Better Than Dead has an incredibly serious premise. The player is put into the shoes of an unnamed girl that some criminals kidnapped. This awakens a hunger for revenge in the girl, and she decides that it’s time for her to stop being a victim. The first level essentially acts as her escape attempt after finding a pistol, and the core gameplay kicks off in full swing right away. As another layer of her revenge, the girl also wears a bodycam—which acts as the player’s perspective—to film the criminals that had dared to torture her.

There isn’t really much more to the story of Better Than Dead; the narrative almost entirely takes place through the environment and the various mission objectives you get. The girl seemingly has a list of people against whom she wants revenge, and each level acts as an escalation in her attempts to get at these people. There are also a few twists thrown your way, like one mission where you have to rescue another girl that was going to be victimized by the criminals, or an escape mission where the gangs you’ve been hunting down have found out where you live.

What makes Better Than Dead a truly interesting experience from a gameplay standpoint is how its gunplay works. The girl isn’t a trained fighter, and as such, you don’t get any form of a HUD to keep track of things like your health, stamina, or even a crosshair with which to aim your shots. Her overall lack of training also means that early levels will largely have you wildly flailing your arms around while firing, hoping that you hit an enemy rather than an innocent civilian. Aiming down sights doesn’t really help either, since the pistol has quite a bit of recoil.

However, the girl’s general incompetence doesn’t really last too long. As you make your way through the game’s 14 levels, you’ll find your shots hitting the right targets way more often. Her improvements are shown in-game in quite subtle ways, like her hands having better control over the gun’s recoil, and even her overall movement speed getting better and sliding on the ground feeling less clumsy.

"The girl isn’t a trained fighter, and as such, you don’t get any form of a HUD to keep track of things like your health, stamina, or even a crosshair with which to aim your shots."

Speaking of which, sliding on the floor is the only other ability you have aside from shooting your gun, and it will undoubtedly end up being your best friend. Pulling off a slide out of a sprint kicks off slow-motion, which helps quite a bit when dealing with the manic pace of combat throughout Better Than Dead. Once the girl’s accuracy improves, the slow motion also helps quite a bit in rooms that are crowded with innocent people, giving you more time to aim for the correct targets.

Better Than Dead also has a hidden scoring system with which it grades your performance. While you don’t get to see how well you might be doing during a level, you get a ranking at the end depending on how much time you took, how many enemies you killed, and how many innocents got caught in the crossfire.

It is worth noting that Better Than Dead is an incredibly fast-paced game, and the title even goes out of its way at times to remind you that trying to take cover and exchanging shots with enemies will likely result in your death. Rather, you’re supposed to be running and gunning, and making full use of your slide to kick off slow motion. Either way, death has the tendency to come quite quickly, and as a result, you’ll find yourself restarting entire levels often. Unfortunately, this was one of my major complaints about the shooter – the complete lack of any checkpoints.

While this wouldn’t really be an issue in most circumstances, Better Than Dead tends to have long levels with plenty of enemies, so the difficulty can often feel quite high, at least until you’ve repeated a level a few times. This trial-and-error gameplay loop works quite well in something faster paced, like the classic Hotline Miami titles, but Better Than Dead takes just a bit too long to get you back into the game following a death. This can make death feel more frustrating than it should.

As for the levels themselves, Better Than Dead opts for a photo-realistic perspective that has been heavily stylized thanks to the fish-eye lens and other distortions offered by the bodycam perspective. Generally speaking, the grounded, dirty levels that take you through the shady underworld of the unnamed city have been realized quite well, which is an impressive feat since it was made by a solo developer. The visual style of the game also pulls off a neat trick where just about everyone’s face has been pixelated, making the game look like a brutal news story you might catch in the evening.

"Better Than Dead opts for a photo-realistic perspective that has been heavily stylized thanks to the fish-eye lens and other distortions offered by the bodycam perspective."

When it comes to performance, Better Than Dead runs quite well. I had essentially zero performance issues throughout my time with the shooter, running it on an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, a Radeon RX 7800 XT GPU, and 32 GB of RAM. The title was able to maintain a rock-solid frame rate of over 80 FPS the entire time, and even when new levels were loading in, I never felt any stutters or hitches. The fact that the performance is this good right off the bat despite it being an Early Access release bodes quite well for the game in the longer term.

I also have to give a special shout out to the clever use of music throughout Better Than Dead. While there isn’t really any music when most levels start, with the game instead focusing on the environmental sounds of busy streets or quiet ground floors of an old residential building, Once you’ve faced a couple of criminals, the music starts slowly kicking in, putting you in the necessary flow state that you’ll need to take on the game’s challenging levels. The music is also chosen quite well; a hideout, for example, will have a bass-thumping track, while a shootout in the slums will feature more guitars.

My only major complaint with Better Than Dead comes down to the fact that it is an incredibly short game that is packed with strong gameplay elements that could be used quite well with different game modes. While it is an Early Access game, and developer MONTE GALLO has also noted that there are plans to bring in an entirely new game mode that will be a “larger extension” of the core experience, in its current state, you won’t really get much more than an evening’s play time out of it. This is a shame, since the core gameplay is surprisingly addictive, and even just adding an arcade-styled mode where the scoring is more visible could boost its replayability quite a bit.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Think about it. Crash Bandicoot’s PS1 debut made the character an almost permanent fixture in modern gaming. The Jak franchise was a solid platformer that made great use of the PS2’s beefier configuration to make a compelling cast of characters and their adventures very popular. Things got even better during the PS3 era, with the studio managing to develop The Last of Us even as it brought three, yes, three Uncharted games. That momentum carried forward with the PS4, and it resulted in the studio giving us Uncharted 4, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a sequel to The Last of Us, and a remaster of Joel and Ellie’s first adventure.

That’s quite the track record, but it’s also the main reason for our concern with what the studio has brought to the PS5. The Last of Us Part 1 was a great remake, and the remaster of the second game was also quite welcome. They were great final products, bringing the studio’s usual polish to the table, but they were still not new experiences, something that we had come to expect from the studio. So, just two games and that too a remaster and a remake, and that too at a time when the PS5 is likely on its last legs. Consider that against the PS5 bringing the scope for what could have been a great current-gen experience from Naughty Dog, and you begin to see why we’re in disbelief that we’ve not had anything new from it, yet. Yes, we know Intergalactic is in development, but hear us out first.

Sustained Progress

We’ve got a few reasons for that, and the first one is that this was once a studio that didn’t shy away from new ideas. Its identity in the preceding generations wasn’t just tied to the excellent games it was churning out, but in the way that those games often pivoted into areas that it hadn’t visited before. Crash Bandicoot and Jax were wildly different, yet equally potent experiences. The same goes for Uncharted and The Last of Us.

There’s also the fact that each of the franchises we’ve mentioned had multiple titles coming out, each of which tried new ideas set within the respective frameworks of the stories and gameplay loops that they set up. There were multiple Crash titles and a very entertaining racing one in Crash Team Racing. The Jak trilogy and Jak X had us quite entertained on the PS2. The Uncharted trilogy and The Last of Us are obvious ones that made the PS3 a very desirable console in the process, and the PS4 also had multiple titles from both franchises.

Naughty Dog felt like it was among the most relentless studios under Sony’s first-party umbrella, and one that was capable of banger after banger despite bold new gameplay ideas taking the stage in each one. That’s no easy feat, and the studio deserves credit for what it has achieved over those years. But that sense of forward momentum has been oddly absent for the PS5. Yes, everything that it has brought to the current-gen powerhouse has its usual polish, great technical upgrades, and the preservation of what made each franchise great in its own right. But it hasn’t felt like the studio was carrying Sony into the future this time around, and that’s a problem.

