The newest entry in the series got delayed twice and is currently slated for a 2024 release date. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown was first unveiled in 2021 and has been drip-feeding trailers, newsletters, and showcases ever since. But it’s been longer than usual since an update from the team, so fans have been wondering what the current status of the open-world lifestyle racer is. Recent retail listings and developer newsletters point to a showcase and release date being imminent, so let’s explore just what the hell is going on with the game.

The most reliable way to keep abreast of TDU:SC‘s development progress has been their ‘monthly’ newsletter. These Solar Club Newsletters, seven in total, detail various aspects of the game ranging from how car dealers/workshops work to the scope of Hong Kong Island’s 1-to-1 map. Fans have noticed that these newsletters stopped being updated on a monthly basis starting with the TDUConnect gameplay showcase last July. Since then, we’ve gotten a newsletter update every two months. That is, until the most recent newsletter on February 29th of this year, which outlined when they’d feel comfortable announcing the 2024 release date and their progress up to that point. It’s been radio silent since then, not counting the third playtest from April 22nd to April 24th, which is under NDA.

With summer approaching, the developers may be saving any further news until the official release date reveal on this year’s TDUConnect showcase in July. We’re betting on this year’s TDUConnect showcase to be the time they give us the last big updates and release date before launching the game in the Fall of 2024.

One of the main reasons TDU:SC seems primed for a late 2024 release date is that it’s already been delayed twice; once in 2022 and another time in 2023. Furthermore, KT is on the last stretch of development, mainly ironing out optimization and server stability. The last section of the Solar Club Newsletter #7 notes that they’re finished crafting the core game and are focused on optimization and server stability, “We’re working flat out on several aspects, including the stability of the server infrastructure and optimizing the game’s performance. When we feel like these two areas are stable, we’ll be delighted to share the long-awaited launch date with you, then cross the finish line and start our long adventure together.”

The latest newsletter also points out the recent ‘Explorer’ trailer’s lack of particle effects and gravel/dirt detail from tire spin, saying they’re, “… still working on integrating and optimizing these effects.” The scale of Hong Kong Island is pushing the small team to its limit as they try to optimize such high graphics and an acceptable framerate within an online infrastructure. Optimization is stated as the biggest reason the game hasn’t been getting many updates and still lacks a solid release date.

Server stability is listed as the other big hurdle in development. Yes, TDU:SC is an always-online car MMO. Their latest newsletter states as much, “For various reasons, these social features require an infrastructure that is constantly connected to online databases: leaderboards, races, inventories, moderation, live events, anti-cheat measures, and the overall game experience. An internet connection is therefore required to play TDUSC.”

To their credit, Test Drive Unlimited introduced the concept of a Car MMO to the industry when the original was released back in 2006. Still, The recent bricking of The Crew and its servers makes forced online a dicey proposition, despite them doing it first. It’s possible that the intensive server optimization along with the backlash The Crew garnered could compel KT to take a step back regarding always-online. After all, giving players the ability to play offline mitigates the circumstances of a rocky launch and would allow KT to release their game sooner. KT could backtrack on their always-online commitment, but for now, TDU:SC is certainly sticking to its car MMO DNA, offline mode or not. The silver lining is that KT is putting in considerable effort to avoid a rocky launch. They’ve launched three playtests so far, working on server stability as they anticipate real-world launch conditions, and have no problem waiting until it’s ready. But would it be harmful for them to wait too long?

It would be smart for KT to avoid releasing TDU:SC the same month as its competitors Forza Horizon and Need for Speed. We don’t have any info on release dates for Forza and NFS, but new entries are projected to be released soon due to a number of factors. Forza Horizon 5 was released back in November 2021 and already had two big expansions and boatloads of DLC. It would be unprecedented for Microsoft not to reveal the next major Forza Horizon game during its upcoming summer showcase this June. Need for Speed Unbound came out in November 2022, so that series is due for a new entry as well. However, it’s projected the next NFS will be released in 2025 and not 2024 due to their typical three-year cycle. KT is likely playing chicken with Microsoft in particular, waiting for their June presentation before committing to a firm release date for TDU: SC. One thing we do know for sure, every racing game (and every game in general) is trying to avoid releasing near GTA 6’s slot sometime during the Fall months of 2025.

