The adventures of an insectoid warrior in a land devastated by an unknown epidemic won over many players, myself included, with its charming take on a desolate world. With a world that kept expanding in every direction, and a lot to discover and do within its confines, Hollow Knight quickly caught my attention, and rarely lost it thanks to its charming visual style and excellent combat design.

However, with eight years of little to no updates about its sequel despite a lot of hype, Team Cherry’s recent shadow drop of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release date has me very excited for what is shaping up to be another success story for the studio. From what I’ve seen of its gameplay, Silksong could very well take the fight to some of this year’s best titles, too.

As a game that was originally meant to be a DLC chapter in Hollow Knight, whose size and scope increased to make it a sequel, the hype surrounding Silksong is clearly justified. But what makes it so special in comparison to its predecessor?

Let’s find out!

Familiar But Fresh

One of the first reasons that comes to mind is the game’s choice of protagonist. By choosing Hornet as the central character of the game’s new setting, Team Cherry has cleverly tied its two games together in a way that can allow returning players to feel a sense of continuity, while newcomers could be curious to know what makes Hornet such a crucial part of the franchise.

As the former Princess, her martial skills are beyond question to anyone who faced her in the first game. Her origins are as compelling as her motivations, and it will be interesting to see how her adventure is taken forward in the new game as she takes on whatever threats are in her way.

Her abilities also make her the perfect choice for exploring a larger, more complex world. I’m very curious to see if we’re going to uncover more about her past and her relationship with characters from the first game with whom she has deep ties to.

But Hornet’s only one part of the equation when it comes to what has me convinced that Silksong is going to steal the show in 2025.

New Fights to Face

Hollow Knight’s excellent combat mechanics were made even better by the enemies its players were using them against. There was a staggering variety in some of enemies that the Knight faced down in the first game, and some truly creative enemy designs that pushed my skills to the limit, thanks to their clever designs and intuitive use of the environment during those epic battles.

Silksong seems poised to cleverly build on that key strength, and it’s a decision that could spell out very good news for the upcoming title. Pharloom is set to house more enemy types, bosses, and benches for Hornet to discover, spread out over a world that is also significantly larger than the one that came before it.

It’s a sequel where ambition has been carefully balanced against insightful explorations of everything that was great about the previous title, and Team Cherry’s excellent designs and visual style are sure to keep things very engaging in meaningful ways.

Hornet’s speed and agility, showcased in gameplay demos, already point towards a more refined, offense-based combat loop that encourages an aggressive approach even more than the original game. With specific mechanics being tweaked to encourage a more approach from its players, Silksong has the potential to overtake its predecessor in ways that even the most diehard Hollow Knight fan might not have expected.

But the core design philosophies that made exploring Hollow Knight 1 such a treat continue to underline the new game. Simply tweaking the way they are executed this time around makes me believe that Hollow Knight: Silksong could very well be the culmination of a journey that Team Cherry started nearly eight years ago.

But wait. There’s more.

Balancing Continuity and Change

Yet another reason for why I’m absolutely stoked to play Silksong is the manner in which Team Cherry has tweaked its systems to present a more refined experience.

Take the new Rosaries, for example. Replacing Geo from the previous game, you collect them from defeated enemies only to lose them in the event of your defeat. That’s now a fairly old way of punishing defeats that has found its footing in many great titles today. But Team Cherry has added a twist to that particular tale, adding in a mechanic in which using a string to tie your Rosaries together prevents you from losing them when you die.

On its own, that might seem like a fairly uninspired way to attract players who worry that their skills may not let them enjoy the experience in its entirety. But when you consider the larger world and improved enemy roster, it’s a change that signifies a more balanced approach to character progression, presenting a challenge while also mitigating a lot of the frustration that could arise from having to redo difficult segments in a world that’s as large as Pharloom.

It’s equally likely that the Soul mechanic from the first game remains untouched, which is great since facing the Shade enemy was quite entertaining and will continue to be in the new game. Once again, it’s a great way to blend the old and new, with Team Cherry playing to its franchise’s strengths while mitigating potential weaknesses.

The Shell Shards are another intriguing addition. They’re slated to be upgrade mats to be used on crests and tools, which might be Silksong’s version of the equippable perks that we got to see in the first game. Team Cherry has made these items craftable now, and if my guesses are correct, that could give players a lot of control over their build.

If the game allows repeccing via the use of Shell Shards, it could mean that Hollow Knight: Silksong could feature a build variety that puts the 2017 title on its back foot, allowing players to have more ways to adapt to any given situation. That’s another win when factoring in the new enemy types and bosses, many of which might need a respec or two before you get it right.

