Game Infliction, Author at Game Infliction

Vampire Survivors’ Second Expansion Arrives in April

Poncle has announced a second expansion for Vampire Survivors called Tides of the Foscari, which will arrive on April 13.

As revealed on Xbox Wire, the expansion takes players to western Europe in the Great Forest with the developers were influenced by local fairy tales and folklore. At the center lies the Foscari Academy, a school that trains the next generation of warriors, scholars, and leaders.

It’s divided into three houses: the Azure Tower trains magical sorcerers and warlocks; the Crimson Anvil focuses on strength, engineering, and blacksmithing; and the Amber Sickle consists of professions such as accounting, agriculture, and archery.

As for the new content, there are eight new characters, 13 new weapons, one new stage, seven music tracks, and 20 new achievements. And this all costs $1.99.

Vampire Survivors’ first expansion, Legacy of the Moonspell was released back in December 2022, and now Tides of the Forscari will arrive soon.

In IGN’s Vampire Survivors review, we said: “Vampire Survivors is outwardly simple but turns out to be an incredibly deep hole to fall down – though it’s not without extended dull periods when you get ahead of its curve.”

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.

When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey

The Electronic Wireless Show podcast S2 Ep9: modder, where art thou?

podcast talks all things mods – specifically, the ones that got real big and broke out from their respective source games. It’s a chat that’s been prompted by the developers behind Slay The Spire mod Downfall announcing their own brand-new game, Tales & Tactics.

There’s also a lot of undead fish chat, and Alice’s plans for entertaining herself on an upcoming long-haul flight. And in James’ hardware corner, the gang chat about Nvidia’s comments on AI and crypto, as well as Ubisoft’s AI writing software tool thinger.

Review: GrimGrimoire OnceMore – Magical Quality Of Life Additions Refine Repetitive RTS

Time is an unending circle.

Learning magic is full of danger. One day you’re just getting your head around the basics of summoning different creatures and the next you’re stuck in an inexplicable time loop to prevent a trapped Archmage from reclaiming an artifact of unimaginable power. At least, that’s the way things go in GrimGrimoire OnceMore as Lillet Blan tries to survive her studies at the Silver Star Tower.

A remaster of 2007’s GrimGrimoire by Vanillaware, this game does a lot right in its attempt to capture the action of a Real Time Strategy title. Things begin as Lillet Blan arrives at the Tower to study magic. The “new student at the academy” setup is familiar enough that players will feel at home in the first few minutes of the game. Lillet is sent to various professors, each specialising in a type of magic that she must learn. These lessons take the form of RTS battles that make up the gameplay in GrimGrimoire OnceMore.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for April 3 to 7

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!

Great New Games Spotlight has officially kicked off and we’re excited to bring you a ton of games every week for the next six weeks — more than 100+ new games will launch on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One between February 28 and April 10 – and if you spend $50 on eligible games and movies, you can receive 2,500 Microsoft Rewards points! Get more details here.

Meet Your Maker – April 4
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

You are the Custodian of the Chimera, a living experiment created as a last resort to save life on Earth. Enter a tactical battle for the planet’s most coveted resource and the key to your Chimera’s evolution: pure Genetic Material. Meet Your Maker is a post-apocalyptic first-person building-and-raiding game where every level is designed by players. Switch between roles as you mastermind devious maze-like Outposts filled with traps and guards, then gear up for methodical fast-paced combat raiding other players’ creations.

Curse of the Sea Rats – April 6
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Embark on an epic, hand-animated, “ratoidvania” adventure, where your crew has been turned into rats by a pirate witch. Explore a rich, non-linear world, enjoy fun action platforming, face challenging bosses, and unlock unique abilities either by yourself or in local co-op.

Dashing Orange – April 6
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A fast-paced 2D platformer with a focus on precision and fluidity, where you´re in control of a cute little Orange in a journey in an abstract world. Master jump, wall-jumping, wall-sliding, dashing and more as you leap from level to level, moving along, up and down the screen to put in your best possible performance in 75 challenging stages.

Horror Tale 1: Kidnapper – April 6
Xbox One X Enhanced

Immerse yourself in a thrilling and exciting adventure. Children have been missing for a long time in Lakewitch, and you’re destined to solve this creepy mystery. Who is the kidnapper? Where are the children disappearing to? How do you save them? Solve the puzzles and find the answers.

The Library of Babel – April 6
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Play as Ludovik, a Seeker, sent to investigate a murder case in Babylon. When a state of emergency is suddenly declared, Ludovik finds himself in increasingly dangerous territory as he follows the murderer’s trail and unravels the mystery behind the Library’s sudden lockdown. Featuring a world full of vast jungles, abandoned temples, and plentiful cybernetic inhabitants to interact with, The Library of Babel promises both a thrilling adventure full of danger and intrigue, and a thoughtful, atmospheric tale of how we consider infinity. 

