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Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Demo Debuts Today Sega teased a Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties demo earlier in January 2026, and that is already rolling out on different platforms. It is available on the PC via Steam now, and the console version will show up at 9pm PT/12am ET tonight. There will also be an RGG RoundUp stream ahead of the console demo release on YouTube at 10am PT/1pm ET today. We do already know what will be in this Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties demo ahead of its launch. Both of the storylines will be vailable to sample. During the Kazuma Kiryu portion, you’ll get to see part of the story and wander around Ryukyu, Okinawa, where he’s running the orphanage. For the Yoshitaka Mine entirely new part, we’ll be back in Kamurocho to find out more about the antagonist’s background. Both of these will be isolated slices, so playing through this trial won’t allow you to make saves that can be used in the full game. Here’s the official placeholder for the stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIMV_o8c9Eg As a reminder, the other most recent Like a Dragon release also features a demo to try. Someone could test out Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii . That’s a spin-off that takes place about the same time as the eighth installment. Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties will come to the Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on February 12, 2026, and the demo is out on January 21, 2026. The original game is on the PS3, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The post Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Demo Debuts Today appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 21

Final Fantasy VII Remake Feels Comfortable on Switch 2 With Final Fantasy VII Remake , deciding on the Switch 2 version of the game isn’t as simple as it coming down to the best way to go portable with the JRPG. The PC version runs pretty well on a Steam Deck! Instead, other factors come together with that element to making this release feel valuable. The handheld option is a small part. There is it being a fully complete package, due to the Intergrade Intermission DLC inclusion and Streamlined Progression launching alongside it. It’s getting to play this updated version on a Nintendo console. So when everything is pulled together, FFVII Remake feels like an early showcase of what Square Enix can do on a Switch 2 with a game I absolutely loved . It feels worth playing on this system too. As a quick refresher, Final Fantasy VII Remake acts as a retelling of a slice of the original FFVII, with the Switch 2 and other versions focusing on Cloud Strife’s return to Midgar after being away for five years, reuniting with childhood friend Tifa Lockheart, joining her in the revolutionary group Avalanche against Shinra, and dealing with the realization that Sephiroth, the SOLDIER who was his former commander that went rogue, is still alive. This also leads to him meeting the last Ancient, a Cetra named Aerith Gainsborough, and acting as her bodyguard. While in the original game this was probably about 1/6 of the overall adventure, it’s significantly more fleshed out here, and this being the Intergrade release means access to an additional DLC campaign following Wutai ninja and agent Yuffie Kisaragi and her ally Sonon Kusakabe working with another Avalanche branch during that same time period to strike Shinra. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe4TOM6bbL8 One of the first reasons Final Fantasy VII Remake feels like such a success on the Switch 2 is the fact that it looks and runs well on the system. It is at a stable 30fps, which I felt worked really well in handheld mode and stayed consistent. Docked, it seemed to be at 1080p, which isn’t as impressive as the PS5 or PC releases, but I think it still looks good. I primarily chose the portable option when playing, and I didn’t notice any lag freezes, or issues running things. In fact, the battery life seemed comparable to other Switch 2 releases post-launch patches, so it seemed like I’d get a few hours before needing to recharge. Visually, I noticed the downgrade from higher-power platforms to here seems most noticeable when looking at certain textures or elements of character models. Like look at a character’s hair or their face when you’re outside an event scene and in photo mode, and you’ll see it. But in action, it seems more forgivable in action and when in handheld mode due to the resolution and movement. In that respect, I actually think it performs better on the go than a Steam Deck version of the JRPG. I’d usually only get under two hours before needing to plug in and recharge. With the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake , it seemed like I’d be okay for about three hours. Perhaps it was just luck or the decisions I’d made on a system level with regard to brightness and installations (I installed on the console itself and not a microSD card), but it worked for me. So even though it might not be the sharpest and best looking version of Final