It’s a Standalone Story

Although The Sinking City 2 leans on the same Lovecraftian aesthetic as its predecessor, studio Frogwares has built the sequel specifically to stand on its own. Yes, you’ll be stepping into the shoes of new protagonist Calvin Raffety as he navigates the flooded streets of Arkham, but this follow-up tells its own self-contained story. Familiar themes and supernatural influence provide connective tissue to the first game, but newcomers should find The Sinking City 2 just as approachable.

Ammo Conservation is More Important Than Killing Everything

The sequel’s shift to survival horror means every bullet carries extra weight. Ammunition, healing items, and crafting resources are, as you’d expect, deliberately scarce, making you think twice before engaging every monster you encounter. Sometimes, the smartest decision is to high-tail it out of trouble, preserving your supplies instead for unavoidable fights. Resource management is a survival horror staple, but its one Frogwares is reportedly putting to good use, bringing tension by balancing risk with minimal resources.

Retreating and Returning Better Prepared is a Legitimate Strategy

We just alluded to it, but retreating with a plan to prepare for another go is often the best strategy. In fact, The Sinking City 2 encourages you to recognise when the odds aren’t in your favour, instead coming back with more ammo, additional healing supplies, or stronger, freshly upgraded gear. This preparation loop forms as important a part of the survival-horror experience as resource management itself, where your patience is rewarded by staying alive.

The Flood Brings Its Own Threat

Much like its predecessor, The Sinking City 2’s flooded streets aren’t just atmospheric set dressing. Unseen entities and absurd abominations lurk beneath the surface, ready to ambush careless wading. In a broad sense, the floodwater itself becomes an enemy, when the act of traversing by boat feels just as unsettling as navigating interior sections on foot.

Certain Monsters Can Affect The Space Around You

Not every creature in The Sinking City 2 rushes to kill you. No, some enemies possess abilities that shape and distort the world around you – or, at least, your perception of it. Certain monsters can influence rising flood waters, for instance, submerging dry paths and forcing you to find alternative routes. And other creatures can drain your sanity entirely, warping your senses with hallucinations, phantoms, and misheard auditory phenomenon like footsteps. The sequel’s bestiary demands a range of responses, from fearless quick thinking to improvisation, making each encounter less like a straightforward firefight.

The Shoggoth Arrives After Successful Fundraiser

While not being part of The Sinking City 2’s original lineup of beasts, after a Kickstarter stretch goal was reached The Shoggoth is now set to feature as a major boss battle. An intimidating spectre straight out of the Lovecraft playbook, The Shoggoth is a towering, amorphous blob of glowing flesh and blinking eyes, and it promises a very different encounter from the routine enemies roaming the streets. Because of its shape-shifting form, its attack patterns will be hard to predict, while its ginormous size means it can control space or tear down structures, demanding you maintain awareness of your surroundings in its presence.

Kickstarter Stretch Goals Added More Content

The Shoggoth isn’t the only gameplay addition funded by Kickstarter. Frogwares has also expanded the sequel with extra secrets and environmental puzzles, enriching the experience with meaningful content. Now, you’ve more reason to follow the hidden path, where exploration involves uncovering locations, optional discoveries, and additional challenges that reward observation and bravery.

A Familiar Location Also Returns

And yet another stretch goal addition is the return of a location that will be familiar if you played the first The Sinking City. An as yet unknown secret area, the location is reportedly set to be dramatically reimagined to suit the sequel’s newfound emphasis on survival-horror. If you’re a veteran, this means you’ll be able to step into somewhere that feels recognisable without the game forcing you to repeat the steps you’ve already taken.

Holloway Manor Adds Two Hours of Optional Gameplay

If you pick up The Sinking City 2 Premium Edition you’ll not only unlock twenty-four hour early access but also gain entrance to Holloway Manor, a standalone side investigation that offers roughly two hours of additional gameplay. Set within a decrepit mansion, where a family’s history was curdled by an occult practice, Holloway Manor promises to be a substantial diversion away from the main story.

Completing Holloway Manor Gives You a Weapon for the Main Game

Holloway Manor isn’t just an isolated bonus experience either, but completing the investigation rewards you with the Bucking Bronco revolver which you can bring into your arsenal in the main campaign. So, not only do you get additional story content, and the chance to uncover another one of Arkham’s mysteries, but a potential advantage once you return to the main story.

Pre-orders Give The Chthonic Arsenal

If you pre-order The Sinking City 2 you will receive the Chthonic Arsenal DLC, containing three extra weapons. Included is the Breakwater shotgun, and the Tektite Tommy SMG. Each firearm appears cosmetically enhanced with Lovecraftian mysticism, and while details on how each weapon handles is scarce, Frogwares has confirmed that each will possess a unique firing trait.

Some Editions Let You Accelerate Character Progression

The Deluxe Edition includes a bundle of outfits and useful consumables but arguably the most valuable is Dream Essence. This resource – of which the Deluxe gives three – feeds directly into The Sinking City 2’s Talent system, allowing you to unlock your first character upgrade sooner than you otherwise would. Combined with extra ammo, healing, and crafting items, the Deluxe Edition gives you a smoother start to life in Arkham compared to the Standard version.

Difficulty and Accessibility Can Be Adjusted

The Sinking City 2 includes a range of difficulty and accessibility options to help you tailor the experience to your preferences. Alongside four difficulty settings, from a more easygoing Story Mode right through to the highly demanding Survivor difficulty, you can customise subtitles and audio settings, including audio cue support to alleviate any disorientation during especially distorted scenes. The removal of rapid button presses, input, and motion controls improves comfort levels while optional HUD toggles and separate investigation difficulty sliders provide the option to simplify story progression whilst keeping the combat challenging.

A PC Demo is Available

You can try the opening segments of The Sinking City 2 via a free demo currently listed on the game’s Steam page. As with all demos, this gives you a chance to sample the game’s exploration, combat, atmosphere and overall performance before committing to a purchase.

Release Date, Price, Editions, and PC Requirements

The Sinking City 2 is set to launch on August 18th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, with Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Editions available. Priced at $49.99, $54.99, and $59.99 respectively, pre-orders include the aforementioned Chthonic Arsenal weapon pack, with Premium holders unlocking Holloway Manor and early access. If you’re a PC player, recommended specs include an Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X CPU, GeForce GTX 1070 or RX 5700 8GB VRAM GPU, and 16GB RAM. Recommended setup details an i5-14600K or Ryzen 5 7600X CPU, a GeForce RTX 4070 Ti or AMD RX7900XT 12GB VRAM GPU, and 32GB RAM.

Still, Mistfall Hunter remains an enjoyable extraction RPG. Yes, it removes much of the genre’s traditional frustration, but this isn’t as beneficial to the experience as the devs likely hoped.

Back to first impressions though, and another of the game’s noticeable distinctions is its eschewing of extraction’s usual shooting for Souls-inspired combat. It’s not as difficult as FromSoftware’s typical masochism though, with wider hitboxes and mid-swing repositioning underlining an arcade feel. Combat, on the whole, is where the game shines brightest, with its six unique classes bringing genuinely different playstyles, approaches, and flexibility to battle.

The heavy-hitting Mercenary feels like the ideal starting class, with its straightforward hammer swings crushing opponents in just a few blows. The Withered Knight sacrifices the Mercenary’s raw damage for mobility, rewarding frontline pressure. Shadowstrix is quicker still, with a skillset routed in subterfuge and burst damage. The Sorcerer commands devastating area-of-effect magic, and together with Blackarrow becomes a medium-to-long-range option that excels in the hands of skilled players. Support class the Seer is next to useless in solo missions, but becomes invaluable in group expeditions.

"The heavy-hitting Mercenary feels like the ideal starting class"

Every class packs a two-weapon loadout, with unique skills tied to each. Individual talent trees unlock your skills’ power potential, while a mix of attachable gems and pre-journey tonics shape your build further through a vast range of resistant, restorative, and passive effects.

The idea here is to choose the bonuses which embellish your class’ innate skills. Take the Shadowstrix, for instance, whom you can shape into a relentless meat slicer by choosing shorter cooldowns and reduced stamina usage. Suffice to say there’s plenty of room for unconventional experimentation too, with the build options for each class not just presenting a canvas for your imagination but a range of different problems you’ll encounter face-to-face on the battlefield.

As a result, PvP skirmishes can be surprisingly drawn out. While extraction games’ greatest annoyance – for casuals at least – is getting shot from distance before you’ve even raised your crosshairs, through Mistfall Hunter’s melee-heavy design you’re encouraged to close in on your enemies, and it levels the playing field significantly.

