But that’s not what Minecraft Dungeons did. Instead, it adopted a Diablo-lite approach, so heavily streamlined that you couldn’t even explore the Overworld freely. Its loot and crafting systems were pedestrian at best. The biggest highlight of the combat, dungeon design, enemies, and bosses is that they were from Minecraft. The aesthetic is present and accounted for, as are the most identifying NPCs and tenets of the IP, but seeing an action RPG based on this massive IP, seemingly doing its damnedest to capture so little of the original’s gameplay magic, while also not being a very deep or compelling title in its own right, was downright baffling.

But hey, a new spin-off IP, plus released in 2020, plus “made for kids” (as the excuse typically goes), plus seeing familiar property activates neurons. So many players – to the tune of 25 million as of September 2023 – probably gave it a pass. And hey, credit where it’s due, Mojang and Double Eleven expanded it extensively post-launch with new biomes, enemies, missions, and end-game activities. Surely some of those learnings and content will carry over into Minecraft Dungeons 2, right?

Right?

"Oftentimes we talk about games lacking a soul, but Minecraft Dungeons 2 has a distinct lack of character."

We start with the story, which graduated from threadbare in the original to wafer-thick in the sequel. The Arch-Illager and Vengeful Heart of Ender have been vanquished, and in their place are…the Illager High Council. Three Illagers who somehow tap into and weaponize the mysterious Sift for their own nefarious means, which are…world-threatening, I would imagine. I don’t know because they don’t speak and pose no threat; their mannerisms mostly played for laughs in their boss fights.

Oftentimes we talk about games lacking a soul, but Minecraft Dungeons 2 has a distinct lack of character. No memorable individuals appear throughout this story. None of them really have dialogue – instead, it’s the narrator, telling you what they’re saying, conveying their thanks, random tasks, etc. Not only does this diminish any possible characterization but it makes you care less about the world you’re trying to save. It also doesn’t help that the main quest is full of the same rote objectives that we’ve seen dozens of times over. Go here, collect this, bring this back, find these keys – quid pro quo. Even if it leverages familiar places, items, materials and visuals, it feels more like traversing a Minecraft set than a fulfilling adventure in the same world, standing strong on its narrative legs.

Which wouldn’t be a problem if the environments were more exciting or compelling. The biggest difference between Minecraft Dungeons 1 and 2 is the interconnected world. Instead of selecting a biome and being sent off to complete a task, you can now explore the world freely. From grassy plains and dense forests to snowy landscapes and the ethereal Sift, there are some pretty dazzling sights.

It’s liberating at first, and the development team has done a good job with capturing the voxel aesthetic while imbuing it with extensive fidelity. The ambient occlusion especially stands out, whether you’re navigating a cave by lantern light or watching dusk set in and change to night. Even the weather, be it rain, snow or sunshine, looks pretty good, and seeing critters like foxes and sheep ambling around makes things feel all the more alive.

The problem is that, aside from the healthy density of enemies and animals, the Overworld and the Sift are bereft of things to do. You can assault barebones convoys and claim their chests, or fight against so-called “world bosses,” which may be a Witch, an Evoker, or an Enderman. There are also some barely hidden chests to open, but that’s pretty much it. No events or interesting challenges, barring the odd Soul Corrupted enemy here and there. It also doesn’t help that the side quests offer pretty much the same objectives as the main, though some rewards can be worthwhile when leveling.

"Call it the bare minimum, but even with its many pitfalls, combat is one of the few things that will keep you coming back, especially as the utter horror of the loot system begins to dawn."

But at least there are still dungeons. It’s in the game’s name, after all, so surely you would expect these to be the marquee experience, right? Wrong.

Dungeons have some very limited tilesets and bosses. Occasionally, you’ll stumble into one that’s short and emphasizes platforming and dodging traps, but these are few and far between. Otherwise, you’ll quickly recognize the same ambush points, the same winding paths, and the same Warden boss at the end. At least The Sift mixes things up with enemy types, like the Dartback and its multitude of projectiles. They’re somewhat similar to Rifts – which are basically like dungeons, but found in the Overworld instead – and while eventually becoming repetitive, they occasionally offer a cheeky little jumping puzzle.

At least there’s the combat, and contrary to expectations, it’s acceptable. Jump attacks feel more like a novelty than anything, but there are ways to build around them, especially as you leap and crash down with lightning strikes or frost waves on enemies. I can’t deny the appeal of running through dungeons, Rifts and other locales, blasting through hordes of enemies with ricocheting lightning arrows.

However, there are a few occasional issues, like elevation, as shots can sometimes miss enemies. This is all the worse if they’re behind the environment because while you can see their shadows, you won’t know if they’re a block higher or lower. As responsive as the aiming can feel at times, it’s finicky at others. Arrows would fire straight into the floor at times, though the places where it makes more sense – enemies being on a lower level – don’t make it any better. Sometimes, rolling doesn’t work. It’s just unresponsive, and I don’t know why.

There’s also no way to move while shooting, which has become way more common since Path of Exile 2 and Diablo 4, and would have definitely made running and gunning as a ranged player that much smoother. Some Artifacts feel like they’re just…there, like throwing down honey to snare enemies and attract bees to damage them or the Witch’s Brew that seems to fling itself to the least useful place. At the very least, Mojang and Double Eleven ensured each weapon feels different, specifically in their movesets. Call it the bare minimum, but even with its many pitfalls, combat is one of the few things that will keep you coming back, especially as the utter horror of the loot system begins to dawn.

Ah, loot. The core reason we play these games in the first place. Kill monsters and get better loot to kill stronger monsters, and so on. In Minecraft Dungeons, there are four rarities – Common, Uncommon, Special aka it’s blue, so it’s Rare, and I’m not calling it anything else, and Unique. If you’ve played any looter in your lifetime, the question inevitably arises: Where is the Legendary loot? Well, Minecraft Dungeons 2 doesn’t have any. As you level up and complete “Milestones,” enemies are tougher, and Uniques have an increased drop chance. The problem is that for probably 10 out of my 25 hours played – which is how long it took to beat the story – I saw a handful of Uniques drop.