It’s also worth considering that KT has another game slated for a 2024 release called MXGP: The Official Motocross Game. The publisher, Nacon, says MXGP will be launched in late 2024, which means KT may feel pressured to release TDU:SC a different month to avoid stepping on MXGP’s toes. We’re still thinking Forza Horizon is the main launch window that KT wants to avoid. Because of these reasons, we think the TDUConnect showcase this July will reveal the official TDU:SC release date.

The release date may still be speculative, but the price is not. Listings of TDU:SC have recently popped up on multiple retailer sites with a $59.99 price point instead of the typical $69.99. Here are the sites currently showing TDU:SC as a $59.99 game: Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Walmart. The sheer variety of retailers listing this price makes it pretty set-in-stone that it’ll stick. Better yet, retailers typically don’t list prices unless the publisher is inching toward a release soon.

Based on all these factors, TDU:SC seems poised to launch in the Fall quarter of this year. KT is likely waiting for what Microsoft will reveal for Forza Horizon before making a firm release date commitment. The latest playtest in April probably gave the developers good server data and experience, and it’s even plausible that KT will reverse their position on having TDU:SC always-online due to the recent The Crew backlash, but we’re not holding our breath on that one. Even though most of this analysis is speculative, we hope you gained some new insight into the status of TDU:SC and can further prepare for its summer announcements and eventual release.

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.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales in fourth place has seen a significant increase of 143% from last week’s sales, thanks to the arrival of fresh PS5 stock in the UK. Meanwhile, though this week’s charts haven’t seen any fresh releases, both Among Us and Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition did see their physical releases, and debuted at No. 5 and No. 6 respectively. 

You can check out the full top 10 for the week ending December 18 below.

Among Us Crewmate Edition is going to cost $29.99, and will include a physical copy of the base game and all of its DLC released so far, in addition to some new retail-exclusive DLC. In addition, it will also have a 3D Lenticular Case, an Impostor Syndrome sticker sheet, a special Mira HQ holographic access card, a Folded Skeld map poster, and a redeemable code for six PC/phone wallpapers.

Then there’s Among Us Imposter Edition, which will cost $49.99. It will include all the content from the Crewmate Edition, and on top of that, it’ll also add a Crewmate vs. Impostor lanyard, a purple Crewmate plush, and a “Spinning Into Space” enamel spinner pin. All of this will come in a limited edition box.

Finally, there’s Among Us Ejected Edition, which will cost $89.99. In addition to everything from the Imposter Edition (and, in turn, the Crewmate Edition), it will also package a Crewmate fleece blanket and a red Imposter beanie. The Ejected Edition will also come in its own limited edition box.

You can check out images of all three editions below.

Exact release dates for these are currently unknown yet, what with Among Us’ console versions having been given no specific release dates yet themselves, but recent developments have suggested that those might be around the corner as well. Read more on that through here.

As always with the franchise, Operation Blackout pits G.I. Joe against Cobra and looks for the soldiers to take Cobra down. The twist is that the story is told from both sides, allowing you to control characters from both G.I. Joe and Cobra. There are 12 total characters, six from each side, each of which has a slightly different build, ranging from Roadblock’s strength to Storm Shadow’s agility, and every mission can be played either solo or in local co-op. Each character has a unique starting weapon and ultimate ability, but because every character can wield every weapon, it becomes less about the playable character’s traits and more about your personal weapon preferences, rendering their unique traits generally moot.

At its core, Operation Blackout is a standard third-person shooter. As either a G.I. Joe or Cobra character, you’ll be shooting endless waves of grunts until the game allows you to progress to the next objective. Early on, you’ll find a rhythm of the types of weapons and strategies you find most appealing, and you will rarely have to stray from that strategy, as the game almost never forces you out of your comfort zone.

"Its G.I. Joe skin is enough for a glimpse of nostalgic fun, but after a while, Operation Blackout becomes grating and forgettable."

It can be fun while you’re aimlessly running and shooting anything that moves, but the novelty of doing so quickly wears off as the repetition sets in. Mission structures are almost directly copied and pasted throughout, making the game’s 17 main story missions quickly blend together. The trouble is that it never switches anything up. When you’re on foot, you’ll see everything the game has to offer within the first handful of missions, and it spends the rest of the time repeating what feels like the same mission time and time again. There aren’t any character upgrades, new enemy types, or gameplay twists.