Yes, Intergalactic has been in the works for a while, with the studio saying that it’s been in development as early as 2020 before it was announced in 2024. Yes, there’s a strong chance that the studio’s claim that it’s going to be its most ambitious PlayStation title yet turns out to be true. But we’re yet to see any gameplay or receive any clarity regarding its release over the years, and with the next generation of gaming hardware now looming larger on the horizon with every passing day, it’s kind of hard not to feel like the PS5 era has cut into the studio’s penchant for quicker production and originality, instead positioning it as one focused on remakes and remasters in the public eye, at least for the last few years.

Intergalactic might prove all of this wrong, but it’s still a long way away from the looks of it. But until it does that, the studio is now defined not by what it’s creating, but on what it’s re-releasing.Of course, The Last of Us Online was in development before its cancellation. a decision that, in hindsight, we’d still call the right one, even if it slightly complicates the point we’re making here. The justification that it would require the diversion of valuable resources to post-launch support for years was valid, and we’d say it was a great way of thinking long-term.

But in the short-term, that choice has come with consequences. It has resulted in silence on the single-player front, the very thing that the studio was trying to save by avoiding a live-service commitment. It’s left a very noticeable gap in the PS5 generation, denying fans of an online game that might have been quite compelling, while simultaneously leaving them hanging on the promise of a big single-player title that’s yet to come.

The Challenges Of A New Generation of Games

You might argue that making great games takes time, and you’d be right. Modern AAA games are more expensive and time consuming, and games from a name like Naughty Dog are going to face even more scrutiny thanks to the studio’s own reputation for great visuals and technically sound releases. The audiences they’re made for are getting increasingly discerning, and quite vocal in calling out a perceived lack of quality, which makes the process of developing games that click right off the bat a challenge. There’s no denying that reality.

But this is Naughty Dog we’re talking about, and it continues to be an important part of Sony’s line-up of studios. It’s also experienced enough to tackle these issues head-on, and still come out on top. It isn’t a small inexperienced team, and we believe it’s justified to expect more from one of modern gaming’s biggest game studios It isn’t wrong for the studio to take the time it needs to craft something truly special, but the timing of it all does mess with the expectation of a generation defining title for what it currently the most iconic console in Sony’s line-up.

Which leads us to the question of what has changed in the years since the PS4 and PS5’s respective releases? The pivot into other media immediately comes to mind, as The Last of Us has now grown beyond its beginnings as a great video game into a prestigious TV property alongside its cycle of remakes and remasters, merchandising, and a PC release strategy, all of which require time and effort from the studio. All of that’s fine. We love Joel and Ellie’s gameplay mechanics, and the grim and gritty world that it takes place in. It’s a great choice for a serialized story or a riveting gameplay loop, depending on how you would like to consume it.

But has it become a sort of trap for Naughty Dog? Has the studio become too focused on a single IP, taking on the role of its guardian to the exclusion of all else? Has The Last of Us dominated the studio’s attention and distorted its output? Perhaps not, but it is a significant detail that must be considered against the backdrop of everything else we’ve talked about. But all hope isn’t lost, not while Intergalactic remains in its pipeline.

However, that’s a game that now has to bear the weight of an entire generation all on its own, as opposed to multiple releases in previous ones. It isn’t just the next big title from the studio, but a vehicle for the studio’s reputation. It’s a game that has to prove that Naughty Dog still has what it takes to make great new worlds, and that it isn’t in a creative rut that’s preventing it from looking past The Last of Us. The long silence from the studio must be justified, and Intergalactic isn’t going to be judged merely as a new IP from a major studio in modern gaming, but as a game that must allay years of frustrating silence and unmet expectations.

Why is that the case, though? Well, it’s a paradox of Naughty Dog’s own making. It raised the bar so consistently over the years that it now competes against itself, and now finds that everyone expects extraordinary things from it. We’d say a couple of great remakes and remasters from any other studio wouldn’t warrant any additional scrutiny unless the studio in question has consistently one-upped itself from release to release. It has trained us all to expect more from it, and not just see what it’s already managed to achieve just repackaged, no matter how attractive those options may be.

Looking To The Future

There’s still time, though, and the studio might even learn of our concerns and smile as it delivers an experience that makes the wait for Intergalactic worth it. But until then, the PS5 generation feels like Naughty Dog has lost a bit of focus, and has let the past few years be the strangest and perhaps the weakest period in its history. It certainly hasn’t lost its talent, but it definitely needs to work on its rhythm.

It’s played things too safe this time around, relying on its past instead of clearly looking into the future as it always has. But we hold out hope for Intergalactic flipping the script, and feeding us a slice of humble pie we’d gladly chomp into when it finally comes along. Let’s hope, for Naughty Dog’s sake, that it happens sooner rather than later.

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.

Developed by 24 Entertainment Lin’an and published by the innumerably wealthy NetEase, Blood Message appears to be reaching for something more specific: a grounded, cinematic take on action-adventure that favours weight, desperation, and immersion over mechanical complexity. If this early look is anything to go by, the game appears less about what you can do, and more about how convincingly it’ll make you feel throughout every perilous step.

Set in the late Tang Dynasty in 848 AD, Blood Message frames its story around a nameless messenger tasked with delivering a fateful communication across a treacherous, thousand mile-long landscape. Watching the Official Story Intro preview which premiered at Summer Games Fest, Blood Message immediately grounds you in its specific history, showcasing cultural and environmental texture of the era, from war-torn settlements to harsh deserts and vast wildernesses stretching across East and Central Asia.

There are personal stakes to our messenger’s mission too – reuniting with and protecting his son – giving his journey an emotional weight beyond securing the future of his homeland.

Crucially, though, Blood Message isn’t a stylised, Wuxia-infused take on this period. Instead, the overriding experience draws from history rather than embellishing it with fantasy. And in doing so, its narrative themes match the action’s grounded tone.

Yet, despite this groundedness, Blood Message’s cinematics sell an illusion. See, at a glance, exploration treads familiar paths – squeeze-through gaps, leg-ups, contextual traversal – feeling instantly recognisable to anyone who’s spent time with Uncharted or The Last of Us. But Blood Message distinguishes itself from Naughty Dog’s output in how its cameras frame exploration. It’s rarely static, instead responding to and shifting with movement and character proximity in a way that evokes a handheld intimacy rather than a traditional cinematic perspective.

And this approach to camerawork pays off in smaller, easily missable details. In one early moment of the gameplay reveal, our protagonist drops to a knee following a surprise encounter. The camera pushes in close, hovering for a brief pause as danger emerges ahead. It only lasts a few seconds, and it may appear like simple direction, but this vanguard style underlines something remarkable – whilst these moments are undoubtedly choreographed, the camerawork makes them feel improvised. Capturing the rawness and minutiae as it happens, Blood Message’s presentation is paradoxical; every frame is meaningfully composed, yet seeming without a thought to composition at all.

And this paradox feeds into the game’s combat too, which appears systemically dense on first read but plays out stragglingly, forcing an element of improvisation which mirrors the unsteady cameras. You’ve access to the usual core manoeuvres: light and heavy attacks, dodges, blocks, parries, and counters, and while not mechanically novel, intrigue comes in laboured movement and animation variety.

In the gameplay reveal’s first multi-man skirmish, our protagonist is knocked off balance after parrying; the consequence, it seems, of having his feet unset following a brutal takedown. Executions are visceral, diverse, and dynamic, our protagonist plunging his blade into chests, slicing limbs, and breaking necks without hesitation. In one specifically grisly execution, our protagonist is interrupted mid-strike, with an extra on-screen input prompting you to continue his killing action. See, even the most conclusive actions can present strong reactions, and this is one of Blood Message’s standout combat features, demanding constant situational awareness.

Enemies won’t necessarily wait for you to finish off their ally either, swinging into the fray to create two-on-one pressure. Another one of the gameplay reveal’s emergent moments comes in a second, more chaotic fight. As our protagonist grapples an assailant, his comrade impatiently steps in, accidentally sinking a blade into his ally’s bicep.

The environment plays a role in how battles play out, too. Clay pots can smash an opponent’s face, enemies can be hoofed into storage shelves which then shatter and collapse around them, and troughs can be used as pools for disorientating opponents, dunking their head underwater before landing the killing blow.