All of that has me quite excited for Silksong, and the best part about my optimism for the title is that I’m not alone.

A Community of Fans

The importance of Hollow Knight’s success cannot be overstated when analyzing the hype surrounding Silksong in the long run-up to its release. With that being said, the game has received a lot of positive attention every time it made a public appearance, with E3 2019 being a great example.

Reactions to a playable demo of the game echoed many of the sentiments that I’ve expressed here, with a lot of praise directed towards the manner in which the game improved on what came before it in meaningful ways that directly impacted how the experience felt to its players.

It was arguably why the game received the Most Anticipated Game at the 2021 edition of the Unity Awards, and is perhaps why it received similar feedback to E3 2019 at Gamescom 2025. It’s evident that Team Cherry has used the intervening years to add polish to an already refined experience, making Silksong a potential benchmark in visual and graphics quality in addition to a solid gameplay loop.

With the game sitting on the wishlists of around 4.8 million users on Steam, it’s clear that it has garnered a lot of hype among players as well. And with a $20 price tag, making it all the more accessible, it’s clear that Team Cherry has taken a very comprehensive look at the value proposition they aim to deliver with Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Considering that the game is going to be bigger than the original title, and perhaps take longer to beat, along with multiple endings potentially making a return, Silksong is going to be quite the entertainer at a price point that would absolutely justify its presence among 2025’s greatest hits.

While I’m always cautious around games that generate this much hype prior to their release, I think it’s safe to say that Silksong could recapture the magic of its predecessor and build on it in ways that make the new title all the more special. We’ll have to wait and see if all the fuss was worth it, but I just know that it’s going to be quite the entertainer, and perhaps the greatest performer of the year.

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.

“In our efforts to combat cheating in Apex, we’ve identified Linux OS as being a path for a variety of impactful exploits and cheats,” EA writes. “As a result, we’ve decided to block Linux OS access to the game. While this will impact a small number of Apex players, we believe the decision will meaningfully reduce instances of cheating in our game.

“Linux is used by default on the Steam Deck. There is currently no reliable way for us to differentiate a legitimate Steam Deck from a malicious cheat claiming to be a Steam Deck (via Linux).”

EA explains that with Linux cheats being harder to detect, though the decision to drop support for the OS – and by extension, the Steam Deck – was not an easy one, it was one that was necessary for the game’s health.

“The openness of the Linux operating systems makes it an attractive one for cheaters and cheat developers,” EA explains. “Linux cheats are indeed harder to detect and the data shows that they are growing at a rate that requires an outsized level of focus and attention from the team for a relatively small platform. There are also cases in which cheats for the Windows OS get emulated as if it’s on Linux in order to increase the difficulty of detection and prevention.

“We had to weigh the decision on the number of players who were legitimately playing on Linux/the Steam Deck versus the greater health of the population of players for Apex. While the population of Linux users is small, their impact infected a fair amount of players’ games. This ultimately brought us to our decision today.”

Of course, as EA reminds as well, if you’ve got Windows installed on your Steam Deck, you can still use the device to play Apex Legends– though Linux users are unfortunately out of luck.

“To eliminate this cheat vector, we have made the decision to prevent access to the game for Linux users,” the company says. “This means that Apex Legends will be unplayable immediately for those running this operating system. Playing on handhelds, such as the Steam Deck, is still possible if the user opts to install Windows.”

Apex Legends is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

To celebrate the launch of Gathering Storm, the newest expansion pack for Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 on PC, 2K Games and Firaxis have announced that they will be making the base game free to play for everyone over the next two days on Steam. This means you just download it and jump right into it.

Of note is the fact that you won’t get either of the two expansion packs for the game, but the base game is actually fairly strong on its own merits, even if it stands as a step down from Civilization 5 with Gods and Kings and Brave New World. During this period, the game is also available for 70% off, which means that if you are even remotely impressed by what you play, you should probably jump on it now.

As for the new expansion pack, it adds new mechanics such as environmentalism, as well as new factions such as Canada, for the first time ever in the history of the franchise. Civilization 6 is available now on PC, Mac, and Linux. The game, without any of the expansions, is also out on mobile and Nintendo Switch.

Heart Machine, the folks who brought us the extremely well received Hyper Light Drifter, are not resting on their laurels. It sounds like they already have a brand new game in the works. Based on a job listing posted on Gamasutra, it sounds like the development studio has already begun hiring for this new title.