A consequence of such a straightforward structure is that Operation Blackout’s core gameplay is put front and center at all times, which is both a blessing and a curse. The pure combat is relatively fun in itself because of its fast-paced running and gunning that doesn’t tend to let up. When it comes to the actual shooting, though, it becomes much more uneven. Aiming is as floaty as I’ve felt in a game in recent memory, to the point where it is drastically easier to shoot enemies by repeatedly using auto-aim than staying continuously aimed and moving the cursor. Some enemies that zig-zag their way to you are sometimes seemingly impossible to hit, and it can become a coin flip as to who wins the battle.

The fact that shooting is so central to the game at all times makes it very difficult to overlook the frustrating aiming, as most of my deaths came from enemies that evaded my shots by stepping a couple inches sideways instead of enemies who really challenged me or threw me a curveball. This isn’t helped by the AI, which is either reckless or intrusive. Enemies often rush you with no regard for themselves, and, if playing alone, your partner is only noticeable when they stand directly in the way of an enemy rushing you, which happens more often than it should.

"It can be fun while you’re aimlessly running and shooting anything that moves, but the novelty of doing so quickly wears off as the repetition sets in."

Everything comes together to make an experience that’s both unbalanced and unsatisfying. Some enemies can go down in a single shot burst, while others absorb bullets to almost no end. Grenades, too, are so powerful that they easily become a crutch, especially when compared with the idea of using a gun. At some points, encounters can be won with a single well-placed grenade or a couple of headshots, but at others, enemies seem to come from out of nowhere and make the difficulty spike dramatically. It’s ultimately unsatisfying to get through many of the levels, as I often felt I either had gamed the system or was already frustrated in the amount of time it took to beat a mission. Rarely does the game hit a sweet spot that makes it feel like less of a chore to get through.

Some bright spots come in the form of intermittent missions where you control a vehicle through a larger environment. These missions are largely on rails and incredibly linear, but I had more fun shooting from a tank than at any point shooting on foot, and it was always exciting to hop back in and blow something else up. Like the other missions, the vehicle sequences are almost identical to one another and have very few changes, but I generally looked forward to these encounters because they were the most fun and satisfying parts of the game. There are only a few total missions like this, but they’re highlights for a game that desperately needed them.

On a story level, Operation Blackout tells a very familiar and expected G.I. Joe story, contextualizing your missions to take down Cobra through a series of static screens with voiceovers to tell you where you’re going and why. Of course, fans of the series will recognize characters and locations, and it’s certainly made with the fan in mind, especially with the art style that impressively and nostalgically matches the style of the animated series. But this fan service can only go so far.

"Everything comes together to make an experience that’s both unbalanced and unsatisfying."

Environments are very frequently reused, and by the end, you’ll have visited the same Cobra base a handful of times and been returned to other locations more often than not. For environments that aren’t particularly distinct among themselves, they all begin to blur together. Alongside the main story is a local multiplayer mode that pits up to four players against each other in a handful of standard multiplayer modes, including Capture the Flag and Deathmatch, using characters from G.I. Joe and Cobra. Relying solely on shooting, this mode has very little staying power because it both doesn’t have an online component and isn’t introducing anything new to the formula, so it’s altogether very forgettable.

If you’re not already a fan of the G.I. Joe franchise, Operation Blackout does not have much going for it, and, if it weren’t for the G.I. Joe skin, you would never be able to tell it’s a G.I. Joe game. There’s nothing under the surface that differentiates it from any other generic third-person shooter, and its inconsistent and unbalanced gameplay makes it even less interesting. It’s painfully average at almost every turn, and, even with the relatively few bright spots and unique moments throughout, I never felt like I played anything in Operation Blackout that countless other games haven’t done better and more consistently. While those familiar with the franchise may find some nostalgia hidden around the edges, it’s hard to recommend to someone who isn’t already fully invested in the G.I. Joe universe.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s launch.

"Playing as G.I. Joe and Cobra was a critical design element from the start. Even though Cobra are the bad guys, fans enjoy the Cobra characters just as much as G.I. Joe."

The idea of being able to play as characters from both sides is an interesting one. What led to the decision to give players that option, and what sort of an impact does that have on the story and mission variety?

Playing as G.I. Joe and Cobra was a critical design element from the start. Even though Cobra are the bad guys, fans enjoy the Cobra characters just as much as G.I. Joe. When playing with G.I. Joe action figures, we actively create stories for both Cobra and G.I. Joe, imagining elaborate plot lines for not just Roadblock and Duke, but also Storm Shadow and Cobra Commander.

