This month marks its biggest update with Reanimation, which adds a new map (Pottsville), combat improvements, a roster of characters, a radial inventory and a “big surprise.” The latter has been in the works for a long time, and will provide players with “a lot more to do.”

Pottsville is the first new map since early access launched. It’s a more urban-focused environment that’s denser and more claustrophobic. As for the character roster, it provides three slots and lets you decide which Responder to take into a map. No more potentially getting a level 50 character killed.

Alongside the new radial inventory, items now have weight – the heavier an item, the more space it takes up. If that wasn’t enough, combat would allow for “more creativity” and “better interplay” with allies.

“It’s now much more important to measure your strike distance, decide on the direction of your attacks, keep an eye on your stamina – and juggle all of this with allies at your side. One player may take a more ‘crowd control’ role, knocking back multiple zombies with heavy attacks and kicks, while another player more carefully disperses enemies with precision as zombies make it through the crowd.” You can also expect new melee armaments to spice up the experience.

Stay tuned for a release date for Reanimation and more details. No More Room in Hell 2 is available for PC via early access. Check out our review of the launch version here.

Launching by November end, it will make ammo scarcer, “re-tuning difficulty” for players’ levels, and performing “balance passes” on the lethality of its zombies. The latter will also benefit from improved hit reactions and more realistic movement (which you can see in the trailer below).

The Power Plant, currently the only way to extract and end a match, will receive a new random ending, achieved by completing tasks in the central area. New sequences are currently in the works for early 2025, and the next map remains in development (though there’s no ETA on its launch).

There will also be two new weapons – the M1911A1 handgun and the M7A1 assault rifle. Players can also look forward to “hundreds” of fixes, from revive bugs to sliding zombies. Stay tuned for more details, and check out our review of the early access version.

However, zombies have long since proven a medium to evoke terror and remind humanity of its frailty and how things can go from peaceful to post-apocalyptic in the blink of an eye. What do you do when that’s the case? Lever Games’ No More Room in Hell captured that tension, that ever-present atmosphere of dread, from its inception as a Half-Life 2 mod to a standalone release in 2011. You weren’t a hero or someone special; just a survivor attempting to see another hellish day.

Despite the naming, No More Room in Hell 2 isn’t that.

"Right off the bat, any semblance of building a spooky atmosphere feels tossed by the wayside in favor of pushing the objective."

Torn Banner Studios may be listed as the developer, but it acquired Lever Games in June, with the sequel having been in development for several years. That Summer Game Fest trailer certainly gave the impression of adhering to the original’s fundamentals, albeit on a much bigger map (singular).

However, early access portrays a more traditional – and, at times, rote – extraction shooter. As disappointing as that sounds for fans of the original, any hopes of it standing on its fundamentals are dashed by numerous technical issues, some flawed design decisions, a repetitive gameplay loop, and an unexciting premise. Even the zombies feel like they’re just here so they don’t get fined – more akin to contemporary Romero than the classics.

Contrary to what it may feel like at the start, No More Room in Hell 2 does have a premise. Instead of a survivor, you’re a “responder” who must rush to the power plant to restore it and prevent total regional collapse, as the CRC blares over the radio. You start alone, but there are seven other players on the map.

With nothing but a revolver, flashlight, and metal pipe, fight or avoid zombies to survive while looting other points of interest for better weapons, healing items, explosives, equipment, etc. Once you know where things are, stocking up on ammo is pitifully easy, though going trigger-happy out in the wild isn’t the best idea since the noise can attract other zombies.

Right off the bat, any semblance of building a spooky atmosphere feels tossed by the wayside in favor of pushing the objective. I appreciate the CRC telling me from the outset about key, red-marked locations to clear first. However, any tension from exploring locations, like the hospital, hopping up crates and other materials to the boarded-up second floor while discovering dozens of undead casually roaming on the first, is dulled by constant updates.

"Even if you can deal with all that, the zombies in question feel like they soak up too much damage."

Whether other players looted a location, ventured to the power plant, or tripped over a rock, you’ll hear about it. I would have appreciated more subtle notifications when far from others – the cacophony can continue when we’re together.

