona 3 Reload can be found on the Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. Persona 5 Royal is available on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
The post See Apex-Toys' Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Royal Figures appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, February 9, 2026 3:00 PM
Good Smile Company confirmed four Monster Hunter series Nendoroids are in the works, and this time the figures are based on the Palico and Felyne lynians and monsters found in the games. All of them are very early in development, and concept art for only two types of characters are available. It's unknown when they could start to appear. They will follow the more traditional Nendoroids of Hunters in various armor sets from the series.
The two figures that seem like they might be furthest along in development are the Monster Hunter Nendoroids of the Rathalos and Yian Kut-Ku. In the case of both, chibi concept art of the upcoming characters appeared suggesting how the creatures might look. No accessories appeared in either image, but each one highlighted a more active pose for them.
With the two Palico Nendoroid options, it showed the Felyne Lynians from Monster Hunter in two different fashions. One is based upon Kit T, the Hunting Guide mascot from Monster Hunter Rise. The other is a more traditional take on the partner in Rathalos armor. In both cases, no concept art appeared and Good Smile Company used Capcom official images.
Here's how all four of the upcoming characters will look:
The most recent Monster Hunter mainline game is Wilds for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection comes to the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on March 13, 2026.
The post New Monster Hunter Nendoroids Include Rathalos, Palico appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Monday, February 9, 2026 2:00 PM
Following an October 2025 data leak that exposed around 70,000 users' government-ID photos exposed, Discord announced it will require users to share a government ID or video selfie to remove teen-by-default limitations and age-gated limitations. It will enforce the new restrictions starting in early March 2026, though an exact date for the rollout wasn't set. It also noted that while there will be verification requests, there will also be an "age inference model" system and multiple forms of identification required in some case.
Discord explained what people can expect if they choose not to provide a video selfie or give the unnamed "vendor partners" access to government-ID data to remove the teen-by-default age-gated restrictions. Some servers and channels will become inaccessible. You won't be able to speak on server stages. Sensitive content will be blurred. Direct messages will also be affected, with friend request alerts appearing for unknown individuals and some messages from those kinds of individuals heading to a different inbox.
The announcement also included some details about how Discord will handle the data it acquires from this verification process. If someone would use the selfie approach, the announcement noted, "Video selfies for facial age estimation never leave a user's device." It claimed the vendor partners would delete images of IDs "quickly — in most cases, immediately after age confirmation." However, it didn't name the partners, so it is not possible to check with these third-parties to determine their official protocol.
As a reminder, the last Discord data leak in October 2025 didn't just involve government-ID information. It also potentially allowed other individuals to see your name, your user name, your email and contact information, your IP address, your Discord purchase history, what payment type you used, and the last four digits of the credit card used with Discord. Passwords, messages that didn't involve customer support, and credit card full numbers and CCVs remained private.
The Discord teen-by-default age-gated limitations that will require video selfies or government-ID sharing to remove will take effect in early March 2026.
The post Discord Teen-by-Default Settings Forced on Users Without Verification appeared first on Siliconera. |
Destructoid Monday, February 9, 2026 5:53 PM
Knockout Reality is all set to be the next promo in FC 26, and it will feature some amazing cards in Ultimate Team if the leaks are to be believed.
EA Sports might have remained tight-lipped about the cards, but the promo has been confirmed. The upcoming campaign is a brand-new one that will make its debut in Ultimate Team. Let's look at all the cards that have been revealed on social media.
Table of contents
All FC 26 Knockout Reality Team 1 players (leaked)
The Knockout Reality promo will have special cards of active footballers and legends alike. Expect to find promo items, Icons, and Heroes in packs when the campaign goes live. Here's a list of all the leaked cards that have appeared on social media as of writing.
Interestingly, EA Sports has also teased four new Heroes who will be part of the promo. However, their identities are yet to be revealed. Expect to find some promo items in SBCs and objectives. Unlike pack cards, you won't have to rely on your luck to obtain them.
FC 26 Knockout Reality Team 1 release countdown
Team 1 items will be live on Friday, Feb. 13, when the Future Stars promo officially ends. The following countdown will expire once the promo goes live in Ultimate Team.
The countdown is based on the following timings.
This is the usual schedule that EA Sports follows when it comes to releasing new promos in Ultimate Team. More leaks are expected to appear as we get closer to the release date. It will be interesting to find out which cards eventually make it to the final team release.
The post All FC 26 Knockout Reality Team 1 players and release countdown appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Monday, February 9, 2026 4:53 PM
ARC Raiders could be answering the calls for one of the most-requested additions to the game since launch, and even before it, in a new limited time mode this week.
