While you could automate the blocking, you risk missing out on what Konrad Tomaszkiewicz believes is an experience akin to Guitar Hero. As absurd as that sounds, he told Edge Magazine (via GamesRadar) that it’s a bit similar, “where at first you cannot hit the right button, and later you’re playing these really difficult songs.”

“When you start to get used to the directional combat, it’s so cool that we believe most people will play this way.” Of course, as daunting as it initially seems, there are indicators to help guide the player. Those who seek a greater challenge can always turn them off, paying closer attention to an enemy and parrying accordingly.

You could also cut loose with vampiric abilities, including a scream that can stun enemies for precious seconds. They’re not available during the daytime, naturally, but that’s where Hexes come in, evening the odds. That is, if you decide to spec into them. After all, even upgrading your abilities will advance the time, reducing the amount available for Coen to save his family.

Even with so much revealed for The Blood of Dawnwalker, it’s interesting to see how much Rebel Wolves hasn’t showcased. The open-world action RPG launches on September 3rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out 15 major differences between it and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Total revenue hit ¥18.3 billion ($114.9 million), with lifetime revenue over ¥88 billion ($552.8 million) since its October 2025 launch. Of course, operating income for Nexon was down 17 percent and its Dungeon and Fighter franchise declined 44 percent year-on-year, but MapleStory continues to perform well. MapleStory Worlds, which focuses on user-generated content, grew by 123 percent over the same period, as the franchise reached “record-breaking quarterly revenue.”

As for ARC Raiders, its next major update, Frozen Trail, lands on October 8th. It adds a large new map in the mountains, a brand-new Operation and two new ARC threats. The latter have yet to be detailed, but they include “a small and nifty problem-maker” and “an enormous machine that will halt you in your tracks.”

Embark is also adding a new player space, the Outpost, which players can decorate. As the “first steps to reclaiming the surface,” you’ll use it to “research new elements of the world.” New Raider Decks and Skill Tree adjustments to provide more agency over one’s playstyle are also on the horizon. You can also expect new weapons, gadgets, cosmetics, etc, so stay tuned for more details closer to release.

ARC Raiders is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Head of publishing and communications John Buckley responded to the tweet, noting that it’s “time to get back to the grind.” He invited suggestions, and the results were about what you would expect, topping 2,000 replies. “Shot myself in the foot here,” he noted in a follow-up, “but things like ‘add a new continent’, ‘add 20 more levels’ and similarly massive undertakings are not really what we want to do with v1.1.”

Buckley noted that the team is “open to ideas” but “we’re not planning to spend a year making a massive update for 1.1.” This is pretty much in line with earlier statements about not wanting to follow No Man’s Sky when discussing long-term support. In the same vein, he noted that you can only add “five more levels” or “10 levels” so many times before it’s a “massive bloat point.”

Support for Palworld will eventually end, and the team will look to what comes after. For now, it’s a pretty compelling experience, especially with 1.0 adding new Pals, a brand-new region, late-game armor and weapons, new structures, and revamping the open world with new points of interest and other additions. It’s available for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, and PC – check out our review for more details.

Former gameplay engineer Daniel Schlesinger posted something similar, noting that “alongside many others, I was laid off last week from Skybound Entertainment and the Quarter Up team.” However, it seems the overall impact is allegedly more severe than what’s publicly known. An anonymous employee speaking to This Week in Videogames claimed that “something like 75% of Quarter Up was laid off” last month.

They also alleged that about 35 employees of a 50-member team were gone. Another source claimed that layoffs actually began in June, with four employees let go, which was then followed by another 29 in July.

If that sounds all over the place, that’s apparently the case, according to one source. They also believed that only a “skeleton crew” was left for support “through the first wave of DLC” (featuring Universa and the Immortal as new characters). Nothing was said about the second wave, so it’s possible that further layoffs could ensue as Quarter Up winds down work.

As for the reason behind these redundancies, a former employee says, “The assumption is that Invincible VS didn’t perform to what [Quarter Up] expected, and, unfortunately, they didn’t have the budget to keep people around.” Unfortunately, it seems any plans for long-term support remain up in the air, despite the studio seemingly desiring to.

Skybound Games, of which Quarter Up is an internal studio, didn’t comment on the layoffs or what’s to come from the studio, although a source noted that they may “go back to the drawing board.” We’ll have to wait and see what that looks like, so stay tuned for more details.