Fantasy VII Remake , it looking and running as well as it does on the Switch 2 with this FFVII not being as terrible a battery-drainer does feel like it helps. Screenshots by Siliconera The Streamlined Progression also feels like a positive, though I suspect it might be so more for returning players like myself. These tend to fall into two categories, and each have their merits. As Square Enix mentioned ahead of launch , you can set constant max HP, constant max MP, Limit Gauge always full, ATB gauge always full, and constant max damage as options to speed through situations. I honestly used it both to test how it works and to get through a few sections that would normally take a bit longer so I could try out more of the game ahead of covering it. So, for example, all of Chapter 1, getting through the shortcut in Chapter 9, and heading through the sewers and train graveyard in Chapters 10-11 so I could get back into the more substantial areas. Meanwhile, the other Streamlined Progression elements added in the Switch 2 version of FFVII Remake and showing up in the PS5 and PC the same date sort of feel like head-start or better position options. Constant max recovery items and constant max gil are both things I turned on as I started the game to ensure I had things, then turned off once I started. Why? So I didn’t need to scour for every chest and could focus on mainlining the story. I could see that being helpful for others too. 2x EXP and 3x AP gain could be good for newcomers or people who, again, want to not worry about any grinding. I found Max Materia Levels helpful once I got to Chapter 11, as by then I had a full party, a good selection of Materia, and wanted to be sure people had what they needed and it was in the best position for my movesets without grinding. Again, it felt like a nice option. Screenshot by Siliconera There are only a handful of things that do make me feel like Final Fantasy VII Remake isn’t as optimal on Switch as it is on the PS5 or PC. The first is an issue that I think could be fixed with a patch, and I’m hoping we see it adjusted. After I hopped into the game, the options already had the game at optimal brightness, 10 out of 10, no wiggle room for HDR Luminence, HDR Brightness, and UI Brightness, and… it all still looked pretty dark at times. I suspect this is something that was unintentional and we could see a post-launch patch address it. Because it did feel like I could have used a little more “brightness” rather than going even darker. Screenshot by Siliconera The file size issue on Switch 2 is also a big problem for Final Fantasy VII Remake . It’s starting out at needing a ton of space. Even ahead of launch, Square Enix said 95GB minimum is required . This is before any patches. Given this is also a game-key card and not a standard Switch 2 cartridge, it’s a bummer. I would love to leave this on my system for a while and really take my time revisiting and enjoying elements of it. I can’t, because it is huge. And there's no way to fix this, barring Square Enix hopefully realizing that it needs to go with a regular cartridge when Rebirth 's time comes. Final Fantasy VII Remake is a take on FFVII that I really loved and, while the Switch 2 version isn’t the most powerful, it’s still impressive. It works so well on the handheld. The battery doesn’t drain as swiftly as I expected. It looks good in handheld mode. The Streamlined Progression options can make it a walk in the park, but can also offer just a bit of a boost to eliminate grind. It’s handled very well and leaves me feeling encouraged about what Square Enix is capable of when it comes to the Switch 2. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will appear on the Switch 2 and Xbox Series X on January 22, 2026, and it is already available on the PS4, PS5, and PC worldwide. The post Final Fantasy VII Remake Feels Comfortable on Switch 2 appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 21

Resident Evil Requiem’s Grace and Leon Join Capcom Figure Builder Line Capcom announced that both Grace Ashcroft and Leon S Kennedy, the leads of Resident Evil Requiem, will be part of its Capcom Figure Builder line of merchandise. She’ll show up first in Japan on September 10, 2026. He’ll appear after on November 19, 2026. Both will be 28,600円 (~$180) each. They’re only showing up on the official store at the moment, which supports WorldShopping, but the Capcom worldwide Amazon storefront also sells items in this line after launch. The Grace and Leon figures are designed to be displayed alone or together. Each one is on a base that is half of a circle and can be attached together for a combined pose. They are also 1/6 scale, just like the other Resident Evil Capcom Figure Builders models like Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. Both wear their costumes from the game and come “equipped” with weapons. He’s slightly taller at about 13 inches (328mm), while she stands at about exactly a foot (308mm). Here are the official photos of the two of them both alone and together: Images via Capcom These aren’t the only figures of the Resident Evil Requiem characters we’ll see, as Capcom and Nintendo also confirmed an amiibo release. A Grace one is in development . Resident Evil Requiem will come to the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam and Epic Game Store on February 27, 2026, the Capcom Figure Builder Grace Ashcroft arrives on September 10, 2026, and the Leon S Kennedy figure in that line launches on November 19, 2026. The post Resident Evil Requiem’s Grace and Leon Join Capcom Figure Builder Line appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 20