And, supporting this, the other thing the game does well is it understands that losing shouldn’t feel frustrating. See, most extraction games punish death severely, but Mistfall Hunter cushions the blow. If you’ve lost your sharpest tools, combat bags outfit you with mid-tier weapons and consumables, with your on-site auctioneer Pip often gifting you one for free after defeat. Soekja, the Guiding White Crow who dishes out extra objectives during matches, occasionally retrieves your lost items without the need for a combat bag. Also at basecamp, Twig and his mate undertake scavenger hunts for a small fee, while a merchant sells an array of items for a reasonable price. Even dying to bosses isn’t the end, with a revival system giving you a short window to climb back into your fallen body. These systems mean that even if you’re only extracting half of the time, you’ll keep moving forward.

You’ll level up quickly in the early exchanges, unlocking talent nodes and weapon skills. Loot is abundant too, with you finding high value trinkets easily to sell on for Gyldenblod, which can then be exchanged for stronger weapons and armour. There’s always momentum which will undoubtedly appease many players, but the ease at which you can keep the wheels turning does introduce its own problem.

"The other thing the game does well is it understands that losing shouldn’t feel frustrating. "

Centring on Pip’s auction house, the process is sound in principle. See, if you’ve any surplus weapons you can chuck them into the in-game economy for another player to purchase. But this means the strongest weapons and armour are always available, so long as you manage a successful extraction with plenty of loot. If you build up a healthy stockpile, there’s little frustration when you lose as you can just buy back stronger. The inherent risk in each expedition is nullified. The loot gathering loop becomes a process of gathering items to sell.

Likewise, camp upgrades require specific items, but if you’re missing anything in your inventory you can simply buy what you need. The lengths Mistfall Hunter goes to maintaining your progression is commendable, sure, but it’s debatable how meaningfully it can foster long-term commitment. See, the experience boils down to a numbers game – loot is fuel for progression, nothing more. The treasure you recover is rarely desirable, and the weapons you find are seldom more powerful than what you’re already wielding.

Stack onto this the multiple extra currencies which emerge to be spent in a handful of online shops on cosmetics, mostly, then the game’s progression becomes pointedly addicting. While these overlapping economies aren’t unusual for the genre, they nevertheless dilute what Mistfall Hunter does best: weighty, measured combat and satisfying buildcraft. The game consistently respects your time, but through a tangled web of vendors it becomes less respectful of your attention. Its design devolves to keeping you engaged, with expedition outcomes secondary.

Worse still, the game’s premium cosmetic offerings leave a sour aftertaste. They’re prohibitively expensive unless you’re willing to grind for multiple currencies or spend real-world money.

And, bafflingly, the game doubles down on its devolutions by locking solo players out of the second map. With only two maps available at launch, that’s half the experience. Even though you’ll struggle to take down elite bosses on your own, solo excursions are sombre, contemplative, worthwhile endeavours, where you can focus on your own objectives without aligning with a squad’s. Make no mistake, team-play is still fun and rewarding, but if long-term progress consistently relies on others then you can’t advance as efficiently as possible.

"The game’s premium cosmetic offerings leave a sour aftertaste. "

Still, whether solo or squadded, Mistfall Hunter’s bleak fantasy world is an attractive one to inhabit, even if it rarely surprises visually. Hallowgrove’s crumbling dockyards, abandoned industry, and corrupted forests suggest a civilisation consumed by the enveloping Gyldenmist, lending a grounded sense of place beyond loot chasing. Both maps are pleasingly vertical too, with intertwining paths and elevated vantage points giving a sense of freedom instead of being funneled along. Waypoints are indispensable early on as objectives often sit a level above or below you, but navigation soon becomes organic thanks to distinctly characterful areas.

The presentation isn’t quite as confident elsewhere, however. Music is used sparingly, leaving tense encounters feeling oddly subdued, while enemy sound cues rarely play a crucial role like they do in other extraction games. And, despite regular server warnings, latency notifications, and occasional disconnects, moment-to-moment performance was stable and dependable.

In summary, Mistfall Hunter is a solid showing overall. It recognises that extraction games don’t have to be relentlessly punishing by ensuring every expedition feels worthwhile, whether you escape with a bountiful amount of loot or die trying. Combat is thumping, and class experimentation truly feels limitless. Yet, as the hours pass, a growing web of currencies and increasingly group-focused objectives undermine the elegance of its ideas.

And that’s the frustrating thing: developer Bellring Games proves that the experience can work as a solo player, with combat, classes, and buildcrafting compelling enough to sustain attention away from its myriad addicting systems. Mistfall Hunter is good, but by overly softening extraction’s tension it feels an update or two away from being truly remarkable.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

Stamina Bar Removed

One of Mortal Shell 1’s biggest grievances has been completely removed for the sequel. The Shells’ stamina bar, previously, led to repetitive encounters where you’ll move to attack before dodging backward as you run out of stamina, spending a moment waiting for it to replenish so you can re-engage and repeat the process. With stamina gone, fights are continuous and fluid, emphasising an expressive, aggression-first ethos that puts the sequel in-line with modern action-adventure titles over action-RPGs.

Abilities Become More Integral to Combat Flow

And, as stamina has been removed your Shell’s ability bar becomes weaponised. Because ability is generated during attacking, and attacks are no-longer constrained by stamina, Shell-specific active skills become more integral to combat in the sequel compared to the first game. Herros can turn more opponents to stone, Tiel deals poison with every parry, and more, with ability customisation also receiving an overhaul to be deeper and more personal. It’s a great example of the devs redesigning combat to be more aggressive and then moulding the supporting systems around it.

New Posture-Breaking System

While Mortal Shell 1 didn’t have a visible posture meter (you had to visibly gauge when an opponent was staggered), Mortal Shell 2 introduces an additional UI bar above an enemy, making it easier to determine when your attacks will stun your opposition. And, like stamina’s removal and the renewed emphasis on ability-charging, the posture-breaking system synergises with the sequel’s aggressive combat style, where continuous attacks lead to stunned enemies and a chance to unleash a devastating critical attack, all whilst recharging your ability.

New Colour-Coded Attack Indicators

Unblockable attacks in Mortal Shell 1 were indicated by your Shell’s Tarnished Seal, but the catch was that you needed to have at least one segment of Resolve in your ability bar. The sequel, instead, makes enemy attacks more readable by introducing colour-coded indicators: red means the incoming attack is unblockable, while yellow indicates the attack is parry-able. This ‘always on’ system might discourage you from memorising every enemy’s attack pattern, but the enhanced readability will lead to less frustration, more predictable outcomes, and less friction in mastering your favourite manoeuvres.

You’re Stronger Outside of Your Shell

You’re a skinny, pale being outside of your shell, and in Mortal Shell 1 your body behaved accordingly. Get knocked out of your shell and you were only one blow away from death, desperately scrambling back before an enemy finishes you off. Mortal Shell 2 gives you more agency; instead of retrieving it unscathed, the sequel asks you to deliver a melee attack string, marking another example of the game emphasising aggressive play.

Greater Weapon Variety – Including Guns!

Mortal Shell 1’s arsenal was retrained, with just four melee weapons and the ranged Ballistazooka available throughout the entire game. Mortal Shell 2, instead, broadens your options with eight primary weapons and eight secondary firearms. Guns aren’t simply long-range damage dealers either; with ammunition tied to your ability meter you’re encouraged to stay on the offensive to keep firing. Yet another example of the game prioritising combat aggression, delivering a one-two punch of blade and bullet akin to Control or Hyper Light Drifter.

Hardening Evolves To Be More Flexible

Hardening was one of Mortal Shell 1’s defining mechanics, temporarily turning your shell into stone so you could absorb any incoming attack. While it remains a staple of the sequel’s defensive toolkit, it has now been woven into a set of building blocks to slot into a modular setup. No longer the default defensive option, harden has been rebranded as the Vatra Seal, and in combination with other seals – specialising in blocking, parrying, and more – beta players have reported the new system has dramatically altered their approach to defence.

Seals Add Another Layer of Customisation

And it isn’t just your defensive options that are broadened by the introduction of seals. There is a suite of seals available which you can equip and swap to support a range of combat and traversal specialisations, providing another layer of customisation, These aren’t simple passive skills, but fundamental tools to mould your Shell to different situations. Together with Shell skill trees – which we’ll get into shortly – and modular hardening, Mortal Shell 2’s RPG systems are much deeper than the original game.