"As already established, all gear can have, at most, two attributes. However, when you’re in the “endgame,” some start dropping with three attributes. From what I’ve discovered, these are very, very sparse…"

So you’re mostly stuck with Uncommon and Rare gear for the majority of the experience. At best, there are gradual increments in damage, and where slightly higher Unique drop chances – like the game keeps telling you is happening in exchange for making enemies tankier and deal more damage – could offer the dopamine hit of a substantial power spike, that simply doesn’t happen.

But it gets better. All gear – weapons, armor and Artifacts – drops with, at most, two attributes throughout the majority of the story. That includes Uniques. The top-tier loot with occasionally exclusive benefits which should form the cornerstone of a build, if not one of the building blocks, is relegated to the same number of attributes as Rare loot. And because Item Level matters most of all by virtue of being tied to your base stats like Attack, Defense, etc., Uniques feel about as rewarding to receive as Uncommon gear. Except the latter is a consistent reward, is likely to be a higher Item Level, and isn’t trying to constantly gaslight me regarding drop chances.

But we’re only just getting started. When the word “Unique” pops up in a looter, your first impulse is to see what kind of outstanding attribute or property it has. You know, the very thing that gives the tier its name. Instead, several Uniques drop with enhanced versions of existing attributes. Enjoying your 20 percent increased Lightning damage? Boom, here’s 25 percent. Keep the change. And no, you can’t reroll these enhanced attributes. Don’t get me wrong – a 60 percent chance to create additional projectiles can be pretty good depending on the build.

There are also some Uniques, like the gauntlets that deal both fire and ice damage, which feel inherently different from the rest. But they all come across as so underwhelming and unimaginative – like the development team was worried about making them too good, especially if players obtained any early (and then nerfed the drop chances for good measure). Turning Uniques into proper chase items while Legendaries served as the next step up in power could have solved this issue. You could even keep the former at two attributes, one being the enhanced version of an existing attribute and the other serving as its core perk and identity.

If you thought I was done skewering this loot system, well, there’s sadly more. As already established, all gear can have, at most, two attributes. However, when you’re in the “endgame,” some start dropping with three attributes. From what I’ve discovered, these are very, very sparse…until you’re participating in the Soul Storm, a Destiny 2 Public Event-style activity. They only drop from chests after destroying the Storm Generators, so you get about four to six chances at a desired three-attribute piece of loot from the pool of item types and two rarities (Rare and Unique).

"What is the point of rematching bosses unless they happen to award Talismans as a one-time reward?… Why venture into dungeons – the literal premise of the game – after you’ve collected all the Enchantment books?"

Will it be your Artifact of choice? Maybe an upgrade to Unique that you’re already using? Have fun finding out, because the Soul Storm is also on an invisible timer – you have 20 minutes to finish it, but once it’s over, you have to wait for it to return. Yes, it’s a FOMO mechanic, but this isn’t a limited-time seasonal activity or battle pass. It’s a sparse activity in a world that’s completely bereft of any other end-game substance.

What is the point of rematching bosses unless they happen to award Talismans as a one-time reward? Some offer guaranteed Uniques, but they’re worth less than nothing, whether you decide to earn them early for a theoretical boost or later to ensure they drop near your Item Level. Furthermore, boss kills drop a single item. Why venture into dungeons – the literal premise of the game – after you’ve collected all the Enchantment books?

Heck, it’s pointless to even kill enemies because of how the “crafting” system works. Simply put, there is no crafting. You can upgrade loot to a higher Item level by spending Emeralds or reroll attributes with Echo Shards at the Blacksmith. Of course, you also have the Enchantsmith who can add Enchantments to items if you’ve discovered the corresponding book. These can then be enhanced further, so arrows ricochet three times at Tier 3 instead of once at Tier 1, for example.

Besides the obvious nuisance of constantly removing Enchantments from existing gear and placing them on new drops because of the higher Item Levels, there’s the increasing cost of upgrading and rerolling. At first, this isn’t too bad, but Emeralds and Echo Shards have a cap, and it doesn’t feel nearly high enough.

You’ll go from upgrading all your equipment in one go to match the highest possible Item Level to half of that. Then eventually, half of that. Better keep enough junk in your inventory to salvage for more Emeralds. Salvaging them when capped will cause the total to go beyond 9,999 and then “normalize” – as if the game is outright wagging a finger in my face, going “No, no, no.”

"I could go on with the other problems, like the lack of an overlay map, which is especially frustrating in dungeons and Rifts when trying to find your way on the first few go-arounds."

And when you’ve reached the max Item Level possible through upgrading, Emeralds become completely useless. Why not add a system where I can spend some to upgrade a Common Artifact – like, say, a Lightning Quiver – to higher tiers, which then add random modifiers to it? I’ve been stuck with two-attribute Quivers for all this time, so this could offer some way to make an item type worthwhile, especially with what passes for target-farming in this game.

The Echo Shard cap is worse because rerolling can easily balloon into the double digits. Didn’t get that added Lightning damage or chance to inflict Chained on enemies? Better go and farm those Rifts, dungeons and Soul Storms again. And by that I mean, waste time in a Rift until a Soul Storm emerges, then leave immediately to farm it.

To top it all off – I promise this is it for the loot system – you can’t even upgrade your items beyond Item Level 149. Loot often drops at Item Level 150+ in the endgame, and while this could provide some chase, I’m left wondering to what end.

There are no pinnacle bosses or Ubers to pit your build against. No high-difficulty dungeons with rewards worth pursuing (or at least none that I’ve found). No Ancient Hunts or 30-floor towers, no Trials. The world bosses count for absolutely nothing after a point – especially the Soul Corrupted Enderman. Vendors are also completely useless, offering three Rare items when fully upgraded, and requiring you to spend Echo Shards to refresh their inventory, hopefully to get that specific two-attribute Artifact for your build (but only one, because they demand a King’s Ransom of Emeralds in the endgame).

Oh, and you can only have six Enchantments in total, compared to the previous game’s nine. And there are no powerful Enchantments this time around. In fact, many options like Weakening, Potion Barrier (replaced by the less exciting Barrier Brew, which requires standing in a spot for damage resistance after drinking) and so on are straight up missing. At least there’s one that increases the number of Potion uses, even if it’s relatively late game, addressing one of the more annoying complaints from the original. So there is that.