Embark Studios announced the new event today, called Shared Watch, although details are scant so far. The video the company used to tease it, though, sure sounds like players will be teaming up together, and not against each other, in the fight against ARC.
"You watch my back, I'll watch yours - that's how Speranza keeps ticking," the company said. "Join your fellow Raiders in celebrating the Shared Watch; team up with strangers, turn your barrels on the machines, and earn rewards in the process."
And that's all there is to go on, for now, other than some potential new baseball helmet-themed gear teased in the key art. If it truly is a PvE-only experience, then many players will be thrilled to try it out. ARC Raiders players have been asking for something like this for a while, and if it's here, it should be a big hit.
The game's usage of an "aggression-based matchmaking" system means a PvE experience is entirely possible to foster, but this being a true co-op experience where players can team up with others to fight against the AI ARC enemies may be a fun addition to the game's existing style.
Shared Watch is scheduled to run from Feb. 10 to 24, so it's for a limited time for now. But, anything can change, and if the mode proves as popular as it has the potential to, then Embark may have no choice but to consider a more permanent solution.
For now, though, players can queue up when the event goes live and see what it has to offer in the early morning hours tomorrow.
The post Is ARC Raiders finally adding a PvE-only mode? It sure sounds like it, and it arrives very soon appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Monday, February 9, 2026 4:47 PM
Overwatch Season 1, aka Reign of Talon, will be released pretty soon across PC/consoles as it marks a major milestone in the history of the franchise.
As Blizzard announced, the popular franchise will be dropping "2" from its name. Moving forward, there will be just one Overwatch, and Season 1 marks a fresh start. This guide will help you keep track of when the new season and all the applicable content go live.
Overwatch Season 1 Reign of Talon release countdown
Season 1 Reign of Talon goes live on Feb. 10 across all platforms. The season launch will be simultaneous across both PC and consoles. The following countdown will expire once the season goes live. Certain regions will have the new season available on Feb. 11 due to how time zones work.
The countdown is based on the following timings.
The countdown and timings are based on the information available from Blizzard. The launch is subject to last-minute changes. If that happens, I will duly update the countdown to help your cause.
The new season will have plenty of items, as announced by Blizzard. Five new Heroes join the adventure, and we have already enjoyed Anran in the past. He and his allies will be added to the permanent roster starting Feb. 10. A Conquest Meta event will also be live, and all characters will have new passives for you experiment with. Finally, Vendetta will be part of the Stadium mode in the new season.
Expect to find plenty of unannounced changes, new skins, and content when the season goes live. You'll have to update your client to the latest version to enjoy the Reign of Talon season.
The post Overwatch Season 1 Reign of Talon release countdown: Exact date and time appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Monday, February 9, 2026 3:46 PM
PlayStation is about to go live with its longest-ever State of Play, and so it could be a big one when it comes to announcements and reveals.
Sony is promising "60-plus minutes of news, gameplay updates, and announcements from game studios across the globe," and all eyes in the industry will be tuned in. Outside of a wishlist of games that we'd all love to see get announced (Bloodborne, please), there's plenty of titles that need some updates.
It's fun to dream about what could be, but first, we need some information on what we know is supposed to be coming. With all of that in mind, here's what we hope to see in the February 2026 State of Play.
Table of contents
Feb. 2026 State of Play Wishlist
New God of War
Whether it's a true sequel or the rumored 2D God of War spin-off based in Kratos's Spartan era, it's time for some news from this franchise, especially as the Prime Video series ramps up with its excellent casting choices.
Final Fantasy - VII and/or XVII
It's high time for something from Final Fantasy, whether it be news of the final episode of the FF7 Remake, or Final Fantasy 17. Could we get both? It's entirely possible. A surprise FF17 trailer to supplement some news about a potential release window for FF7-3 would be huge.
Marathon open test
Bungie already confirmed that its stylish extraction shooter Marathon will have an open play test weekend. With the game due on March 5, the clock is ticking, and many are counting on an official announcement for the test, which could begin over the weekend or the day after the presentation, on Feb. 13.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet trailer
Alright, Naughty Dog, what's up? Intergalactic has been MIA since its debut in December 2024. How far out is it? Can we actually see some gameplay? A new frontier for the makers of Uncharted and The Last of Us has a ton of potential, so let's see what's going on with it.
Wolverine release date
Marvel's Wolverine made its triumphant return at September 2024's State of Play, confirming a fall 2026 release date. A new trailer at this new event, along with an official date, would go a long way in drumming up hype for Sony's first-party offerings this year.
