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Crimson Desert – ReviewCrimson Desert, Pearl Abyss’ new single-player game, raised a few eyebrows when learning an internet connection was required to play. Then again, this isn’t the first single-player oriented release that does this in recent years, but we understand this by itself could already be off-putting for a lot of players. If you can look past that, one can clearly see that Crimson Desert sounds like an interesting release. After all, an RPG with lots of freedom does sound intriguing. So, without further ado, let’s see what Pearl Abyss gives us after Black Desert Online. Story The story starts with a band of people calling themselves Greymanes. The focus is on a Kliff, who is also part of the Greymanes. The game throws you in the thick of it immediately, as your camp is under attack by the Black Bears. They are a rival faction of the Greymanes. We get our first taste of combat against the Black Bears until their boss comes, and from here on out, it follows a cliché where the boss defeats us, and we get a second lease on life. At first, we were somewhat doubting if we were supposed to lose, as we found ourselves meeting our (brutal) untimely demise. After this, a tutorial follows, and we gear up for the main story of the game. The first couple of main quests are how you build a positive reputation in Hernand to get a place to rebuild the Greymanes. This is done by helping people, first the normal folk, then the nobles. All in all, the story doesn’t necessarily tread new water, but it’s enjoyable ARPG content nonetheless. With the freedom you have in the game, there is also no fixed pace for the narrative content, as you can explore at your leisure or simply focus on the story itself. As is the case with any good ARPG, some parts will not make any sense at the start, but as you progress, the puzzle pieces will all fall into place. The game also allows you to play with other characters, who all have their own story content as well, but this story content is more limited as the game still centers itself around Kliff. Graphics As expected, the game looks amazing on PS5, albeit with some minor issues. The environments are truly breathtaking, and we absolutely loved exploring every nook and cranny. We often actually got lost while exploring and noticed we steered off course from the quest we were actively embarking upon. There are minor issues, however, where we noticed a lot of clipping issues, textures loading slowly, and the latter often happens when entering buildings. Some lighting issues also happened when entering buildings. Even so, some of these bugs were immersion-breaking, like one instance where Naria gets kicked through a door, but the door remains closed during this occurrence. Ghost doors must be a thing in the Crimson Desert universe. Bugs like these and some clipping issues aside, we still very much loved what was on offer here. Sound Crimson Desert’s background music does match the environment. While exploring, we were mainly treated to calmer, cinematic music, which made scouting our environments very pleasant. When combat was around the corner, the music grew more explosive in nature, already getting the adrenaline flowing. For most of the main characters, the voice acting is superbly handled. We very much enjoyed the dialogues in the game, and it helped a lot with immersion. Only the very minor NPCs felt a bit ‘cheap’ at times, where they repeated the same lines over and over again. Similar characters in different areas would often even share the same lines, which is immersion-breaking at times. The SFX provide great audio feedback for whatever is going on at all times. Gameplay Playing Crimson Desert did remind us a little of Black Desert Online, albeit without other players constantly running around us. The game is an ARPG in which you have loads of freedom. You can opt to follow the story and simply do what is expected of you, or you can just wing it, explore whenever you want to, and simply delve into the treasure trove of side content. Perhaps only combat was not that easy to understand at first. After some practice, however, we did manage to get used to the system the game utilizes. You can unlock some more combinations with the so-called Abyss Artifacts. Abyss Artifacts can be found almost everywhere by fighting enemies, completing quests, or even on the road. These artifacts can be used in a skill tree for extra attack patterns, more life, or stamina. Outside of the skill tree, there is also the Abyss Gear, which allows you to upgrade your gear. Not every piece of equipment has a lot for Abyss Gear. When it comes to gear in general, you can find it by exploring, combat, or buy it from a vendor. We recommend just exploring and getting your gear that way instead of buying it, as you’ll often find better stuff out in the wild. If this wasn’t clear yet: a big part of the gameplay is to explore. The game motivates exploring. You’ll also encounter stronger and stronger enemies, sometimes forcing you to stick to certain areas from time to time, to at least pace yourself. You can fast travel, but it’s kept to a minimum. This is to make sure that you traverse the world on your own, rather than just run towards fast travel points to eventually not even having to ‘play’ anymore. The game can be a bit overwhelming at first, as there are many different systems to delve into. Luckily, for those who like to take it slow from time to time, there are also more relaxing components like the housing system. We honestly feel that we only scratched the surface of some of the game’s mechanics, and even in our recent play sessions, we keep discovering more and more content. Conclusion Crimson Desert was a delight to experience, for the most part. The presentation was clearly handled with care, and while the PS5 version of the game does have some issues, we absolutely loved exploring the world of Crimson Desert. The soundtrack truly got us in the mood to keep pressing onwards, and the story content did hit all the right notes. While combat did take us a bit longer to get used to, we eventually enjoyed seeing our character(s) getting stronger and stronger. If you’re looking for a good ARPG with some original systems in place, then it’s certainly worth checking out Crimson Desert.
