The Plucky Squire is wildly a charming adventure that seamlessly transitions between 2D storybook worlds and 3D environments. Its vibrant art style and inventive mechanics make puzzle-solving a joy, carried along by the whimsical and engaging narrative. Can tell lots of heart and soul went into this one, and it makes for a delightful experience which doesn’t outstay its welcome.
At first glance, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers feels inspired by Balatro (but for blackjack), but it’s important to note that it was announced first. While the concept is creative and compelling, I struggled with dense card and mechanic descriptions - an area where Balatro excels in succinct clarity. Very cool and indeed fun, but sometimes overwhelming.
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have officially sued Palworld developer Pocketpair for “multiple” patent infringements. The lawsuit seeks to stop the game’s full release as well as compensation for damages. There was lots of speculation whether this would happen when it came out in early access, and it’s kind of a wonder the notorious litigious Nintendo took so long.
Following security concerns after the disastrous Crowdstrike outage, Microsoft plans to remove kernel-level security. This could pave the way for more games to run on Linux and will likely benefit devices like the Steam Deck by making anti-cheat software easier to emulate.
Unity has scrapped its controversial Runtime Fee and is returning to a seat-based subscription model, but Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise prices will rise in January 2025. The Runtime Fee, introduced last year, faced strong backlash from developers, forcing Unity to reverse course. The new CEO, Matthew Bromberg, aims to rebuild trust by reverting to traditional pricing structures, with Unity Personal remaining free and Pro/Enterprise seeing price adjustments. Good change, but the damage may have been done.
The entire team at Annapurna Interactive, known for publishing the likes of Stray and Outer Wilds, has resigned after failing to spin off into an independent company, according to Bloomberg. Former president Nathan Gary confirmed that “all 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned.” The company says existing games will continue under Annapurna.
Microsoft has laid off 650 employees of its gaming division, including Xbox staff. This follows earlier layoffs affecting 1,900 workers and the closure of several studios. Phil Spencer, Xbox chief, clarified that “no games, devices or experiences are being cancelled” in the memo, which explains the cuts are part of restructuring after the Activision Blizzard acquisition. It never ends.
Screen Australia has committed AUD $2 million to boost the local games industry. Supporting 12 in-development games and 27 emerging projects, alongside three game events, the investment aims to nurture independent creators and further the Australian gaming scene.
I fooled myself into thinking that one gets a certain amount of enjoyment ‘for free’ by virtue of being in the Star Wars universe. This has previously been true and carried me through multiple otherwise-not-amazing games. Star Wars Outlaws has proven me wrong: an uninspired, bare-minimum “open-world” experience (if you can even call it that, given how restrictive it can be)… stealth, combat, and exploration that are painfully shallow, with comically bad AI and repetitive mechanics. It has its moments of charm and “huh cool :)”, but overall a disappointment that does not live up to its potential.
Satisfactory is now at version 1.0, leaving early access after five years. The major update includes new endgame content, achievements, a story (!), player customisation options, and a million other things. Coffee Stain Studios also confirmed a console version is in development, but no release date for that yet. Check out the 1.0 launch trailer.