Review: Heart of Crown Online Is a Faithful Adaptation of the Deck-Building Game The Heart of Crown deck-building strategy game is pretty well-established, as the Dominion style drafting title’s been around since 2011 and multiple editions exist . This version, which entered early access in April 2024, is even based on the second edition . If you are familiar with its idea of constantly investing to build up your deck to acquire territory, currency, individuals, and of course a princess to get succession points, then you’re all set. If not, it’s honestly a really good place to start. Heart of Crown Online is set in a world where the line of succession is in question due to the emperor’s death. Because it happened so quickly, he didn’t say which of his seven daughters he’d want to become queen. As an individual in a position to help determine who rules next, you need to build up territory and support to ensure Bergamotte, Flamaria, Klam Klam, Laolily, Lulunasaika, Ohka, or the twins Lain & Shion become the next ruler. If you’re playing a free or ranked match, it’ll be a competition to determine which princess you are able to get and support, but the Scenario Mode involves solo campaigns that help you learn how to play and support each princess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXrq2xynvVo Scenario Mode is a good place to start, honestly. In standard Heart of Crown Online games, much like similar titles like Dominion and Tanto Cuore , you essentially all start in the same position and your deck-building determines what your cards and strategy looks like. You then build around your princess. For these campaigns, you end up with decks more specifically designed to work with and grow around the princess. It plays in the same way, but I really appreciate how the approach is designed to help introduce you to the princesses you could support as your pick for the kingdom’s new ruler. I will say that an extra editing pass could be used to ensure card effects sound a little less awkward. Things are clear, but I came into Heart of Crown Online having extensively played Tanto Cuore and being familiar with the Dominion formula, and I could see things being a bit confusing for other newcomers. In terms of gameplay, things follow the stable second edition format and make a lot of sense. Your first task in Heart of Crown Online is to get Territories and play them. So you’ll be getting these from the Market at the start to get things like Cities, Towns, and Villages to get currency. When you have enough coins in your realm (6) to nominate one of the princesses, you choose one of the ones available as your potential ruler. In each phase you’ll play cards to your Realm to build up money (lands) or Succession Points (via cards like dukes) to win. You can also take actions against other princesses and the players backing them depending on certain action and Curse cards acquired. If you hit 20 Succession Points or have the most after all of certain types of cards like senators and dukes run out, then you win. Part of the thing that sets Heart of Crown Online apart is that each princess (or the pair of twin princesses) possesses an ability that affects certain actions in-game. As she’s the oldest princess, Lulunasaika’s ability is that you start with six Succession Points right away and only need 14 to win. Lain & Shion can be especially handy, since you could get tokens that let you take another turn. Bergamotte lets you tap into the discarded cards to get another action card to reuse it. But there are some princesses that are more situational and rely on lucky pulls from your deck, like Laolily and Ohka, which does make picking a royal more challenging in the casual and ranked online matches. Images via Playism But I will say that aside from some descriptions perhaps needing another pass over to ensure clarity since this is a complex game, this adaptation of Heart of Crown works very well. The UI is clear and the cards are easy to read. Matches worked well, and I didn’t have too much trouble finding someone to play with. It worked well on a handheld gaming PC too. If you enjoy Dominion, Tanto Cuore, and other kinds of strategic deck-building games, then Heart of Crown Online should be in your library. If the genre is new to you, it’s a good place to start! The concept is entertaining, and the single-player Scenario Mode is a helpful way to learn how to play. Since it also spent time in Steam Early Access, it feels really solid at launch too. Heart of Crown Online is available on PCs, and it will also come to the Switch. The post Review: Heart of Crown Online Is a Faithful Adaptation of the Deck-Building Game appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 17