I could go on with the other problems, like the lack of an overlay map, which is especially frustrating in dungeons and Rifts when trying to find your way on the first few go-arounds. Or no stash, so that even if you completely upgrade a build and want to try something else, those previous items will have to sit in your inventory, taking up space. At least it all ran very well on my system at 1440p with most settings on Ultra and DLSS set to Quality.

"In a way, Minecraft Dungeons 2 feels like a redo of the first game – a clean slate of sorts. Except the same criticisms are stronger than ever."

Of course, I can’t forget the areas blocked off in the Overworld and Sift, which I couldn’t reach, no matter what. These are likely for the upcoming paid DLC, and even if that’s not exactly a new practice for the genre, there’s something inherently sad about seeing entire regions clouded over, like they’ve been cut out of the game to be sold piecemeal, especially when the base game is already so lacking.

I didn’t think it was possible to be even more baffled by Minecraft Dungeons 2 than its predecessor, but here we are. That’s probably because even after experiencing all its content and understanding this reference and that, I don’t know who it’s for. It’s not for any action RPG fan, unless you’re looking for the absolute most streamlined, turn-your-brain-off experience out there with the most barebones progression and endgame. It’s not really for fans of the original because so many features have been removed and there’s nothing to replace them. I can’t even argue that it’s for the co-op-minded player because there are so many options on the market, looters and otherwise, that provide a far more fulfilling experience.

In a way, Minecraft Dungeons 2 feels like a redo of the first game – a clean slate of sorts. Except the same criticisms are stronger than ever. As much as you’d be willing to forgive a spin-off like this from a studio that isn’t known for the genre in 2020, it’s now six years later. Even if your expectations were low, Minecraft Dungeons 2 isn’t in a hurry to meet them or overstay its welcome. It’s just there, middling along, hoping the colorful scenery distracts you enough to disguise its utter barrenness. And quite frankly, this franchise deserves better.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Similarly, the developers are also keeping an eye on how the new features of EA Sports FC 27’s Ultimate Team mode shape up. While they acknowledged that player response to things like the gallery and the use of the Transfer Market has been strong, they are still keeping an eye on how making any adjustments might end up affecting player time and Squad Battles difficulty.

However, the team intends to keep updating the title consistently with bug fixes as well as quality-of-life features. An example of these features is “Streamlined SBCs on Companion”, which is coming with an upcoming update. Systems like Dynamic OVR and Stamina are also under the microscope for now, and the team will keep an eye on how player behavior evolves over a longer period of time. The developers of EA Sports FC 27 have also confirmed that they are working on improving queue times for Kickabouts in The Ground and Clubs.

EA Sports FC 27 was released on PC, SP4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2 just last week. The title is available in two SKUs – a standard edition and an Ultimate Edition. The latter features extra in-game items like 6,000 FC points over the course of three months, an additional slot for FUT Player Evo, and more.

Some of the biggest changes in this year’s entry have been made to the Ultimate Team mode, which now includes a Gallery where players can see how their club has performed over a long period of time. Player Items are also a new feature that gives players a new progression path as they collect items in the mode.

Solo players also have plenty to look forward to, like Manager Career’s transfer market seeing major revisions after a complete rebuild. With this, the developers wanted to emphasize realistic player values and active club bidding. There are also new negotiation tactics like buy-back clauses, performance clauses, and options for dynamic OVRs.

For more details about EA Sports FC 27, take a look at our review, where we gave it a score of 8 out of 10. We praised the long-overdue improvements it brought along in career mode, as well as the incremental-yet-solid upgrades made to the core gameplay. Our only complaint is the fact that The Ground – the new social hub where players can hang out together – is quite lacking in content and generally feels unpolished.

For a more in-depth look at how EA Sports FC 27 is meaningfully different from its predecessor, here are the 15 biggest gameplay differences between the two.

“We’re finally releasing the game we’ve been working so, so hard on, and we couldn’t be more excited,” says design director Laura de Llorens. She promised secrets, a new dimension (The Sift), “lots of mobs”, and, of course, loot. “So, so much loot.”

Compared to the previous game, Minecraft Dungeons 2’s environments make up an interconnected world. Art director Ullis Linder noted that this gives a “feeling that it’s an endless adventure and you’re not as boxed in anymore.” The ability to jump has also redefined the environmental design to an extent, resulting in more verticality and even parkour sections.

Then there’s The Sift, Minecraft’s first new dimension in more than 14 years. You’ll see parts of it through Rifts in the Overworld before diving in wholesale and exploring its mysteriously vibrant landscape. Sightseeing isn’t your only goal, though, as you need to stop the Illager High Council – consisting of the Illusionary, the Evoker and the Enchanter – from wreaking havoc.

But launch isn’t the end for Minecraft Dungeons 2. Its first paid DLC launches later this year, which will add new locations and mobs. The developer also promises “updates,” though what shape and form they take remains to be seen. Stay tuned for details and check out our feature for more details.

The multiplayer for EA Sports FC 27 will feature The Grounds – a social space where players can meet up to engage in small-scale challenges, like 1v1s, between more standard regular matches. Players will also be able to find NPCs that allow them to improve their abilities on and off the pitch in The Grounds.

The transfer market in Manager Career has also seen some major revisions after going through a complete rebuild with an emphasis on more realistic player values and active club bidding. Players will have access to new negotiation tactics, like performance and buy-back clauses, along with options for dynamic OVRs that reflect player form, morale, and fitness.

Fans of the franchise’s Ultimate Team mode also have plenty to look forward to, such as a new Gallery where they can track their in-game achievements. Players will get to keep records of Player Items that have passed through their clubs, along with new progression paths to earn even more rewards. The core of the new progression paths revolves around the Gallery Sets system, which allows players to focus on specific themes while they fill out their galleries.

The Gallery itself will also be an in-game space where players can keep track of their club’s performance, with 3D objects accumulating over time and, in turn, giving players a new way to reflect on their club’s journey.

Other refinements to FUT include more player choice and planning tools for Evolutions thanks to the new Pathways system. This allows players to pick between multiple options. An example of this, provided in the game mode’s deep dive trailer, showcased how a player’s dribbling getting improved could lead to a new PlayStyle, while another player might get improved defensive ratings.