Apr 26
Final Fantasy XIV Anaheim Fan Fest Press Conference Provides Further Evercold Insights
Shortly after the Piano Concert at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest in Anaheim, producer and director Naoki Yoshida held a press conference regarding the day's earlier announcement of the EverCold expansion. During the press conference, he answered a variety of questions -- translated by Aimi Tokutake -- submitted in advance from the variety of press members in attendance.
When asked if the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy XIV , planned to release in August, will utilize the built-in mouse controls, Yoshida stated that it is possible and that he believes the QA team is testing it. However, he imagines that more serious Savage Raid players would be more likely to hook up their own mouse and keyboard to play it on the TV, while those doing crafting, gathering, or more casual gameplay would enjoy using handheld mode. Yoshida stated that he hopes that players will find the way to play that is best suited for themselves. Speaking towards the Switch 2's specifications and how it compares to other platforms, the team is working hard on the optimization of the platform. With towns and crowded areas there might be a higher ping, but it is still able to reach 30 fps while staying in a stable state. Considering duty content, the performance will be of no concern and there isn't a need to worry in respect to the Switch 2 handling duty content compared to other platforms.
[caption id="attachment_190240" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Naoki Yoshida and Aimi Tokutake[/caption]
With respect to the keynote's references to potential issues with the PlayStation 4 version, Yoshida wanted to clear a few things up. The PlayStation 4 version will still fully support 8.0. However, the game will need to transition from PlayStation 4 in future because of the hardware limitations, particularly its size. Sony has been supporting Square Enix to continue for the PlayStation 4 version, but it is reaching the point where hardware may not be able to handle it in future. He stated that PlayStation 4 players should consider slowly transitioning to the PlayStation 5, but that Square Enix will not be ending support for PlayStation 4 in the immediate future.
The next question addressed the choice of Dancing Mad for the next Ultimate Raid being introduced in the Patch 7.5x update series. Yoshida stated that there are a limited number of developer who work with the Ultimate Raids and that they usually take it in turns in turns of volunteer. The developer who pitched Dancing Mad (Ultimate) is a huge Final Fantasy VI fan and had worked on the Normal and Savage versions, but wanted to make it even better.
The subject switched to the two new (yet to be fully revealed) Jobs and the game's new Evolved Mode, where existing Jobs have a new mode that gives players brand new action rotations. He stated that the selection of the Jobs was irrelevant to the process of evolving the game's battle system. The process notes that DPS is the most popular role, so each expansion includes at least one new DPS job. For the second job the team therefore generally alternates between the two, also rotating the type of DPS added. After the roles have been decided, the team will then pitch ideas for the weapon and general gameplay experience of the Job before deciding on the name based on its mechanics. If this aligns with a previous Final Fantasy Job it will usually receive that name; however, in the case of Evercold' s new Jobs, they are deemed original enough to warrant unique names.