Resident Evil Requiem Ink Ribbons and First and Third-Person Camera Options Teased During the Resident Evil Showcase, Capcom focused on the upcoming ninth entry Requiem and showed how first and third-person camera perspectives and ink ribbons for saving will return. Both of these came up during the initial part of the presentation that went over gameplay for the two characters, with the Leon portion being more gun-focused and Grace’s being more traditional. We also saw the Switch 2 Pro Controller again. In the case of the ink ribbons returning as a save option, those only appear in Resident Evil Requiem if we select a certain Game Mode at the outset. The three options are Casual, Standard (Modern), and Standard (Classic). It’s that classic option that includes that feature. The exact description mentioned the difficulty matches older games and noted, “Autosaves during Grace’s gameplay are limited and ink ribbons are required to save.” At about the seven minute mark of the gameplay preview, the first and third-person camera options for Resident Evil Requiem appeared. The Grace and Leon ones will be separate in the option screen. So you can choose first-person for one of the protagonist and third-person for the other, or go with first-person for both or third-person for both. You can watch the full January 2026 Resident Evil Showcase below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9HIc7GZLa0 Resident Evil Requiem will come to the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam and Epic Game Store on February 27, 2026. The post Resident Evil Requiem Ink Ribbons and First and Third-Person Camera Options Teased appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 15

Cygames Says No Generative AI Used in Its Games and Products Just under a week after opening Cygames AI Studio in Japan , the Cygames proper released a statement worldwide on social media accounts stating no generative AI is in its games, anime series , or products. However, the announcement also said the company “won’t implement generative AI into our products without prior notice.” This means the notice, while expressing appreciation for human work and apologize for not initially addressing concerns, doesn’t include a commitment to avoiding AI in things like its games and anime series completely. When Cygames AI Studio first came up, the site noted it would be a subsidiary. It claimed that part of the company would make its own model for game services and tools. That announcement also included a number of job listings. Here is the statement Cygames released regarding generative AI in its products like games and anime. “Over the past few days, we’ve received numberous comments expressing anger and disappointment from many of you. This was because we released a simplified statement in Japanese concerning the founding of Cygames AI Studio, Inc., without addressing any of the current problems and social debates surrounding generative AI. We sincerely apologize for the concern we’ve caused. “We would like to take this opportunity to state that art produced from generative AI isn’t used in our products. Furthermore, we won’t implement generative AI into our products without prior notice. We hold in the highest regard those who love games, as well as the dignity, passion, and heart of the creators and artists who act as the architects of gaming culture. The art for all current Cygames games and other products is crafted from the technical know-how and manual work of our many staff members. “Once again, we deeply apologize for causing our beloved fans much grief and anxiety. We at Cygames will continue to honor creators, as well as champion the free expression of people, and, in doing so, will continue to strive to be the best in entertainment. Thank you for your continued support.” Cygames’ most recent worldwide release is Umamusume: Pretty Derby . However, it also announced that it will finally release Granblue Fantasy worldwide on PCs via Steam in 2026. That will be a separate than the existing Japanese and English version, so people’s accounts won’t work. The post Cygames Says No Generative AI Used in Its Games and Products appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 14

Resident Evil Showcase Prioritizes Requiem Gameplay Capcom announced we’ll get another look at Resident Evil Requiem this week, as there will be a showcase streaming gameplay footage of the ninth game in the series. It will air at 2pm PT/5pm ET/11pm CET on January 15, 2026. This might be the last time we get a major information drop before the game’s February 27, 2026 debut . This won’t be a very long presentation. Capcom noted it will only last 12 minutes. It will focus on gameplay, but we don’t know if it will be taken from the Grace or Leon parts of the game. The announcement also referenced “latest info,” so it’s possible other insights about the title will come up. Here’s the teaser trailer for the January 15, 2026 Resident Evil Requiem gameplay showcase. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXQveAdzC74 Capcom’s been very vocal about what we can expect from the ninth Resident Evil game. Back in October 2025, it went over many of the Switch 2 elements, such as the Pro Controller designed to match the title and the amiibo of Grace Ashcroft . At The Game Awards 2025, Leon S Kennedy appeared as another protagonist for the title. Resident Evil Requiem will come to the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam and Epic Game Store on February 27, 2026, and the gameplay showcase will appear on YouTube at 2pm PT/5pm ET/11pm CET on January 15, 2026. Resident Evil Generation Pack, with the seventh, eighth, and ninth games, will be available for the Switch 2 from February 27, 2026 to March 31, 2026. The post Resident Evil Showcase Prioritizes Requiem Gameplay appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 13