The story potential this opened up was huge! We were able to offer an entirely different set of characters, each with their own play style. This really adds depth and variety to the game.

It also allowed us to explore Cobra in the story. In the animated series and comic books, Cobra was often shown fighting among themselves. Whether it was Destro or Baroness or Zartan, Cobra members were not always as loyal to Cobra Commander as portrayed themselves. It was fun to develop this with the story.

With a dozen playable characters, can you talk to use how much they differ from each other in terms of playing style and abilities?

This is a great question. Our goal was to create a robust roster of characters that each introduced unique play styles and abilities.At the foundation, is a class system. Each character falls into one of five classes: Soldier, Ninja, Heavy, Skirmish, and Support. Within each class, each character has a unique set of attacks and Ultimates.

For example, Snake Eyes are Storm Shadow both Ninja class. Their strengths are mobility and high damage in close combat. Zartan, on the other hand, is Skirmish class. He works best when eliminating enemies one by one in the most efficient manner. Then you have a character like Roadblock, a Heavy. He is big and tough, almost like a human tank with automatic fire that suppress a large number of enemies. All characters have their strengths and weaknesses, and fun to play for different reasons.

What can you tell us about the weapons players will have access to in the game and what sort of variety they will bring to the table?

Each character has his and her own signature weapon which helps define the character playstyle. This signature weapon cannot be dropped or exchanged. It is a part of the character, as if part of the uniform.

We also feature secondary weapons that help supplement each character’s offensive option. Secondary weapons are shared so can be used by any character. This encourages players to find their preferred mix. These weapons include Shotguns, Pistols, Sniper Rifles, Assault Rifles and SMGs.

"You can play with any character and have a shot at winning, but some characters will have a far easier (or harder) time in some situations."

How do the various character abilities and weapons impact Operation Blackout’s multiplayer modes?

You can play with any character and have a shot at winning, but some characters will have a far easier (or harder) time in some situations. For example, you may choose Snake Eyes for a Capture the Flag for his speed, but Destro or Zartan could really tough to run against. While on the other hand, for a King of the Hill, Destro may look like the perfect match, but Lady Jaye’s ultimate can be great in these dense situations.

The key is to adapt to the situation because there is no one solution that works.

What was behind the decision to keep the multiplayer modes to a maximum of four players?

One of the first pillars of the game was to create an awesome local multiplayer experience. Some of our best memories have been next to our friends and siblings playing games in local co-op. We felt that nothing compares to laughing alongside with your friend solving problems together and celebrating beating a level together, or bragging about beating your friend.

Four players lets more people play on the same screen to maximize that multiplayer experience at home.

Given the game’s multiplayer component, are you considering adding more characters, weapons, maps, or modes to it after launch?

Yes! This is definitely a consideration, and we want to hear from the fans what they want to see in the game. G.I. Joe has a massive universe and lore full of characters and environments we can add to the game. We also can’t wait to hear what modes and weapons consumers want to play.

How much depth and variety can players expect from the cosmetic customization options in the game?

We wanted to have fun with this, so added alternative skins for characters and weapons that players are going to unlock as they progress through the game. It’s really fun seeing you favorite character in winter gear, and we were even able to add some fun outfits. Hasbro was a great partner for this. If fans want more in the game, we want to hear it.

"G.I. Joe has a massive universe and lore full of characters and environments we can add to the game. We also can’t wait to hear what modes and weapons consumers want to play."

Roughly how long will an average playthrough of G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout’s campaign be?

In the Campaign Mode, players will play through 17 missions with a full story. We wanted to bring to life a story that fans of G.I. Joe will love, as if G.I. Joe Operation Blackout was a lost classic storyline of the series. Depending on the difficulty modes players choose, we have seen in our playtest that a first time play through is about 8 hours of gameplay. It can be much longer for the completionist that will complete all the secondary objectives. And of course, there is the multiplayer mode, and I can tell you from personal experience, our team is still having fun with this.