Considerably More Playable Shells

The titular Shells, as you’d expect, remain foundational to Mortal Shell 2’s build system, with each offering their own strengths, weaknesses, and combat identity across three distinct attributes. While the original featured four core Shells, Mortal Shell 2 more than doubles the variety with nine confirmed shells at launch. The aforementioned Harros and Tiel return alongside some new designs, and together with deeper customisation systems there appears to be more room for personalisation than was ever possible in Mortal Shell 1.

Shell Progression is Deeper

Shell progression sees a significant overhaul in the sequel too. Whereas in the original you had to farm two separate currencies to purchase abilities, Mortal Shell 2 introduces Shell Points which can be allocated to individual Shells’ skill trees. Fixed stat progression has been tweaked too, with your Shell rewarded with stat increases by clearing areas of enemies and arriving at checkpoints. Separating skill tree progression and character levelling in this way should encourage you to specialise in multiple shells while still getting stronger overall.

A Much Larger World

The first Mortal Shell combined several interconnected regions, with exploration focused as a result. In contrast, Mortal Shell 2 expands the original’s scale, providing a substantially larger open world with multiple routes, diversions, and freedom to explore. The shift in scope brings the sequel closer to its Soulslike inspiration, where curiosity is rewarded rather than guided.

World Design More Vertical

The sequel’s larger world makes more use of verticality too. Where the original game’s environments were largely grounded, Mortal Shell 2 introduces elevated structures, towers, and layered locations, with new traversal mechanics ensuring movement through the world feels like a breeze. Grappling, climbing, and other options make exploration more varied and hands-on.

Exploration More Open

And on that note, it isn’t solely newfound verticality which transforms Mortal Shell 2’s exploration. Thanks to its new open-ended philosophy, a dedicated in-game map makes navigation more streamlined, while the larger world branches intuitively with alternative paths to investigate. Rather than wondering if you’ve missed something, the sequel gives you the tools to carve your own route.

Setting More Involved

The setting in Mortal Shell 1 was deliberately cryptic, and while the sequel maintains the opaque style it’s now supplemented by more explicit presentation. Voiced-acted dialogue, richer setting, and a greater emphasis on cinematic exploration ensure some of the world’s mysteries are communicated directly to you instead of relying on clues and fragmented information.

More Optional Content

Exploration isn’t just about getting to the next objective as now there’s a greater number of optional side activities to distract you: hidden dungeons, mini bosses, challenges, upgrade materials, and secret areas. Mortal Shell 1 rewarded exploration, sure, but the sequel ensures venturing off the beaten path is a much more worthwhile endeavour.

Stealth No Longer the Main Focus

In Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, the series’ signature stealth mechanics take a backseat for combat, which has grown into a much bigger part of the experience compared to previous A Plague Tale games. That’s not to say stealth is gone entirely, but now you’re more likely to leap out of the shadows to tackle assailants with a dagger than sneak past them undetected.

Sophia Replaces Hugo and Amicia

Resonance switches up the protagonist too, with adventurer Sophia – whom you’ll know from A Plague Tale: Requiem – filling the shoes of Hugo and Amicia. What’s more, there is another new character in your command: Theseus – the Minotaur-slaying king of Athens Theseus, that is. At set narrative points, the game transports you back centuries to wield Theseus’ sword in Gladiatorial battle flashbacks. There’s a historical mystery tying these two protagonists together; one you’ll slowly unravel the deeper you trek into Minotaur’s Island.

Both Protagonists Bring Unique Combat Skills

Theseus’ segments are intense, with his aggressive close-quarters melee skills enabling him to dominate Coliseum arenas. Wielding a weighty sword in official gameplay footage, he breaks his opponents’ guard with strong parries and counters. His brutal style contrasts with Sophia, who is more methodical in her approach. She’s equally skilled with steel, bringing a pair of blades to the fray, yet her movement is more agile. From everything shown so far, she’s seen leaping onto enemies and launching flying kicks. Hands-on previewers note each character has a skill tree to pursue too, unlocking further abilities and manoeuvres – more on this later.

You’ll Block and Parry Alot

Whichever combatant you’re in command of, the flow of Resonance’s fighting appears skewed toward a defence-first mindset. In other words: you’ll be blocking, parrying, and dodging before you’re swinging your steel. Only once you’ve borne the brunt of your assailant’s attack does the opportunity for retaliation present itself, where satisfying counterattacks reward patience over careless aggression.

Combat Has Hidden Depth

Alongside sword-fighting, there is hidden depth in Resonance’s combat. Charged attacks, for instance, sees Theseus’ blade glow white before he deals a devastating strike. Then there are the aforementioned guard-breaking attacks, indicated by a stagger meter below an enemy’s head which fills with every successful parry. Sophia, also, is equipped with a grapple hook, which she uses to great effect dragging enemy soldiers down off their elevated perch into the dusty ground below.

The Grapple Hook Is Useful During Traversal

Sophia’s grapple hook, in fact, comes in handy during traversal too. In the official gameplay footage, we see her careen down ziplines, yank obstacles out of the way, and remove barriers. It’s a simple, perhaps expected addition, but one that should make moving through the environment feel more hands-on than simply strolling from point to point.

Extra Swords Can Be Collected

Throughout the campaign, you’ll stumble across a handful of swords, rewarding off the beaten path exploration. Each blade, too, augments combat with unique finishers and combo options, and in some cases can meaningfully shape your approach if combined with powerful area-of-effect attacks. See, switching Sophia’s primary blade’s length results in her executing a different finisher, which could be decisive in fights where she’s outnumbered.

Collectables Grant Passive Bonuses

As well as collecting swords, you’ll come across various detritus that can be collected and stored for passive bonuses. Trinkets, like the one we see Sophia collect from a chest during the gameplay reveal, decreases the chance she’ll succumb to a killer blow. Elsewhere, Arm Bands widen parry timing windows, Bracelets increase the chance a Critical Strike deals more damage, while Beads reduce the chance Sophia gets hit by an arrow. Seals and Pierced Coins round out the collectables, and what is clear is that these items foster a sense of buildcrafting beyond weapon choices and attribute upgrades.

Light RPG Systems Feature

We alluded to it earlier, but Resonance features light progression systems for both characters. By collecting Resonance Points through exploration and combat, you’ll have the currency to spend on new skills and abilities. Confirmed upgrades for Sophia include boosts to parrying and guard breaking, while a third specifically rewards aggressive finishers like critical strikes with energy absorption bonuses. For Theseus, you can expect upgrades to his area-of-effect attack, plus shield and sword charges.

Environmental Puzzles Return

While Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy places greater emphasis on melee combat than its predecessors, exploration and environmental puzzle-solving still remain core experiences. Once again, you’ll need to manipulate light sources to navigate the world and uncover the way forward. It’s a familiar mechanic, sure, but one that has been expanded with new tools – more on that next. All in all, the result preserves the thoughtful pace of earlier titles, where storytelling was embedded into the environmental puzzles themselves.

Sophia’s Mysterious Orb Serves Multiple Purposes

And that tool Sophia carries around is a mysterious sphere capable of manipulating light in several different ways. In some instances, it can be used to reflect beams of light to activate mechanisms or solve puzzles, while elsewhere it functions as a portable light source capable of illuminating dimly lit tombs. The official gameplay even suggests the two functions can be combined – we see Sophia illuminating otherwise invisible symbols before carefully redirecting light beams. It’s another example of Resonance building on A Plague Tale’s defining mechanics away from rats.

Sophia’s Journal Keeps Track of Important Clues

As you explore Minotaur’s Island and its forgotten crypts and tombs, Sophia will keep a record of your discoveries in her journal. So, rather than the game expecting you to memorise every ancient rune, mural, or environmental clue, she documents important iconography and sketches for future reference. It’s a straightforward quality of life addition disguised as a visceral mechanic, but either way it should make the game’s suite of puzzles feel more intuitive.

Companions Can Give Optional Clues

We know from the gameplay footage that Sophia has a companion by her side for at least a portion of her journey. Leni, however, isn’t just there to lend a hand during combat encounters but she can offer puzzle assistance – but only if you choose. Taken together with Sophia’s note taking, we could surmise that Resonance’s puzzles are set to be tougher than the typical action-adventure. Either way, companion assistance being optional is a welcome addition which eschews the usual pitfall of having everything spelled out for you before you’ve worked it out.

Combat Animations Are a Noted Concern

Now, this one is subjective, but gameplay footage indicates that there’s a certain, shall we say, unnatural poise to both Sophia and Theseus’ defensive moveset. Plainly, they appear to be able to change direction to deflect attacks near-instantaneously, and it’s a quirk that’s been noted by community commenters. Now, it’s important to hedge this concern with the build showcased in the footage isn’t the version that is set for release. We’ll have to wait and see if this concern bears weight when the game launches.