Inazuma Eleven Characters to Appear in Cardfight Vanguard Bushiroad announced that Cardfight Vanguard will be collaborating with Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road . It will release two trial decks and booster packs, with more information to come later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvTHgiSn6RE During the Bushiroad announcement event for 2026, Akihiro Hino (the CEO of Level-5) appeared in a pre-recorded message. He first congratulated Bushiroad on Vanguard ’s 15th anniversary. Then, he revealed the upcoming collaboration. Characters from Inazuma Eleven , regardless of generation, will appear as cards in Cardfight Vanguard . This means that we won’t only be getting the new additions from Victory Road , such as Unmei or Haru, but we’ll also be seeing characters from the original series, Go , and Ares . At the end of the message, Hino says that he’s interested to see how the characters’ hissatsu techniques will translate into card format. Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is the latest entry in the Inazuma Eleven series. It came out in November 2024 after years of delays . It’s both a sports game (superdimensional soccer) and an RPG, with modes that let you explore a new story and team, or lets you relive events from the anime series. Characters from Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road will appear as cards in Cardfight Vanguard in the future, with Bushiroad to reveal more details later on. Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, Switch 2, and Windows PC via Steam. The post Inazuma Eleven Characters to Appear in Cardfight Vanguard appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 12

Review: Cassette Boy Experiments With Perspectives Like Fez When Polytron Corporation released Fez, we’d never really seen anything like it. A game that uses perspective to solve puzzles and make progress and shifting between 2D and 3D? Later, we’d see Superliminal and Viewfinder play with how we see things changing how the world works. Cassette Boy is a game in that same vein, only blinding The Legend of Zelda style action-RPG elements as we rotate our viewpoint to change the rules of the world. It’s also just as clever as many of these other games I’ve mentioned, and I hope this indie gets the attention it deserves. Cassette Boy begins with our avatar being addressed by a sparkling entity. It cryptically explains that the moon is gone because our character wasn’t looking at it. This being explains that perspective is everything, and illustrates examples showing that objects, entities, and buttons can disappear if you can’t see them. As such, it’s now up to you to recover the Moon Fragments to restore them to the sky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic71W0L8SMo While Cassette Boy is a The Legend of Zelda- like in some ways, it really prioritizes puzzles and experimenting with our view of the world in a way I appreciated. After the opening introduction and acquiring a sword, we’re given the ability to use the shoulder buttons to rotate the world. In town, it means getting access to houses where you couldn’t previously see doors. More importantly, it means opportunities to start “hiding” enemies, switches, and blockades to make progress to different areas or turning the world fast enough to cause squares to pop up to provide opportunities to reach higher areas or damage foes. So as some of the earliest examples, there’ll be a situation where you rotate 90 degrees to completely hide a huge slime you couldn’t otherwise defeat at that point to slip past to the next area in a forest. For one boss, you rotate the world 360 degrees as quickly at the switches that will make a piece of ground pop up when the opponent is about to get near to damage it five times to win. You stand on a switch to open a door, then rotate the world to block it so you can then move and safely go through the doorway. In one situation, you move a box to a point where you need to rotate 360 degrees to lift yourself and the box up so you can jump. Keep in mind, these are the earliest kinds of progression. In a true The Legend of Zelda and even Metroidvania type of fashion, Cassette Boy also eventually encourages returning to past areas or temporarily blocks off access to certain spots by hiding them behind a type of “trick” you haven’t learned yet. So you might see a shrine in the first forest you can’t reach yet or an area of town blocked off, but need to wait until you can see things the right way to get to