And when the bout is over, our protagonist shows fatigue. He’s not a superhero, nor mage or acrobat, but a regular soldier thrust into a vulnerable situation, and the toll shows in his laboured movement. Fights aren’t necessarily about maintaining momentum, but grit and determination.

Between battle arenas, however, are stealth sections, and these follow the standard tropes too: tall grass, dark shadows, silent takedowns, including an Assassin’s Creed-like aerial assault. You’re likely familiar with Blood Message’s subterfuge stylings already, but there is a distinction found once-again in presentation. See, the gameplay reveal’s stealth sections showcase numerous takedown animations, and it’s here, away from multi-enemy chaos, that a question arises: how are these animations assigned? Are they contextual, systems-driven, chosen by proximity and direction of approach, or completely random?

"He’s not a superhero, nor mage or acrobat, but a regular soldier thrust into a vulnerable situation, and the toll shows in his laboured movement."

It’s an interesting thought, sure, but the bottom line is this level of variety prevents the stealth sections from feeling too formulaic, at least during the footage’s 19-minute runtime. Another differentiator, perhaps, are environmental triggers, and we see two in the gameplay reveal: a flock of birds who alert a guard when disturbed, and a caged dog which draws an enemy’s attention as our protagonist passes its line of sight. The takeaway here, then, is that Blood Message’s stealth isn’t just about remaining invisible but maintaining situational awareness.

If you’ve any doubt Blood Message is a cinema-first experience, the reveal’s closing set-piece chase should convince you. Mechanically, the sequence can be broken down into a series of jumps, vaults, and QTEs, with lots of running in-between. The transition between gameplay and scripted events is seamless, lending the feeling of playing a movie over interacting with a defined system. The low input complexity ensures the chase’s dynamic design – the collapsing structures, clinging on by fingertips, leaping from rooftops – is meant to be experienced in one go, first time, rather than a sequence to be memorised and mastered. Combat and exploration aren’t quite as basic, but they share the same philosophy.

Visually, Blood Message impresses through texture and detail as much as spectacle. Weathered brickwork, worn fabrics, and dirt-streaked skin all carry a tangible sense of place, reinforced by enveloping illumination. Sound design follows suit, with subtle notes, like the countless creaks of aging wood, adding to the tactile immersion. And voice acting, despite the language barrier for English speakers, reinforces the game’s grounded tone, where feelings of confidence and desperation transcend borders.

While reaction is indeed positive, there is some criticism levied against Blood Message’s simplicity, with its over-familiarity luring it closely to Naughty Dog’s established formula. But there is a key question you can ask at this juncture: does simplicity matter when the story and execution are on point?

Look – while broader narrative details are currently unknown, Blood Message’s ‘cinematic-first, systems-second’ approach could deliver something genuinely special. Combat is visceral yet it isn’t deep, stealth is familiar but reactive, and set-pieces are guided and thrilling. The game is set to bring a cohesive cinematic vision where player expression takes a backseat for grounded action. Again, it’s less about what you can do, but more about how you feel when doing it.

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.

Instead of leaning on fantastical mechanics – the gravity-defying firepower of Rocket League’s vehicles, or the absurd irreverence in Pro Jank Footy’s deck of cards – online multiplayer only NBA: The Run promises to capture and sustain your attention through razor-sharp controls and fluid animation. The question is: does it actually deliver on that promise?

Starting with those controls, they’re incredibly responsive, lending a deliberate feel to every action. Be it a skip pass, between-the-legs dribble, or awestriking alley-oop, whether you’re driving to the net or exercising ball-handling wizardry, NBA: The Run’s immediacy puts you in complete control. However, there is, at first, a visual disconnect between your inputs and certain animations. The motion of picking up a loose ball, for instance, doesn’t share the same precision, with your athlete seemingly able to grab the ball as soon as it’s within proximity. Likewise, leaps often see your athlete’s trajectory shift and correct mid-air.

Now, whilst The Run’s animation elasticity can be jarring on first impression, it’s important to frame this design correctly. What Play By Play is shooting for here is intentional, preserving flow by prioritising frictionless momentum over simulation accuracy. So, where passes, jumps, and dunks might not always be executed from the “correct” spots, the animation’s looseness will fix it for you automatically – and it’s a quirk that ensures the game is easy to play.

"Starting with those controls, they’re incredibly responsive, lending a deliberate feel to every action."

And NBA: The Run’s arcade identity is further enforced by brisk, two-to-three minute matches, with a tournament loop usually taking no more than fifteen minutes to reach its conclusion. Alongside constant transitional play, and short countdown timers minimising half-court offence, the idea is for you to enjoy countless quick sessions rather than commit to marathon playtimes. It’s a design intent that’s closer to Fortnite – where you don’t need to be accomplished to join in – than other, more systemically dense sports sims which can feel intimidating to play online.

And, if Play By Play are hoping to reap modern multiplayer experiences for their casual accessibility, they’re looking much further back for The Run’s character-driven influences. Specifically, vintage arcade titles like 1987’s Tecmo Bowl and 1988’s Ice Hockey, where the athletes in those games each had different sizes, strengths, speeds, and traits.

Adopting this framework, in NBA: The Run each athlete is moulded around an archetype. Steph Curry is lethal from range, for instance, while Victor Wembanyama is a defensive tower block and Giannis Antetokounmpo can power drive at will. While distinctions aren’t always as strongly differentiated as these three examples, it’s still important to synergise the particular strengths and weaknesses of your three-man squad. This isn’t, however, so you can chase a preferred playstyle. No, randomly selected rulesets modify the dynamic of each game – three-point alley-oops, unlimited stamina, one-point per basket, and so on – means a lineup that covers all bases is going to function better across a broad spectrum of variables instead of, say, a team composed exclusively of perimeter-shooting specialists.

Whilst these rulesets inject an enjoyable sense of variety, encouraging you to engage with the entirety of the game’s mechanics rather than hone in on sharpshooting or net driving, they can exaggerate imbalance in character archetypes. For example, rules which emphasise shooting from outside the paint become exhibitions in blocking Steph Curry-types, and if you don’t have a Wenbanyama equivalent in your squad you’re practically cooked.

"In NBA: The Run each athlete is moulded around an archetype."

Still, these randomised rules are fun, providing, predominantly, a satisfying offensive flow. Supported by vibrant visual feedback like screen shake and swift crossovers that are executable by a simple flick of the right thumbstick, attacking the net is expressive and readable. Defence, meanwhile, doesn’t feel quite as good to play. Swiping is imprecise, guarding lacks intuitiveness, and there’s a reliance on AI when the player in your command is out of position as the system doesn’t swap to the most opportune defender anywhere-near quick enough.

The intended equal footing between offence and defence, then, doesn’t fully land. The inability to manually switch players seems like a genuine design flaw, limiting your agency in how you go about disrupting an attack.

And the problems with defending are stacked by a handful of readability issues too. During especially swift transitions (which happen a lot), the camera doesn’t always track the ball, and when all six athletes are occupying the key you can quickly lose sight of the player in your control amidst all the visual clutter. Switching the opposing team to grayscale colours only partially fixes the problem. Certain arenas, such as the concrete backdrop of The Philippines’ Tenement Court, make distinguishing players from one another a struggle, and this is despite the coloured ring at your athlete’s feet.

While the chaos is an intentional design choice, on-court readability suffers too much. In chasing constant motion, NBA: The Run occasionally loses clarity of play.

Elsewhere, the game modes available at launch are slim, although Play By Play intends to iterate and expand post-launch. Solo Mode has you take charge of all three athletes, facing off against another solo-human-controlled team, whereas in Squads Mode you’ll control a single athlete throughout each game, with control handed over to two other humans to complete your team. While matchmaking can be slower in this mode, and it takes a pinch more discipline to function as one third of a unit, it does eventually become more engaging than Solo Mode.

"While the chaos is an intentional design choice, on-court readability suffers too much."

