The premise of Dark Light: Survivor is quite simple. At some point, horrific creatures started coming into the world and essentially drove humanity to near extinction, and in the process, also fractured the universe. The few humans that survived this event were able to discover “celestial quantum technology,” which they then used to create the Phantom Train, allowing them to travel through the multiverse. Your job, as one of the so-called Dark Hunters, is to travel to the different realities in the multiverse and take down the biggest demons.

And that’s all you really get from a lore perspective. There aren’t really any collectibles to find that will flesh out the different realities for you, and even the characters themselves don’t really have any story arcs that will have them evolve as people over the course of the game. More than anything, the story here simply exists as an excuse to throw you into some weird places and have you fight a variety of enemies, be it zombies, ghouls, goblins and giant spiders.

"More than anything, the story here simply exists as an excuse to throw you into some weird places and have you fight a variety of enemies"

In gameplay terms, Dark Light: Survivor revolves around using your weapons to kill hordes of enemies that drop exp. Picking up enough of these will cause you to level up, which in turn will get you access to new abilities that can either be simple upgrades like more health or damage, or more interesting ones, like a shoulder-mounted turret that spams poison grenades in random directions. While this might sound familiar to you if you’ve spent any amount of time playing games like Vampire Survivors, the twist in Dark Light: Survivor is that you also happen to start out with a pair of weapons of your own, which you manually control.

Regardless of your choice of the three playable characters, you will enter a run with one melee weapon and one ranged weapon. While both provide more active gameplay than the genre typically offers, giving you more to do than just walk around and watch things die, they also introduce entirely new avenues for mid-run upgrades for your characters. The default melee weapon, typically a low-damage sword, can be swapped out for a slow-but-deadly Zweihander, for example. Similarly, the tiny pistol you start out with can be replaced with an Uzi or an assault rifle. The presence of these weapons and their respective upgrades does a lot to make up for the fact that your magical abilities can’t really be combined to create something more interesting.

Dark Light: Survivor also has three distinct meta progression tracks. One revolves around finding and spending Voidstones, which can only be earned by beating mini-bosses and final bosses across the game’s three levels. These Voidstones are used to unlock more characters, new weapons, new levels, and even items to use for the second main progression track: runes. Depending on how well you do in a level, at the end, you will return to base with a bunch of runes. These aren’t really that complicated, essentially giving you a way to start out with a preferred weapon and get some minor stat boosts along the way.

The third, and most impactful progression track is the skill tree. Each one of the three characters has their own distinct skill tree, where you can spend the money you find by playing the game to make them stronger in incremental ways. The melee-focused knight of the Order of the Sunken Light, for example, has all of his skill nodes revolving around boosting his melee damage and defenses. On the other hand, the gunslinging Void Operative gets better ranged damage, movement speed boosts, and even ricocheting bullets. The magic-using Dimensage focuses more on elemental damage right from the get go, foregoing the need for more mundane things like hitting things harder with a stick.

Along with these passive boosts, all of the skill trees also have a few active abilities to unlock. However, while it might be tempting to unlock all of these as soon as you possibly can, you can only really equip a single active ability at any given time. Using the knight as an example, I had to make the difficult choice between getting a Shield Bash that can stun a big group of enemies, giving me some breathing room during large hordes, or getting a set of magical swords that spin around me, attacking enemies with reckless abandon. Both abilities were fun to use, and essentially changed up my entire approach for the respective run.

The general minute-to-minute gameplay of Dark Light: Survivor is largely quite engaging and fun, and I only have minor complaints, with the biggest one being a lack of readability when hordes get massive, making it difficult to distinguish between enemies so you know which ones you should stay further away from. Another complaint I had with the game is the fact that, when picking up new weapons, you don’t really get enough details to make an informed decision about whether you should switch out your old one. While the game will tell you that your pistol does, for example, 100 DPS, the new revolver you found has its damage listed as 90, and the lack of an equivalent DPS stat for the new gun makes it quite confusing. Mitigating this, the UI also has up and down arrows that indicate whether something is an upgrade or a downgrade. However, that feels like a band-aid solution at best, and the overall UI/UX needs some refinement.

Aside from that, the only real criticism I have about Dark Light: Survivor largely stems from a general lack of content. There are only three maps to fight through, and once you’ve wrapped those up, there’s little to pull you back in unless you completionist compulsions. However, it is an Early Access game, and the studio has noted that it plans to stay that way for between 1 and 1.5 years, which means there will be plenty of time for the development team to add in more levels. The concept of traversing the multiverse has left plenty of potential for Dark Light: Survivor on the table, and it would be a shame if the studio weren’t able to make full use of it.