Today, publisher Maximum Games and developer Big Ant Studios announced that Cricket 19, the official Game of the Ashes, has a release date- May 28th. The announcement was made in collaboration with the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The release ahead of this year’s Ashes – the Test cricket series played annually between Great Britain and Australia – will see you taking your team to victory as you battle to glory. Big Ant Studios promises the game will see photo realistic graphics, a customization system that goes far beyond previous games in the franchise, more gameplay modes, and more options in general. The game also includes full rosters of both male and female cricket teams, with the Ashes competitors being fully licensed as always. It also sees a return and expansion of the career mode, said to be more narrative-driven than before, along with a new scenario mode to recreate classic cricket matches and even share them online.

Cricket 19 will release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on May 28^th. A PC version is planned, but won’t arrive until slightly after the console release. A specific release date for it hasn’t yet been announced.

March saw the ever-growing Xbox Game Pass library getting bolstered thanks to some excellent new additions– April, however, is even more exciting. Microsoft recently teased six new Game Pass announcements. Those six games have now been confirmed, and I must say, it’s a very impressive lineup of games.

The ongoing Life is Strange 2’s second episode will be aded to the service, just as the first episode was. It will be made available on April 24. Before that, however, April 11 (which is tomorrow) will see the month’s stream of games get rolling, with Arkane Studios’ incredibly Prey, and HB Studios’ golf sim, The Golf Club 2, both being added to the Game Pass catalog.

April 18 will see even more big games going live on the service. Capcom’s incredible Monster Hunter World will be made free to Game Pass subscribers, as will the third season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead series, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier – which is definitely the weakest of the four seasons, but still worth playing if you’re a fan.

On April 25, Resident Evil 5 will make its way to the Game Pass catalog- not the classic Resident Evil game we might all be thirsting for lately, but a great action title in its own right, especially if you play the entire campaign co-op with a buddy.

It’s a great lineup all in all, and at least a couple of those games will appeal to you regardless of your preferences. Here’s hoping Microsoft keeps this solid run going next month as well.

Eko Software, Bigben Interactive, and Maximum Games will be bringing us a brand new rugby game- simply titled Rugby 18. So now, fans of the sport have a title they can hope does at least some of the kind of justice that FIFA, PES, NHL, NBA, MLB, and many more, sports games do to their respective sports.

The three companies released a brand new video for the game today- it’s a development diary, which shows us the making of the title. It’s a fascinating insight into how the three small companies approached the making of a new title in such a competitive and crowded section of the market. Authenticity was the name of the game, and that was something the developers emphasized a lot during the development of the title.

You can check out the developer diary for yourself below. Rugby 18 is due out for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 27.

GamingBolt spoke to communications manager Joscelyn Willett of Maximum Games to learn more about this intriguing card battler.

"The game has a very quick tutorial that rewards players with a significant amount of gold for completion. A level up system attempts to match similarly experienced players with each other."

It’s not often that we see a card battler utilizing MOBA and RTS mechanics. What inspired the concept behind ArmaGallant: Decks of Destiny?

Marrying the two genres of RTS and Deckbuilding seemed to provide the best of both worlds for those who love card games, but want a faster paced experience. The mix of strategy and dynamic combat seemed like a perfect blend for this game.

Can you talk about how exactly a typical match plays out?

All players choose cards from their unlocked deck, meet each other in either a 1v1 or 2v2 a match, and begin the game. Each summoner must use cards from their deck in order to create monsters and spells using a regenerating limited-resource mana pool. Players can use the environment to maneuver themselves into a more advantageous position, such as taking on objectives or hiding in forests. Upon objective captures and the defeating of monsters, a ticket counter depletes on the enemy side. Once a counter is completely depleted, the other team is declared the winner. Experience and gold is given to unlock and level up more cards.

Balancing any single genre is difficult but how do you manage to maintain balance between so many in ArmaGallant?

They don’t feel like separate genres in the game; instead, they add balance to one another and cohesively play out together, adding to the gameplay without making it feel disjointed.

Have there ever been occasions where the player with superior deck play can win out against, say, one with better ability usage or tactics? How do all these varying gameplay mechanics lend to different styles of play?

Yes, it is possible. However, more experienced players will almost always have the advantage regardless of the deck they choose.

"Marrying the two genres of RTS and Deckbuilding seemed to provide the best of both worlds for those who love card games, but want a faster paced experience."

For newer players, all the various systems may come off as intimidating. How does ArmaGallant help ease newbies in?

The game has a very quick tutorial that rewards players with a significant amount of gold for completion. A level up system attempts to match similarly experienced players with each other.