Phantom Blade Zero trailer
This action game is one of very few titles that have a concrete release date for later in the year. Due to drop on Sept. 9 for PS5 and PC, we could get another in-depth look at gameplay or the story at this showcase.
GTA 6? We can hope
This probably isn't happening, but with GTA 6 now just less than nine months away, players are eager for more. A new trailer would blow the doors off the industry, especially for Sony if it confirms a partnership with Rockstar for the game, but we likely won't hear more about the game until the summer time.
Starfield, maybe other Xbox games
The rumored upcoming release of the former Xbox-exclusive Bethesda title feels like it's destined to be shown here. With the company heads-down on whatever is included in the next big update, it's possible this State of Play could confirm the release date (rumors suggest early April) alongside some reveals of new content. Other previously-exclusive titles from Xbox may also show up, as ever.
Death Stranding 2 PC news
PlayStation's focus on bringing its exclusives to PC means we'll likely get some news in that area, and my money's on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach's PC release date being revealed for some time this summer.
What are you hoping to see from this hour-long State of Play? Let us know in the comments below.
The post Here's what we want to see (and think we will see) during this week's PlayStation State of Play appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Monday, February 9, 2026 2:46 PM
ARC Raiders players are set to get a surprise Shared Watch event that goes live very soon.
Typically, we have seen Embark making announcements for new events and updates well ahead of time. This time around, they seem to have broken that usual pattern. While the developers have stayed cryptic about the upcoming event, this guide will provide you with all the key details.
Table of contents
ARC Raiders Shared Watch event countdown
The Shared Watch event goes live globally on Feb. 10. Incidentally, this isn't part of the upcoming Shrouded Sky update, and the event looks to be completely separate. The following countdown will expire once the event goes live.
The countdown is based on the following timings.
This is the usual schedule that Embark follows when it comes to launching new events and updates. There's been no indication from Embark hinting at a different schedule for this event.
ARC Raiders Shared Watch event duration
The Shared Watch event will be available for a couple of weeks at least. Based on the official information, the event will be available until Feb. 24, and ends right before Expedition 2 commences in Speranza.
What to expect from the Shared Watch event
All the information we have for the event is related to the official trailer. This event will be focused on cooperation and mutual belief between players. The community has been asking for a PvE mode, and this could be the first instance of such an experience.
So far, we have had friendly lobbies in ARC Raiders, which is almost like a PvE experience. However, there's always an element that other raiders can target you on your raids. The Shared Watch event could be the first time that we will be officially taking the war against the ARCs exclusively.
The post ARC Raiders Shared Watch event dates, release countdown, and more appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Monday, February 9, 2026 2:15 PM
StarCraft, Blizzard's ancient franchise that has long since lost its cultural relevance, could be up for a revival—but not as a real-time strategy series. No, this time it's reportedly going to be a shooter, developed not by Blizzard but by the Korean juggernaut, Nexon.
This comes from a report by The Korea Economic Daily, a massive business newspaper. Translated from Korean via DeepL, the report says that "the legendary game StarCraft is set to be revived through Nexon, South Korea's top game developer."
"Preliminary preparations" for development have been completed, the report reads, and have been in the works since "a content development cooperation agreement" was signed between Nexon and Blizzard in 2025. What's particularly interesting is that this new StarCraft game won't continue the tradition of real-time strategy that the franchise has become known for, but is instead being handled by Nexon's "Shooter Division (Shooting Business Unit)" implying it'll be a third- or first-person shooter.
A StarCraft modder, Choi Joon-ho, has been brought on as a planning lead due to his experience with the series and ability to "extract mass appeal."
As IGN writes, Blizzard has seemingly been working on a StarCraft shooter since at least 2022, this being the company's third attempt at branching the series out of the now-not-so-popular RTS genre. What happened to that project is anyone's guess, nor is it clear whether Nexon and Blizzard are working on the same or separate projects.
Blizzard has also been hosting 35th anniversary events for four of its major franchises over the past 10 days or so, but conveniently left StarCraft out. Even Hearthstone received its own event, while StarCraft is nowhere to be found. Whether that's because the company deemed the franchise not worthy of the resources or because something is in the works that needs a much better, bigger event is, as of yet, unclear.
It's certainly good news that there's at least something being talked about, as StarCraft does indeed have a lot of potential nowadays, especially in the wake of Warhammer 40K's rising popularity.
The post Thought Starcraft was dead? A new report will have you thinking twice—and questioning the franchise's new direction appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Monday, February 9, 2026 1:45 PM
Mewgenics is an experiment. You will fail, weird stuff will happen, and everything will be fine. That's expected from a game made by The Binding of Isaac's creator, Edmund McMillen, and his friend Tyler Glaiel, who worked with Edmund on The End is Nigh.