Release Date, Platforms, Price, and Pre-Order Bonus

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is set to launch on August 27th, with PS5, Series X|S, and PC via both Steam and the Epic Games Store the confirmed platforms. The title will be enhanced for PS5 Pro, and will be available day one on Game Pass. If you pre-order the game you’ll receive the “Heritage Pack” DLC, which includes a cosmetically decorated sword, an equipable accessory, and a digital artbook.

There’s a lot that’s different this time around, and if you’re thinking about picking up a copy expecting it to be familiar, this is something you might want to read before you pick it up. Let’s dive right in!

From Detective Action To Survival Horror

While the first game took you to a city where you really had to hunt down clues and solve mysteries to make sense of it all, things are a little more straightforward this time around. The Sinking City 2 makes scavenging for scarce resources, fending off deadly enemies, and surviving a world that’s decidedly not conducive to life as its central pillars.

Of course, there are still occasions where your investigative skills come into play, but it’s all about survival and the story this time around. Is that going to be a welcome change? Well, it’s definitely different, if the early previews of the game, played on a relatively early build of it, are any indication.

A Fully Open World Makes Way For A More Focused Semi-Open Adventure

The Sinking City’s Oakmont was a sprawling place full of varied districts, scattered clues, and threads to follow as you attempted to solve its central mystery and attempt to stop the regular floods that it was being plagued by. You made your way around by foot or by boat, or via those fast-travel phone booths strewn about. However, that was a part of its charm, and a definitely great way to make your investigation feel layered and nuanced as you piece information together.

The new game uses a semi-open structure where the places you’re exploring are more contained, deliberately structured spaces meant to feed a linear route for progression with optional detours and a bit of backtracking by boat thrown in to shake things up. That’s sure to help the game’s pacing, and is likely to make its combat feel more of a threat than the first game’s systems did.

Oakmont’s Bustle Vs Arkham’s Desolation

Of course, the titular Sinking City switches from Oakmont to the very popular Arkham for those of you who are familiar with Lovecraft’s work. Frogwares has made its new stage a place that’s lacking the hustle and bustle of Oakmont’s busy populace, whose routines and consistent chatter made for an experience that made them a necessary part of your adventure.

Of course, things are different for The Sinking City 2, with its premise and gameplay loop favoring a world with more hostiles and less allies to find. With that being said, the few survivors you find are sure to feel more interesting by virtue of their rarity, and early previews have praised what little’s been shown off of them. We’re pretty optimistic about them being memorable parts of the experience after our time with the first game’s NPCs.

World Building Vs. Environmental Storytelling

The difference in NPC density brings us to the way things about Arkham are presented to you. While the first game had you looking out for as many clues as you could find to piece together the story and lore of its world bit by bit, a lot of that involved conversations, interviewing witnesses, visiting public institutions, and navigating your relationships with the leaders of various factions. It was a core part of the gameplay loop that made Oakmont’s citizens a crucial part of its storytelling mechanisms.

Of course, Arkham being as desolate as it is, things are different, and there’s a stronger emphasis on the physical environment telling you more about what’s going on this time around. Detailed buildings, abandoned rooms, documents, environmental abnormalities, and even corpses can tell you more about the world than a single conversation ever could in The Sinking City 2.

The Importance Of Investigations

If you haven’t played The Sinking City, you’re still probably aware that investigations were a crucial part of the adventure that one presented. Charles Reed was an investigator after all, and the mission design was based on him piecing together his objectives through exploring Oakmont and finding out more about its predicament. It was a lot of grunt work and mental math, making it reminiscent of Frogwares’ past titles.

Arkham, however, does feature places for you to do a bit of sleuthing, and ties them to handy rewards that are sure to make navigating its brutal world easier. That makes investigations more of an optional detours, but a very rewarding one for those of you who like to diligently track down everything a game has to offer you.

The Investigation Systems Themselves

While we’re on the subject of investigations, they were spread across a multitude of interconnected systems during our time in Oakmont filling in for Charles. There was his Mind’s Eye, his retrocognition, the Mind Palance, your interviews with NPCs, archives, omens, and even manual map work that needed you to place markers based on vague clues, and then manually track down whatever you were looking for once you were there.

That last part could be a tad challenging in a place like Arkham where ammunition is scarce and enemies are abundant. Thankfully, your Mind Palace has been streamlined, allowing you to conduct investigations from a single interface to make connections and solve problems hindering your progress. You’re still going to play detective in this one, but the whole thing’s been woven into a survival horror loop that recontextualizes its importance from a gameplay perspective.

Celebrations Of Successful Investigations

In The Sinking City, piecing clues together to solve an investigative thread was rewarded with deductions directly tied to story and side mission progress, while also presenting you with more options on related threads and opportunities to send the narrative in different directions based on your choices. The rewards were narrative avenues that shaped Charles’ perceptions and beliefs.

In The Sinking City 2, Calvin finishing a successful investigation comes with more practical rewards, including but not limited to supplies, secrets, lore drops, alternate routes, and the Dream Essence he needs for talent upgrades. That amounts to more tangible rewards that are more suitable to a survival horror game where combat can leave you on the backfoot more often than you’d care to admit.

A New Approach To Puzzles

The first game’s puzzles were a part of the story, requiring you to rebuild past events with Retrocognition, examining evidence, picking the correct archive to file newly acquired information, and a lot of deduction-based problem solving before you could get to the right solution. We look back at the hours we spent trying to piece it all together quite fondly. It was a test of your deduction and information retrieval skills that was a very welcome change of pace at the time.

The sequel hasn’t hidden its survival horror inspirations at all, and it shows in the way puzzles are more direct, with numerical codes, locked doors, environmental mechanisms you need to operate, along with key items you’re going to have to track down before you can progress. It’s a more spatial approach to problem solving that could better suit the gameplay loop on offer in The Sinking City 2, considering how differently Arkham is structured in comparison to Oakmont.

A More Focused Experience

While the entirety of Oakmont was at your disposal in The Sinking City, one of our few complaints about that one was that a lot of it felt inaccessible to the player, making a chunk of the game’s world feel like window dressing for what was indeed exploreable. Entire buildings had no way to enter them with most of the game’s action happening out on its streets as you used partial addresses and well-placed map markers to find what you were looking for.

In Arkham, things are narrower but a whole lot more focused, as you look to clear rooms and areas before you progress, and you’re going to backtrack to familiar areas over the course of the story. While the first game sent you across a large city, this one’s looking to have you wondering how to fully clear its many levels as you go along.

Combat Is Now A Core Activity

Another part of The Sinking City that prevented us from liking it more than we did was a rather lackluster combat system. It was clear that combat wasn’t the focus of the experience it was offering even though some of those enemy designs still linger among the scariest ones we’ve seen over the years.

However, the new game puts the action right at the center of it all, with a more responsive control system and improved gunplay to make fighting off imposing foes feel like a crucial pillar of Arkham’s survival horror loop as opposed to an interruption to an investigative loop in the previous game. Progression critical locations are going to be patrolled by enemies waiting to test your ability to remain effective against them whilst managing scarce resources.

The Improved Gunplay

The original game’s shooting mechanics left a lot to be desired, and even the remaster’s improvements didn’t do much to make its broader, action-oriented combat systems feel worth writing home about. Well, there’s a tighter, over-the-shoulder aiming system, a more streamlined movement system that’s turned to feel like modern survival horror titles, dodging, melee attacks, and stagger damage from hitting weak spots for some brutal finishers.

Combat isn’t just tighter in the new game, but is rebuilt to make its frequency more appealing and deliberate.

Dishing Out Damage In New Ways

While The Sinking City was more about dealing damage to enemies through gunshots, explosions, or repeated melee attacks, the new game is taking things up a notch. Your enemies are more mobile, for starters, and generate visible boils that you’re going to have to hit quite consistently. That’s because they’re the weak points for stagger damage that we were talking about.

Getting them to a staggered state lets Calvin stomp down on them, finishing them off with stylish brutality in a move that might never get old. While the original game was about dwindling down health bars, this one gives you more control over the fight, and more opportunities to turn the tides in your favor given that you’re often going to be facing superior numbers.

Bullets Work Differently In Arkham

In The Sinking City, bullets were more than just ammunition for your weapons. Oakmont’s grim situation meant that survival wasn’t guaranteed, and having the means to even the odds was more valuable than cold, hard cash. That means bullets were a valuable currency for trading, and were a frequent reward from your investigations in the first game.

