Well, that tradition is all set to continue in this one, as you explore a visually unique world with wonders that piqued your curiosity, and enemies that are likely to have you noping out of there double time. It’s a great balance, although you’re going to be hard-pressed to take on a survival loop that can have you traveling high and low across a multitude of biomes, trying to scrape out an existence from a land that demands a premature end to the fun (and you).

You get to bring your pals along with multiplayer co-op, but the procedurally generated world is still going to keep the bunch of you on your toes. Your biggest threat is going to be the fog that’s slowly creeping across the land, driving all who come into contact with it to the brink of insanity. But for those who dare venture into its depths, some rewards are worth the risk.

We’re inclined towards games that tip the scales and can’t wait to see how our strategy works with this one. The trailer below has us pondering a revised approach, though.

However, hitting a launch this year would have meant crunching for polish and bug fixing. “Here at Brace Yourself Games, we’re all about a sustainable groove, not the grind. We believe in making awesome games without sacrificing our team’s well-being.”

The developer also shared what it’s been working on for the past year, including the addition of Impossible difficulty (which it’s tuning to ensure that it’s “not actually impossible”). There are also more Rhythm Rift beat maps, readability for off-beat monsters, a revamp of the level editing tool, Daily Challenges, further fleshing out Remix Mode, improvements to tutorials and Practice Mode, and more.

Background visualizers have been added to Rhythm Rifts for more “visual variety,” while Story Mode and bosses have received a “total facelift.” It’s also addressed most of the “high-impact bugs.”

Stay tuned for updates on Rift of the NecroDancer in the coming months. The free demo is still available to try out – head here for more details.

Today’s patch is less meaty but equally as noteworthy. It streamlines the loot, with each dungeon now offering two types alongside loot from the boss. Any loot players have already earned will be auto-converted to accommodate the new system. If you found no use for armor sets like Gnarlic, Mothball and Gloop, they now have increased base quality and stats.

Rotwood plans to remain in early access for PC for as long as Klei deems necessary (usually one or two years based on their previous projects). Stay tuned for further details in the meantime.

Rotwood Patch Notes [605200]

Changes

Loot System

• Streamlined the loot system so that you are more likely to get the loot that you are looking for.
  – Each dungeon now has two loot types plus a boss loot.
  – The loot players have earned are auto-converted to the new system.

Armor

• Increased the baseline quality and stats of the Gnarlic, Mothball and Gloop armour sets to make them more viable for players

It allows for matching with players in the same region and a similar progression level, making it easier to find teammates. As for the Frenzy changes, Frenzy 1/2/3 adds increased cooldowns so enemies can’t attack so soon after spawning. The Rot and Imbued Rot aggression in Frenzy 2/3, and the amount of potential Imbued Rots in each encounter, has also reduced.

Imbued Rots also no longer have hitstun resistance, while the Imbued Mossquito and regular Mossquito move slower. Check out the full patch notes below. If you’re seeking more challenges, don’t worry, as the Frenzy mechanic will be expanded upon in future updates.

Rotwood is currently available for PC via Steam Early Access. Though its early access duration is unknown, it could remain for a year or two, depending on Klei.

Rotwood Patch Notes [605165]

Additions

• Added default public group matchmaking
  – Selecting the Rotwood Public group will match you with our best match that we can find, first by region and then with a game that is of a similar progression level as you.

Changes

Frenzy Tuning

• Frenzy 1/2/3: Increase initial cooldown, so enemies don’t attack as quickly after spawning
• Frenzy 2/3: Reduce additional Rot and Imbued Rot aggression
• Frenzy 2/3: Reduce amount of possible Imbued Rots per encounter
  – The challenge in higher Frenzies often boiled down to just managing being constantly overwhelmed, which isn’t the feeling we want for combat. For many players, this resulted in kiting mobs around the room, getting off single attacks here and there. We’ve reduced the amount of aggression to allow for more interesting “give-and-take” interactions with mobs.
  – In future updates, we will be expanding on the Frenzy mechanic for players that are hungry for more challenge.

Imbued Rots

• Removed hitstun resistance
• Player skills that knockback or knockdown can now effect Imbued Rots
• We have found Imbued Rots to be more challenging for players than we intended. These changes make them significantly more manageable.

Imbued Mossquito

• Increase cooldown of the Sting attack
• Reduced movement speed

Mossquito

• Reduced movement speed

The scenario is familiar, with the world under attack from corrupted beasts. Players must venture through the titular Rotwood to stop them, but that’s only the beginning. One must also rely on various skills and leverage different builds to survive encounters and take down bosses. Of course, you can also team with up to

The early access version of Rotwood currently features four biomes (with four difficulty levels) and weapon classes. Progressing through the location unlocks new options to upgrade your town base, unlock new powers and more. Additional bosses, biomes, and items will go live throughout early access.

Though it hasn’t earmarked a date for the full launch, Klei notes that its projects usually take “one to two years.” The price will also increase “in steps” through early access and before the game exits.

Klei Entertainment has announced Dread Pilots, a new space survival exploration sandbox game set in The Dread, a pocket dimension described as “a dangerous and uncaring purgatory”. Naturally, your quest will be to escape this hellscape, which will involve upgrading your ship and decking it out with all manner of tools, exploring a variety of foreboding environments, meet unique and quirky characters, and more. Of course, the game will also sport the 2D hand-drawn aesthetic that we’ve come to expect from Klei Entertainment titles. Check out the announcement trailer below.

Dread Pilots is set to launch for PC in early access via Steam sometime in 2024.

Some of the titles appearing include Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 (which exits early access in August), 11 bit studios’ Frostpunk 2, a brand new game from Klei Entertainment, and Funcom’s Dune: Awakening. The publication also says that a “significant chunk” of the titles are “completely new reveals.”

Oddly enough, the PC Gaming Show will cause AI to deliver all the news, which it assured will “absolutely, definitely, 100% not backfire, implode,” etc. Whether this is a comedic bit for the show or an actual use of the technology remains to be seen.

The PC Gaming Show 2023 will air on YouTube, Twitch, Steam and more. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

Along with choosing from a variety of anthropomorphic animals, players can also forge equipment from their fallen enemies. Scavenge the battlefield and use whatever you can to succeed. Though no gameplay is shown, Rotwood does have a nice vibe to it. Considering Klei’s expertise with titles like Don’t Starve, Griftlands, and much more, it should be interesting to see what direction this goes in.

Rotwood’s early access launch is listed as “202?” so at the very least, we know it’s coming before 2030. Stay tuned for more details and hopefully some gameplay in the coming months, maybe years. Also, keep an eye on more announcements and reveals from the PC Gaming Show.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Gameplay

The sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has been rumored for a long while and finally it is coming rather soon. Titled Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the game will release in early 2023 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. At this point, no gameplay footage has been showcased but it’s very much possible that it could be revealed at a major showcase in June. This was the pattern with Fallen Order (and even past Star Wars Battlefront reveals) so we’ll see if EA repeats the same.

Some things that can be expected include Frostpunk developer 11 bit Studios’ unannounced title; a new project by Klei Entertainment of Don’t Starve fame; Sam Barlow’s Immortality; and an update on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 courtesy of Saber Interactive’s Tim Willits. Bohemia Interactive will also be on hand for an interview about the recently announced Arma 4. Victoria 3 is also getting its first gameplay reveal.

If that weren’t enough, the mod project Half-Life: Alyx – Levitation is also getting some new gameplay. Of course, the PC Gaming Show isn’t the only event set for June 12th as the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase will broadcast at 10 PM PT. Stay tuned for more details on both in the coming weeks.