The process of developing the Evolved Mode began around a year and half ago with Yoshida approaching Assistant Director Tsuyoshi Yokozawa and Battle Director Kei Sato with its basic idea. They suggested Hikaru Tamaki (known as "Mr. Prime") as the best person to lead the effort. The biggest challenge for the team was time, with Tamaki designing the individual jobs while checking different encounters for balance and difficulty levels, plus all the gimmicks and mechanics, and its impact on PvP. As of February, all twenty-one current Jobs were available to test, though the team is still making adjustments. Discussing the choice to include both Reborn Mode, which is effectively the current action system, and the new Evolved Mode, Yoshida cited the history of Star Wars Galaxies . He stated that he did not wish to remove a core system that players had become so comfortable with over the thirteen years since the launch of A Realm Reborn . However, he did point to the streamlined nature of the Viper and Pictomancer Jobs introduced in Dawntrail showing them stepping into the philosophy of Evolved Mode.
The next question covered the unified region player matching, with duty matching and the Party Finder now working across each region rather than individual data centers and what made this possible. Yoshida noted the existence of the Party Finder and World Visit system as things that were created and laid the building blocks to enable this change alongside infrastructure improvements that started around two years ago. It is something that he stated he has always wanted to implement, but it only now that the team is confident enough in the server infrastructure to be able to support it.
Turning to the name and theme of the expansion, Yoshida said that his original name for it was "Absolute Zero". He noted that previous expansions were similarly changed from their initial ideas: Stormblood was originally "Rebellion", Shadowbringers was "Darkbringer", and Endwalker was "World's End". While he already had the idea for the overall direction of the saga, thoughts about the theme itself started around two months after the launch of Dawntrail . Part of the inspiration was the scientific evidence of Earth being previously frozen over, but that there are many potential metaphorical meanings for something being frozen or icing over. With the expansion, players will be encountering many difference instances of ice they will need to melt or break through. He also noted that some people were sharp enough to catch potential Norse influences in parts of the teaser trailer.
Finally, in discussing additional Final Fantasy XIV releases and the future of the game, Yoshida stated that he has considered additional titles. However, he considers that the only team who might be able to make something like a standalone single-player Final Fantasy XIV would be the current team and that they are already busy. However, if another team is serious enough on creating a new title or release, the team would be happy to hear their pitch. He also addressed the "ten-year journey" for Final Fantasy XIV , noting that he doesn't consider there being an end-goal for it, that implies an end point that he doesn't see Final Fantasy XIV having and that it will continue on after he has left. His hope is that in ten years, the team is able to deliver another story climax that matches or surpasses that of the previous ten years, and that the team is building towards that with Evercold .
The post Final Fantasy XIV Anaheim Fan Fest Press Conference Provides Further Evercold Insights appeared first on RPGamer .
Apr 25
Michael Box-Office: Michael Jackson Biopic Sets Record Despite Divisive Score
The highly controversial Michael biopic released to record-breaking box office collections, and it looks like the Lionsgate film won’t stop moonwalking its way to more records. Starring Jaafar Jackson as the Thriller superstar, the movie has already set new benchmarks despite its polarizing reviews online. Michael has earned $40 million at the domestic box office […]
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Apr 25
STARDUST: Wish of Witch Releasing in Late May
Developer Kniv Studio announced that its strategy RPG STARDUST: Wish of Witch will release at 5pm PDT on May 28, 2026. The game will be available for PC via Steam , where a demo is currently available.
STARDUST: Wish of Witch follows tomboyish warrior Star and her mage childhood friend Yu as they embark on an adventure centred around stars and fate. Combat is grid-based, and utilises card and combo systems.
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The post STARDUST: Wish of Witch Releasing in Late May appeared first on RPGamer .
Apr 25
Minishoot’ Adventures brings its acclaimed twin stick shooter and exploration blend to mobile on May 21, 2026IndieArk has announced to launch their acclaimed Metroidvania shooter title, Minishoot’ Adventures, on both Android and iOS on May 21, 2026, for $5.99. Developed by SoulGame Studio, this is a port of the PC version, coming with authentic map exploration and boss battles. Get ready to control a swift spaceship and face intense Bullet Hell …
The post Minishoot’ Adventures brings its acclaimed twin stick shooter and exploration blend to mobile on May 21, 2026 appeared first on GamingonPhone .