Amid this, director Kota Furushima spoke to 4Gamer (translation via Insider-Gaming) and apologized to players. “First of all, I feel there are still things that need to be addressed honestly and sincerely. We apologize for the parts where you haven’t been able to play comfortably enough.

“On the other hand, I also feel that the parts I wanted to convey as a game have truly reached through. However, to ensure you can enjoy it that much, there are still areas that need improvement, so we want to make sure to improve it.”

He went on to thank those currently playing, and noted that, “While you enjoy it, there are still areas that need improvement, and we apologize for making it difficult to play. We want to respond thoroughly going forward while listening to the feedback we receive.”

Of course, fans aren’t the only ones who were less than positive on the action RPG. On Metacritic, it scored a 73 Metascore based on 60 reviews for PS5. Besides technical issues, some noted the bland characterization of its cast, the iffy parrying, and the repetitive nature of some boss fights, especially against the Nushi. You can read all about that here.

While Game Freak hasn’t outlined how it will improve all the gameplay aspects, it confirmed that additional camera adjustments, story improvements, Nvidia DLSS 4/4.5 (L/M) and AMD FSR 4 support, and more are on the way. In the meantime, check out our review for Beast of Reincarnation here – we scored it an 8 out of 10, praising the combat, art direction and exploration, despite various other issues.

It’s divided into eight sub-categories and encompasses just about every activity in the game, from Main Quests and Faction Quests to Daily Life Quests and even Constellations. Best of all, those who completed the respective quests will receive their Knowledge entries retroactively, so no need to start a new game or pursue them again.

Other notable changes include research now requiring Camp Funds instead of Silver, making it that much easier to initiate while saving your spending money on more practical things. Also, while trading may be more worthwhile thanks to a previous update, the ability to stack and load high-value trade goods up to 100 wasn’t intended and has been fixed.

You can check some of the patch notes below (including the new options for Lock-On Camera Rotation) and full details here. While we’re still waiting for the promised story improvements, Crimson Desert’s first paid DLC is targeting a release this year. It will be revealed in Q3 2026, so stay tuned for more details on its pricing, structure, and more.

Patch Notes Version 1.18.00

Content

• Added “Quests” as a new knowledge category.
• The new category consits of 8 sub-categories: Main Quests, Faction Quests, Investigation Quests, Research Quests, Daily Life Quests, Guide, Archive Records, Constellations.
• Certain quest knowledge entries will be granted retroactively if the corresponding quest has already been completed.
• Changed the resource required for research from silvers to camp funds.
• Fixed an issue where high-value trade goods could be stacked and loaded in quantities of up to 100.
• Fixed an issue where merchants did not appear at trading stalls in certain situations.
• Changed the location of the item “Baker’s Note” from the quest “Haverson’s Request.”
• Improved the knowledge system so that knowledge of certain animals can be gained by picking them up, instead of killing them.
• Improved the wording of certain boss knowledge entries.
• Improved the stable so that horse gear can now be equipped there.
• Fixed an issue where the pensive statue would revert to its unrepaired state in certain situations while progressing through the quest at Jijeong Temple to repair the pensive statues.
• Improved the quest from Chapter 4. The Price of Knowledge > Mysterious Pot > Kiln Repair at the Kilnden Workshop, so that the broken pieces of the kiln can now be reattached using “Force Current.”
• Fixed an issue where the “Defeat the enemies around the cabin” submission did not appear near Cairn House.
• Improved the knowledge system so that the knowledge of “Mysterious Invitation” can be obatined after completing “Read the memory beneath Delesyia Castle.”

Controls

• Added new options for “Lock-on Camera Rotation”.
• “Lock-on Camera Rotation” under Input in the game setting now has three options: manual, semi-auto, auto., where as the previous options were enabled and disabled.
• Manual: When lock-on is enabled, you can rotate the camera using the right stick or mouse. (Previous setting: enabled)
• Semi-auto: when lock-on is enabled, you can rotate the camera using the right stick or mouse within a limited range.
• Auto: When lock-on is enabled, you cannot rotate the camera using the right stick or mouse. (Previous setting: disabled)
• Fixed an issue where you could not lock on to targets with a ranged weapon while riding a mount in certain situations.
• Fixed an issue where the quick slot arrow would move in an unnatural way.

