S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

GSC Game World’s sequel isn’t a particularly challenging survival experience when managing hunger and radiation. However, patience and endurance are key, whether deducing and defusing anomalies, surviving encounters with Mutants or managing your inventory and dealing with the encumbrance. Doing all this without any fast travel is just the cherry on top. The lethality of firearms also goes both ways, ensuring each gunfight could be fatal with proper preparation.

Deathbound is primarily held together by its unique gimmick: the fact that you’re playing multiple characters at the same time. The studio itself even goes as far as referring to Deathbound as a party-based Soulslike. While you’re controlling a single character at any given time, you also have the ability to switch between your “equipped” characters. Up to four can be equipped in this way, and each comes with their own unique movesets, weapons, equipment, and special abilities.

This mechanic is also tied deeply into the lore of Deathbound; all of the characters you find tend to have died for some reason or another that may or may not be related to the ongoing war that underlines the entire setting of the game. As you find new characters, you get to experience an abridged history of this person, letting you understand who they were, and what they may have done to end up dead. There is quite a bit of variety in the characters you find even in their stories, and your party members range from assassins to naive mages.

While you have all of these characters to play with, interestingly, Deathbound doesn’t really have you get into the nitty-gritty of having to manage each individual inventory or equipment. Rather, each character’s equipment is fixed, and you only really get to equip artifacts and a couple of rings.

"The best thing about Deathbound, however, might just be its core combat."

The equipment can be upgraded and depending on which buff you want to level up, you’ll have to spend different types of resources that you can find all around the world by exploring, or by beating specific enemies.

Speaking of progression systems, there are two main ways of getting stronger in Deathbound: the traditional way where you spend your experience to unlock different passive abilities that might boost your damage, defenses, or health, and a talent system which you can use to further specialize the different members of your party. While the traditional leveling system feels rather boring and uninspired, offering up dull bonuses like 3 percent extra damage or 5 more health, the talent system is much more interesting.

Throughout the game, you’ll find various points that can be interacted with by specific characters. Upon interaction, these points display a small scene, filling out more of that character’s backstory, and ultimately, rewards you with a talent point. These points can then be spent to unlock more specialized bonuses for your characters. For example, your poison mage can choose to make their overcharge abilities do more damage, or they could be instead upgraded to make use of buffs to a greater extent. This system ends up feeling more customizable and generally more interesting than just getting flat stat bonuses, and makes exploring the game’s labyrinthine zones really rewarding.

"There are two main ways of getting stronger in Deathbound"

The best thing about Deathbound, however, might just be its core combat. While it starts out like any other Souls-styled game out there: your right trigger and shoulder buttons focus on attacks, while your left trigger and shoulder buttons have you use your character’s shield, things quickly start getting more complex as soon as you unlock your second party member. This is where sync attacks come into play. You switch between your party members with the D-pad, and this can also be timed with attacks in order to get follow-up strikes that are considerably stronger than a standard combo. These sync attacks turn what is otherwise a slow and methodical hack-and-slash game into a fast-paced action game with complex combos that can be really fun to pull off.

The only real downside to the core combat system is its learning curve. Moving your thumb over from the left analogue stick to the D-pad in the middle of a combo isn’t exactly intuitive, after all, and things also get complicated once you realize that not all of your party members use the left triggers and bumpers for defensive abilities. For instance, the assassin’s left trigger and bumper revolve around the use of her one-handed crossbow. This simple fact has gotten me killed more times than I’d like to admit, all because I thought I was going to block an attack rather than shoot a huge enemy with a tiny crossbow bolt.

Getting over this learning curve can be quite rewarding, however, since the control scheme ultimately works well enough to let you pull off fun, long combos. This assumes, of course, that the enemy is open to attack. Trying these combos in the middle of an enemy’s attack won’t really do much more than potentially get you killed, since it’s not really necessary that big attacks will always stagger enemies.

"The only real downside to the core combat system is its learning curve."