"The only real criticism I have about Dark Light: Survivor largely stems from a general lack of content"

Ultimately, as far as Early Access releases go Dark Light: Survivor is one of the better ones out there. Sure, it might suffer from a lack of content, but that’s only really an issue at launch; the studio has already confirmed that it is working on adding more levels. Aside from that, the only real quibbles I had with the game largely came down to a need for refinement. If you’re a fan of survivor-like shooters, Dark Light: Survivor is definitely one game you’ll want to keep an eye on.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Forza Horizon 6

Almost five years since we bade farewell to the Horizon Festival, but this time it returns in perhaps the most anticipated location in the series – Japan. Relaxing drives through avenues of Sakura trees in Spring, frenetic Touge battles down winding mountain roads, or just hanging out at Daikoku, showing off your vehicle to all and sundry – that’s only the start. Forza Horizon 6 offers two major avenues to cement your legacy – exploration, gradually defogging Japan and discovering Aftermarket Cars, or racing through the ranks to become a Horizon Legend. Beyond everything else, however, it’s your journey. Fill up the scrapbook with memories. Outfit your garage and build out a base. The choice is yours when it launches on May 19th for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Directive 8020

Say what you will about The Thing, but it reinforced a deep space fear that continues to resonate through gaming – that someone on your crew isn’t who you think they are. Cue Directive 8020 from Supermassive Games, which focuses on the colony ship Cassiopeia as it crashlands on Tau Ceti f. But things take a turn when a horrifying shapeshifting organism begins hunting the crew. Compared to previous Dark Pictures entries, there’s a bigger focus on stealth and combat, not to mention carefully discerning who’s who. Don’t worry if you choose wrong, though, since Turning Points offers a do-over. Directive 8020 launches on May 12th for Xbox Series X/S, PC, and PS5, and after such a long wait, we’re ready to be terrified.

MOTORSLICE

Between monsters, robots, zombies and everything in between, who would have thought that construction equipment could be a threat? That’s the premise of MOTORSLICE, which is all about P and her chainsaw-wielding, parkouring self as she battles these massive threats in a post-apocalyptic world. But then there’s the megastructure – a winding, brutalist space that goes on forever. With its minimalistic art style and unorthodox premise, MOTORSLICE could serve up some hack-and-slash platforming goodness when it launches on May 5th.

WILL: Follow The Light

Unreal Engine 5 and adventure games go together about as well as…just about any other genre, honestly, but WILL: Follow the Light has a different aura about it. In a way, it reminds us of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter with its atmosphere, except you’re controlling a father who embarks on a journey to return home and find his son. It’s a tough task, especially when traversing by sea, crossing mountains and confronting the ghosts of the past. Maybe it could be a dark horse in gorgeous narrative adventures. Maybe not. Either way, we’ll find out on May 7th.

Luna Abyss

A game after my own bullet hell-loving heart, Kwalee Labs’ first-person shooter sees you banished to prison on Luna and tasked to venture into the Abyss for some “forgotten technology.” Enter the cosmic horrors, which aren’t known for being deep sleepers (or quiet dreamers), unfortunately, and you’ll have to slowly unravel the mystery of Greymont, clinging onto sanity the entire time. Having thoroughly enjoyed Saros and Metal Eden, I’m keen on diving into Luna Abyss and its crimson-tinged interiors when it launches on May 21st for PC.

Bubsy 4D

Bubsy is officially back, and no one is safe. Launching on May 22nd across every platform, Bubsy 4D sees the orange furball embarking on a new 3D adventure across 15 new levels. And it looks…not bad? Pretty sleek even, right down to the legally distinct “rolling around at the speed of sound” ability. While the prospect of the game as a metacommentary on Bubsy’s reputation is interesting enough, this looks like a genuinely compelling 3D platformer. Color us intrigued, if nothing else.

007 First Light

You only live twice, as a world-famous 00 agent once said, and thanks to IO Interactive, we’ll have the opportunity to look at death through the eyes of a younger, brasher, less cynical James Bond. First Light sees him enter MI6 to earn 00 status, but amid the charming arrogance is a desire to prove himself, and maybe surpass his limits. The building blocks of Hitman are all here – exquisite sandbox environments with numerous opportunities for stealth – but Bond goes beyond Agent 47’s capabilities in every way you’d expect. Parkour, sneaking, bluffing his way past guards and staff, clever usage of Q’s gadgets – and when “license to kill” is active, gunning down anyone that stands in his way with an array of weaponry and CQC tactics. And just straight up throwing empty guns at an enemy’s face. All’s fair in the world of super spies when 007 First Light launches on May 27th.

