Balan Wonderworld is a whimsical 3D platformer centered around the mysterious Balan theater. Led by the titular maestro Balan, the stars of the show Emma and Leo utilize special abilities from over 80 different costumes as they adventure in the bizarre land of Wonderworld filled with colorful inhabitants, tricks, and traps.

The game supports two-player couch co-op, allowing players to cooperate as Leo and Emma and combine the abilities of different costumes to open new paths through Wonderworld.

Continue reading →

Pioneers of Olive Town is the next entry in the fantasy farming game series Story of Seasons. The game’s protagonist leaves the big city for a quiet Olive Town and takes over their grandfather’s old farm, which has been reclaimed by nature. Land needs to be cleared, the old facilities repaired, and new ones built. Meanwhile, the nearby Olive Town has hundreds of unique festivities and events to offer.

The standard edition of Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town can be pre-ordered for $49.99 and includes just the game and the pre-order bonus, if applicable. There is also a retail Premium Edition and a digital Expansion Pass Set detailed after the jump.

Continue reading →

Inspired by the Nintendo 64 classic from 1999, New Pokemon Snap takes place in the Lental archipelago and involves photographing wild Pokémon in their natural habitats. Some of the Pokémon and vegetation in the region appear to glow, and the player will have to investigate this Illumina phenomenon alongside Professor Mirror.

New Pokemon Snap plays like an on-rail shooter, except instead of a gun, the player wields a camera. The islands in the Lental region have diverse environments such as jungles, deserts, and beaches, and its Pokémon are just as varied, with over 200 in total to discover and snap photos of.

Continue reading →

Blackwood is the next expansion, or chapter, for The Elder Scrolls Online fantasy MMORPG from Bethesda. As a part of the year-long Gates of Oblivion adventure, Blackwood features a total of 30 hours of story content. It includes the titular Blackwood zone, new Companion system, a 12-player Rockgrove Trial, Oblivion Portals world event, and more.

Like the previous expansions, Blackwood can be purchased as an upgrade or a standalone game (collection) with access to all the previous ESO chapters. Both of these options have standard and CE flavors for a total of four different editions. Pre-ordering any edition of Blackwood nets the same in-game bonuses that are detailed after the jump.

Continue reading →

Resident Evil Village is a first-person survival horror game and a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The story begins with the returning protagonist, Ethan Winters, living peacefully with his wife Mia a few years after escaping the Baker plantation. Then BSAA captain Chris Redfield attacks their home, and Ethan’s daughter is kidnapped. Seeking answers, he chases Chris to a remote snowy village in Romania.

RE: Village introduces a crafting system, through which Ethan can craft first-aid kits and ammunition. The game also features a merchant that will sell and upgrade weapons – for a price. Resource management remains an important aspect of gameplay, since Ethan’s inventory capacity is limited to the size of a briefcase.

Continue reading →

Returnal is a third-person roguelike shooter from Finnish developer Housemarque. The game follows Selene, a space explorer who crash-lands on a shape-shifting planet filled with alien horrors. She finds herself fighting for survival – and each time she dies, she wakes up again right before the crash, with her surroundings and enemies transformed.

As a PlayStation 5 exclusive, Returnal comes with full next-gen feature support including fast loading, adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and Tempest 3D audio on supported headsets.

Continue reading →

Bravely Default II is a turn-based RPG from Japanese studio Claytechworks. While it inherits certain gameplay mechanics from the previous Bravely installments, such as the Brave and Default commands, the setting and the character cast are all new.

The game is set on the continent of Excillant, which is split into five kingdoms, and follows a young sailor Seth. After washing up on Excillant’s shores, he encounters a princess who fled her ruined kingdom, as well as two travelers determined to decipher a mysterious and magical book. The player can select from many different jobs and skills, and customize each party member to fit their strategy.

Continue reading →