That’s changed now, and they’re more rare even with robust crafting systems in place. You’re going to have to use them well if you want to survive an adventure that’s sure to push Calvin past his mental and physical limits, with even a single missed shot meaning the difference between life and death. Bullets continue to remain the surest possible way to live in The Sinking City 2. They’re just better off in your enemy’s head instead of an NPCs pocket.

Inventory Management Redefined

Charles Reed could carry a lot of stuff in his pockets once you got the right upgrades in, with fairly generous resource caps on ammo, crafting materials, meds, explosives, and other items. There was no dedicated storage loop simply because The Sinking City didn’t need one.

Calvin, however, needs to be more careful about what he’s carrying into the field, with a dedicated storage chest and frequently appearing safe rooms allowing you to manage your inventory in what’s probably going to break The Sinking City 2 into more manageable chunks as you navigate between safe rooms. We’re suspecting that they’re going to have a role to play in fast-travel too, if things turn out as we expect.

The Right Skills For The Job

The first game took an easy approach to skills, with unlocked upgrades permanently buffing Reed’s combat abilities, health, and his mental skills set. You gradually got better as you filled out a traditionally layered skill tree.

That’s different now, as you invest Dream Essence you gather into Runes that give you passives, with the caveat being that you can only have a limited number of them equipped at any given time. While that might seem limiting at first, we’re expecting your options to open up quite significantly the more Runes you unlock, making selecting which ones you want to upgrade a matter of your preferred playstyle. There’s even the potential for switching up your build based on the situation you’re trying to tackle, which is always welcome.

And that’s about it for this one. We’re pretty excited to dive into Arkham’s waterlogged areas in The Sinking City 2, and hope that you’re going to be prowling its desolate buildings alongside us when the time comes. See you there!

So, while appetite for crossover fighters still exists, and the superhero genre garners huge appeal, Fighting Souls’ reimagined heroes are designed to appeal to casual fighting game audiences and the more competitive FGC alike. It’s stylish, yet purportedly responsive, with easy to learn mechanics hiding depth to be unmasked through mastery. It captures the frenetic energy of classic crossover fighters, sure, but ArcSys is making sure to carve out a unique identity.

And, if anything, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s backing is a dream partnership for the studio beyond the obvious financial benefits. Whilst, yes, the Japanese giant brings marketing and production value befitting of the Marvel license, ArcSys is the sizzle on the steak. Guilty Gear -Strive-, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, and Dragon Ball FighterZ showcase the studio’s reputation for expressive animation, visual flair, and 2D fighting expertise. In essence: this is far from a niche fighting game. It’s primed to be a blockbuster, in both budget and pedigree.

But, we did say the game is poised to succeed beyond its hype and reputation, but what exactly do we mean? Well, look – a 4v4 tag-team system isn’t a groundbreaking revolution, sure, but it’s a meaningful evolution with potential to become the standard for tag-team fighters which follow.

Unlike the tag-fighter genre’s now-traditional 3v3 structure, Fighting Souls revolves around a shared life bar, fundamentally changing the flow of every match. Rather than watching individual teammates disappear one by one – like the recently released Invincible VS, where assists and utility benefits are lost with them – your entire squad remains in play until your collective health is exhausted. This shift, if implemented correctly, should reduce the slippery slope effect common to tag fighters, where losing a single character can spiral into an almost unrecoverable disadvantage.

But there’s a system built around this foundation, too. Your team won’t begin battles at full strength; no, starting 2v2, you’ll unlock additional characters throughout the match by reaching Turning Points through skilful play. This expands your tactical options, your available health, and skill gauge, although an extra character arrives at the end of each round either way, ensuring the playing field remains somewhat level.

Elsewhere, Active Tag mechanics promise lengthy combo extensions, while chained Ultimate Skills create spectacular, screen-filling spectacles the likes of which Marvel fans will expect. More importantly, however, ArcSys appears to have found a way to refresh a formula that has remained unchanged for years. Instead of adding to the already crowded tag-team genre, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls seems intent on rethinking how tag-team battles function beyond simply adding an extra teammate.

Another bridge that Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls hopes to cross is the divide between an established accessibility for newcomers with the mechanical depth that appeases competitive veterans. Plenty of modern fighters pledge to nail this dual design philosophy, and the just-released Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game aside, not many achieve it. They either overwhelm newcomers with intimidating combo chains or simplify mechanics to the point where seasoned players bounce. ArcSys, instead, appears determined to strike a convincing balance.

At the heart of Fighting Souls’ philosophy is a control scheme designed to remove the potential intimidation associated with other titles in the genre. Quarter circle motions, for instance, are relegated to optional, replaced with a Quick Skill button that executes special attacks with a simpler directional input. Likewise, you can chain together visually striking combos through chaining light, medium, and heavy attacks, while a dedicated dash button makes movement more immediate than relying on double tapping directional inputs. Ultimate Skills are only a button away, ensuring casual players can enjoy the cinematic spectacle Marvel is renowned for without spending hours in training modes. It’s a system the aforementioned Avatar Legends utilised to great extent, yet that title excels in making sure that foundational simplicity doesn’t come at the expense of mechanical depth – something Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls appears poised to replicate.

See, beneath the approachable controls is an intricate suite of mechanics built robustly for long-term mastery. Team orders, resource management, Active Tag extensions, Stylish Combos that reward diverse creativity over repeating the same manoeuvres, and the already mentioned evolving 4v4 structure each provide extra strategic layers for competitive players to chew on. Throw in rollback netcode, a comprehensive training mode, and a ranked ladder, and Fighting Souls is set to satisfy both ideals of the fighter-game-player’s mindset. All in all. ArcSys has been able to simplify execution while preserving tactical complexity, and with it the possibility that Marvel Tōkon will enjoy a long shelf life as a result.

But look, of course, not everyone picks up a fighting game with ranked competition in mind. If you are a casual looking for non-competitive play then Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls’ Episode Mode looks right up your street. Penned by celebrated comic writer Kieron Gillen, Fighting Souls’ Episode Mode brings five distinct storylines, each following a different superhero team as they confront the looming threat of the as-yet unknown Champion.

And what’s more, expressively illustrated motion-comic sequences make the action appear as though it’s bursting straight off the page. Episode Mode, to sum up, looks like a stronger single player offering than most other fighting games.

Yet, despite its promise Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls isn’t without its potential pitfalls. The biggest concern surrounds its twenty-strong launch roster, with many fearing that a 4v4 fighter could place an overreliance on post-launch DLC. The worry has only been heightened by the omission of several notorious Marvel heroes – namely iconic X-Men figures such as Cyclops, whose absence has sparked discussion on how extensive Fighting Souls’ monetisation plans run.

There are gameplay concerns too. Slot-based assist attacks, for instance, risk homogenising your team’s make-up, whilst there are undeniable questions surrounding how ArcSys can balance a shared health system across a four-character team. Then there is the ominous cloud of Sony’s PSN issues, and while these are controversial they do feel like speedbumps that’ll be flattened pre-launch.

What these potential drawbacks indicate is that success is by no means guaranteed. Competitive players may well scrutinise the game’s mechanics, while everyone will likely question the limited launch roster. But, like we said at the outset, if Arc System Works can deliver on the title’s promise – and if fighting game newcomers can find their place amongst the competitively minded – then Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has every chance to push the fighting genre to a new benchmark. It’s built on refining established ideas, yes, but there’s undeniable ambition to match Marvel’s gravitational pull.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

To say this is an oppressive opening is an understatement. It feels like being dropped into a drum of treacle, where movement labours against the stench of death. Looking down, there are corpses everywhere. Fresh blood still glistens; wounds are ripe before decay.

Something terrible has happened here, and I’m compelled to find out what.

"To say this is an oppressive opening is an understatement."

Yet, treacle, as it happens, is an appropriate description for another reason. See, the slipperiness of your character’s traversal is as striking as the heavy atmosphere. He jogs, but his momentum resembles someone skirting along a patch of ice. It’s immediately jarring, and it’s not the only rough edge The Relic greets you with.

Camerawork consistently juts between trees, fence poles, and stone walls behind you, with its awkwardness exacerbated during combat when you’re locked onto an opponent. Enemies themselves show little variation in archetype and moveset. The large-framed axe man, for instance, follows a set pattern: swing, double swing, unblockable chop, axe throw, repeat.

Then there are the game’s NPCs, like the merchant I rescue alongside his daughter, who repeats the same short animation loop as we talk. His hands follow a circular motion like he’s describing the wheels of a bicycle. And, the village’s ransacked dwellers fare no better, operating on similarly short cycles. Worse still, their faces lack detail enough to convincingly show a grimace to match the desperation in their voices. On the whole, vocal performances are effective at portraying despair, even if their mannerisms don’t.