Mewgenics is half tactical RPG, half resource management, where cats are your resources. Cats have their own stats and go on adventures in a party of four. Like regular RPG characters, cats get buffs, debuffs, and afflictions, use melee and ranged attacks, offensive, defensive, and utility skills, and equip items and consumables to improve their stats and give them extra resources.
It's a tactical RPG where your character is not a buff Viking or a demon witch but a weird and occasionally deformed cat. They equip collars that give them a specific class and role, like Tank, Necromancer, and Ranger, which you can set before each adventure. It all happens in a roguelike skin, where you play the game in runs that partially affect the next.
Between runs, you manage a house where your cats can breed and give you new characters for future adventures. Once a cat ends an adventure, it can only breed, and it no longer joins parties. Much like when Pokémon breed, cats may transfer stats to their offspring, though you can only influence, not control, which stat will be passed over, when the cats will breed, or with whom they breed.
It's not your traditional tactical game either, as it leans on the RPG aspects heavily. Don't play Mewgenics expecting a rock-paper-scissors mechanic like Fire Emblem and Japanese TRPGs. The game is more about making the right build and optimizing your character than about being smart with character placement and movement. It's far more complex.
The split between a tactical RPG stage and a character management stage resembles the flow of Cult of the Lamb and Dave the Diver, where one part of the game feeds the other and leads to incremental progress.
Mewgenics forces you to embrace chaos
The limited control you see in breeding is a recurring theme in other parts of Mewgenics. The game is chaotic, and chaos always presents itself first to allow you to act second. It can manifest as a bunch of rubber tire obstacles on the map that bounce around and damage characters, including yours, or it may be a consumable that gives you all stats up but random status afflictions.
While chaos often comes by way of enemy attacks or skills, it's also often a "yes" or "no" choice rather than chance alone. You'll place traps that send spikes at random characters – including yours – when attacked, or use an arrow shower skill that attacks random tiles in an area. It's often up to you to choose whether you want to add more chaos to the run, but once you say "yes" to it, you'd better be prepared. I once used a consumable that fully healed my character's HP and mana, but made it use a bunch of actions so randomly that it ended up killing one of my other cats.
In the aftermath of Mewgenics' randomness, the game asks you: What are you going to do with the consequences of this chaos? The game is not so much about controlling the odds as you would in Slay the Spire to draw better cards or in Clover Pit to get more sevens in the slot machine, as it is about playing with the hand you're dealt.
However, you can only take advantage of chaos once you understand the game. That's why Mewgenics feels frustrating before it feels fun: Chaos can take over as early as your first run, such as several events giving a cat 10+ status effects. Until you learn more about the abilities, what you can and can't do, the items, breeding, etc., the game will be extremely brutal and occasionally frustrating.
New or casual gamers may easily feel overwhelmed with Mewgenics. It's not a welcoming game for those unfamiliar with RPGs, tactics, or gaming in general – even though I'm sure your grandma can eventually understand and maybe even enjoy Mewgenics.
In my interview with Edmund, he told me this stay-at-home lady who wasn't a gamer had logged hundreds of hours in Mewgenic's beta builds, and I believe him. However, I still think the game can be a brutal experience before you reach that point of obsessing over it. You have to be really enjoying the game for what it is, not for how likely you are to control the odds, to get to that point.
Do whatever you want
Mewgenics gives you a lot more freedom to act on the chaos than other tactics games, which is what it does masterfully. You can use whatever skill and action on allies or enemies.
For example, one skill increases the cat's Strength but makes them confused, which means they may attack themselves. You can use it on your enemies to make them likely to hit themselves or on allies to increase their strength and deal more damage if the confusion roll fails. If you can petrify a character, you can do so on your enemies to skip their turn or to protect an ally from massive damage. If your cat is buffed whenever it receives an attack, you can attack it yourself with a low-strength cat just to buff it, instead of waiting for an enemy to target it.
The massive control you have over the consequences of the chaotic events is what makes Mewgenics fun to play. It creates a positive complexity, though it can still feel like too much sometimes
Mewgenics happens to you, sometimes
The major flaw in Mewgenics is when chaos becomes too much and makes the game happen to you, instead of letting you control the game. Some skills and consumables are completely random, so it's nearly impossible to predict what will happen, though these are a minority. You can also get to the end of a run with an absurd number of debuffs from map events if you fail multiple rolls.
Mewgenics has around 1,000 items and countless character skills. My impression was that while I had a lot of options to choose from, such a massive diversity of things to do worked against the built-in player agency.
