The latest from Jeppe Carlsen, lead gameplay designer of LIMBO and INSIDE - COCOON is just as intriguing, creative and moreish. The puzzles are really nice, and all a good level of challenge. Everything else, from the visual and sound design to each little interaction wouldn’t be misplaced in a ‘Satisfying Aesthetic ASMR Compilation’ video. Really cool.

It’s that time again. 🎃 For the last few Octobers, A Short Hike creator Adam Gryu has opened the gates to the annual Pumpkin Festival. Jump in, admire people’s creations, and find a nice spot to carve and place your own. New this year: hats! Always a bit of fun.

Valve’s Counter-Strike 2 is live. It replaces CS:GO on Steam, offering the “largest technical leap” in the series. Announced in March, CS2 overhauls almost every aspect of the game, with updated maps, dynamic smoke grenades, and precise “sub-tick updates.” This marks Valve’s fourth major release in the series, and CS:GO remains wildly popular, with a record 1.5 million concurrent Steam players.

As far as non-FromSoft soulslikes go, this is the real deal. It’s not doing anything revolutionary, but it has enough compelling new ideas, and a level of polish that elevates it beyond its otherwise decent contemporaries. It also commits so hard to Timothée Chalamet Pinocchio Bloodborne that you kind of forget how silly that actually is.

Really clever deduction point-n-click puzzler that has you deciphering languages across a pretty world for around seven hours. Not a new concept, but manages to strike a simple, satisfying balance between intuitive and challenging. Wish it didn’t give away so much sometimes, but still very cool.

Simple but charming & chaotic party game with warm, wonderful graphics and characters. Could have easily been a derivative Gang Beasts or Fall Guys clone, but its creative maps and modes quashes that immediately to forge a uniquely endearing identity of its own.

An interview with Bandai Namco EU CEO Arnaud Muller might hint that the upcoming Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, is set “to release soon”. No release date has been provided - ‘soon’ could mean anything - and it might just be presumptuous phrasing by the author, but… let’s gooo!

The fundamental mechanic is clever and jaw-droppingly pulled off. The visuals are lovely, puzzles mostly fun, never too challenging and satisfying to complete. It doesn’t matter much, but the characters & story aren’t particularly memorable (unless you count some pretty cringey dialog). Overall a pleasant and worthwhile experience.

In a statement today, Valve announced their plan to discontinue the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) after the 2023 season, but reassure the community that their annual tournament The International will continue. Launched in 2017, the DPC aimed to clarify & formalise invites for The International, but Valve now claim it led to a less varied and exciting competitive Dota scene.

Supergiant has provided an update on the much anticipated Hades II. Early Access is set for Q2 2024, and a limited technical test is planned. Much like the first one, major updates post-launch to expand content and story. Can’t wait.