Tell us about the micro-transactions and how ArmaGallant avoids any pay-to- win scenarios.

ArmaGallant does not allow any micro-transactions. All cards must be earned upon their prowess in battle.

Will you be looking into any special modes in the future aside from straightforward 1v1 or 2v2 battles?

We don’t have plans for additional modes at this time.

Could you tell us a bit about how matchmaking works in ArmaGallant?

Similarly ranked players will be matched with each other. Players can also invite each other into 1v1 or 2v2 games.

What are your thoughts on some of the competitors in the market like Hearthstone and newer upcoming titles like Gwent?

We prefer not to comment on competitive titles.

When first getting my hands on Troll and I, I was actually quite amused with the way the game handles its mechanics. The game features several variations of game genres in third-person…you’ll be doing a lot of platforming, climbing, carry out stealth kills and solve puzzles, and that too all within the first hour of this game. It’s actually quite astonishing how the developers, who possibly don’t have a massive budget, managed to mash such a variety of genres into the game. Unfortunately, most of it doesn’t work as intended.

Right from the start you shouldn’t expect much from the story. It’s an interesting concept of monsters coming out of an unknown, magical portal-like area that begin attacking the local residents. The co-lead character Otto (a.k.a. the title character “I“), is a teenage boy who gets caught up in all of this commotion when monsters rain out of nowhere in the wild forests of Scandinavia. Interestingly enough, he doesn’t seem startled or surprised at their presence. Your job as Otto will be to gather and shape sticks into staffs, kill the biped rat-looking creatures, goblins, orcs and other mythical monsters.

"With two simple button presses you can switch between Otto and Troll at any moment. The game allows you to call the other to follow, or having Otto ride aboard Troll’s shoulders, and even attack when the enemies are on you."

Eventually Otto gets into a seriously sticky situation where the monsters get over his head and begin to heavily outnumber him. Alas, center stage, comes Troll. Troll defeats the numerous enemies in a few swift strokes and saves Otto from certain death. It’s from that moment that Otto and Troll form a bond that allows them to work together and stop the growing number of enemy forces.

An interesting part about Troll and I is that you don’t always have to play as Otto. With two simple button presses you can switch between Otto and Troll at any moment. The game allows you to call the other to follow, or having Otto ride aboard Troll’s shoulders, and even attack when the enemies are on you.

There is some variation in attack styles between the duo. Where Otto has to use stealth and dodge and attack variations, Troll simply smashes and punches his way through waves of enemies. The cooperation between the unlikely duo is met with challenges such as gaining access to difficult areas, or helping one another out in achieving specific goals.

The game also supports couch co-op. Grabbing a friend and a second controller allows one player to control Otto while the other controls Troll. Helping one another along for the journey becomes a lot more fun than having to switch between characters while playing alone.

"But the sluggish controls make Otto and the slow moving Troll a pain to navigate at times."

As Otto has a broader range of combat, he is able to gather material and craft various types of melee weapons along the way. The weapons list shows what materials are needed and they shimmer in the wilderness so its easier to spot them. The crafting is fun for better and stronger weapons, but it doesn’t have a full range of interesting and unique styles.

This all might sound fun and interesting, and to some extent it is. But the sluggish controls make Otto and the slow moving Troll a pain to navigate at times. And like many unpolished games, there are moments of running, jumping and dodging that have to be so precise that being slightly off will almost always result in death and a restart. Add to that the lagging frame-rate and the shading issues where the game began to flash between dark shade to light shade under the tree canopy in the daytime. Other bugs did occur as well: such as invisible enemies that weren’t there, and weapons that went through enemies and didn’t cause damage.

"Troll and I had some great ideas on paper but its execution is flawed."

Don’t expect the voice act to be stellar. Otto’s voice sounds like he was forced to read what was on the script page. The voice acting tries to grab hold of the player’s feelings, but never really manages to achieve it. The only saving grace is the game’s soundtrack which can be pretty exceptional at times.

At this point Troll And I is suffering from several bugs, uneven voice acting, and several graphical issues. With a stronger story, better elements, and smoother graphics, this game could have actually been very close to a new triple-A franchise. It focuses a lot on genre crossover ideas, which the team should be lauded for, but its implemetations can be best described as passable. Troll and I had some great ideas on paper but its execution is flawed. In the end what we have is a unpolished game with frustrating controls that isn’t worth anyone’s time.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.