The career mode got its own deep dive trailer last month, showcasing how changes to the OVR ratings system will lead to more fluctuations between individual matches. Each athlete has new parameters that are calculated to make sure that their in-game versions are as close to real life as possible. The behaviours of teammates have also been changed, and EA Sports FC 27 now also allows players to create custom challenges for a new way to climb up the progression ladder.

For more details about EA Sports FC 27, check out our review of the PS5 version, where we gave it a score of 8 out of 10. We praised the long-overdue improvements that have been made to the career mode, as well as some of the incremental updates made to on-pitch gameplay. However, we found The Grounds to be quite lacking when it came to polish and amount of content.

Meaningful changes and additions are something we hope to see in new FC releases pretty much every year, but FC 27 actually delivers those changes. Unfortunately, the results are uneven- while some improvements actually do change things for the better, other flagship changes feel like they could have done with more time in the oven.

"Meaningful changes and additions are something we hope to see in new FC releases pretty much every year, but FC 27 actually delivers those changes."

Let’s start with the positive stuff, and not just because it tackles the area of the game that I personally pour most of my time into every year- career mode. EA Sports FC 27 makes a number of changes to the manager career experience, and for the most part, unlike most years, those changes actually do end up being as meaningful as they’re made out to be. Chief among them is the overhauled transfer system, which addresses some of the series’ longest running career mode issues in clever ways.

Gone are the stilted and awkward cutscenes that would see your manager negotiating transfer deals and contracts with managers and players, with a new and overhauled system instead slotting in. Each transfer negotiation is now a multi stage affair, requiring you to scout out players, enquire about their availability, and engage in negotiations with both club and player before finalizing deals. Each step feels much more deliberate now, with negotiations taking longer and requiring more thought and actual engagement with the mechanics.

More granular negotiation options are now on offer, allowing you to offer deals structured in a variety of ways to navigate your transfer budget, while clubs and players also have more realistic financial expectations going into negotiations, effected more believably in turn by players’ form. Clubs can also take their time to mull over offers submitted by you, while you also have other tools to resort to, such as publicly declaring interest in a player in order to pressure reluctant clubs into negotiations.

Though things are still not quite on the same level as something like the Football Manager series where transfers are concerned, the new system definitely does make for more believable and engaging experience, often even getting you embroiled in legitimate, long drawn-out transfer sagas. There’s also new cutscenes sprinkled in, as well as an entirely new hub with a slick new interface, all coming together to finally deliver the long overdue overhaul to the transfer system that we’ve been hoping to see in career mode for years.

"More granular negotiation options are now on offer, allowing you to offer deals structured in a variety of ways to navigate your transfer budget"

Career mode makes several other solid improvements as well. For instance, there’s the new dynamic overall system, which sees players’ overall ratings fluctuating through the season based on their form, fitness, how they are training, and other factors. Morale is one of those factors as well, of course, which means effectively juggling your squad and ensuring that your best players are getting enough minutes becomes much more crucial than it has been in previous years’ career modes.

Rival clubs also behave more realistically in terms of how they go about building their squads, which means AI transfers in later seasons in long-running career mode saves are less outlandish than they tend to be in most entries. The repetitive press and media interaction cutscenes have also been replaced, allowing for things to keep moving at a better pace. With a couple of significant overhauls and a handful of smaller improvements coming together, FC 27’s career mode feels fresher and more enjoyable than it has in years.

When it comes to the actual on pitch gameplay, the improvements are much more granular- albeit still worthy of praise. EA Sports FC 27 allows players to swap between competitive and authentic gameplay styles, with the former being closer to the arcadey style that FIFA and FC entries have usually been known for, and authentic gameplay going instead for slower, more deliberate, simulation focused gameplay. There is, of course, plenty of fun to be had either way, especially with the tried and true arcadey style of the series, though personally I found myself greatly enjoying the authentic style.

Much greater control is given to you, making everything from tacking and closing down to making runs and sweeping with the goalkeeper much less automated than you may have been expected to in past years. FC 27’s on pitch gameplay feels much slower, more skill oriented, and much more tactical this way, and though it can certainly take some getting used to, I’ve found it to be quite enjoyable so far. Set pieces have also seen significant tweaks, allowing you to set up corners and free kicks with much greater precision- though that also means opposing players are also much more adept at scoring with free kicks or driving in deadly crosses from corners now.

"Conceptually, The Grounds is a great idea, though unfortunately, it feels like it could have done with more fleshing out."

Unfortunately, not all of EA Sports FC 27’s big swings are success stories. In fact, the game’s biggest new addition, the social hub known as The Grounds, is perhaps where it is most disappointing. Similar (at least in a very superficial sense) to NBA 2K’s The City, FC 27’s The Grounds mode allows players to navigate a small open world town that serves as both a social hub and a hub for a variety of football related activities.

These range from 5v5 Rush games and 3v3 matches to 1v1 and 2v2 affairs and even minigames like balloon ball (which tasks you with, you guessed it, bursting balloons with a football). Outside of that, there are stores to shop at, targets to shoot down all over the map, football facts and tidbits to find in the environment, and more.

Conceptually, The Grounds is a great idea, though unfortunately, it feels like it could have done with more fleshing out. For starters, there isn’t nearly enough content in here to keep players meaningfully engaged for a long stretch of time. Then there’s the fact that the movement feels stiff at times, while the town itself can also feel a little dull.

Though there’s some nice environmental variety across its three zones (inspired by Britain, Argentina, and France), overall, it feels like a static location with not much depth and interactivity, and not nearly enough content to keep you engaged. Even worse are the supremely awkwardly voiced cutscenes that se real world footballers like Kylian Mbappe and Paulo Dybala speaking with your avatar character to deliver some of the most painfully milquetoast athletic advice the human brain could imagine. While I don’t doubt that The Grounds is an idea that can lead to a legitimately great mode down the line – and hopefully will – right now it feels half baked and shallow.