Then there’s an unintentional irony. The forest is currently undergoing some sort of violent pillage by the hand of a group known as the Looters. Yet, after clearing the village of assailants to explore the barn at its centre I find three gold coin purses. Surely this counts as looting too?

A handful of other technical hiccups slightly undermine the excellent atmosphere: foliage pop-in, disappearing NPCs, and inconsistent collision detection which sees a fleeing villager run right through me like I’m a ghost.

Still, venturing deeper into the forest, I overlook these niggles to follow the narrative breadcrumb trail. Occasional glowing nodes reveal fragments of story, and it’s an engaging way to learn about the recent tragedies befalling this particular stretch of woodland. Retelling the events like an audio-diary, one such tale describes villagers who barricaded themselves away from a band of Looters. Piece by piece, the story reveals a false promise, deception, and a survivor consumed by guilt. Delivering chapters in soundbites like this feels effective; like an engrossing book, I wanted to keep turning the page. There isn’t always a worthwhile reward at the end, just satisfaction in reaching a neat conclusion.

"A handful of other technical hiccups slightly undermine the excellent atmosphere"

While the atmospheric storytelling may be evocative, The Relic: First Guardian ultimately lives or dies by its combat. Showing Soulslike inspiration, you’ve access to a single attack, a block, parry, and dodge, and despite its early promise your moveset feels limited. The key distinction, however, is your stamina gauge which is tied exclusively to defense and evasion. You can’t spam-dodge or hold block as you’ll quickly drain your energy, ending up stunned and vulnerable. But, on the flipside, if you string a handful of parries together then your assailant becomes staggered. What’s more, timing windows feel generously wide, so it isn’t long before you’re deflecting strikes and swings with ease. It’s just, during these early skirmishes, you don’t have any devastating finishers – these come far later.

Elsewhere in your arsenal are Relic-powered elemental abilities which operate on a cooldown, as is space for the titular Relics themselves to provide passive bonuses when equipped – increased vitality, bonus HP for every enemy slain, boosted stamina, and so on.

Through exploration, you’ll learn that The Relic’s semi-open world isn’t as demanding as Dark Souls’ usual fare. Areas for rest function as bonfires, yet cleared enemies won’t respawn. There’s usually a reset area adjacent to a boss arena, too. Likewise, resources aren’t lost on death, nor does currency need retrieving from the place you fell.

Eschewing Soulslike’s typical punishment alleviates friction in exploration. In other words, you’re free to wander intuitively, scavenging resources, collecting story fragments, assisting country-folk, and finding more weapons to add to your sword-and-shield starter.

Speaking of weapons, you’ll find these by following the same glowing memories outlined earlier. In doing so, you’ll discover each one-of-a-kind weapon’s rich, often tragic backstory, simultaneously fostering attachment while grounding them in the world’s lore.

A blacksmith can upgrade your weapons too, but he’s encountered only sporadically. Worse, he demands a bounty of crafting resources to bolster your blade. Even after multiple hours of playtime, I still didn’t have enough. My desire to buildcraft grew tiresome the more downed enemies didn’t drop the fragments and shards I needed.

Still, each weapon has its own skill tree, with powerful specials and finishers unlocking more expressive combat. The power of the two-handed axe, for instance, is released by spinning scythes and towering cleaves, pulverising enemies with satisfying heft.

"Eschewing Soulslike’s typical punishment alleviates friction in exploration."

The catch is that those abilities, too, are painfully slow to unlock. Like the blacksmith’s upgrades, each ability costs an excess of currency – this time: Relic Energy, harvested from ancient locations found throughout the wilds. Most award 600 energy, while skills begin at 1,000 and rise thereafter.

Weapon skills aren’t the only Relic Energy sink either. Opening additional Relic slots requires abundant Relic Energy, alongside a rarely found Awakening Shard. Ultimately, the rate you acquire Relics outpaces your ability to use them, hindering the build potential in your inventory.

Thankfully, Relics can be freely swapped to suit different scenarios or playstyles, so limited slot availability isn’t the progression system’s biggest flaw. Instead, honing your character through weapon enhancements, skills, and Relics is an undeniable grind, leaving combat starved of meaningful growth for too long.

I yearned for more tools; more than the D-pad controlled consumables, more than the one-or-two skills I unlocked every couple of hours, with the limits to your arsenal becoming obtrusive during boss fights. Now, the first few you encounter can be parried and downed without issue, but as you venture deeper boss difficulty scales accordingly. Soon enough, they’re swinging multiple unblockable strikes, throwing fire, and generally demanding more than parrying and a pair of skills and Relic slots apiece can provide. Worse still, I experienced a couple of boss battles that were marred by sluggish framerates, skipping audio, and other technical gremlins. Luckily, despite these grievances, exploration remains invigorating throughout. If I was having trouble with a particular boss, there is always plenty of ground to cover elsewhere, where Relics and crafting resources are eventually uncovered. If only I could consistently find the blacksmith.

And exploration, again, speaks to The Relic: First Guardian’s great strength, where every village, rampart, or cave has a story to tell. Its world is often a miserable place to traverse, but through its inclement atmosphere shines pockets of humanity.

The Relic: First Guardian may never escape its technical shortcomings, but its melancholy world is well worth saving.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Aggression-First Combat

The most significant of The Relic: First Guardian’s attempts to do things differently is in how the game approaches combat. Whereas in other titles of the genre you’ll consume stamina to maintain the offensive, here your stamina gauge is reserved exclusively for defensive manoeuvres like dodging and blocking. So, in essence, you’ve a freedom in attack, where your stoic energy allows you to fight with aggression, creativity, and consistency.

High-Power Magic Operates on a Cooldown

And, supporting your offensive endeavours are magical powers, appearing here in place of a heavy attack. Executing a magic attack doesn’t consume resources either but depletes a meter, with this meter operating on a cooldown. So whilst you can’t spam your spellcasting, magic will always be available going into a fight; you won’t need to spend time scurrying for the right pickups or crafting individual items, but simply learn how to tactically manage magic’s cooldown.

Character Growth is Primarily Gear Based

In The Relic: First Guardian, there is no character leveling nor attributes to upgrade. Instead, your growth is dictated primarily by the gear you collect. Through exploration, defeating enemies, and overcoming bosses you’ll acquire Relics, described by the developer as “fragments imbued with the emotions and wishes of those who lived before.” It’s all about gathering memories, you see; collecting and equipping Relics is as much about augmenting your character as it is uncovering the world’s past.

Discoverable Relics Shape Your Build

But, in terms of strengthening your character, Relics will contribute to this by unlocking new skills, passive effects, and combat enhancements when equipped, with the potential to fundamentally alter how you approach battles. That said, rather than just increasing your strength, First Guardian’s Relic system encourages you to experiment, allowing you to tailor your build around different offensive, defensive, or utility-focused playstyles.

Relics’ Passive Bonuses Offer Meaningful Customisation

Some Relics boost your core attributes and improve survivability, while others reduce magic cooldowns, alter attack tempo, or enhance your chosen weapon. What’s more, they’re freely interchangeable, letting you swap them in and out to suit different enemies, bosses, or to support specific strategies without locking you into a certain build. You can only equip a handful at a time, so you’ll need to think tactically about whether you should outfit yourself for a particular strategy or choose your Relics based on your preferred playstyle. With over seventy Relics to discover, there’s broad enough scope for long-term buildcrafting.

Five Weapon Categories

In First Guardian, you can outfit your character with one of five weapon types – a sword and shield, battle staff, dagger, two-handed weapon, or longsword. So far, so familiar, but there is another significant deviation from the typical RPG loot structure here. See, weapons exist in-world as one-of-a-kind items. You won’t find the same sword with slightly better attributes or armour with stronger defense. Each weapon, like the Relics themselves, tells a story: a sword passed down through familial generations, the blade of a bloodthirsty knight, or the greatsword of a revered soldier who never returned home. It’s another interesting way The Relic injects narrative notes without relying on heavy exposition or cutscenes.

Each Weapon Category Has Unique Skill Trees

And, beyond equipping Relics or your choice of weapon itself, each weapon has its own specific upgrade tree for you to pursue deeper character customisations while building affinity with a particular armoury. Powered by Ancient Relic Energy which you’ll find throughout exploration, each skill node focuses on character buffs and awestriking new abilities, some of which promise to be as visually spectacular as much as they are powerful.

Weapon Upgrading Available Via The Blacksmith

As The Relic revolves around unique, one-of-a-kind weapons and armour, you’ll likely want to keep hold of your favourite items. So, for your weapons to keep pace with the world’s escalating threat, you can pay a visit to the blacksmith to forge upgrades, in exchange for collectible coins and materials that are typically found in the world or received as rewards.