Apr 25
FuRyu Announces Crymelight
FuRyu has announced a new title in its "dark bishoujo action” Cry series following previous titles Crystar and Crymachina . The new game is titled Crymelight and will release worldwide on November 5, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. It will be available for $19.99, with FuRyu marking its announcement by putting Crystar on sale at a heavily discounted $1.99 price until May 5, 2026.
Crymelight takes place after the events of the previous games. It follows a young girl known as Alice, who wakes up with no memories of her past. She learns that she needs to get from the Tea Party Hall to the lowest layer of Purgatory in order to earn her “Rebirth”. In order to do, she must defeat enemies born from the depths of madness, and confess to and confront the sins she has committed.
The game features a roguelike structure, with players visiting two different realms. Wonderland is the prison where the souls of the dead are held captive, while the Tea Party offers a sanctuary where Alice can have conversations with the characters she meets, and can confess and atone for sins that she accumulates in combat, which lets her gain enhancement items and power-ups. As players progress through stages, they obtain Skill Cards that they build into a five-card hand o gain power and build a combat style.
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The post FuRyu Announces Crymelight appeared first on RPGamer .
Apr 25
Annihilated Launching in July
Publisher Flashlight Games and developer Death Kumiai announced that dark story-rich RPG Annihilated will release on July 22, 2026. Billed as a game where players “can only save ONE”, the game will be available for PC via Steam with English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese language support.
Annihilated is set after the hero’s party is annihilated, with players able to save one character, though they are broken in some way with the Hero losing their words, the Mage losing their magic, the Warrior losing their body, and the Priest losing something redacted. The game features card-based battles where timed button presses play a major role. The game will include player choices with multiple endings, random events, roguelite-style dungeon crawling, and the ability for players to shatter their weapon to deal more damage.
The post Annihilated Launching in July appeared first on RPGamer .
Apr 25
Gamebook RPG Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle Announced
Developer Digitalis Publishing and publisher 15 Industry (Ichigo Industry) have announced Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle , a neo-classic digital gamebook RPG in development for PC. The game is available to wishlist on Steam ahead of its planned release later this year. It will support English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese language options.
Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle sees players play as either warrior Havelock or mage Paneri, who set out to challenge Ingeborg, the witch inhabiting a dark castle near the plague-stricken capital of Erishing. Players encounter various events and make choices that will alter how the adventure plays out. They will likely may may visits to Page 14, which marks their death, but are able to rewind time and revisit their choices.
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The post Gamebook RPG Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle Announced appeared first on RPGamer .
Apr 25
Park Chan-wook’s Next Movie Casts Matthew McConaughey, Pedro Pascal in His First Western
After entertaining us for decades with crime films, surreal films, action thrillers, mysteries, and more, legendary South Korean auteur Park Chan-Wook has set his sights on a whole new genre. It is a Western film titled The Brigands Of Rattlecreek, reports Deadline. Park Chan-wook, known for landmark films such as Oldboy (2003), The Handmaiden (2016), […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
Apr 25
PS4 and PS5 DRM Claims Spark Concern Over 30 Day Online Check RequirementClaims circulating online suggest Sony may have introduced a stricter DRM system for PS4 and PS5 digital games, though the information remains unverified. The discussion stems from posts by modder…
The post PS4 and PS5 DRM Claims Spark Concern Over 30 Day Online Check Requirement appeared first on TwistedVoxel .