Overall, EA Sports FC 27 is definitely somewhat uneven with some of its bigger additions, but in other, rather critical areas, it does manage to make several meaningful improvements. Career mode in particular sees some long overdue improvements with transfers in particular, while the on pitch gameplay is also suitably addictive and enjoyable in the state that the game has launched. The Grounds could definitely do with significant post launch upgrades, from new content to crucial layers of gameplay polish, but by and large, FC 27 feels like a much needed change up for EA’s stagnating football series.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

It’s definitely welcome too, as Rose Belmont, daughter of fan favorite Trevor Belmont, joins her father on the streets of Paris to investigate a monster outbreak. Naturally, this turns into something far more sinister. You know, the quintessential Castlevania kind of story. The Vampire Killer is part of the story (how could it not be with two Belmonts in the picture?), but you can expect other weapons to enter the mix in a gameplay loop that’s looking quite challenging.

Belmont’s Curse is shaping up to be very interesting, though, with a fresh but familiar combat system and some interesting takes on certain faces helping it stand out from past entries. Of course, the new platforming, Metroidvania-adjacent gameplay loop, and that distinctive art style are equally important parts of its allure, and we’re guessing it will come together quite well.

That demo should be a great opportunity to vindicate that sentiment ahead of its October 15th launch, so keep an eye out for its release next week.

Rather than strictly focusing on the story, however, the trailer instead showcases the gameplay of Thief: The Dark Project Remastered. The trailer also explains the core gameplay loop of the title, which will have players sneaking into large buildings, avoiding guards by using a variety of tools, and stealing just about anything that isn’t nailed to the ground. Throughout the trailer, we also get a good look at many of the intricate levels that make up the main campaign of Thief: The Dark Project Remastered.

One of the most interesting things showcased in the trailer is the controller support that will be added to the remaster. Supporting control schemes aside from keyboard and mouse involves giving players an easier way to access the plethora of tools they will have at their disposal, which Thief: The Dark Project Remastered handles by introducing a radial item wheel through which Garrett can pick between lockpicks, arrows, and other items.

The title was officially announced back in June and is slated for release across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and the Nintendo Switch 2. However, it doesn’t yet have a release date aside from a Winter 2026 window. Controller players are in for some added benefits, however, thanks to the inclusion of rumble and gyro support, giving players an entirely new way to experience the first-person stealth classic.

Earlier this month, Nightdive Studios had confirmed that, along with featuring the core campaign from the original release, Thief: The Dark Project Remastered will also include a second campaign, dubbed The Tarnished Mirror. The campaign was teased through a trailer and is essentially a critically acclaimed collection of fan-created levels that come together to tell an entirely new story.

Thief: The Dark Project was originally released in 1998 and is considered one of the seminal works of the immersive sim genre alongside titles like Deus Ex and System Shock 2. Developed by Looking Glass Studios, Thief: The Dark Project follows the story of a young street urchin, Garrett, who was taken in by an organization known as the Keepers. By spending time with this organization, Garrett is able to learn many of the skills that would go on to earn him a reputation of being one of the greatest thieves ever.

Along with its importance to the immersive sim genre, Thief: The Dark Project is also considered one of the two titles – alongside Metal Gear Solid – to have essentially defined stealth gameplay, with elements from the title showing up even in modern games.

The franchise would see more titles over time, like 2000’s Thief 2: The Metal Age, and 2004’s Thief: Deadly Shadows. A reboot was attempted in 2014 with the release of Thief.

Brave the Unknown in an All-New Dimension

Mysterious portals are appearing across the Overworld, and entering one takes you to a brand-new dimension: the Sift. Unlike the familiar Deep Dark and Nether, the Sift is a glowing, vibrant land composed of ancient stone and lush vegetation. When there, you’ll encounter entirely new mob types, dimension-specific items, and the brand-new boss-tier adversary the Twisted Warden. Lore-wise, the Sift is speculated to be a place wandered by stray souls, with the Twisted Warden itself corrupted by their power as it guards the Deep Dark portal.

Exploration Follows an Interconnected Map

Where the original Minecraft Dungeons divided its adventure into individual missions, the sequel, instead, adopts a seamless approach to exploration. Large regions form an interconnected world, with narrative events, settlements, ancient structures, hubs, and numerous points of interest, plus caves and ruins with layouts that can vary between runs, all ensuring travel throughout Minecraft Dungeons II feels like an expansive adventure rather than a series of clearly defined expeditions.

Quests Come in Two Varieties

While the new interconnected world provides expansive exploration, Minecraft Dungeons II’s quest structure is a little more traditional, with them split into two categories: main quests and side quests. The former pushes the central story forward as you uncover the source of the unusual events occurring across the Sift while the latter provides opportunities to explore the world and help its inhabitants via light-hearted detours. One mission could see you tracking down the Twisted Warden, while the next you’re pursuing missing bees.

Combat Slots Are Expanded to Twelve

Buildcrafting potential has been greatly expanded for this sequel, with Minecraft Dungeons II increasing the number of available combat slots from six to twelve. This should give you considerably more room to experiment with your equipment and abilities, instead of being forced into a relatively limited selection of tools like the first game. Now, you’ll be able to create a more specialised combination moulded around the particular playstyle you’re chasing.

Armour Now Split Into Four Pieces

Armour now works differently in this sequel, too. Instead of treating it as a single piece of equipment, Minecraft Dungeons II splits armour into four separate categories: helmets, chestplates, leggings, and boots. The idea here, it seems, is to give you another opportunity to customise your character, shaping your overall build. Combined with the game’s expanded combat slots and deeper enchanting systems – which we’ll get onto in a minute – the new armour structure should give your loot hunting extra depth.

Projectile Weapon Ammo Switched to Unlimited

Projectile-based weaponry has been switched up in Minecraft Dungeons II, with ammunition now unlimited and automatically replenishing over time. This means you won’t need to constantly scour for more arrows or other ammo types during a raid. Instead, ranged weapons can be treated as a consistent part of your arsenal – you’ll just need to give them enough time to recharge.

You Can Finally Jump

Yes, finally, in Minecraft Dungeons II your heroes can jump! While this may sound like a small addition, a quick scan of the community’s response to this news tells you all you need to know – the inability to leave the ground in the first game adversely affected both exploration and combat in ways that were difficult to ignore. Jumping can now be used to reach areas that weren’t previously accessible, to navigate environmental obstacles, and as a combat tactic allowing you to perform attacks from above. Together with the returning dodge roll, this addition should make movement considerably more intuitive than it was in the original game.