The title, based on the job listing, sounds substantially different from Hyper Light Drifter. Where that game was a pixel art adventure game in the vein of classic titles like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, the job listing for this new game asks for experience with 3D modeling and Unreal Engine 4, specifying “character interactions, NPC interactions, scripted sequences, combat, environmental interactions, and much more” as mechanics that the game will apparently have.

Given how great Hyper Light Drifter ended up being, I am sure no one will have any trepidation’s surrounding this new game, whatever it does end up being. Hopefully they announce it soon. Hyper Light Drifter is out for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Linux, and Ouya.

Development

Project Phoenix was first announced in 2013 as a Kickstarter funded campaign, and was billed as the first Japanese-developed game backed by Kickstarter funding. The development team at Creative Intelligence Arts consists of talent that has previously worked on several AAA titles. This includes but is not limited to game director and producer Hiroaki Yura, who has previously worked on games like Valkryia Chronicles, Diablo 3, and Steins;Gate; game designer Vaughan Smith, who worked on L.A. Noire; art director Kiyoshi Arai, who worked on Final Fantasy 12 and Final Fantasy 14; 3D environment artist Yumiko Sugihara, who has worked on Final Fantasy 8 and Final Fantasy 9; and lead composer Nobuo Uematsu, who was also the lead composer on the vast majority of mainline Final Fantasy titles.

Project Phoenix’s original Kickstarter funding goal was to reach $100,000 in funding, which it was able to achieve within its given timeframe. Currently, its funding stands at over $1 million. The developers have stated that the plan to mix Japanese art style with western game mechanics, and as such have AAA talent from both Japanese and western developers. They are aiming to build Project Phoenix for a worldwide audience. The game’s original estimated release date was announced as mid-2015, however, the game has faced multiple delays since then. It was scheduled to launch in 2018 after repeated delays, however there have been no updates from Creative Intelligence Arts on this front.

The game’s iOS and Android versions will feature unspecified changes from all the other versions due to technical limitations.

Story

Project Phoenix is set in the fantasy land of Azuregard, which is beset by several ongoing issues and conflicts as the game’s story begins. Ancient enemies of mankind, the orcs, have been raiding settlements with increasing ferocity and brazen attacks. In the southern coasts, a faction known as the free men, who were once thought vanquished, have begun re-emerging and plan on toppling the rule of the empire. In the midst of all this, the ancient elves have spotted a star that they believe is an omen that will decide the fate of all of Azeregard.

The game focuses on four main heroes. Marcus Stern, a templar, who meets with the amnesiac Ruffles, journey together with two more companions- the internally conflicted battle mage Zarum the Lost, and Sylrianah, the elven Pathfinder, who is a reserved person but is curious to see the larger world. The four heroes form an unlikely band and become embroiled in the world’s larger conflict, as they seek to save it from itself.

Gameplay

Project Phoenix blends the JRPG genre with real time strategy mechanics. Players don’t control all their party members at all time, and instead give them commands similar to real time strategy titles. Characters can be leveled up, however, and can learn new abilities and attacks. Combat is based on point and click mechanics, and players can use each of their characters’ abilities at any given time. using abilities costs mana. Terrain is also an important factor during combat, and players are required to learn the lay of the land in a combat area and use it to their advantage.

There are also destructible environments that can be used to damage enemies or block their paths. The combat area in random battles is also hidden in fog of war, and players must explore it to discover it fully. During combat, enemies will target members of the player’s party that they feel pose the most threat to them, though players can use certain abilities that can redirect their attention. There will also be several boss fights that will require players to focus all their party members on a single target. Other than random battles, there will also be story-specific battles, that will happen at particular points in the game’s story. During story battles, there is no fog of war in the combat arena, and which character is targeted by enemies might also change depending on the context of story battles.

There are also several classes in Project Phoenix, with each character belonging to a particular class. The Battle Mage class wears heavy plated armour, and can magically buff equipment to use enchanted melee weapons. They specialize in heavy single attacks or area of effect attacks. Battle mages have two major skill trees, with one focusing on each of the two kinds of attacks. The Pathfinder class is a ranged combat specialist, and is suited to stealth, and also providing the party with information about the combat area and distant environments. The Berserker is a close combat specialist that has moderately high defense and high attack stats for close range melee attacks.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

Dontnod and Square Enix’s Life is Strange 2, the follow-up to their beloved and critically acclaimed graphic adventure game from 2015, is currently out on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. But Mac and Linux users will be able to play it soon, too— Feral Interactive, the company behind the Linux and Mac ports for Life is Strange: Before the Storm, has announced that the game will be coming to both operating systems in 2019.