There’s an unspoken sense of camaraderie that carries over between tournaments, not least because your three-man team remains intact whether you win or lose. This consistency means that, over time, you’ll mould your performance around your teammates’ particular styles, and vice versa. If you win a tournament, there’s a sense of satisfaction in knowing you’ve done it together. But, this feeling isn’t tangible; it’s more presumed. See, while Play By Play positions The Run as a social experience, there’s a distinct lack of communication tools between you and your teammates. Without in-game voice chat, or even selectable, pre-determined callouts – like the kind found in three-versus-three football game Rebound – then The Run’s social ambition is undermined. The game fosters teamwork, for sure, but it doesn’t fully support it yet.

That’s not to say the game doesn’t emphasise a meaningful user experience. Indeed, with progression tied to performance, with no monetisation at launch, NBA: The Run wants you to earn your status and feel rewarded while doing it. That said, levelling up speed and in-game currency accumulation is heavily skewed towards winning. With cosmetic prices being slightly high relative to earn rate the game risks feeling grindy if you’re stuck on a losing streak.

Yet, through exceptionally responsive controls, momentum-driven matches, and a playloop designed for short, meaningful sessions, NBA: The Run nails a strong arcade identity. Despite defensive inconsistencies, readability issues, and limited modes at launch. Play By Play has crafted a solid foundation which they’ll undoubtedly build upon.

Whilst this isn’t a basketball sim, NBA: The Run still feels authentically like basketball, and you don’t need to be a seasoned baller to know that capturing the spirit of the game matters more than recreating it.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

1. Register More Pets

The number of pets you can register has been raised to a hundred, although you can only have fifty of them running around your camp at any given time. As for the rest, we’re going to assume that our fellow Greymanes are caring for them even if they’re not close at hand. Additionally, any rewards from existing pet challenges you’ve completed are going to be granted to you retroactively, which is a good thing, as you don’t have to worry about taking extra steps to track them down.

This one’s going to be quite popular with those of you who’ve made it your life’s mission to bring as many of Pywel’s fauna as you can find to your camp, or at least get them off the streets.

2. Find Baby Wyverns More Easily

Baby wyverns are now getting their own map icons, which means that those among you looking to take to the skies on a fearsome Wyvern of your own can get started with that process much more seamlessly than before. Mind you, you’re still going to have to feed the little ones and help them grow to their full size, but it’s nice to know where to find them. If you’ve missed out on the last few updates, know that wyverns are now usable as mounts, and there’s no cooldown on summoning them, unlike Blackstar.

We were already sold on wyverns after the last update, and they continue to be our personal favorite amongst all the options for a mount that we now have at our disposal. You might be interested to know that Kuku Bird eggs and Wyvern eggs are no longer stackable.

3. Mounting Issues Have Been Fixed

For those of you who’ve been having trouble getting on your wyverns once you summon them, things should be a lot better now, while the issue of mounts getting summoned into immediate danger is now remedied across the board. That’s a very helpful change that could help you keep your beloved travel companions a bit safer in a world where everything might feel like it’s out to get them. Additionally, if you’ve been remounting your wyverns when you try a spectacular dive to the ground off their backs, that’s now gone, and you can now hurtle down to that interesting sight you’ve seen whenever you like. You can also mount wyverns using Axiom Force without learning Back Hang now, and both Blackstar and wyverns aren’t going to walk into water anymore.

We will say that taking to the skies has made spotting interesting things on the ground a tad harder. We recommend using them to cover large distances in a pinch, but it’s best to have another one for the ground when you want to sniff out hidden secrets and mysteries.

4. Pets Keep Their Names When They Grow

We had a wyvern we called Toothless when it was little, despite the little one coming with quite a nasty set of chompers. Unfortunately, getting it to full size saw the name vanish into thin air. Well, that’s now a thing of the past, and it immediately makes the entire process of raising pets you can use as mounts feel more personal. It may not seem like a big deal, but it’s these little details that make Pywel such an interesting place to lead a second life in.

It’s always nice to have pets with names, after all.

5. Buy Back Lost Rare Equipment from Shopkeepers

Managing your inventory can get a little overwhelming at times, and it’s highly possible you’ve discarded a rare item without realizing you did so. That’s fixed now, as lost items that you find yourself needing long after you’ve forgotten about them can now be repurchased from shops, albeit at a higher price. We’re calling it a recovery fee, which makes sense, given that it can take up to 7 in-game days for such items to show up in the shopkeeper’s inventory. At least the “finders, keepers” rule isn’t in play.

This one should make managing your inventory better, although we’d still recommend a bit of caution when you’re disposing of items.

6. Pinball Is Now Easier

If you were finding the Pinball mini-game added in the last update a tad too difficult for you to actually relax while playing it, as was intended, you’ll be pleased to know that there have been a bunch of changes to make things easier for you. The ball is going to be a little weightier, for starters, while the annoying clipping issues it faced when you hit walls are now addressed. Pin positions have been adjusted to make things smoother, while some fixed pins have been taken out.

Additionally, if you’ve had the ball getting stuck in the top-left corner of your board, that’s a thing of the past, as is the one where the ball just drops off the launcher. Oh, and the launch angle and force have been adjusted, too.

7. Damiane and Oongka Get Access To Useful Tools

It was baffling that two out of the three playable protagonists had to mine valuable ores and timber the old-fashioned way, using a pickaxe or a logging axe when they needed them to upgrade their gear. Well, both Damiane and Oongka can now equip the mining drill and chainsaw, which is going to make resource gathering go a whole lot faster, letting you focus on letting them take on anything that Pywel throws at them with gear that’s now easier to upgrade. You’re also going to see correct yield amounts if you attempt to harvest ores when you’re clinging to a wall.

It’s yet another improvement in a long list aimed at making the duo more accessible than they were when the game first launched, and we must say that they’ve come a long way since then.

8. Expanded Controller Mapping

If you’re taking on Pywel’s expansive world with a controller, the mapping options you have are now expanded, letting you quickly access your inventory, map, skills, photo mode, and the journal when you need to. Of course, holding down your touchpad is still our favorite way to get to the map now, but it’s sure nice to see the developer giving players so many options to make navigating the game’s menus so much easier.

We imagine this one’s going to make those of you using Pro versions of controllers with extra buttons quite happy, as well as you Greymanes who still can’t get enough of all the beautiful sights Pywel has to offer.

9. Minor Improvements and Fixes To Combat

If you’ve noticed that your Spirit isn’t recovering as well as it should when you’re in control of Damiane and Oongka despite upgrading their Focus, that’s been fixed, and your gains should be improved as a result. You’re going to see changes to the attack patterns of Golem enemies if you’ve left any alive during your time in Pywel. You bow users out there are going to appreciate the additional effects added to Explosive Evasive Shot and Multishot when you’re using special arrows, a change that we suspect is going to have many Greymanes pondering a shift to ranged builds.

Oongka’s Scatter Shot ability has also been fixed to reduce the appropriate number of cannonballs if you use it while clinging to a wall.

10. Miscellaneous Changes

If you’ve been as annoyed at that glitch where the XP UI wouldn’t show up when you feed a pet as we’ve been, that’s now been remedied. Animal names at the Racher’s shop now display correctly instead of those question marks that turned up prior to this update. There are also improved images for animals in the Knowledge and Guides sections of your glossary, a small but much-needed change to lend polish to the overall UI quality.

There are also localization fixes, a remedy to the Depth of Field issue in Photo Mode that lets you disable it now, and the addition of a Flower Basket to the Hernand Contribution Shop, and the addition of the first volume of Ranged Weapons of the World to the equipment vendor’s inventory in Hernand.

And that’s about it for this one. We’re quite happy to see how managing your pets has been made so seamless and easy in the past few updates, but we do think that it’s about time the rest of the roadmap begins to get some much-needed attention from the developers. We can’t wait to see how they try to address the story’s continuity, after all. But all in all, things continue to look up for Crimson Desert, and we’re certain the rest of the year is going to see Pywel become even better than it is now.