that new place. These come in the forms of cassettes for the headphones you acquire early on that help you "focus" to change the way you see the world. Image via Wonderland Kazakiri and Pocketpair Yes, I mentioned a shrine. Like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom , there are portals to brief shrines in Cassette Boy . If you gain access to one of these optional spots, you’ll be posed with additional logic puzzles. I’ve never seen any combat-related ones in my time with the game. Each one I encountered seemed to build upon my knowledge of my abilities in ways that sometimes challenged me a bit more than the typical puzzles encountered when searching for bosses holding Moon Fragments. Which is good because, while the combat isn’t terrible, it does feel like closer to the earlier The Legend of Zelda NES and Game Boy games. The melee attacks with the sword didn’t have the sort of responsiveness and combos as some contemporaries, and aiming with the bow and arrow can be a pain even after you get used to knowing how long to hold it to shoot it proper distances. Another thing I appreciate about Cassette Boy is that it is a really minimalistic game. It relies about the same Game Boy style greenscale palette. While there are a few indoor area tile situations where this can be a lot when multiple designs are combined, it generally is really effective and eye-catching, while still making visual distinctions quite clear. Which is important since you do need to be very precise about positioning to solve puzzles. That’s a little frustrating sometimes, especially when it involves ensuring a dangerous enemy is blocked or that a blockade is 100% hidden. But the design philosophy really adds to the experience. Image via Wonderland Kazakiri and Pocketpair Likewise, that comes a bit with the script. This is a rather simple game and doesn’t feature a super intense narrative. There are some occasionally clever lines, though! And again, there is a minimalistic approach to it. For example, while there’s not a lot of dialogue for NPCs, we will see reactions to certain events. This happens with our avatar’s neighbor, Nell. Our protagonist themselves will also occasionally think about things happening, and those asides can be entertaining. Cassette Boy is at its best when challenging you to rethink your perspective to solve puzzles in this The Legend of Zelda and Fez style adventure. There are times when it can really test you and make you think! The minimalistic design direction is also a highlight. However, some combat elements can occasionally feel finicky, especially when the bow is involved. It definitely can be quite clever, and it’s well worth at the very least trying the demo if you also enjoyed games like Fez. Cassette Boy will come to PCs via Steam on January 15, 2026, and a demo is available. It will also eventually appear on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X . The post Review: Cassette Boy Experiments With Perspectives Like Fez appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 9

These 5 games turn 5 this year, and I can prove it’s not too late to enjoy them Remember that five years ago, many of us were finally transitioning out of the COVID-19 lockdown? We were learning again how to talk to each other outside laggy Zoom calls with the resolution of a 2009 webcam—and enjoyed some really great games, too. While we had industry-defining hits like Hades and Forza Horizon 5 , many other games that didn't have such a huge impact became so relevant that they are still worth playing after five years of new game releases with flashier graphics and new mechanics. And we'd better start getting used to playing older games. The artificial intelligence apocalypse leading to RAM shortages and rising computer costs (via IDC ) has been so relentless that I believe most of us will soon be unable to afford a PC upgrade. Doomspeak aside, I've played this list of new games and new editions released in 2021 and can attest that they're timeless and absolutely worth playing today. And if you don't take my word for it, their latest Steam reviews back me up. Disco Elysium - The Final Cut Disco Elysium gives you full control of the narrative. Image via ZA/UM. If you've played Baldur's Gate 3 and enjoyed the narrative possibilities and how the world reacted to your choices, you will love Disco Elysium . This noir, story-first detective RPG prioritizes role-playing and campaign construction through a complex skill tree where each trait affects how you respond to dialogues and solve puzzles. They're also affected by the political alignment mechanic that your character can navigate between communism, fascism, ultraliberalism, and moralism. Disco Elysium presents text in a vertical, smartphone-shaped box, which already felt more natural in 2021 than reading the traditional horizontal boxes of other games. I wish every other developer had made that change, but it didn't happen. I'm not a completionist, but those who are will have a lot to work toward in Disco Elysium . I've finished it in a little over 27 hours and got only six out of 45 achievements, so there is a lot more to explore in future runs. The Final Cut edition was