Despite reasonably meeting the recommended requirements for High settings and setting the upscaling to TSA, the frame rate left something to be desired in my first go-round. Toning down a few options like volumetrics while opting for Nvidia DLSS Quality improved things significantly, even with crowds of zombies. However, the zombies themselves present a litany of their own issues.

Rubber-banding, sliding across the floor, suddenly shifting from awkward shuffles to lunges, teleporting through the player – it’s a far cry from the dead simply walking the Earth. Graphical glitches like zombie heads awkwardly floating in the air or, even worse, barely attached to the still-moving body are one thing.

But everything else impacts the overall gameplay, especially turning melee into a test of luck unless you’re on top of a car and swinging away at an undead crowd (which seemingly can’t reach, despite their climbing capabilities). It doesn’t help that melee combat feels clunky overall, regardless of the weapon’s size and weight – like you’re swinging while underwater. At least the fire axe feels like it has some heft to it.

Even if you can deal with all that, the zombies in question feel like they soak up too much damage. I’m all for dealing with runners, whether pushing them away (which feels clumsy) or desperately fleeing and using the environment to turn the tables. However, the red-eye zombies and their ability to tank punishment notwithstanding, unleashing a shotgun blast or heavy rifle shot to the skull to see a zombie continually amble forward with nothing but their lower jaw and wagging tongue is annoying. Humorous to some extent, but disheartening regardless.

"Starting alone is intriguing until you spend time reaching the plant and find that 60 percent of the lobby is already dead, making the final stretch that much more challenging."

No More Room in Hell 2 tries combining the original’s brutal mechanics and realism with a more “mainstream” approach (for lack of a better word). However, some elements don’t mesh with the more fast-paced gameplay flow. Starting alone is intriguing until you spend time reaching the plant and find that 60 percent of the lobby is already dead, making the final stretch that much more challenging. Zombies infinitely respawn, which feels balanced for eight players, but significantly more irritating when you’re suddenly ambushed out of nowhere from behind after mind-numbingly clearing out undead from atop a car.

However, it doesn’t quite explain the approach to permadeath. You start with a responder, and upon successful extraction, they receive XP to unlock new passive skills of your choosing. If they die during a mission, you must select a new randomly generated responder and repeat the process.

It’s not unlike other extraction shooters where dying results in lost loot, even if co-op is forced, and the team’s failures, through no fault of your own, result in hours of lost progress. But if you give me some rando I have no attachment to, why not let me customize their appearance and playstyle when starting afresh?

When you’re not facing bugs like your weapon’s ADS glitching out, making it impossible to shoot, or zombies getting stuck in the railing, the visuals are appealing. Locational damage on the undead is perhaps the highlight, even if it can range from exposed bits to simple crimson masks when taking one too many hits to the decaying dome. It’s no F.L.E.S.H. system from Dead Island 2, but I’ll take it, and despite the many issues with melee combat, at least the gunplay feels satisfying and responsive.

"Torn Banner may eventually find a way to reconcile the sequel with the original’s approach, but it currently has a long way to go."

The lighting, shadows, and environmental details are also worth noting, with several locations dripping with atmosphere, like rows of abandoned vehicles near checkpoints, field camps in disarray and bodies, undead and otherwise, lying about. Their puzzles fell a little too much on the simple side – like knocking out four fuse boxes to turn off electrical traps to enter a building and then hitting three breakers to restore power – but they work. Now, if only there were more to the gameplay loop than just running to the plant and extracting.

Even after dealing with all the issues and glitches, No More Room in Hell 2, ironically, has plenty of room to grow in early access. Moments, where you’re desperately gunning down hordes and extracting alongside what little teammates remain can be enjoyable, bugs and all. However, considering how many other better and more polished co-op shooters are on the market, it’s not enough. Torn Banner may eventually find a way to reconcile the sequel with the original’s approach, but it currently has a long way to go.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Torn Banner Studios has provided an update on lag and server problems. It’s already worked to address matchmaking, adjusting parameters to match players based on ping. Though another adjustment was made, it’s still “actively monitoring” the situation.

Meanwhile, the server issues resulted from Asia and US-West players playing on cloud instances with “about half the efficiency of our target” due to the service provider not having “adequate” options. As such, Torn Banner is working to address issues, including teleporting zombies, “slow hit reactions,” and so on. It’s also working on a hotfix to fix a “selection of gameplay and performance issues.” Stay tuned for further details.