Enchanting Has Been Overhauled

The sequel reintroduces Enchanting, but this time it’s been significantly reworked to give you greater control over your builds. A deeper and more flexible system than before, throughout exploration you’ll encounter enchantment books which unlock unique effects which can be added to your personal library. These can then be applied to your gear through the Enchantsmith, encouraging an intentional approach to the effects you apply to your equipment. Furthermore, enchantments can be upgraded and leveled up over time, meaning you can continually refine and strengthen your preferred builds.

The Entire Game Can Be Played Solo or Co-Op

Whether you want to forge through the Sift alone or you’re looking to cause chaos with your mates, Minecraft Dungeons II has you covered. The entire campaign is playable solo, or up to four players can form a party, with local couch co-op available alongside online multiplayer with cross-play. There’s also mixed co-op, allowing you to share the same console or PC while joining friends situated elsewhere online.

Matchmaking and Party Codes Are Included

And, if you don’t have a trio of friends able to play with you, you needn’t worry. Finding people to play with should be easy in this sequel thanks to the introduction of matchmaking. So, now, you can use matchmaking to find other players who are also looking for a party, and you can jump into the adventure together. Party codes are also available, giving you another way to connect with specific groups.

Co-Op Comes With Several Quality of Life Improvements

Minecraft Dungeons II isn’t content with just adding more ways to play together; it is also bringing ways to make co-operative play as seamless as possible. Loot is automatically shared between party members, for instance, which removes some of the friction around distributing dropped items. Reviving fallen teammates has also been accelerated, meaning you won’t need to spend quite as long waiting for someone else to get back into the fray. On the face of it, these are small changes, but they’ll make a meaningful difference to the flow of co-operative playthroughs.

Loot Can Include Random Bonus Effects

Minecraft Dungeons II’s loot system introduces an extra layer of unpredictability thanks to random bonus effects. Dropped weapons and armour, for example, now have the chance to include additional effects, meaning two pieces of otherwise identical gear can exhibit different abilities. It’s a further incentive to collect every drop rather than treating duplicate items as worthless, and if you’re chasing the most powerful build possible you’ll need to scour through every dropped item to find the strongest rewards.

There’s a Mini-Inventory on the D-Pad

Minecraft Dungeons II includes a mini-inventory that can be accessed via the D-pad. Designed to provide a way of accessing your equipment and quickly swap items, the mini-inventory also makes exploration more streamlined by removing the need to navigate through full inventory menus.

Release Date, Platforms, Price, and PC Requirements

Minecraft Dungeons II launches on September 29th to PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store, plus Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. The sequel will also be playable on Xbox Game Pass day one. Price-wise, the game’s Standard Edition will set you back $29.99 while a Deluxe Edition retails for $49.99. To play the game on your PC, at a minimum you’ll need an Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 2200G CPU, an NVIDIA GTX 1050 or AMD Radeon RX 560 GPU, and 8GB RAM. Recommended hardware, however, includes an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 CPU, NVIDIA GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580 GPU, and 16GB RAM.

I’m happy to tell you that if you’ve been eager to dive into Estelle’s new role, and to know how things with Joshua pan out, this one’s going to be a treat. However, if you’re looking for gameplay that gives you a fair challenge while pushing you to make use of every tool in your arsenal, I’d say that you’re better off waiting until this one gets some polish. But let’s go back to the story for the moment, as it’s definitely among the stronger parts of the experience.

"Those new characters are either going to be a highlight of the experience or a rather hit-and-miss attempt to fill the narrative void that Joshua left behind."

If you’re coming into this one blind, a helpful recap lets you get up to speed on all the major beats, although the game’s prologue emphasizes Estelle and Joshua’s past dynamic that’s definitely going to feel undercooked if you weren’t very interested in their bond from the first game. I could see myself finding Estelle’s initial refusal to accept his departure and the manner in which she is convinced to go after him a tad too silly for a newly appointed senior bracer, and the game’s anime-inspired trappings are evident in such moments. That’s not considering other conversations where the topic can flit wildly between the absolutely mundane and ones that deal with the world’s socio-political troubles. It can get jarring when it happens, and it’s often enough to be noticeable.

Things pick up right where the previous game left off and get kicked into gear quite quickly, leading you into a lengthy prologue that helps you get up to speed with the game’s mechanics, old and new, while providing a rather convenient narrative explanation for why you’re going to have to collect Quartz and new Arts and Crafts all over again. Was it convincing? Not really, but I welcomed the chance to get to build crafting for Estelle and the new allies she finds in her search for Joshua.

Those new characters are either going to be a highlight of the experience or a rather hit-and-miss attempt to fill the narrative void that Joshua left behind. While they’re all capable warriors in the field, their personalities often feel like they’ve been crafted to play second fiddle to Estelle for the most part. They’re still charming and interesting, but I truly believe that they could have been better woven into the story, with more to them than simply accompanying Estelle on her journey.

There are some familiar faces in the mix, such as Agate Crosner, whose Heavy Blade was among my personal favorites, and those who may have been on the opposing side of Estelle’s efforts in the previous game.

Speaking of the big bads, the shady organization’s members are certainly among the cast’s more memorable additions as they step onto the stage with flair and sinister substance. They’ve always been my favorites in this story, and that holds true with the remake as well. You only have to watch Campanella be unhinged for a few scenes before you begin to like his irreverence and smug arrogance.

"You’re going to want a refresher of events in the original game before you jump in at the very least, and one that’s more detailed than the recap you begin this one with."

However, one thing to keep in mind is that several of the NPCs you get to interact with as a part of that story often refer back to Estelle’s time as a junior bracer in the first game, and you might be a tad lost if this is the first one you’re playing. You’re going to want a refresher of events in the original game before you jump in at the very least, and one that’s more detailed than the recap you begin this one with. It’s definitely worth having all that lore to give you more context about the events that this one talks about, and it’s going to elevate the experience.