Apr 25
Daemons of the Shadow Realm’s World Feels Like a Reverse Isekai Done Right – Here’s Why
Hiromu Arakawa has never been a creator who goes for safe routes, and with Daemons of the Shadow Realm, she proves that again. At first glance, it may seem like another dark fantasy anime with supernatural elements and emotional sibling rivalry, but when we look deeply, we notice that the series basically subverts one of […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
Apr 25
Zenless Zone Zero version 2.8 ‘New: Eridan Sunset’ update will release on May 6, 2026HoYoverse has revealed that Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.8, titled ‘New: Eridan Sunset,’ will launch on May 6, 2026. This update marks the final chapter of Season 2, bringing two new S-Rank Agents, A-rank Bangboo, story developments, events, system improvements, and more. You can also check out the currently working redeem codes, a beginner’s guide, a reroll guide, tips for earning free rewards, an attributes …
The post Zenless Zone Zero version 2.8 ‘New: Eridan Sunset’ update will release on May 6, 2026 appeared first on GamingonPhone .
Apr 24
See the 2026 Hallmark Anime and Video Game OrnamentsThe Hallmark 2026 Dream Book is live, and there'll be anime and video game ornaments from series like Pokemon and Jujutsu Kaisen.
The post See the 2026 Hallmark Anime and Video Game Ornaments appeared first on Siliconera .
Apr 24
All Confirmed Villains In Nic Cage’s Spider-Noir Series, Explained
The Spider-Man that Nicolas Cage is playing in Spider-Noir is not the same character that appeared in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. While Nicolas Cage played a version of Peter Parker in the animated film, the character that he is going to play in Spider-Noir is actually Ben Reilly. The show is going to feature a […]
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Apr 24
RE:ZERO COLLABORATION RETURNS WITH NEW DUAL HERO TO THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS: GRAND CROSSLOS ANGELES – APRIL 24, 2026 – Netmarble, a leading developer and publisher of high-quality games, announced a new collaboration update between The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross (7DS) and the popular anime series Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-. This marks the third collaboration for the two titles, introducing new heroes, returning fan-favorite characters, […]
The post RE:ZERO COLLABORATION RETURNS WITH NEW DUAL HERO TO THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS: GRAND CROSS appeared first on Capsule Computers .
Apr 24
Pokémon TCG Perfect Order Booster Bundles Restocked at Amazon, Dropping the Price to Just $7 Per PackPokémon TCG: Perfect Order Booster Bundles have finally returned to market price at Amazon.
Apr 24
Sengoku Dynasty: Celebrate Springtime With The Free Sakura Update And Paid DLC Available April 30, 2026Full blooming cherry blossoms point the way to new content and expansive new customization options Oberhaching, Germany, April 24, 2026 – Sakura, the cherry blossom season, is a time of beauty and celebration. As delicate pink and white petals drift on the breeze, they mark the arrival of spring as well as the recurring, yet […]
The post Sengoku Dynasty: Celebrate Springtime With The Free Sakura Update And Paid DLC Available April 30, 2026 appeared first on Capsule Computers .
Apr 24
RIG R8 Spectre PRO HS Review – A Superb, High Value PS5 Wireless Headset That Is Essential For FPS PlayersBought from the ground up for FPS games, the RIG R8 Spectre PRO HS is a fantastic headset and a resoundingly strong entry into the wireless market for Nacon. Read our full review on one of the best PS5 headsets money can buy.
The post RIG R8 Spectre PRO HS Review – A Superb, High Value PS5 Wireless Headset That Is Essential For FPS Players appeared first on PlayStation Universe .
Apr 24
Share of the Week: Resident Evil Requiem – GraceLast week, we asked you to share portraits of Grace in Resident Evil Requiem using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: riainwonderland shares younger Grace holding a flashlight in the dark midnight.hyp3 shares Grace standing in red lighting Yuric83 shares Grace’s FBI report reflected in her glasses grayfoxvp shares Grace sneaking past an exit […]
Apr 24
Jurassic Park Fans Can Score a Deal on This Dino DNA Barbasol Can CollectibleDennis Nedry would approve.
Apr 24
ARK: Survival EvolvedArk: Survival Evolved is a action-adventure survival video game developed by Studio Wildcard.
