Author: Zach Barbieri

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a drastic departure from everything that came before in the series. Obviously, this was expected, given the teaser for this game, alongside the Rune Factory 3 remaster announcement, promised that the next Rune Factory would be a new breed of the game. Despite this, there is no way you can anticipate that the series that became a Nintendo Handheld was going to offer such a masterful evolution of the formula. There has never been a Rune Factory that didn’t resonate with me, growing up on Harvest Moon, so this pretty much is my genre,…

Ruffy and the Riverside can take a moment to start getting good. A slow intro that appears to start in the middle of a story, rather than start with the character relaxing before everything goes wrong and they have to spring into action, like the classic Rare titles, the game feels so aptly pays homage to. Even then, you still need to commit to a slight wade through the world before the game sinks its hook into you. If you commit your time, though, it becomes a great example of what Indie titles bring to the party. Ruffy is a…

Developer Don’t Nod Montreal, who recently released Lost Record: Bloom & Rage earlier this year, has reportedly laid off an undisclosed number of employees across multiple departments. This news broke via a round of departure announcements on LinkedIn, in what was referred to as a “wave of layoffs.” People affected include QA Lead Sandra Comier, Principal Cinematic Artist Mary Pouliot, and Technical Artist Laurent Dufresne, as well as Senior Game and Level Designer Mathieu Trembly. Mary Pouliet wrote via LinkedIn: Although I was anticipating this dreadly fatality that is now a habit in the industry, it came to me as…

Max Payne once said, “If you had done something differently, it wouldn’t be you, it would be someone else looking back, asking a different set of questions.” The idea of the butterfly effect drastically changing your reality, and leaving a different reality unexplored, and a different person that looks like you, behind that door. This isn’t you, though, and central to the story of The Alters, developed by 11bit Studio, is the exploration of this, and just how drastically one life change can alter your trajectory. The narrative of the game begins with Jan Dolski becoming the sole survivor of…

Nintendo has announced that the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Exclusive title Drag X Drive will be releasing on August 14, 2025 as a digital title for the price of $19.99. This news was announced via the Today! app, which was previously used to announce the upcoming Splatoon Raiders, a spin-off of the popular Nintendo series of the same name. It is currently available for pre-order on the Nintendo eShop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hku89o38-hQ Announced during the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal Direct held in April, Drag X Drive is intended as a feature-driven game, similar to that of Welcome Tour, which was released alongside…

Arc System Works, the developer behind Guilty Gear Strive, has announced that they will be holding a Summer Showcase event where the developer plans to make a multitude of announcements. They have additionally stated that this event will offer a look at the future of their Guilty Gear Franchise, which could mean a showcase of upcoming characters coming to Strive; however, this timing does correlate with the usual life span of games in the franchise, potentially setting up a successor in the popular fighting series. There is still one character left to release during the titles Season Pass 4, Lucy…

Capcom has announced a Spotlight digital event that will be held next week. Games set to be featured include currently released titles Monster Hunter Wilds and Street Fighter 6, as well as upcoming titles Pragmata and newly announced Resident Evil 9: Requiem. The Capcom Spotlight Livestream is set for 3 pm PT on Thursday, June 26, and will last for 40 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgMRK4IR0bc Capcom stated that fans can expect the “latest news” on their upcoming games, as well as several interviews with the developers. Monster Hunter Wilds, for instance, will get new details for its Title update 2, which is…

VR Rhythm game Beat Saber. developed by Beat Games, will be ending support for on PlayStation consoles. This means that moving forward, the title will no longer receive updates or additional music packs, and multiplayer support will be ended on January 21, 2026. In a new FAQ released by the developer, entitled “End of Support for PS5/PS5,” it was stated: As we look to the future and plan the next big leap for Beat Saber, we have made the decision to no longer release updates for PS4 and PS5 starting in June 2025. Our passion for VR remains unwavering. We…

Developer Bungie has announced an indefinite delay to their upcoming live-service title Marathon following what they referred to as “passionate” feedback on the part of the community following the gameplay reveal in April, as well as a subsequent playtest. The studio announced these plans via a post to their website, stating that the previously planned release of September 23, 2025, was no longer on the company’s calendar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZRGDZCl9pg In the press statement, Bungie Stated: Through every comment and real-time conversation on social media and Discord, your voice has been strong and clear. We’ve taken this to heart, and we know…

The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond The Horizon, the latest entry in the long-running JRPG series from developer Falcom, has been delayed to January of 2026. Previously announced for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, the title was aiming for a release in the fall of 2025. It is unclear why the title has been delayed at this time, with the title having already been released in Japan back in September of 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTxAfzOI5cs Alongside this, it was announced that a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game will be released at the same time, marking the first…