And while the developer wants the next info drop to be a surprise, it sat down with various media outlets during Summer Game Fest to answer questions and clarify several aspects. Let’s dive into the ten biggest new details, starting with…

The Dream Team

As rumored and confirmed, Yasuhiro Anpo and Kazunori Kadoi of Resident Evil 2 Remake fame are heading up the project. However, the former is the director while the latter serves as associate director this time around. They’re not the only ones returning – those who worked on the remakes in the series are also along for the ride, and we’ll learn more about them leading up to release.

Third-Person Perspective

The other biggest – and most obvious confirmation – is that Resident Evil Veronica is a third-person game. Despite the trailer being in first-person before showing Claire’s face, it was intended more for dramatic effect than to reflect how the game actually plays (which we noted immediately after the reveal). However, that doesn’t mean you can expect the exact same camera angles as the original. Game producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi told Polygon that, “It’s going to be very much in line with the game feel of Resident Evil 2 remake.” In other words, if you enjoy the over-the-shoulder aiming of that game, and those that came after, you’ll be right at home in Veronica. Speaking of which…

Resource Management

Resident Evil titles have no shortage of item juggling in your inventory and planning for how you’ll approach certain encounters or use resources. But Code: Veronica was perhaps the most demanding in that vein, pushing you to think very far ahead about what you would use. So if you enjoyed the approach, great news – it’s coming back. Hirabayashi says the team believes it to be a “core concept” – this idea of thinking “for yourself to explore and manage resources to face the horror in your own way. There is a lot of room for you to strategize on how you want to handle things to survive.” However, he also noted that it’s being treated “very carefully” in the remake, which could mean sanding off some of the more frustrating parts.

Changing the Opening

If you’re one of the 1,795,639 (and counting) views on the announcement trailer, and played the original, then you likely immediately noticed something off about the intro. Why isn’t Claire imitating the Matrix as she shoots through Umbrella’s Paris HQ? Is the original’s iconic intro gone?

Speaking to Denfamico Gamer, Hirabayashi said the team wanted to stick to exploring characters with “greater dramatic depth.” “I do remember the dramatic opening of the original game, but when I considered where a sister searching for her brother would go first, I thought that, in a realistic context, she would head to her brother’s home rather than to the evil pharmaceutical company.” He did repeat that the trailer is just for dramatic effect, perhaps hinting that the sequence could play out differently in-game. However, it seems there won’t be any…

Cut Content

As reported by AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem – an ever-reliable source of Resident Evil and Silent Hill leaks and news – Hirabayashi seemingly told journalists that the remake won’t cut any scenes. Instead, a lot will be “shifted, moved around, reimagined, and transformed,” even more than we’ve seen in other remakes. In fact, this may very well be the most “aggressive” in terms of revamping the story and characters.

Why Return to Claire?

If you’re wondering why the team chose to return to Claire Redfield after so long, it’s because of how Leon’s story has played out over the years. While the team isn’t saying his arc is effectively complete, they did ask, “What is the next character we want everyone to experience their character arc or next step in the story?” Claire was the answer, and Veronica is “the ultimate way to experience” her journey, Hirabayashi told WCCF Tech. Besides, the team also really wanted to tell her story after what happened in Raccoon City.

Claire’s Character

Of course, since the story is set three months after the Raccoon City Destruction Incident from Resident Evil 2, you shouldn’t expect Claire to have the same level of combat prowess as Leon. Instead, as the producer notes, “She relies on her own tough mentality and the survival techniques her brother taught her,” resulting in an experience that’s “essentially a mashed-up, enhanced version of what we did with RE2.”

But that doesn’t mean she won’t get any character development. As Hirabayashi told VGC, there’s a “lot more about her that we haven’t shared” which players will learn – a “lot more untold.” Perhaps we’ll see more sibling bonding moments between Claire and Chris, and learn about how they grew up.

Alfred Ashford’s Portrayal

Speaking of sibling bonding, there’s Alfred Ashford. The original depiction of the character wasn’t the most…tasteful thing about Code: Veronica. While things are still subject to change since Veronica is still in development, the team wants to focus on the “darkness inside people’s hearts and minds”, which suits the remake since it’s more focused on emotion and when “love is pushed too far.” It’s seemingly looking to explore the “darkness in Alfred’s heart” as a result, but again, nothing has been confirmed. Either way, given how this particular team has handled character updates for the other remakes, we’d say they know what they’re doing.

A Numbered Entry

If you’ll remember back in the day, Code: Veronica, despite its extensive acclaim, played second fiddle to the likes of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and was mostly relegated to history. Former Nintendo of America public relations managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, who also attended the SGF presentation, noted Hirabayashi saying the lack of a number came down to “a lot of internal politics” back in the day. But that’s not the case anymore, as the producer told VGC, “Code: Veronica is just as vital and important as a numbered Resident Evil entry. So, the discussion that arose in the development team was, ‘ What’s something we can do to communicate that to our audience?’”

This is why “Code” was removed from the title. It essentially brings the remake – and the game as a whole – closer to the modern titles like Resident Evil Village and Requiem. A “one-word subtitle that encapsulates a very important part of the game,” per Hirabayashi. “So, aligning with that title convention that we’re taking in our recent mainline numbered entries, we followed a similar alignment.”

Requiem Learnings and Connections

But perhaps even more intriguing is that the team has looked at Resident Evil Requiem, not just in terms of feedback, but also “where the universe is in that game, and finding ways to reflect that and connect that to the remake and the story there as well,” Hirabayashi told VGC. A possible connection to The Connections, perhaps?

As for game quality, he admitted that the developer does this for every title, especially in areas like usability. “We’ve gained a lot of knowledge as we’ve created games, including Requiem, and so we’re taking all that knowledge that we’ve accumulated and using it for Veronica as well.” Again, the gameplay is where we’ll see that for ourselves.

However, in terms of understanding and the respect that this team has for the original, this quote via VGC really says it all: “We, the development team, think the original Code: Veronica is a title that’s just as important and significant as any other numbered title in the series.” And that’s more than enough for us.

You probably spotted it on Metacritic with its current 73 Metascore, briefly glanced at a few summaries from the 23 reviews, and didn’t give it much thought. After all, for many, Laufey, E-Day, Wolverine, and whatnot garnered way more attention and traction. Suffice to say that landing during one of the more eventful Summers of Gaming didn’t do it any favors.

If you watched our review, where we gave it a 6 out of 10, you’ll see many similar grievances. Bugs, audio issues, crashes, and, if you’re playing on PS5, the lack of a 60 FPS option. Which may not sound all that bad until you realize that even the PS5 Pro version is capped at 30 FPS. And on top of all that, a melee combat system that felt too clunky, to the point where it often felt better just to let other NPCs do the fighting for you.

That’s not even getting into all the unique quirks that make Gothic…Gothic. For example, humans can’t kill you – thanks, prison colony formed from a king’s war effort gone awry – but they will take your valuables. And considering how utterly weak you are from the beginning, scrounging for every last advantage and coin you can muster, it’s enough to make anyone want to give up. Play an easier game. Maybe return to that Hardcore playthrough of Kingdom Come: Deliverance that you’ve been meaning to finish.

So why then did Gothic 1 Remake sell over 500,000 copies in its first week? Why did it peak at 77,731 concurrent players on Steam? For that matter, with all the different bugs and issues that it has – including but not limited to balancing changes based on the first major post-launch patch – why does it have a “Very Positive” rating with 81 percent of the currently 3,603 reviews recommending it?

Nostalgia is a hell of a you-know-what, and the gaming industry knows how to capitalize. Re-releases, ports, remakes, Anniversary Editions, remasters, sequels, expansions that launch over a decade later – you name it. It could be viewed cynically, especially when the sum is vastly underwhelming next to each part, but we have seen some of the best games in the past decade because of this. Look at Resident Evil.