Combat / Action

• Improved an issue where certain special mounts would get stuck when trying to cross low ledges.
• Fixed an issue where the player could not climb through windows even when there were no obstacles.
• Fixed an issue where Sir Catfish would repeatedly perform a specific action in the same location under certain circumstances.

UI

• Improved the map so that areas revealed by ringing the bell can be visually distinguished from areas explored directly.

Graphics / Settings

• Fixed an issue where indoor lighting effects were unstable in certain situations.
• Fixed an issue where the camera would jitter or shake when controlled in low-FPS conditions.
• Fixed an issue where rendering would appear corrupted when FSR Frame Generation or XeSS Frame Generation was enabled on certain low-end graphics cards, including GTX 1060.

Localization

• Fixed various localization errors and improved localization quality across all languages.

Appearing during the series Deep Dive panel (which has since been privated), Nomura said via interpreter, as caught by VGC, “We announced that the game is going to be coming late 2027, and I saw online that some people were saying, ‘oh, you know, maybe the actual release date might still get pushed back’.

“I just wanted to set the record straight – that is not happening. So I do hope people look forward to the game coming in 2027. A lot of the marketing for the game has only just started, and so I do hope that people also look forward to hearing more news as well.”

You have to admit – given all those years after the sequel’s announcement with no details, it’s easy for fans to be skeptical. Given how much the development team has revealed thus far and Square Enix’s track record, Nomura may be right. Time will tell – it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that several titles had to change release dates to avoid something else.

Kingdom Hearts 4 is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Though it starts in Quadratum, the so-called “unreality” of the World where Sora ends up, various Disney worlds make an appearance, including The Land of the Dead from Coco. We even see the return of the Underworld from Hercules alongside some unique stages featuring Mickey Mouse. Stay tuned for more details en route to launch.

Aside from Coco’s The Land of the Dead, it’s confirmed that players will control King Mickey at points. After venturing into a mysterious tome, he can use the Keyblade to interact with parts of the environment, which open like a pop-up book. There’s also a side-scrolling platforming sequence and even a section where you control a giant paper-mache Mickey, breaking through obstacles.

As for Donald and Goofy, they aren’t just paying Hades a visit in the Underworld but fighting Heartless, sliding down slopes with the occasional magma stream and unleashing their own team-up. Both characters are playable, which raises even more questions when they also venture to the Land of the Dead, seemingly missing Sora along the way (though the latter can see their spirits).

What’s with all the Heartless and mayhem in Quadratum? Who are the other Keyblade wielders helping Sora? We’ll find out when Kingdom Hearts 4 launches in late 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

We get a look at the first Disney world: The Land of the Dead, the setting for 2017’s Coco. Sora meets with Miguel, fighting Heartless during his performance and even unlocking a new Keyblade form based on the world. In one sequence, he’s riding it on rails to battle a larger Heartless.

Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy travel to the Underworld from Hercules to meet with Hades, who reveals that Sora isn’t there. At one point in Quadratum, the latter sees his friends’ spirits and collapses before we cut to another scene where large Heartless attack. Another Keyblade wielder is with him, besides Strelitzia from Kingdom Hearts Union χ.

And what is Mickey Mouse doing? Hanging out in the library, noting that “This is a lot of new information.” Perhaps teasing fans that there’s more to come, especially with a Deep Dive panel set for today at 4:30 PM PST. Stay tuned for more details and updates in the meantime.

You can also check out the lat trailer for Kingdom Hearts 4 here.

We’re beginning to see what Bit Reactor meant when it said it wasn’t sacrificing elegance for depth with this one, as you get a ton of ways to take Advantage in a fight and build it up to unleash Ultimate attacks. You’ll have to be clever about when to use them, as Advantage is shared across your team. That’s aside from having three Action Points per character to unleash their abilities.

Of course, the party you bring to the fight is as important as the tactics you have them employing once they’re there. Thankfully, there are a lot of ways to customize how your fighters look and play. There’s a lot of potential for some mad synergies and spectacular battles with teams that might not get along, but get the job done anyway. As their commander, Hawks, you’ll have your work cut out for you, undertaking Operations for resources and upgrading your base to unlock new functions.

We can’t wait to see if we get to add Anakin to the ranks of playable characters when this one drops later this month for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.