Thick as Thieves

A new stealth game from Warren Spector and Paul Neurath, whose credits include Deus Ex and Thief, respectively? Say less. Its alternate-history 1910s city and procedurally generated mission layout, which encourages quick thinking and improvisation, initially left us skeptical due to the PvEvP element. But that’s been changed to focus more on single-player and co-op, delivering an experience befitting the Thief legacy, as you hone your skills to become a legend in the business. Thick as Thieves is available on May 20th for PC.

Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core

Have you ever seen all the Deep Rock Galactic praise, heard all the calls of “rock and stone,” but could still never really get into it? Maybe a roguelite spin-off will do the trick. Entering early access on May 20th, Rogue Core focuses on the Reclaimers squad, which the Company calls in when there are some serious threats. In every run, you’ll need to make use of any weapons along the way while battling the Core Spawn and improving your skills. With how much work has gone on since its October 2023 announcement, one can only hope that Rogue Core lives up to the original’s brilliance.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book

Nintendo hasn’t necessarily managed to recreate the magic of Yoshi’s Island, but the Mysterious Book could be a cosy, easy-breezy platformer, much like Yoshi’s Crafted World. The premise this time involves venturing through the pages of Mr E, where Yoshi meets different creatures. Harness their abilities on top of the usual gliding, egg-hurling, and sprinting that the series is known for, and voila (hopefully). Yoshi and the Mysterious Book launches on May 21st, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

Freshen up on your knowledge of the Dark Knight because Batman returns to the video game world on May 22nd. Granted, it’s in LEGO form, but Legacy of the Dark Knight is going out of its way to pull from every single piece of Batman media in existence, from multiple Batmobile types to the bizarre Batmite outfit. If that vast open-world of Gotham, coupled with the Arkham series’ Free Flow combat, wasn’t enough, there are seven other characters, including Catwoman, Nightwing, Robin and more to play as.

ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies

Yes, it’s not exactly all that appealing considering the whole ZA/UM business and how the original Disco Elysium creators were ousted. There’s really no getting around that particular detail. Still, if you’re in the mood for something in the same vein, albeit with an espionage bent and exerting yourself as operant Hershel Wilke, caught up in a conflict between three factions, Zero Parades may suffice when it launches on May 21st for PC.

Better Than Dead

Bodycam first-person shooters are no longer all that new as a concept, but embarking on a quest for vengeance in Hong Kong, hunting down targets while ensuring no one ends up like you? That immediately skyrockets Better Than Dead for us, and the obvious influence of old-school Hong Kong action films just adds that extra bit of hard-boiled grit. It enters early access for PC on May 12th.

Dark Light: Survivor

You’ve swapped between first and third person in Resident Evil Requiem, but how about top-down and third-person (or even between realistic and pixel-like visuals)? That’s one of the many quirks of Dark Light: Survivor, a roguelike survival where you venture on the Phantom Train, venturing through a terrifying multiverse, gathering resources to keep the engine running. Two maps are available when early access launches on May 15th alongside Artifacts, persistent upgrades, weapons, and more. It may be all about the destination, but right now, the journey of Dark Light: Survivor is shaping up into something intriguing.

Withering Realms

From the developer behind the unsettling Withering Rooms comes Withering Realms, where you control a creepy doll ferrying a ghost, as they venture through Penwyll – a town where surely nothing horrible resides. “Bloodborne” is obviously the first influence to come to mind, but the hack and slash action, perspective, and visuals lend an almost Nightmare Creatures vibe to it all. Withering Realms launches into early access in May, and, surprisingly, will be playable from start to finish with plans for 1.0 to launch later this year.

Stickman Mayhem

Stickman Mayhem takes a deceptively simple concept and pushes it to chaotic extremes. Built around physics-driven combat and fast-paced encounters, the game is characterized by a minimalistic visual style that emphasizes its fluid movement and responsive controls. Each fight also features different environmental interactions and ragdoll mechanics, which come together to create moments that are as hilarious as they are intense. If it nails its balance between control and chaos, Stickman Mayhem could become a sleeper hit for players looking for something quick and kinetic.