However, each project has a different goal, and that often includes toning down or outright eliminating some of the more contentious elements. Make the combat smoother. Make the player feel stronger. Make the world less obtuse. After all, this is an open-world game, right? Why try to keep anyone from accessing all this content, or seeing all the pretty visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5?

But that’s the thing with Gothic. The friction, the unevenness, the clunkiness – it’s all a core part of the game’s identity. It’s one of the earliest examples of what would be referred to as a genre of incredibly ambitious games developed by European studios which lacked the finer degree of polish seen in your average big-budget blockbuster, but delivered on the gameplay. To revamp and remove all of that is essentially taking away everything that players loved about the original, rendering it a facsimile with prettier skin.

And one of those key aspects is making the player weak from the very start. Nothing is given to you for free. You could call it brutally unforgiving because it is – that’s the point. But step outside your own personal realm of suffering, and there’s also this feeling of incredible freedom. Of being able to explore this massive world, interact with just about anyone and push the boundaries of what you’re capable of.

That’s even reflected in the combat. If you look at the various development diaries leading up to launch, you’ll see the lengths Alkimia went for the remake. Sure, the graphics were important, but the combat diary is especially insightful. For example, your character becoming stronger is more than just numerical – it’s reflected in their attack animations. They’ll start out looking like a novice and over time, begin to really implement advanced techniques into their repertoire. And as with the original, the goal is to pay attention to the world, your enemies, and your own strength to understand how to progress.

Which applies to the world as well, by the way. If you’re going in blind, then you won’t know what decisions lead to which consequences, which camps to ally with first (or last) or even how to survive. Is it a test in patience and sheer will, combined with judicious save-scumming? Yes – because that’s how it could be in the original, until everything fell into place.

Believe it or not, there’s a joy in such gameplay, which formed the core appeal of Gothic back in the day. And just like then, it’s not for everyone. Some want a comfy open-world role-playing experience with a strong focus on storytelling; waypoints that tell them where to go at all times; checklists of activities to complete; and buttery smooth combat that makes you feel powerful out of the gate. It’s one reason the Assassin’s Creed series continues to see strong sales, especially after the shift towards a more action RPG-like design.

That’s all well and good, and in the same vein, you’ll find plenty who enjoy the likes of Crimson Desert, which encourages getting out in the world and discovering things on your own. Or offering extensive freedom right off the bat and letting you loose to decide where your journey should end up next. Plenty of titles exist on this open-world spectrum, and it’s arguably why the genre continues to remain so popular.

But there’s nothing quite like Gothic. Plenty of other titles in recent times have attempted to capture its same feel and unforgiving style of gameplay (Of Ash and Steel comes to mind), yet inevitably fall short. The world-building, the overarching design, the progression, the freedom, and how it all works in unison to push you from “relative nobody” into someone that matters, and could very well upset the current status quo.

From the very outset, Alkimia understood the assignment – retain everything that fans loved about the original, right down to the dark fantasy aesthetic and grunginess – and delivered what they wanted. Even if it would feel clunky or unwieldy compared to what most gamers are used to.

We don’t really know the lifetime sales numbers of the original Gothic, much less how well it sold in 2001. So while it’s easy to claim the remake achieved these numbers purely based on the brand name, I think it’s more than just fans turning up for that hit of nostalgia or the desire for days when game worlds didn’t feel so utterly guided. It reflects an audience of RPG fans that want something different, even if it can be more punishing than they’re otherwise used to. Not everyone is going to like it – much like the original, they may just leave after the first hour and only return years later when everything finally clicks. But the fact that Gothic 1 Remake can pull that off while staying true to its roots is worthy of praise, warts and all.

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.

But the intervening years have seen the game hidden away behind a veil of mystery. Yes, there were trailers that tried very hard to tell us that the upcoming title was Fable as we always remembered it, but there’s only so much they could do in the absence of a good look at what its RPG ambitions were going to look like once they were in the hands of its players. But the latest showcase of the game has changed that.

Yes, the reboot’s bringing a very interesting combat system, a version of Albion that we can’t wait to explore, and environments that might be hard to explore when you’re stopping to admire the sights so often. But while those are all great things to have in an RPG of this scale, they’re also present in several other of the game’s competitors. Fable needs something to set itself apart, and the latest showcase has demonstrated that Albion itself might be the ace up its sleeve that it needs to stand toe-to-toe with the genre’s greatest titles.

A World That Makes Life Itself Extraordinary

The glimpse of the game that we’ve been given does show off how exploration and combat have been woven into the experience. There are quests for you to take on, of course, and a lot of the humor and unique tone that gives the franchise its identity. They’re all welcome additions, to be sure, but they’re not what we’re here to discuss in this one. Instead, we’re going to focus on how Albion seems tailored to respond to you in ways that you can predict, and in others that could have you quite surprised at their complexity.

To us, the most exciting facet of Fable isn’t that you’re going to be taking on enemies and monsters as a Hero whose abilities continue to grow and evolve as you engage with Albion. It’s in how that world remembers who you are as a person, and the kind of Hero you’ve been that has us very eager, impatient even, to get our hands on a copy.

A world in which NPCs feel sentient definitely stands out. We’ve seen games filled with hundreds of nameless characters that are largely relegated to the background, acting as a sort of decorative presence to present the illusion of worlds that are alive. Yes, some of them are vendors, or perhaps quest givers, but they’re largely nameless crowds who have no real bearing on the outcome of your adventures, or even your actions other than to present surface-level responses to what you do in their presence.

Even the ones you can interact with are limited to serving their intended functions, and not much else. A blacksmith, for example, isn’t going to be interested in much else beyond helping you upgrade your gear and weapons. Granted, they might have a bit of dialogue to make them feel like they’re responding to you and your presence in their smithy, but they don’t know you beyond the fact that you’re the main character in a story where they’re playing a small, and rather negligible part. They’re nothing more than a map icon for when you need the game to help you fulfil a specific function.

But Albion looks like it’s built around the very NPCs that other games often neglect. There are actual systems guiding their actions, and the subsequent interactions you have with them. Jack the Beggar responds to your kindness, and actively forms an impression about you when you behave charitably towards him. While that’s impressive on its own, that very same act of kindness drives the local tailor to forming a more disdainful opinion of you, her personal morals giving her the impression that your actions do not address the root cause of why Jack was in his dire straits.

Every NPC has their own routines, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and the ability to think for themselves, and those opinions form a complex web of opinions that you’re then left to navigate as you see fit. You could buy their businesses and homes, choosing to disrupt their lives and face the consequences of their displeasure, or use your new purchase to help make the lives they live better. And they remember it all, and either help or hinder you based on what they think of you. If Playground pulls this off on a scale that covers the entirety of Albion, its NPCs might be more important than its map size, and that’s a welcome deviation from a rather predictable script in the open-world RPG genre.

Playing to Its Strengths

Of course, those of us who’ve played the original Fable know that the Morality System and your Reputation were important parameters that influenced the trajectory of your story. The franchise may not be known for RPGs that are mechanically deep, but they’ve definitely been remembered for the funny, often exaggerated ways that their worlds have responded to our actions in-game. There was a personal touch, a feeling that the world around you was actually in sync with what you were doing.

You could be loved or feared, celebrated or mocked for who you were, exalted as a hero or reviled as a diabolical villain, or infamous as a morally grey individual whose unpredictability was the only certainty when you entered the room. The world made your choices feel visible, and presented tangible responses to them to make your time with any of the franchise’s offerings feel special. Fable was at its best when it (conveniently) forgot that you were the chosen one who would shape the trajectory of its world, and instead chose to treat you based on the merits of your actions. You could be a benevolent landlord, loved by your tenants, or a menace to be reviled by the locals.

You could be a spouse that was devoted to their loved one, or a local fool who couldn’t be trusted to achieve even the simplest of goals. The world you were exploring had a soul of its own, and it was one that you had to work to capture, and subsequently keep satisfied if you wanted things to go in a direction you decided. That’s precisely what the reboot is trying to recapture, and we must say that it’s doing a reasonably great job at that if that preview was any indication.