It could also help you with the game’s combat, which presents so many mechanics to you in the prologue that it can seem overwhelming. It feels like the game assumes you’re coming to it after playing the previous game, with introductions to its systems coming by at such a rapid pace they feel like they were designed to be reminders rather than actual tutorials. However, getting the basics of combat down isn’t too hard since the excellent blend of real-time and tactical gameplay is back, and works so well when you begin making use of everything it offers you.

There’s a lot of freedom to specialize characters right from the get go although your party members often come with obvious strengths that you definitely want to exploit. Estelle, however, is extremely versatile, and it’s a lot of fun to tinker with loadouts and see what chaos you can create in a fight with a list of skills that are both powerful in their utility as well as dazzling in their action. Unlike her companions, she doesn’t have any restrictions in her Orbment,  who feel restricted to one element or the other from the get go, she isn’t restricted to a single elemental and I soon had ways to inflict a variety of effects like Burn and Stun with her attacks, while she also doubled up as the party’s healer when things got dicey.

"Your party feels like a coherent unit when it all comes together, and breaking through your opponent’s guard to expose them to a Follow-Up from one member of a coordinated attack with Estelle is very satisfying to pull off."

Of course, you do get to switch things up for the rest of your party too, but Estelle is the one you’re going to be experimenting with the most since she’s a constant presence while the story does send people you’re journeying with down different paths from time to time to make way for new additions to Estelle’s list of allies.

Switch to the game’s tactical mode, and you’re going to watch your party members unleash skills that are so darn spectacular you won’t find yourself skipping any of the cutscenes that play in a fight. The new Brave Rush is a great part of that, as is the expanded approach to your Crafts and S-Crafts. Your party feels like a coherent unit when it all comes together, and breaking through your opponent’s guard to expose them to a Follow-Up from one member of a coordinated attack with Estelle is very satisfying to pull off. But it also exposes a problem with the combat that I couldn’t ignore.

While the moves themselves look and feel so powerful, it’s a wonder that any opponent can even withstand their devastating effects; the actual damage they do on foes even on the game’s default difficulty preset, is underwhelming. The new Orbments Estelle and her fellow bracers received are presented as serious upgrades, but that narrative upgrade doesn’t really translate into any practical gameplay effects in the early game at least.

That’s easily remedied as you collect more Quartz to exchange for upgrades to your Orbments, and things really open up as soon as you get access to more Arts and Crafts, making things quite interesting once you really begin engaging with the system and crafting builds that suit your playstyle. My take on Estelle, for instance, made good use of her staff to create opportunities for Analise’s blade to serve as a high-damage, critical-focused damage dealer.

" The combat is so fluid and slick that I found myself neglecting the story objective that I was chasing just to stick around and keep fighting enemies."

Enemy variety is great, although it’s only the bosses you fight who are actually going to stay with you once you reach the story’s end. They come with memorable introductions and moves that are as stunning as the ones you pull off.

The combat is so fluid and slick that I found myself neglecting the story objective that I was chasing just to stick around and keep fighting enemies, grinding out resources that I could use to unlock new stuff to use in the field. That holds true across the game’s narrative, with progression opening up so many possibilities that become even better when you pull in the right party members to help you maximize their effectiveness. It’s a very satisfying process of mixing and matching that is sure to keep you playing far longer than you would have if it was just the story on offer.

As a remake, Trails in the Sky Second Chapter’s fully 3D environments, the excellent character models, animations, and cinematics make it feel like a modern take that preserves the spirit and the lighthearted vibe of the original experience so well it becomes a joy to engage with. Those flaws I mentioned? They melt away as the game pulls you into a story that’s brimming with charm and the kind of reckless optimism that only a game that’s decidedly anime can pull off.

The soundtrack is a major part of that, and is a highlight of the experience on offer right from the get-go. It ebbs and flows with what’s unfolding on screen, punctuating the emotions each scene is meant to convey so well, and yet, subtly, you don’t realize its effects unless you’re actively looking for them. The English voice acting is suitably upbeat too, and it was good enough for me not to switch it to the Japanese version, something I do quite often in such titles.

As a sequel to last year’s title, Second Chapter definitely ups the ante on the narrative front, with Estelle feeling like she’s taking on more than she can handle without Joshua before things in the story unfold. In terms of gameplay, its new additions are inspired, and certainly add a bit of flair and spectacle to the table. But it’s in the way things are paced where I’d say the first title has a distinct advantage, as this one can feel unnecessarily stuffed from time to time.

It’s going to take you quite a while to play the story and engage with its side content, as this is a massive game with a lot of stuff to do. Heck, I can see myself spending hours on end simply toying with different combinations of Arts and quartz just to see what I could come up with in the next few fights I got into. The main story could have used a bit of trimming to cut down on time spent watching cutscenes unfold, but if this kind of story is something you’re already a fan of, I don’t see that being an issue at all.

The game performed like a charm on my PS5, running smoothly on the default graphical preset with no options to tweak things in favor of performance or quality. There was only a single crash during my time with the game, and it presented a clean image and great, consistent frame rates across the board. As far as the performance on this one goes, there’s definitely nothing to complain about for me.

As it stands, it’s more Trails in the Sky, which is still a great thing to have, especially if you enjoyed First Chapter.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

Of course, our first thoughts were of all of you waiting to learn more about the game, and whether it’s going to be worth diving in from day one. We figured knowing about some of the gameplay changes that stood out to us is going to help with that decision one way or another, so let’s get right to it!

1. Keep Control With Off-Balance Dribbling

While FC 26 placed a welcome emphasis on shielding and responsive play when dribbling, things could get a tad dicey when physical contact sent us into stumbling animations that soon became a sure-fire way to lose possession.

Well, that’s changing now with players who are sufficiently specced into Balance, Agility, and Dribbling able to enter an off-balance state in which a bump, collision, or shoulder charge lets them retain directional control and take an additional dribble touch even as they stumble. That immediately makes physical contact an opportunity to compete for control of the ball instead of a punishment for not avoiding contact altogether.

2. Teammate Contain

We liked what this one was meant to do in FC 26, the idea being that a defender always has backup when trying to block an opponent’s effort to slip past them and score; prevention being better than a cure and all that. However, that second defender could often get too close and even interfere with our own plans from time to time, or in the case of our own defenders, often create a scoring opportunity in the effort.