Deathbound also plays around with its health and stamina system in a way that I consider equal parts interesting and frustrating. Health and stamina for each character is essentially the same, which ultimately means that, the more damage you take, the less stamina you have to attack, dodge or block. While an interesting penalty, this fact also often makes low-health party members liabilities, since they just don’t have enough stamina to try and survive a vicious onslaught. It certainly doesn’t help that even one party member getting killed means death for your entire party.

Ultimately, Deathbound has some interesting ideas, and is one of the few Souls-styled games out there that feels fresh and interesting. The game features a relatively dull world with some interesting lore tidbits here and there, but the party system is what makes it feel truly unique and fun. There’s plenty of banter between all of the characters, which can get especially fun to listen to thanks to inevitable personality clashes, and the combat system also feels incredibly rewarding to master.

Pair that up with a progression system that heavily rewards exploration and a gear system that streamlines just the right amount of things, and you have what is essentially one of the most interesting new entries in the genre out there.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Star Wars Outlaws

As the first open-world single-player Star Wars title (Star Wars Galaxies – never forget), Star Wars Outlaws launches on August 30th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, it follows Kay Vess and her companion, Nix, as they prepare for the biggest heist the Outer Rim has ever seen. Between building – and breaking – loyalties with various syndicates, traversing through different locations, hiring experts, and engaging with space battles, there’s a lot to do, and hopefully enough compelling reasons to do them.

SteamWorld Heist 2

Turn-based side-scrolling real-time aiming strategy returns with SteamWorld Heist 2. As Captain Quincy Leeway, players recruit other Steambots to solve a rampant water crisis, as pirates do. This means breaking into restricted bases and fighting against the oppressive navy, among other threats. Alongside real-time naval combat in the overworld, there’s a new Job system, allowing each Steambot to equip different weapons to change their class and abilities. Level up, and you can mix and match skills for potent combinations. SteamWorld Heist 2 launches on August 8th for PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered

After what seems like forever, Sam and Max are back again, once again, this time in a remaster of Telltale’s 2010 adventure. The adventure sees the Freelance Police dealing with a galaxy-trotting group of villains after Max gains psychic powers that quickly spiral out of control. The latter allows for all kinds of techniques, like mind-reading and clairvoyance, but there’s still the usual range of unorthodox characters and baffling puzzles (now with a new hint system) to experience. With updated lighting, lip-syncing, music and more, the remaster is a great way to visit the duo’s last video game adventure when it launches on August 14th for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Xbox)

Ember Lab’s acclaimed 3D action adventure finally comes to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One on August 15th. It includes the Anniversary DLC for new outfits, Spirit Guide Trials, and New Game Plus, which offers more challenging battles. Xbox players also get pirate hats for their Rot (a likely nod to Sea of Thieves), alongside a Golden Rot skin and unique staff. As insignificant as those seem, experiencing Kena’s adventure for $39.99 is a pretty decent deal.

Madden NFL 25

After College Football 25 launched and captured the hearts of millions, what does Madden NFL 25 bring to the table when it launches on August 16th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC? Besides new broadcast teams and a revamped Franchise mode, there’s BOOM Tech for dynamic, physics-based tackling. Carrier balance and recovery have also received some retooling, allowing you to take some hits and still push through. It sounds decent, but will it be enough to compete with College Football? We’ll find out soon.

Black Myth: Wukong

Four years after its initial announcement, Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong will launch on August 20th for PS5 and PC. Inspired by Journey to the West, you control the Destined One, wielding an extendable staff and engaging in battles with over 100 different enemies across about 15 hours of gameplay. Between the fast-paced melee combat, dodging, and magic, it boasts some truly spectacular visuals courtesy of Unreal Engine 5.

Dustborn

From Red Thread Games, the developer of Dreamfall Chapters, Dustborn is an odd adventure game where you road-trip as Pax across a dystopian republic to deliver a package. The twist is that she’s an Anomal, who can use words to force others to obey her will. When you’re not bashing robots or navigating conversations with an eclectic cast, you’re making decisions with supposedly major ramifications on the story. Dustborn arrives on August 20th and will be available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Concord

The Freerunner crew of Firewalk Studios’ upcoming hero shooter didn’t receive the most enthusiastic response following the open beta. Nevertheless, Concord promises 12 maps and six modes at launch with the same roster while offering hundreds of earnable customization items, several unique Variants per character, and no Battle Pass. Will it warrant a better response, especially for $39.99? Time will tell, but Concord is out on August 23rd for PS5 and PC.