Think about how you have even a stable hand being entirely indifferent to your presence when you first enter a town. You’re a nameless entity, and one that its denizens have no reason to trust or hate since they’ve never seen you before. But one set of decisions, of all things, and you were then a person who was interesting enough for NPC to sit up and take notice of. The aforementioned Jack the Beggar, and his subsequent new lot in life as a local bartender, all stem from you.

Of course, word travels fast and while some find you to be compassionate and kind, others might think you’re naive, and yet to see the bigger picture of a world that allows systemic inequalities to exist between the people in it. But it’s those inequalities that allow you to shape lives by becoming a landlord or business owner, offering employment and housing to those who need them, and earning their trust and benevolence in the process.

It’s a world in which people aren’t afraid to show their pleasure or displeasure to your face, with tangible reactions on the visual front, and systems that can help or hinder you based on who you’re interacting with, and what they think of you. A sense of sentience permeates the very air of Albion, and its one that’s always watching what you do and responding to it in ways that mimic what a Hero would face in the real world.

Fable isn’t just giving us a reactive story next year, but a reactive society, which is a distinction that automatically sets it apart from other titles. It’s a recipe for some truly chaotic outcomes the more we think about it. You could be a landlord whose tenants cannot stop singing praises of, while being a Hero whose actions aren’t necessarily in the best interests of the people you’re fighting for. You could be kind and compassionate, being revered for it even as that very kindness ruins local economies.

It’s a great way to ensure that no two playthroughs of the game are going to look alike. Playground has realized that Fable doesn’t need to be a serious RPG, but an interactive fairy tale in which every Hero can walk away with absolutely ridiculous stories. And with player agency being as central to the experience as it is, the potential for a title that players keep coming back to of their own free will is right there.

A Positive Influence

When you think about the kind of experience that it offers from the perspective of other open-world games, it’s easy to see why we’re quite hooked on the idea of a world that isn’t judged on its scale, the length of its questlines, the density of markers on its map, its loot and crafting systems, upgrade trajectories, or cinematic presentation. That’s not to say they aren’t a part of the experience that Fable’s offering, but they’ve taken a backseat to a world that makes the little moments matter.

Where other games could have you already thinking about where you want to go next after you conduct your business ina town, Fable aims to have you staying back to try and learn more about the population. It makes you wonder if the people around you truly know you for who you are, and whether your presence can enrich their lives, or ruin them entirely. You’re given the power to shape their destinies, but how you do that is completely up to you, and there’s enough unpredictability to make your efforts succeed, or fail so spectacularly you’re going to have to work to understand how your plans unravelled.

It’s a far more interesting pitch than having yet another massive world full of lifeless interactions to explore, to be sure, but we must consider the possibility of the effort backfiring, just as how your attempts to be a Hero for the ages can lead your people to ruin. Can these systems continue to have an impact across the entire experience? Can they remain meaningful – and compelling – once you’ve spent about twenty or thirty hours in Albion?

We’re a tad worried that it can be too easy for NPCs to get you if you have enough money to bribe town criers, giving you a way to get a clean slate in a given town that seems too convenient for an experience like this one. We would have liked to see the preview visit how your criminal actions at the end of it affected your relationship with the owner of the general store, whose last interaction with you was one of familiarity and goodwill considering all the good things you had done up until that point.

Is the sheer amount of player agency you’re offered going to have actual consequences to your decisions, or is it just a way of letting the game amuse you with funny reactions from the people you’re engaging with? Fable’s systems worked well in the demo, but we’re wondering if they worked too well in the curated slice of a larger pie that we were allowed to see.

But concerns aside, that demo gave the upcoming reboot a sense of identity that it sorely needed over the past few years. Fable isn’t trying to be a big fantasy RPG for the Xbox, but a world that makes Albion feel social, reactive, messy, amusing, and most importantly, personal. It puts you at the front of the experience, and lets its world draw you in by giving you a life that’s full of the chaos and joy that such a world would offer.

It’s a recipe that could have you wanting more if it succeeds, or otherwise leave a bitter aftertaste. But like any journey worth undertaking, we’d say that the effort must count for something.

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.

Like its predecessor, FOLLOW wastes no time in reintroducing us to Anne, who’s now a young adult with a little more maturity than she had when we first met her. She’s come to terms with the trauma she faced from her bullies at school and is a tad more confident and assertive as a result. It’s a welcome change that establishes continuity with the first game while taking the story in a sinister new direction.

You see, Anne may have buried the self-esteem issues from her high school bullies, or perhaps even healed through it. But the first game carried many hints about how her life at home was no walk in the park either. FOLLOW dives right into that side of her personality with very interesting results. This time around, it’s Anne’s mother who is the big bad, and I can tell you she cuts quite the scary figure thanks to some truly chilling design choices from Serafini Productions.

She lurks in the darkest corners of Anne’s mind, waiting to be let out the moment you uncover an important memory or piece of information pertaining to how she raised her daughter. The manner in which she’s characterized is sure to resonate with any of you who’ve faced similar situations in your own lives, and it’s easy to see how her actions have left lasting scars on Anne’s personality that she might never fully heal from.

Anne’s mother is the catalyst for the entire experience, with each level coming with a distinct theme and color to underline how her mind has interpreted her feelings toward her. She constantly declares that she’s tired of the ordeal she faces, which is presumably all in her head, but escape is never really presented as an option, even as you go further into the story. Instead, you only go from one memory to the next, with each one having its own puzzles to solve in order to proceed.

Of course, the giant monster from the first game, which I’m now convinced is a representation of Anne’s own lack of self-esteem, makes a comeback, often popping up when you least expect it to give you enough of a fright to justify taking a break. The jump scares and atmospheric horror from the first game also make a return, and like Anne, the game itself feels more confident than Serafini’s first outing with her.

"A personal highlight of all that was Little Annie, a truly unsettling doll that represents Anne’s youthful innocence and vigor, which looks so darn creepy, I was reminded of why I often avoid horror stories involving dolls in the first place."

With a story and design that’s so compelling, it’s a pity, then, that the levels themselves are nothing to write home about despite how well they’re presented visually. Most of my time with the game involved navigating each one, uncovering important information or items that would then unlock new paths and new puzzles for me to solve. I’m all for a game jealously guarding its secrets and forcing me to think out of the box, but I do believe FOLLOW could have done better to present a stronger path to progression than the one on offer.

You’re given little to no information about what you need to do to get past a locked door, and the little nuggets of knowledge you get feel disconnected from the actual solution in many instances. It’s a very strong effort, no arguments there, but I couldn’t help but think that I was spending way too long running around the same level until I managed to spot an interactable object that would open up a new path.

A personal highlight of all that was Little Annie, a truly unsettling doll that represents Anne’s youthful innocence and vigor, which looks so darn creepy, I was reminded of why I often avoid horror stories involving dolls in the first place. Her adorable voice and the childish sense of wonder she brings to the exposition she offers are a superb contrast that makes her a very welcome addition to the experience. She’s also the biggest indicator that something important is nearby, which makes her quite helpful when you’re trying to navigate the convoluted puzzles in each level.

Another thing I liked was that Anne was far more agile than in her previous outing, which made getting around a lot easier. I miss the chase sequences that the first game had, despite how clunky the controls could feel. Those are now relegated to side-scrolling sequences that bookmark the end of a chapter, with little Anne desperately trying to avoid the representation of her older version’s insecurities. You could skip these sequences entirely, though, if you find them tedious. That’s a possibility because of the way obstacles are a constant presence, and navigating them with a very short window for error can get annoying.

"The soundtrack balances silence and the sinister build-up to a scary moment so well, you’re bound to feel the tension when you’re navigating an area that’s designed to have you on edge."

The audio design continues to shine, just as it did in the first game. The soundtrack balances silence and the sinister build-up to a scary moment so well, you’re bound to feel the tension when you’re navigating an area that’s designed to have you on edge. There are helpful cues to tell you when you’ve unlocked something new on a level, and the voice acting does a very good job of bringing subtle, unspoken emotions to the forefront. That’s very important in a game that tackles the nuances of a parent-child relationship that hasn’t gone the way either party intended for it to go.

