Cute! Duck Detective is a delightful and tightly designed deduction game that won’t have you sweating over a scrawly notepad like Golden Idol or Obra Dinn, but I think that’s the point. There’s one case made up of charming and funny characters, everything is voiced, the art and music are terrific. If you’re into detective games, you’ll finish it in a few hours and have a great time… quacking the case.

Apart from the obvious gacha repulsion, the major things stopping me from enjoying Genshin were laborious movement and unsatisfying combat. Wuthering Waves attempts to remedies these, with almost over-the-top traversal abilities, and more impactful (albeit still button-mashy) combat. That said, even ignoring how unashamedly they’re ripping Genshin, I still struggle to get properly into it. Several hours in, it feels like 90% of that has been spamming ‘advance dialog’, the VO is hilariously flat, and the story isn’t particularly compelling. Ultimately, if you’re into the genre, it’s worth checking out - and even if you’re not, it’s a fun braindead way to spend some time before the F2P grind becomes too harsh.

It’s always a real treat to hear from Nintendo in this context, and at GDC 2024, developers of ToTK spoke about crafting an enriched Hyrule via emergent gameplay in an entirely physics-driven world, and advanced sound design. Technical Director Takuhiro Dohta, Lead Physics Programmer Takahiro Takayama, and Lead Sound Engineer Junya Osada share their design approaches and hurdles their teams overcame during development - absolute legends. In true Nintendo style, even the presentation itself is fun. Hugely insightful and wildly impressive. Watch it here.

[Early Access] All of the Hades fundamentals are still here, but Melinoë definitely has her own identity which makes for a slightly more deliberate flow of combat, which is great. There are a bunch of new systems, all of which are interesting and interplay well. What can one say about Supergiant? Jen Zee’s art is incredible as always, Logan Cunningham and Darren Korb have absolutely killed the VO and music. The writing is heartfelt, engaging, funny. And of course, above all, the gameplay loop is tight, satisfying and addictive. Truly the best way to kill Time.

Sucks to share leaks, and I very much feel for Valve, but it’s too big to not talk about. “Gabe Follower”, a credible source, has confirmed on Twitter that Valve’s next game previously known as Neon Prime (Citadel) is in development. Now called Deadlock, it’s allegedly a 6 vs. 6 hero shooter with objectives, lanes and lasthits on a steampunk-fantasy map. Sounds intriguing.

Microsoft has made significant cuts, closing renowned studios like Arkane Austin (Prey), Tango Gameworks (Hi-Fi Rush), and Alpha Dog Games. Roundhouse Studios will be absorbed by ZeniMax Online Studios. Will nothing keep studios safe anymore? Sigh.

Hades II is now available in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store, already offering more content than its completed predecessor. The first major update, including a new Underworld section, customisation for The Crossroads hub, and a new weapon, will take some months to release, per Supergiant’s announcement.

In a contrite tweet, Sony have announced the cancellation of plans to enforce PSN accounts for HELLDIVERS 2.

We’re still learning what is best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable. Thanks again for your continued support of Helldivers 2 and we’ll keep you updated on future plans.

It’s unclear what this means for Steam players in countries the game was removed from.

This super tight concept with an impressive amount of content won the LD55 Jam, under the theme of ‘Summoning’. Cool music, funny sounds, silly minigames, really polished, and more than anything just really fun and satisfying. It introduces mechanics well, escalates nicely and is genuinely addictive.

Daniel Mullins impresses again with this LD55 Compo winner. A clever jury-packing mechanic, noir storyline, unique characters and a polished design, Voir Dire explores its potential over about 15 minutes. Definitely worth playing to the end!