released in 2021 and received 88 percent positive reviews on Steam over the last 30 days, showing that new players also like the game. Inscryption Inscryption will keep you hooked. Image via Devolver Digital Inscryption is a tense, spooky deckbuilder with escape-room mechanics. You start the game as if you were booting another game inside it, which leaves you trapped in a poorly-lit cabin with a mysterious figure. You have to defeat it in a card game for a chance to escape, which is just the beginning of this meta-adventure. Inscryption has mechanical and narrative twists that make it the best title for a deep and engaging story in a card game. It's the highest-rated game on this list because its dark narrative is incredible and ties well with the many gameplay mechanics, which feel like part of the story. If you're looking for a challenging one-shot deckbuilder, Inscryption is a great choice. But if you want a story that will keep surprising you... well, Inscryption is a great choice. Building overpowered cards and getting through the story in the process is amazing, even if you're not into card games. Inscryption got 96 percent positive reviews on Steam in the last 30 days. The game has an ending, so you don't have to keep playing it over and over to unlock new challenges like in roguelike deck builders. Griftlands Griftlands makes a card game the best way to build its narrative. Image via Klei. Griftlands is a roguelike deckbuilder with role-playing that's above average for the genre. I recommend you first see the game as a story-driven title and think of the cards as your way of interacting with the world. You have Battle and Negotiation decks that represent combat and persuasion story choices, so you have some freedom to explore the world in different ways across runs to unlock slightly different storylines. Slay the Spire and Monster Train fans like me will have fun with Griftlands for a couple of dozen hours. Just don't jump into it expecting endless gameplay, because the story gets stale after you explore it enough times. Still, I have 33 hours of playtime on it because I've played it late into their beta and early into their release, so I'm sure you can also have a very long playing history in it as well. Griftlands has 91 percent positive reviews from recent Steam reviews despite having a low player count today. Loop Hero Loop Hero will demand a lot from you. Screenshot by Destructoid. Loop Hero is a roguelike RPG that blends automatic battles, deck building, and tile placement. Your character is stuck in a looped road, and you can modify tiles in this path to add monsters, buildings, and resources to interact with when you pass through that area again. As in many roguelikes, you have to find a character build and a combination of tiles that will give you a run long enough to advance to the next stage and eventually win. I've logged 57 hours in Loop Hero and got all 50 achievements, which is more than I remember. I swear I'm really not a completionist, but the gameplay of unlocking new tiles, getting new gear, and making the best combination of tiles is so interesting and addictive that it's easy to commit to exploring the game in full. Running my save from five years ago reminded me that Loop Hero is complex even outside of the main gameplay systems. It features alchemy, crafting, and base-building elements that all affect your future runs. I'm not surprised it got 88 percent positive reviews on Steam in the last 30 days. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition A great game to start playing if you like sci-fi. Image via EA. I've just finished playing the first game in the Mass Effect series through the Legendary Edition and loved it, like 90 percent of the people who played it in the last 30 days on Steam. This sci-fi RPG has great character customization and many role-playing options, which were the main reasons I enjoyed it so much, despite not being a big fan of science fiction. I admit adding a 19-year-old game on this list is cheating, but this edition was released on Steam in 2021, and it's thanks to it that I've played a Mass Effect game for the first time. It comes with full Steam Deck support, which was a big reason I got the game. The original Mass Effect runs well on the Deck and is a great introduction to the franchise. In this universe, humanity can travel to distant planets and galaxies thanks to the special mass relay technology it discovered on Mars. As the protagonist, you have to solve intergalactic problems with different beings like the Geth and Reapers while maintaining relationships with allied and neutral races. I had never played a BioWare game in full, and now I understand that the role-playing and freedom to be good, neutral, or evil, and building your character accordingly, is part of why players love old-school games the developer published, like the first Mass Effect . The Legendary Edition is the ideal version to commit to if you end up loving the first game, since it also comes with the rest of the original trilogy. The post These 5 games turn 5 this year, and I can prove it’s not too late to enjoy them appeared first on Destructoid .

Steam Archives – DestructoidJan 7