Bumballon – April 7
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Embark on this cute but frantic adventure spanning across an incredible world full of danger. Explore seven unique worlds overflowing with beautifully animated graphics and retro game nostalgia. Overcome various perils to save Bumballon’s magical kingdom and rescue the beautiful Princess Moon.

EA Sports PGA Tour – April 7

The tee is yours across 30 courses in EA Sports PGA Tour, designed in stunning quality with Frostbite so you can enjoy more of golf’s finer details than ever before. PGA Tour is also the exclusive home of the Majors, including the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open Championship, and The Open Championship. Powered by ShotLink, TrackMan, and Pure Strike, giving you golfer-specific tendencies with unique course dynamics and revolutionized ball behavior for the premier golf gameplay experience. Create and customize a golfer, develop your skill set with new Shot Types, gain deeper course knowledge as you play, and learn to attack every hole like a pro. Pre-order the EA Sports PGA Tour Deluxe Edition to start playing on April 4. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members with EA Play can enjoy a trial of the game as well starting on April 4.

Joe Wander and the Enigmatic Adventure Box Art Asset

Joe Wander and the Enigmatic Adventure – April 7
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Solve brain-teasing puzzles, explore different worlds with smooth platforming, and enjoy the beautiful scenery in the mysterious world of Joe Wander.

Windy Meadow is expanding the text-based world of Roadwarden

Roadwarden was one of many fantastic mystery games from last year, and fans of the text-based RPG can now look forward to solving more secrets from the world with Windy Meadow – A Roadwarden Tale, coming to PC later this year.

Windy Meadow is set in the same fantasy world as Roadwarden and similarly presents a slice-of-life story that can branch out depending on your choices. This time, though, you’ll be following three protagonists in their interweaving day-to-day lives.

Windy Meadow’s press release teases the stories of Vena, Fabel, and Iudicia: “Will talented huntress Vena depart the harmonious but harmless village and leave her family behind in pursuit of riches with a merchant guild? Can Fabel finally embrace his talents, ditching the figurative shackles of his difficult past as he chases his dream of becoming a famous bard? And will outsider and herbalist Iudicia take hold of her love life, choosing not to marry a man she doesn’t really love at the risk of leading a lonely future?”

Final Fantasy 16 Has Gone Gold

Development on Final Fantasy 16 is now complete as developer Square Enix has announced the game has gone gold.

Shared in a tweet (below) on the Final Fantasy 16 Twitter account, Square Enix has wrapped up development way ahead of the game’s launch date of June 22.

“Final Fantasy 16 has gone gold,” it said simply. “From the entire development team, including Torgal, we hope you’re looking forward to Final Fantasy 16’s launch on June 22.”

Final Fantasy XVI has gone gold.
From the entire team, including Torgal, we hope you’re looking forward to #FF16‘s launch on June 22nd ? pic.twitter.com/Vrtd3cMNW5
— FINAL FANTASY XVI (@finalfantasyxvi) March 31, 2023

Though fans had 14 reasons to expect a sequel, Final Fantasy 16 was officially announced in September 2020 as the next mainline game in the RPG franchise, this time taking place in the knights and castles filled world of Valisthea.

Square Enix has provided incremental updates on its development since then, even saying the game had completed basic development one month after its announcement. Producer Naoki Yoshida then said in April 2022 that it was in the “final stages” of development,” leading many to believe Final Fantasy 16 would launch towards the end of that year.

That didn’t happen, of course, but June isn’t too far away for those looking forward to the game. It’s only coming to PlayStation 5 at launch despite some conflicting messaging from Square Enix, though Sony only has six months of exclusivity.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

IGN UK Podcast 690: Dunjackets & Dadragons

Join Emma, Mat, and Matt as they discuss the new Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie, followed by a special interview segment with directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The ‘Matt’ Trio also talk about this week’s TV highlights as both Succession and Yellowjackets are back on our screens, then move onto Counter-Strike 2 thoughts, and some doughnut-fueled feedback.

Got a game for us to play, or just want to tell us the weirdest thing you’ve eaten for breakfast? Drop us an email: ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.

IGN UK Podcast 690: Dunjackets & Dadragons

Failbetter’s gothic dating sim Mask Of The Rose delayed to June

Mask Of The Rose: green-tentacled creatures, underground Londoners, and most frighteningly, love. Sometimes two or more of these horrors intersect, and by that I mean you can romance that tentacled man in this gothic, alternative-history dating sim. Spooky suitors will need to wait a while more, though, as Mask Of The Rose has been delayed to June 8th – previously slated for April.

Poll: Is This The Very End Of The Road For E3?

Pour one out. Again.

Yesterday the news came that E3 2023 is officially cancelled.

The writing had been on the wall for a couple of months. Despite the ESA and ReedPop’s stated intentions to “reunite the industry” with a new vision of the hallowed yet ailing industry event, hopes of a “return to form” were arguably dashed the moment the ‘big three’ — Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo — confirmed that they wouldn’t be attending the revamped expo this year.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

The BAFTA Game Awards agree: Vampire Survivors is 2022’s best game

Vampire Survivors is the best game of 2022. Good BAFTAs.