No More Room in Hell 2 is available for PC via Steam Early Access. It features one map, multiple enemies and weapons, and permadeath characters, with plans to remain in early access for a year at least.

On Steam, the developer confirmed it plans to remain in early access for “at least one year.” It will include permadeath characters, multiple enemy types, ‘unique “enemy encounter” moments’, various melee and ranged weapons, a dismemberment system for zombies, traps, explosives, and an evolving narrative. Only one map, Power Plant, is available, but it will have “over a dozen places of interest” with “puzzle-like objectives and rewards.”

Torn Banner plans to include additional maps, weapons, storylines, and customization in the full version. While the early access pricing is yet to be announced, it will be “reasonable” (with an expected increase en route to the full version). Head here for more details on the title’s co-op mechanics, combat, and more.

Featuring various members of the horror shooter’s development team, the video offers yet more glimpses at No More Room in Hell 2’s gameplay, with new bits and pieces also being revealed on its combat (which, unsurprisingly for a Torn Banner game, is quite a point of emphasis here), how the game will introduce meaningful gameplay variation across different runs, how co-op will work, and more. Check out the trailer below for more details.

No More Room in Hell 2 is set to launch for PC in early access this Halloween. More details on the game will be shared later in the week with a livestream from Torn Banner Studios on June 11.

No More Room in Hell 2 supports up to eight players and features a large map teeming with the undead. Coordinating with your teammates, stocking up on supplies and fighting for survival is key. There are explosives, guns and other items to discover, though beware – die, and all your progress is lost thanks to permadeath.

Some rogue-lite elements are present, like leveling up your responder through looting and offering access to starting gear and equipment. Still, this isn’t like Left 4 Dead – multiple zombies can be lethal, ammo is limited, and you’re not the tankiest human.

No More Room in Hell 2 will receive more details at the PC Gaming Show on June 9th. Torn Banner will also host a livestream on June 11th. Stay tuned in the meantime.

Tenosian Invasion—a free update on all platforms—is set to be the largest, most ambitious content update for the game so far. New content in the update includes the new Tenosian faction, new maps for Team Objective and Team Deathmatch modes, Armory items, and weapon skins.

With the Tenosian Invasion update, Chivalry 2 is now also getting horseback combat, as well as a new Console Server Browser that supports cross-play.

The new maps included in Tenosion Invasion are The Breach of Baudwyn and The Razing of Askandir for Team Objective, and Desert and The Charge of Wardenglade for Team Deathmatch.

Alongside the Steam release and the update, Tripwire Presents has also announced that Chivalry 2 is set to come to Game Pass on console and PC before the end of the year.

Chivalry 2 is out on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One.

It’s getting pretty good engagement numbers as well, apparently. According to stats released by Torn Banner and publisher Tripwire Interactive, Chivalry 2’s player base has collectively played the game for over 8 million hours, during which time they’ve all killed over 420 million knights in battle. The Messer is apparently the most popular weapon in the game, too.

“We are so happy to have brought Chivalry 2’s unique experience of bloody, epic medieval warfare to so many people – and we’re already hard at work expanding the game much, much more,” said Torn Banner president Steve Piggott.

Tripwire Interactive CEO John Gibson added: “We’ve been blown away by the response from players and critics alike, and the team is already hard at work on more great free content and adding highly requested features such as cross-platform parties.”

Speaking of upcoming free content for Chivalry 2, Torn Banner promised that they’d be adding everything from new maps to new weapons and much more. Read more about that through here.

Chivalry 2 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Ratchet and Clank isn’t the only new release in this week’s charts. Torn Banner Studios’ Chivalry 2 debuts in ninth place, 41% of its sales on PS5, 32% on Xbox Series X/S, and 36% on PS4. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is in at No. 12, while Guilty Gear Strive has debuted at No. 26. 

Meanwhile, FIFA 21, which topped charts last week, has dropped down to second place. Other perennial chart toppers like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and the Switch version of Minecraft are all in the top 10 as well.

You can check out the full top 10 for the week ending June 12 below.