Horse-girl racing idol sim sounds like a joke, but Umamusume’s training loop is surprisingly sharp, races are tense, and the production value combined with attention to detail in recreating aspects of real world Japanese racehorses is weirdly elite. Gacha is generous upfront, but obviously brutal long-term. You’ll probably resent how much fun it is. A global phenomenon for a reason: addictive, unskippable, potentially shameful.

Unashamedly Dark Souls 1-pilled, Wuchang brings back slow, stamina-tight combat, interconnected level design and more, while introducing its own novel ideas. Difficulty starts mild, then spikes pretty hard. Builds feel meaningful, from clash-happy dual blades to busted spellcasting. Really solid!

What can one even say about a game like this? In short: I loved it. I was at 201 hours (and 1.7M Likes) when the credits rolled, and every minute was soaked in serene Australia-inspired ambience, poignant atmosphere, engaging storytelling, the usual Kojima absurdity, and most importantly, an intensely satisfying gameplay loop. It might not hit quite as hard as its predecessor, perhaps just by virtue of no longer being completely novel, but it makes up for that in what it does differently. Death Stranding continues to be a rare experience that invites even the most cynical players into a quietly moving form of connection - where travelling alone becomes a shared and strangely emotional act of collaboration.

The Alters starts as a base sim adventure but quickly becomes something heavier. You don’t just optimise workflows, you mediate between fractured selves while a deadline creeps closer. It’s definitely more narratively driven than deep simulation sandbox - it’s sparse but sharp. Presented wonderfully, well-paced and worth your time.

Kojima Productions showed off live gameplay for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach at a panel hosted by Geoff Keighley. There’s an absolute tonne covered, and lots of gameplay shown. Looks absolutely insane. DS2 is out June 26.

A Plague Tale returns with Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, a 2026 prequel set 15 years before Innocence. Play as young Sophia exploring mythic Minotaur’s Island in a shifting world of traps, puzzles, and danger. Cool.

Super Meat Boy lives on, now in 3D! Expect the same brutal, gory obstacle courses, now with depth. Launching 2026.

Game Freak (!) stunned at the Xbox Showcase with Beast of Reincarnation, a dark, post-apocalyptic action RPG set in a ruined Japan. Play as Emma, a cursed outcast, and her dog Koo as they battle beasts, forge strange powers, and “uncover what it means to be human”. Coming 2026. Intrigued to see what Game Freak can do that… isn’t Pokémon!

Grounded 2 was revealed, with Obsidian bringing back its shrunk-down survival in a bigger world, new threats, and buggy rides. Hits Game Preview next month.

Clockwork Revolution reemerged with a deeper look at its steampunk city, Avalon. InXile’s ambitious RPG still has no release date, but the new footage offers plenty to unpack for now.