On the performance front, I found no issues on my base PS5 aside from minor frame drops that don’t really break the immersion. This one’s a polished effort from the developers, and it definitely outshines the first game in that area. The visuals are also noteworthy thanks to how they integrate each level’s themes and use light so much better than what was on offer in UNFOLLOW. They’re probably the best example I can find to demonstrate how the new game is a more confident, nuanced take on the issues it tries to present than the first one, which was already quite good to begin with.

So, with all that’s been said, would I recommend FOLLOW to you? If psychedelic horror is your jam, this one’s not going to disappoint. If you like games that give you chills and thrills in equal measures, you’re probably going to like it, although you might find the lack of combat or real danger in any form a tad boring. However, if you’re like me and enjoy stories that are nuanced and geared towards a slow burn, this one’s going to be right up your alley.

FOLLOW is a solid game, and continues the franchise’s traditions of insightful examinations of trauma through the eyes of a victim. It takes creative liberties that might seem like flights of fancy on the surface, but are very insightful takes on how the human mind processes negative emotions, and the dangers of leaving such thoughts to fester without seeking the help one needs to repair the damage. There’s a bit of Anne in all of us, and BrokenLore: FOLLOW does a great job as a game that makes you look inward and wonder about what the darkest corners of your own mind look like.

And that’s its biggest achievement.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that I could now dive into the adventure, complete with a makeover from Alkimia that aimed to let it take the spotlight amongst a bevy of great RPGs in the current generation of gaming platforms. It’s been a mixed bag, with the joy of unbridled, unguided discovery being marred by technical issues that have no business being in a game that’s clearly aimed at a modern, very discerning audience.

I always pick the good news first, and that’s what we’re going to do with this one. From the very beginning of your time with the Nameless Hero, you’re more or less left to your own devices as you try to survive King Rhogar’s prison/mining colony, the magical barrier that keeps you there acting as a grim reminder of the circumstances that have unfolded since the mage’s botched attempt to create their own version of an electrified fence.

The game wastes no time in setting the stakes, tasking you with delivering a letter to a mage within the Old Camp, one of three major factions within The Colony. You get a small introduction to what life is like within its confines from a helpful member of the camp before you get to begin exploring a world that’s as brutal as they come.

I’m not kidding when I tell you that this one’s as hard as any of the games I’ve played over the years, and that’s counting a bunch of Soulslikes that have had me at my wit’s end with some enemies and bosses that they’ve thrown my way. Most hostiles in this one can take you down in one or two hits, while you don’t even get a starting weapon to take them on with.

An NPC you meet along the way did tell me that I was going to need weapons and armor before I was ready to explore the world, but they were less than helpful when I asked them where I could find them. That’s kind of a pattern in this one, and the lack of the usual markers and helpful indicators that point you in the right direction was a very refreshing change of pace.

"Quests are designed in a way that gives you multiple possible approaches, if you can sniff them all out."

This is old-school game design, and it’s a very enjoyable part of the experience on offer. Of course, I must concede that it could be a detail that puts you off the experience depending on your individual preferences, but I personally love games that allow me to put in the hard work to reap the rewards.

Quests are designed in a way that gives you multiple possible approaches, if you can sniff them all out. And each option comes with trade-offs that you’re going to have to live with. For instance, an NPC whose approval I desperately needed to get past the guards at a gate told me to deal with a member of the New Camp who had been running a bit of a scam. I dealt with the man in question by leading him out of the Old Camp under the pretence of wanting to sign up with his faction, only to turn on him when a group of scavengers attacked us. Problem solved.

I returned to camp, stopping to meet a weapons vendor along the way. He wasn’t too happy with what I’d done as I put an end to his supply chain. He assured me that he wasn’t going to vote in my favor if he was asked if I was going to be a good fit for the Old Camp. Details like that make this world feel alive, and it’s what has made Gothic memorable to me.

However, I’m also going to remember it for a lot of frustrations and heartbreaks. I’m not going to forget how I lost nearly three hours of progress thanks to the lack of an autosave system coupled with frequent crashes, a combination that soon had me manually saving my game at every turn. That’s an omission that I believe is a missed opportunity, and a way to truly let the game combine its welcome old-school vision with a bit of modern convenience.

However, the problems don’t stop there. I appreciate the effort to recreate the game’s visuals, and there’s certainly a lot to like about the new lighting system and upgraded textures. However, the lack of a performance mode is something I find very hard to ignore, especially in the face of a combat system that relies quite heavily on reading enemy animations and responding to them within windows that are far too narrow even on the easiest difficulty option there is.

"The XP thresholds you need to unlock levels are quite high when you think about how difficult it is to whittle away at enemy health bars, and getting your character’s stats to a place of comfort is going to be a steep climb up a hill that has danger at every turn."

Your hero’s combat prowess is almost negligible in the game’s early hours. Couple that with enemies whose animations aren’t telegraphed as well as they should, and you’ve got a recipe for needless frustrations that actively hinder your progress. That’s especially egregious when you consider that it takes a while for you to get your hands on some decent armor, although I will concede that getting your hands on a weapon is comparatively easier once you know where to look.

With that being said, the game’s melee combat is too clunky for my taste, and it often comes down to chugging healing items while dealing with attacks from enemies that can end you with just one badly-timed parry. Ranged weapons served me a lot better, and I found myself relying on my bow (and a bit of magic once you unlock it) over my sword for the most part, or getting NPCs to do the fighting for me.

The XP thresholds you need to unlock levels are quite high when you think about how difficult it is to whittle away at enemy health bars, and getting your character’s stats to a place of comfort is going to be a steep climb up a hill that has danger at every turn. There’s a lot of room for improvement on the combat front in this one.

That’s a pity, considering that human enemies that defeat you in combat don’t kill you outright, but loot all of the valuable stuff you’ve spent hours gathering to fill their own pockets. In a title where combat was more balanced, that’s an opportunity to go back for a rematch and regain your lost valuables. In Gothic Remake, it’s just better to take the loss and move on, and that’s a real shame.

Crashes and wonky combat animations aside, there were other issues such as NPCs randomly appearing out of thin air, while others would get stuck in their own animations without dialogue windows popping up when you interact with them. Both problems were frequent enough to be noticeable, and definitely took away from the impressive visuals.

"On the technical front, this one comes with too many annoyances that constantly interrupt the experience in ways that can have you giving up on it altogether."

The audio was similarly buggy, often cutting off into total silence at several points, or including the chatter from other characters in crowded spaces during a one-on-one dialogue that forced me to turn on subtitles just so I could keep up with what was being said. For a remake that was meant to usher this one into the modern age, there’s a lot of problems from an era of gaming I thought we’d left behind for good.

It’s now time to answer the question that I’m sure you’re all asking: would I recommend this one to you? Personally, I’m going to persist with the adventure and hope for updates that fix the issues that I’ve highlighted here. But I wouldn’t recommend paying full price for this one in its current state.

The story is absolutely riveting thanks to how well-written each character, and the world at large is. But on the technical front, this one comes with too many annoyances that constantly interrupt the experience in ways that can have you giving up on it altogether. There’s a lot to love about Gothic 1 Remake, but the game constantly works against itself in ways that make it hard to recommend.

If you’re a seasoned veteran of The Colony, you’re probably going to find its issues easier to ignore than a newcomer. But if this is your first time with this one, know that this remake is a superb visual overhaul that fails to hide a plethora of issues that make it hard to engage with. But for those of you who persist, you’re in for a look at what games used to be like back in the day which could have you quite immersed in a story that continues to pull its weight even today.

I’d wait for a sale on this one, as much as it pains me to say it. But like The Colony, modern gaming is an unforgiving place, and Gothic 1 Remake stumbles far too often for it to stand tall amongst its competition.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.