The World is Semi-Open

The Relic: First Guardian takes place in a semi-open world, where linear design is hidden by natural obstacles such as mountain ranges or chasms. While hands-on previewers note you’ll rarely feel lost, the game still encourages you to follow your instincts as you explore by offering very little in the way of signposting. It’s a gloomy looking world, all in all, but perhaps you’ll restore some light the more you collect fragmented memories and piece them together.

There Are Plenty of Side Quests

One of the main reasons for deviating from the well-trodden path is the bounty of side quests which await. Dubbed ‘Events’, and given to you primarily by NPCs, though some are discovered by interacting with environmental cues, these side quests typically involve you traversing the map in search of items or to defend a base from invaders before returning for a reward. Now, these side quests don’t sound the most imaginative by design, but as previewers note the loot you acquire on completion makes them worth your time.

Each Boss is a Standalone Folktale

If it wasn’t clear by now, The Relic: First Guardian never misses an opportunity to insert some narrative lore, and the game’s bosses, of which there are over seventy, are one such encounter that’ll deliver the most poignant narrative beats. According to the developer, each boss functions as a standalone folktale; a story that can only be resolved by defeating them. Of the examples given: a father who starved, or a soul consumed by a curse, it’s clear there’s a tragic backstory for you to uncover alongside figuring out how to best your opponent.

Bosses Demand Particular Skills

And yes, when one approach succeeds against a particularly tricky boss there’s no guarantee the same strategy will work on the next one you encounter. For example, some bosses unleash unblockable attacks, meaning you need to rely heavily on dodging, while others need to be repeatedly parried to break their guard. As we’ve just said: fighting bosses is a case of figuring out their weakness, and how they attack is usually the best place to start.

Soulslike Comparisons

The Relic: First Guardian is unmistakably Soulslike, both in structure and atmosphere. That said, earlier titles in FromSoftware’s catalogue have drawn the strongest comparisons – Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls, in particular, are being echoed in First Guardian’s combat loop, where attack animation timing is more crucial than well-timed dodges and parries.

Early Preview Concerns

Some hands-on previewers have also highlighted a handful of concerns, although how extensively these will impact your experience will vary. Awkward camerawork is an oft-cited issue, as is the overly aggressive, sometimes unpredictable nature of certain enemies. Slow windup animations for heavy weaponry, whilst powerful if they land, can feel clunky if mis-timed. All in all, there doesn’t appear to be any dealbreakers here, but collectively these concerns suggest a level of polish not quite up to FromSoft’s standard.

Platforms, Release Date, Price, and Pre-Order Bonuses

The Relic: First Guardian is scheduled to release on July 31st, with PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam the confirmed platforms. It’s retailing at $49.99 on PlayStation, though a Steam price has yet to be confirmed. However, pre-orders on PS5 will net you the ‘Night of the Unextinguished Flame’ bonus pack, with a unique relic, exclusive armour and weapons, and a new dungeon included. The game will reportedly release to Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 later in the summer.

360-Degree Chaos vs Structured Frontlines

Unlike Hell Let Loose’s European battlefields, where clearly defined frontlines usually told you where the enemy was, Vietnam’s dense jungles liquify the boundaries between contested sectors. Fights can come from the flanks or straight ahead through the undergrowth, turning every advance into a fluid tug-of-war where territory changes hands as quickly as it’s won.

Vietnam Builds Identity Into Each Faction

Despite contrasting weaponry and equipment, Hell Let Loose largely mirrors the battlefield roles of both armies to portray the drama of WW2. Vietnam, instead, embraces asymmetrical warfare, reflecting the conflict’s real-life technological disparities. American forces rely on overwhelming firepower, organisation, and aerial support, while the North Vietnamese Army – the NVA – deploy guerilla tactics, hit-and-run offensives, and ambushes to get the jump on their opposition. In Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, each side now demands a different tactical mindset.

Respawning Becomes Part of the Strategy

In Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, respawning now provides an extra tactical layer. US helicopters, for instance, can rapidly insert troops into hot zones, while NVA tunnel networks allow defenders to instantly redeploy, sometimes to where they’re least expected. Furthermore, rather than just reducing downtime, strategic respawning has potential to swing the fight’s momentum.

Helicopters and Boats Shape Infantry Mobility

While trucks and tanks remain important, Vietnam’s US-piloted helicopters and river boats – the latter occupiable by either side – have become the battlefield’s lifeblood. See, roads aren’t as reliable in the jungle, so transport must adapt. Now, airborne insertions and river crossings allow squads to survey objectives, establish positions, and influence map control with more dynamism than was possible in Hell Let Loose.

Commanders Have Greater Battlefield Influence

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam overhauls commander abilities, with them now able to take on a more defining role in how battles play out. Rather than mirroring each other in managing a static frontline, each faction’s commander reinforces their side’s aforementioned identity, with American commanders orchestrating logistical operations, like dropping supply crates into clearings, while elsewhere illuminating the jungle with aerial fire. The NVA commander, in response, works to keep their squads invisible, manipulating the battlefield by positioning hidden traps, planting emergency tunnels, and wielding tools for attritional pressure, all to expose, surround, and eradicate US strongholds.

Commander Buffs Influence Momentum

Commanders in Vietnam also gain access to powerful momentum-shifting abilities. Buffs like the NVA’s Reinforcements can rapidly strengthen a vulnerable defensive position or fuel an aggressive ambush by cutting spawn times in half for a short duration. Without the need to secure a permanent supply line, NVA commanders use less resources and have shorter cooldowns too, leveling the odds of counteracting the US Army’s technological supremacy. US troops, however, are alerted to NVA buffs through audible rally cries, but overall, in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, decisive leadership can make the difference between contested sectors being held or lost.

Air Support More Distinct Between Factions

Air support now reflects each faction’s capabilities too, moving further away from Hell Let Loose’s mirrored abilities. Instead of both sides having access to bombing runs, for example, American commanders can unleash destructive napalm strikes to create temporarily inaccessible no-go zones. NVA commanders can counter with devastating cluster artillery, capable of blasting multiple targets at once.

Verticality Becomes Contested Space

By now, you’ll know that Hell Let Loose: Vietnam expands the battlefield beyond ground level, with combat now unfolding across three dimensions, above and below. Helicopters turn the skies into transport and recon corridors, while subterranean tunnels transform the underground into a hidden network of repositioning routes. Yet, to counter the presence of US helicopters, NVA commanders can call in strikes from off-map surface-to-air missile sites, actively targeting player-piloted choppers and forcing them into evasive manoeuvres. Tunnels can be snuffed out and destroyed by American GI’s, while NVA commander bunkers can be demolished outright.

Artillery Gives Less Warning

In Vietnam, incoming artillery is much harder to predict compared to Hell Let Loose. Faster, staggered bombardments reduce warning times, dealing punishment if you’re caught in an exposed position or bunched too closely with your squadmates.

Dense Jungles Replace Long Sightlines

Gone, now, are the urban corridors, sweeping fields, and hedgerows of European battlefields, replaced in Vietnam by dense, suffocating canopy. Eyeballing the sight of your rifle, thick bush and undergrowth will dramatically shorten your sightlines. In Vietnam, more often than not your visibility will be severely limited, forcing you to engage in far more intimate encounters than in Europe’s WW2 arenas, where melee and short-range skirmishes are typically less frequent.

Guerilla Tactics Shorten Firefights

And because jungle visibility is limited, Vietnam’s firefights become shorter and considerably more brutal. Rather than WW2’s prolonged exchanges across more open terrain, Vietnam – through NVA strategy especially – rewards guerilla tactics, sudden ambushes, and sharp bursts of firepower. The extra knock-on effect is you’ll have less time to react before the encounter is decided too.

Weapon Sway More Pronounced

Aiming down your sight for a prolonged period of time now comes with increasingly noticeable weapon sway. The intention here, it seems, is to discourage you from constantly scanning the horizon – your sightlines are masked by jungle interference anyway, but with increased weapon sway you’ll likely emphasise careful positioning over maintaining a permanent watch. In Hell Let Loose, weapon sway was present but far less punishing thanks to an effective focus mode, and while this system has been transferred to Vietnam the sway becomes uncontrollable in a much shorter timeframe.