World of Warcraft: The War Within

Following Dragonflight, World of Warcraft is embarking on a brand new trilogy, with The War Within as the first part. Set in Khaz Algar, with four unique zones, eight new dungeons and a brand new zone await. There are also new activities like Delves (which can be completed solo or co-op) alongside new Hero Talents, talents and abilities to go with the increased level cap. World of Warcraft: The War Within arrives on August 22nd for PC.

Core Keeper

While the year has seen several compelling sandbox titles, Pugstorm’s Core Keeper has racked up some respectable numbers (91 percent positive reviews, over 2 million players) since its early access launch in 2022. The premise is simple: Venture into a cavern with up to eight players and mine your way to the Core. Collect resources, craft better tools and weapons, automate processes, fish, explore, and battle powerful Titans across multiple biomes. With 1.0 launching on August 27th for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC, we can’t wait to see what else it offers.

Gundam Breaker 4

Gundam Evolution may be dead, but Bandai Namco Entertainment has a good substitute – the next Gundam Breaker. Launching on August 29th for PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch, the action RPG allows extensive customization using more than 250 kits. You can then take your creation into battle, breaking off more parts and further augmenting your creation. With optional online modes and a Diorama function for admiring your units, Gundam Breaker 4 promises to be an enthusiast’s dream come true (and at a far more affordable price).

Monster Jam Showdown

The month is surprisingly slim on racing titles, but Milestone’s Monster Jam Showdown may fix that when it launches on August 29th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. As with previous titles, you’ll control various monster trucks in off-road locations, whether it’s in the non-linear Showdown Tour or optimizing tricks in Extreme Freestyle mode. With over 40 trucks and ten modes, it’s a different racing experience that may be worth dabbling with.

Squirrel with a Gun

At first, Squirrel with a Gun appears to be just that. However, Dee Dee Creations’ title is also a sandbox shooter with some puzzling and platforming. You could spend time disposing of the strange Agents out to get you with rocket launchers, grenade launchers, six-shooters, and whatnot, or ride around the neighborhood, helping or harassing its citizens. It’s out on August 29th for PC, and Xbox Series X/S and PC this Fall.

Deathbound

If you’re seeking a more traditional Souls-like experience, there’s Deathbound, set in a medieval world at odds with its sci-fi roots. The main hook is channeling fallen warriors and using their abilities in combat. Synergizing spirits and building up the sync meter for a powerful attack is key, though plenty of challenging foes await to put you down. Deathbound launches on August 8th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, and promises over 20 hours of gameplay and New Game Plus.

Level Zero: Extraction

Extraction shooters are probably the most well-worn trend that barely got started, but Level Zero: Extraction could break out with its twists. Teaming with two other players, utilizing various military weapons with extensive customization, your job is to garner loot and extract. However, all kinds of threats are present on each map, from mines to mutants. Opposing players can also control a powerful alien with cloaking abilities and an EMP. Level Zero: Extraction enters early access for PC on August 13th, with two maps and 16 weapons. As a weird combination of Escape from Tarkov, GTFO, and more, it could be a dark horse.

The setting of Deathbound is a crumbling civilization where a clash between the forces of faith and science decimated the game’s world, Ziêminal, and the city of Akratya. As they explore the game’s world, players will take on different kinds of monsters that the developer says can’t be described as ‘good’ or ‘evil’.

Deathbound features a unique mechanic dubbed the Binding System, which essentially allows players to absorb the essence of fallen warriors. These essences can be used to unlock new skills and abilities, allowing players to define their own playstyle rather than be confined to the traditional sword-and-shield style of play.

Trialforge Studio describe’s the game’s world as a brutal one that mixes a technological past and a medieval present, and the enemies players will face as unforgiving.