That’s different now, as FC 27 makes that second defender hang back, waiting for you to take control and get to pinning attackers on your own, a change that’s immediately more palatable than the previous solution.

3. Changes To Shoulder Challenging

FC 26 made spamming your shoulder challenges a little too viable for our tastes, a sentiment that seemingly echoed across the board as they were changed to reduce challenges coming from directly behind your opponent.

FC 27 has taken that a step further to make shoulder challenges work best when you’re side-by-side with your opponent, while merely spamming it now slows down your defender as they stick out an arm for balance. That’s a nice way to ensure players use the game’s mechanics with intent rather than simply wishing for things to click on their own.

4. Restrictions To Team Press

The previous game had already taken things down a notch as far as Team Press was concerned, reducing marking and pressure in the defensive half. But the AI could still be quite troublesome if you were in possession, getting even more aggressive higher up the field.

In FC 27, Team Press isn’t in effect when the ball’s in your defensive third, and it does still function as you go further up the pitch, but with changes. Defenders aren’t going to be as aggressive as midfielders and forwards, and the defense becomes more vulnerable to a ball behind the line the more defenders step up to the ball. That could make quite the difference in practice, requiring more manual switching and defensive positioning.

5. More Conservative Lower Defence Positions

Defenders could keep pushing too high up the pitch in FC 26, a facet of the experience that needed a patch to low-depth positioning.

That’s been taken a bit further this year, with defenders retreating sooner and trying to minimize available space behind the line. That immediately changes how low blocks play out in a match, and it could mean more meaningful defensive lines that help sell the simulation much better than what was on offer before.

6. Separating Running Speed from AcceleRATE

The three core categories in the AcceleRATE system brought distinct acceleration types in FC 26 alongside the Acceleration and Sprint Speed ratings, but that’s changed this year to reduce its influence on running performance.

That automatically makes Explosive, Controlled, and Lengthy feel less disparate, while raw pace attribute ratings now better influence running speeds for a player on the pitch. It makes AcceleRATE feel like its own movement classification system without letting it interfere with how fast you perform in a match.

7. Changed Lengthy Requirements For Female Players

The requirement for a female player to fit into the Lengthy category, provided she meets Strength, Acceleration, and Agility requirements, was at 165cm/5’5″ in FC 26 but is now increased to 172cm/5’8″ this year.

That’s immediately going to change which female athletes on your roster can fit into the Lengthy category, which in turn influences your team compositions based on the kind of strategies you’re adopting.

8. Riskier Player Lock Implementation

Switching away from whoever was controlling the ball last year would let the CPU maintain possession while you lined up your off-ball runner. That’s changed now, and the CPU carrier doesn’t automatically evade defenders and is going to continue in the direction you left them going. Passing error margins on a CPU-controlled ball carrier also get an increase, making it risky to switch in tight situations.

That automatically makes Player Lock feel more like a deliberate choice that you use sparingly to set up a good offense instead of a mechanic that you could use to let the CPU do the heavy lifting whenever you wanted it to.

9. Deliberately Heavier Player Movement

The movement overhaul that FC 26 brought to the table was definitely welcome, bringing a more agile roster of players who could turn faster and were generally more responsive, while Authentic Gameplay slowed that down in relation to what you could expect from Competitive.

Well, version 2.0 now brings a more physical weight to touches, turns, and sprints, especially when you’re under pressure, which can definitely help make things feel very real on the pitch. That it happens whether you’re on or off the ball is a really nice touch in our opinion, as it can make the experience feel consistent and authentic when you experience it in action.

10. More Authentic Weather Effects

The rain, snow, and wind from last year’s title were great additions to give us a feeling of being in the thick of the action while bringing meaningful twists to the gameplay, but they’re more potent this year around.

The weather isn’t just influencing the atmosphere in the stadium, but is going to have a direct impact on the flow of a match as players struggle to retain their footing after sharp turns in wet or snowy conditions. It’s a great way to expand on the new system and is definitely a step in the right direction as far as Authentic Gameplay is concerned.

11. More Variety In Physical Interactions

While there was a focus on making physical interactions more reliable with the intention of enabling better shielding and protecting possession in the previous game, FC 27 is changing things up by making physical interactions feel stronger and more varied.

Expect frequent stumbles if you come into contact with other players too often, as the broader physical collision system makes its presence felt right off the bat with this one.

12. A More Aggressive CPU

Remember how tackle accuracy and physical play felt quite realistic last year? That’s now been improved with CPU players committing more fouls as they try to get the ball away from you, and it immediately creates the scope for more realistic physical confrontations in a match.

That’s not to mention the positive effect it has on free kicks and set pieces that occur within games, with the added benefit of making CPU aggression feel like a more influential factor in Career Mode.

13. Expansions To Authentic Gameplay Customization

We were quite pleased with the addition of controls for margins of error on headed shots, headed passes, interceptions, and ball-deflections last year, and that’s now been expanded from FC 26’s five new gameplay sliders from last year to twenty-five new ones, alongside ten CPU sliders that are also brand new in FC 27.

The latter includes separate controls for CPU Opponents and Teammates, so you get to tune the behaviour of both playing sides in Player Career and other compatible modes.

14. Stronger Tactical Identities For CPU Teams

Last year brought tighter midfield positioning and better defensive organizing from CPU-controlled teams, and this year is building on that with more distinct playing styles, improved decision-making, and a wider gamut of tactical approaches for your opponents.

EA is also tuning areas such as CPU 1v1 finishing and defensive responses, which should further distinguish opponent behaviour. You’re going to have to work for your wins, and that’s exactly how it should be!

15. More Distinction between Difficulty Levels

The Professional, World Class, and Legendary difficulties from last year are getting a bit of tweaking to make them feel more distinct.

That’s been recalibrated this year to make for clearer jumps between the three categories and different slider thresholds on parameters like Sliding Tackle Frequency and the like to allow more dynamic tactical behavior from AI opponents for when you’re playing solo. It could help change how they behave to present a more tangible difference between them

And that’s it for this one. FC 27 is certainly shaping up to be a fun addition to the long and prestigious line-up that the franchise now enjoys. You can bet you’re going to be seeing us on the pitch once you join in on the action.