When you have a library of resources this extensive, items have to be impactful. It's no fun if a run is ruined because your strategy would only work with one specific item that you have no idea if you'll find. So, some items and skills became too similar, so they can work across multiple builds. It feels as if any slightly reasonable skill and item pick works well enough for most situations, so it might not really matter which one you choose. The drafting part of the game, picking one thing over the other, feels less relevant.
However, this is my feeling based on the early runs in the game. I'm sure that as you unlock more and more content and harder runs, these choices matter more. But at least in the first 10 to 20 hours of gameplay, it feels like whatever you pick will have roughly the same impact, so there's no wrong or right choice.
The brutal side of Mewgenics
Mewgenics is more Darkest Dungeon than Into the Breach. Your cats can die permanently and take their equipped items with them. Every run in Mewgenics will brutalize your party, but the breeding stage will give you time to rebuild and get ready for another run.
Many aspects of Mewgenics are as brutal as Darkest Dungeon and more punishing than your traditional roguelike and tactical RPG. The game knows when you are save-scumming and punishes you for it, and there's no "undo" button for actions. Whatever choice you make, it's locked, and you have to face the consequences.
Why you should play Mewgenics
Overall, though, Mewgenics is an amazing game. It excels in player freedom, which is what I believe is the most important element in strategy games. Every fight is a problem with countless solutions, so you can get creative and have fun. However, the chaos may be a bit too much, and item diversity may feel like an artificial way to inflate the game mechanics.
You can be frustrated by the randomness and give up, or you can play along and try to figure it out like a puzzle. The game teaches you by doing random things you wouldn't expect, which can be fun or frustrating, depending on how you take it. It's a mindset thing. It's a good game in which complexity and randomness can be fun if you're able to roll with the punches. Player agency is the name of the game, and this is one of the most important features of a game, making it truly memorable.
The downsides are way less relevant than the upsides. Mewgenics is fun, complex, challenging, and chaotic, which are all elements a great (and fun) game must have.
The post Mewgenics review: Balancing chaos with player freedom appeared first on Destructoid. |
Destructoid Monday, February 9, 2026 1:35 PM
Deadlock recently put out a new update, completely overhauling the map and the lore, refining its two opposing factions, the Hidden King and the Arch Mother. The amount of effort Valve has put into crafting the lore and the world of Deadlock got me thinking: Is all of this amazing lore really just for a MOBA?
League of Legends, a game I've spent ungodly hours on, began as "just a MOBA," too. It was built on what DOTA was in Warcraft 3 and had lore just serviceable enough to explain who these new heroes and characters are (much like the heroes of old DOTA did). Eventually, as League grew, so did the lore evolve, with Riot overhauling it completely and crafting one of the most interesting science-fantasy worlds ever put to paper.
Of course, Riot put huge emphasis on cinematics, improving them and upping the ante every single year, until they'd started amassing hundreds of millions of views on account of their aesthetics, lore, and, of course, music.
The lore has almost outgrown League itself, as so many people now know Jinx and Vi and Caitlyn from Arcane, even though few of them have taken them for a spin on the bot lane or in the jungle.
Deadlock is a bit of a different case. Whereas League started off with barely usable, utilitarian stories, Deadlock is being shaped as a narrative-driven experience, even though it's a MOBA like any other.
Sure, there's a need to revolutionize genres that Vale is known for, and since it's a third-person game, the environment does play a major role, but the lore and the stories are so extensive and so well-made that it'd be a crying shame if it all just remained contained within the game's rather limited experience.
Every aspect of every bit of that game is evocative, speaking of above- and underground cultures, demons, gods, and voodoo practitioners, a New York far removed from the one we know. It's a place I'd love to live in, a location worthy of exploring.
While I'd love to have a single-player game set within this mystical and otherworldly alternate 1920s, a TV show or anime or anything that'd let us look at Deadlock's setting from another angle would work just as well.
Valve is probably planning to finally have an IP of its own that it can branch out into the mainstream with, captivating those audiences that have long slept on its live-service, multiplayer-oriented games. Dota 2's anime was cool and all, but it wasn't as polished or as thoughtfully crafted as Deadlock is. This new game is being set up for multimedia greatness that could eclipse Riot's titan, but Valve's track record doesn't really inspire confidence.
I hope to see Deadlock evolve over the coming years into a gigantic world and story that we can experience in more ways than one. Narratives and environments like these don't deserve to be locked to MOBAs, and the fact that Riot hasn't yet put out that MMO hurts me in ways you wouldn't believe.
Valve, please fix.
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