The sequel, which focuses on completely new characters and a new power (so no Max or time turning in this one), follows the story of two brothers who, against the backdrop of a divided America, decide to make for Mexico in the wake of a tragedy that tears their lives apart. The first episode of the game is out now, and it is probable that the whole series will be available by the time the Mac and Linux releases hit.

Life is Strange 2 is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. You can check out the announcement trailer for Mac and Linux versions below.

Cities: Skylines, the extremely popular city sim game that caught on in the wake of SimCity’s self-inflicted implosion, is coming to the Switch. In fact, it is available right now.

Cities: Skylines on the Switch includes every expansion released for the game so far. While the prospect of city building on the go is amazing, I do need to point out that the game looked extremely rough during the Direct stream. Given that it is known to have performance issues even on a console like PS4, I’m not entirely sure what the Switch version is going to be like, and it might be for the best to hold off on buying it right away.

That said, the game itself is an inherently strong one at its core, so there’s every chance that the visual issues on the Switch version are just that- visual issues. You can read our review of the game’s PC version here.

Cities Skylines is available now on PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.

Most of us may be getting ready for Life is Strange 2, which is due to launch its first episode later this month, but Mac and Linux users are only now catching up to Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Developed and released by Deck Nine last year, Before the Storm is a prequel to the original game, starring Chloe, and her adventures with her best friend Rachel.

Yes, that means no Max in this, sadly (unless you play the bonus Farewell episode), which also means no time turning in this game- although you do get a new talkback feature that was not in the original game. Before the Storm is a three episodes long miniseries, and was widely acclaimed for its writing and sympathetic portrayal of Chloe, the troubled teenager from the original game whom so many fans of that game grew to love.

It’s being ported by Feral, who do good work with their Mac and Linux conversions, so you’re in good hands. It launches on September 13, and is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

If you’re looking for a new sci-fi RPG to get excited about, then Hellpoint may be of interest to you. The game has just been announced to be in development by Canadian developer Cradle Games, and will be published by tinyBuild in 2019 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mac, and Linux.

Hellpoint‘s story takes place after the occurrence of a huge “occult quantum catastrophe” that ended up causing various anomalies. Players will find themselves exploring the Irid Novo Space Station as it is orbits around a black hole, and will attempt to unravel the mysteries surrounding the events that led to the aforementioned cataclysmic incident. Lots of daemons and other strange beings are drawn to the space station, and it’s up to you to decide how exactly to deal with them. As you can see in the announcement trailer for the game, it looks like it will be dealing with some hefty themes regarding questions of destiny, existence, and more.

Based on the press release that came along with the game’s announcement, it looks like there will be dynamic events in the game caused by the space station’s orbiting of the black hole, crafting mechanics, multiplayer elements, and more. It also seems like the space station itself is going to be something of an open world environment.

You can check out the announcement trailer for the game below. If you want to learn more about Hellpoint, make sure you visit the game’s official website.

Valve seems to have been working away at reducing its dependence on Windows for the last few years. While the Steam Machine and SteamOS initiatives seemed to have not gone anywhere at first (with the latter, especially, not getting many major AAA releases, owing to it being based on Linux), it appears as though the company has been toiling away silently to bridge that gap in available games.

The result? Proton, a new compatibility layer for Linux (including SteamOS), that will let you run Windows games with no Linux versions directly on the system from the Steam client- complete, with support for every controller Steam supports (DualShock 4, Xbox One controller, Nintendo Switch Pro controller, Steam controller), better full screen support, support for SteamWorks and OpenVR, support for Vulkan (with DirectX 11 and 12 implementations being based in Vulkan, for better performance), and better performance for multi-threaded games than on Wine, a Windows compatibility layer for Linux which has been the most popular one in the past (and which Proton seems to be based on).

For now, the feature is in beta and will support limited games (you can find the full list of these games below), but over time, it should be available to everyone and for most games. I’m not much of a Valve fan myself, but I have to laud them for just how audacious and ambitious this initiative seems to be. Hopefully they stick with it in the long run, and don’t lose interest in it.

• Beat Saber
• Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
• Doki Doki Literature Club!
• DOOM
• DOOM II: Hell on Earth
• DOOM VFR
• Fallout Shelter
• FATE
• FINAL FANTASY VI
• Geometry Dash
• Google Earth VR
• Into The Breach
• Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
• Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013
• Mount & Blade
• Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword
• NieR: Automata
• PAYDAY: The Heist
• QUAKE
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
• Star Wars: Battlefront 2
• Tekken 7
• The Last Remnant
• Tropico 4
• Ultimate Doom
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Soulstorm