From the Ghost Story Games office, Ken Levine showcased his latest project, Judas, to IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey and Geoff Keighley. He emphasises narrative depth in a familiar FPS format - clearly echoing BioShock - invoking the “narrative LEGOs” concept he’s been talking about for ten years. If you’re just after the gameplay, IGN has a tweet for that.

Screen Australia has announced $1.6 million in funding for 27 Australian games and creators, supporting a range of projects that showcase diverse genres and innovative gameplay. This initiative aims to boost the local industry and highlight Australian talent in gamedev. Check out the full list here - very excited to see Winnie’s Hole get up!

The upcoming action roguelite prequel to Hyper Light Drifter is looking super cool in its first hands-on gameplay preview! Huge fan of these folks, and very keen to see where this one goes.

Good remake. The poignant story, as well as the varied and unique gameplay from the original are all here, and are still great. There are obviously massive visual improvements, and a few QoL things, making it a perfect entrypoint for those who’ve not played it before. Otherwise, unless you’re obsessed with the original, you’re probably good to sit it out.

Four days out from the highly anticipated release of Dragon’s Dogma 2, we get a really good look at the game by way of a new official trailer, voiced by Ian McShane. Honestly, the game looks insane - can’t wait.

Simple but creative and clever, The Exit 8 is essentially a first person spot-the-difference game elevated by excellent graphics and tense atmosphere. One can beat it in under half an hour, and 100% it in not much longer, which feels about right. Best to go in blind, and let the loop immerse you. Cool game.

I tried. I really did. Being so critically lauded, I battled with the feeling that I must be missing something. Many hours of unsatisfying combat, constant interruptions from either robotic or otherwise insufferable characters and eyerolling minigames. Turns out; it’s nostalgia and anime-brain that I’m missing, and if you don’t have those, the game is an admirably wide-scoped and gorgeous to look at chore. I get it, there’s a great game here for those predisposed to its sensibilities… but sadly that’s not me.

You’re an alien who runs and maintains a community support centre. Every day, you prepare a session to help struggling citizens of Mars; pick the topic, do some marketing, select the catering. Once midnight strikes, you’re effectively the event’s bouncer, responsible for inspecting attendees and ensuring they comply with the rules of that specific night. It’s a little reminiscent of Papers, Please and it’s a perfect opportunity to dust off one’s Playdate. Terrific game.

Relaxing little scenery builder with great vibes, awesome art style and terrific visual design. There’s already a decent amount of ‘items’ in your palette, but I also kinda wish there were more. Ripe for DLC, I guess! Still really cool already though, if you’re into purely creative games.

The Thaumaturge is a dense RPG set in alternate 1905 Warsaw with intricate settings, rich lore, and engaging side characters. Combat and sleuthing are secondary in service of its story, which I personally struggled a bit to connect with. Cool art, satisfying secrets, intriguing world and some compelling moral choices. Love the ambition and would recommend for fans of the genre.