Fire Select Controls Available Across Entire Arsenal

In the original Hell Let Loose, selective fire modes are notably absent, meaning guns that were capable of single-shot fire, such as the Thompson, were permanently locked to automatic fire. Now, fire select controls are integrated into all Vietnam’s weapons, so long as it’s historically accurate. Single shot precision, full auto bullet spray, and semi-automatic to conserve ammo while maintaining accuracy are now possible, removing the need to tap the fire button or risk recoiling into the sky like in Hell Let Loose.

Squad Roles Feel More Specialised

New roles such as pilots and mortar crews, combined with broad changes to weapon handling, mean archetype specialisations throughout the squad in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is encouraged. Rather than you performing similar duties to the rest of your team, in Vietnam you’re pushed toward mastering specific responsibilities, with the net result suiting your playstyle.

Communication More Imperative Than Ever

Inter-team communication has always been essential in Hell Let Loose, yet in Vietnam the stakes are raised considerably by hidden tunnel networks, dense jungle, mortar squads, helicopter insertions, and the constant threat of ambush, meaning clear voice communication has become more imperative than ever.

Developer Gameplay Group International are pitching Avatar Legends – as many modern fighters do – as easy to learn yet difficult to master. This translates, of course, to being hospitable for casuals while appeasing competitive players looking for long-term commitment.

So, those auto combos you unleash by tapping light attack repeatedly will get your foot in the door; next you’ll be chaining light to medium to heavy attacks before executing quarter-circle specials, revealing the foundation on which mechanical depth is built. Quickly, Avatar Legends confirms it isn’t difficult because of complicated inputs. It’s difficult because its speed demands perfect zoning and precise timing. Its auto combos remain surface-level mechanics throughout; the combat potential that emerges leads to one of the most exhilarating fighters around.

"Take Azula, for instance, whose Dragon Punch-alike light special Rending Blaze hoists her opposition upward where her prowess as an aerial specialist comes to the fore."

And here’s another thing: the learning curve becomes inviting too, much like the game’s affable anime character designs. Auto combos are universal across the roster, as are quarter-circle inputs to perform specials and EX moves. Specials’ specific manoeuvres vary between characters, of course, with many launching opponents into the air so you can extend the chain into an airborne spectacle before your enemy has a chance to reset.

Take Azula, for instance, whose Dragon Punch-alike light special Rending Blaze hoists her opposition upward where her prowess as an aerial specialist comes to the fore. She zips through the air with ease, continuing a light to heavy chain before unleashing another special to smash her opponent into the ground. Again, the complexity here isn’t found in input strings, but in timing each attack to the millisecond.

And whilst Azula’s tools for lifting her enemies are shared near-enough across the twelve-strong roster, each character in Avatar Legends feels remarkably distinct. Toph, an earthbender, is similarly intuitive, her grounded attacks meeting success through careful spacing as much as timing, yet she’s arguably amongst the game’s most beginner friendly. Aang is another aerial specialist while Katara relies on relentless close-quarter pressure. Kyoshi, meanwhile, is a larger silhouette, her slower windups mix power with graceful animations.

Sokka inhabits a different philosophy entirely, relying on weapon mastery and deceptive mix-ups instead of elemental abilities. Through his signature boomerang projectile and Meteorite Sword, he possesses one of the most technical movesets in the game, and he’s also one of the most unpredictable opponents to face.

And Sokka, like the rest of the cast, can have his fighting style finetuned by one of three lore-specific Support Characters: Princess Yue provides him with zoning assistance, helping to cover more ground, while Master Piandou adds damage scaling to his sword strikes. Suki unlocks an unlimited Flow meter granting him extra running and dash ability.

"Quickly, Avatar Legends confirms it isn’t difficult because of complicated inputs. It’s difficult because its speed demands perfect zoning and precise timing."

Aang’s Support Characters reshape his abilities more dramatically: Monk Gyatso buffs his signature Air Scooter and Momo augments his aerial gliding skill, while Appa gives Aang the ability to cancel every one of his standard moves into a Flow manoeuvre. Without Appa, only specific moves can be cancelled into Flow. We’ll get into Flow to explain how transformative this is in a second, but what should be clear is that the Support Characters bring meaningful diversification across what is already a diverse roster. They can be used to support your individual playstyle, or chosen on a match-by-match basis. And, impressively, despite all of these differences, the roster remains balanced.

Now, onto Flow, and it’s important to understand that this isn’t simply a movement mechanic, but a vital tool for offensive repositioning and evasion. Take Korra for instance – the hit counter on her foundational auto chain into launcher combo could not continue if you didn’t use Flow’s momentum to jump into the air to continue the string. For Aang, when supported by Appa, Flow becomes integral to skipping recovery animations, allowing you to maintain pressure by stitching together combos that otherwise would be impossible.

Each character’s Flow functions uniquely too: Sokka can swiftly close the space opened by a couple of light attacks by simultaneously knee-sliding and kicking up dirt to temporarily blind his opponent, while Kyoshi’s weighty movement is offset by a surprising level of aerial dexterity; her airborne ‘Dust Stepping’ a way to traverse the arena more swiftly than she’s capable on foot. Her Flow meter recharges faster than anyone else’s too, meaning if you want to main Kyoshi you’ll need to master her Flow mechanics.

Actually, that’s true for most of the characters. Flow is where Avatar Legends’ combat becomes the most expressive, but overuse isn’t without risk. See, depleting your Flow meter leaves you in an Unbalanced state, where Flow moves become unavailable and you become exposed to Counter Hits, Hard Knock-Downs, and Critical Throws, guaranteeing a full follow-up combo.

"Flow is where Avatar Legends’ combat becomes the most expressive, but overuse isn’t without risk."

So, there’s a wildly diverse yet balanced roster, each with a suite of augmentable approaches, plus something we haven’t gotten into yet: Critical Hits. These are character-specific actions which reward you for roleplaying their personality – extra combo potential for Azula so long as you haven’t lost a round, blocking three attacks as Aang without retaliation rewards two Energy Points to be spent on Specials and EX Specials, and so on. All in all, the mechanical possibilities throughout the game aren’t just about chasing power through depth, but they’re extensions of each character’s persona given to you as tools for your own expression.

The only issue, really, is Avatar Legends’ training mode which isn’t as robust as it could be. All of the systems discussed in this review are intuitive enough, but the game’s Tutorials specifically would serve you better if they outlined the basics and the purpose of each system. As it is, they expect you to be able to execute long input strings, assuming you already have experience.

This drawback is compounded when you begin Story Mode – an episodic playthrough where fights are interspersed with cutscenes. See, Aang is the story’s starter character, but it’s debatable how approachable Aang is to beginners. If you want to get a handle on Aang’s moveset, or any other character for that matter, you can open up free practice against a modifiable ‘dummy’, or go more in-depth with Trials. Here, each combo string is explained, and a demonstration is offered followed by a button-by-button breakdown. It’s a comprehensive way to learn and practice the exhilarating extensions made possible by the auto combo chain foundation. It’d be useful if this process was replicated in the more demanding Tutorials, but as they are Trials, and the forty-hit combo Master-level Trials especially, are exciting signifiers of the game’s high skill ceiling.

Beyond the excellent combat, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game packages together a respectable suite of modes. Alongside training and the narrative campaign are character-specific arcade ladders plus local and online multiplayer. The game feels every bit a competitively-skewed fighter, with both ranked and casual matches supported by rollback netcode and cross-platform play ensuring growing confidence can eventually be tested against human opposition.

"Beyond the excellent combat, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game packages together a respectable suite of modes."

Overall, the surrounding package resists distracting from the fighting itself. Instead, through the comprehensive character Trials specifically, the game reinforces the idea that improvement comes through experimentation, repetition, and a gradual broadening of your relationship with each character.

This idea stretches to Story mode’s light progression systems too, where earned experience and currency can be invested in Momo’s Bazaar to strengthen Support Characters. Elsewhere, unlockable costumes and a steadily expanding Gallery provide more incentives to return.

Everything is held together by audiovisual presentation that rarely misses a beat. Punchy sound design lends a convincing impact to every strike, while an energetic soundtrack maintains the momentum, lightning-quick pace, and elemental chaos of every round. Responsive controls and swift transitions between bouts ensure there are no obstacles between you and your next round.

Fittingly, then, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game’s greatest achievement isn’t simply about making each victory feel satisfying. It’s that improvement itself is rewarding.

Make no mistake, extensive combos are easy to drop, but the game rarely discourages you. Perhaps through its suite of awestriking basic manoeuvres, the approachability of its combo extensions, or simply the sensory impact of a pair of fighters zooming across an arena, the game consistently communicates why you should keep playing.

What initially seemed contradictory, or even intimidating, soon becomes an act of expression, and one you’ll be happy to engage with long after you’ve mastered the auto combo into launch.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.