Post-apocalyptic roguelike Neo Scavenger is one of my favourite games, but its spacefaring followup Ostranauts, currently in Early Access, is currently too fiddly and complicated for me. Here’s some good news, then: Kitfox, masters of making impenetrable roguelikes more welcoming, have joined the project as publisher ahead of a planned 1.0 release in 2025.
“I just have to not be too precious”.
Back in 2021, Black Tabby Games — an indie studio formed by husband-and-wife team Tony Howard-Arias and Abby Howard — released the first episode of the episodic visual novel Scarlet Hollow on Steam. Visually striking with ink drawings and a deep branching narrative, the duo put the studio on the map from episode one, and fans have been lapping it up since.
But one episodic release just wasn’t enough, and in 2023, the team launched Slay the Princess, a visual novel that asks you to do what the game says on the tin: slay the princess. It’s an expectations-subverting masterclass that received rave reviews upon its release on Steam. A year later, Tony and Abby are back with an expanded version of the game that’s coming to all consoles — Slay The Princess – The Pristine Cut.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Tomorrow will see the release of Nightingale‘s Realms Rebuilt update, which hopes to revive the ailing Early Access gaslamp survival craft ’em up. It’s aiming to do that with a new handcrafted campaign, which now sits alongside the procedural worlds already present, along with new weapons, spells, boss battles, dungeons and much more, as the developers outlined yesterday in a new blog post.
Beginning this week, starting with Alpha Skip-Ahead users on Xbox consoles, and users that have joined the PC Gaming preview on Windows PCs and handheld devices, Xbox Insiders will be able to preview an updated friends and followers experience! With updated relationships, and new privacy and notification settings, you can start managing your social experiences with Xbox just the way you like, from any device.
We’re thrilled to announce the return of friend requests! Now, you can easily send, accept, or delete friend requests, making it simpler to connect with others. Friends are now a two-way, invite-approved relationship, giving you more control and flexibility. Meanwhile, following someone remains a one-way connection, allowing you to stay updated with their shared content, whether it’s another player, club, or game.
Existing friends and followers will update automatically with this change. You’ll stay friends with people who had also added you as a friend previously and continue following anyone who hadn’t.
To start managing your friends and followers on Xbox consoles, press the Xbox button to open the guide and head to the People tab. Here, you can find all your existing friends in the Friends list, accept (or delete) new friend requests, or find someone new and send a friend request of your own.
It’s just as easy from all the devices you’re already using! Starting with Xbox consoles, Windows PCs and handheld devices, and coming to the rest of your devices later, you’re never far from your friends.
With these updates, we are also adding new privacy and notification settings, letting you decide who can send you friend requests or follow your account and which notifications you receive.
You can manage who can send you friend requests, or follow your account, directly from your Xbox console by navigating to Settings > Account > Privacy & online safety > Xbox privacy, then select View details & customize > Friends, followers & clubs to customize your settings. You can also update your notification preferences on Xbox consoles from Settings > Preferences > Notifications.
Additionally, you can manage your settings online by navigating to Privacy & online safety and signing in. Here, you can customize all your privacy settings, then select Submit when you’re done.
To learn more about managing your settings, visit: Manage Xbox online safety and privacy settings.
We want to thank all the Xbox Insiders for the feedback you share with us. Your feedback is a key part of our process.
If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please join our community on the Xbox Insider subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help. We always recommend replying to existing threads with the same issue before posting a new one. This helps us support you the best we can!
You can also provide direct feedback to Team Xbox by following the steps here: Provide feedback to Team Xbox, and follow the Xbox Insider Program on Twitter @XboxInsider to stay in the know.
If you’re not yet an Xbox Insider, and you’d like to help create the future of Xbox and get early access to new features, join the Xbox Insider Program today by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One or Windows PC.
For more information, and to keep an eye on future Xbox Insider Release Notes, visit the Xbox Insider Home.
The post New Xbox Friends and Followers Experience appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Lenovo is offering $15 off select Xbox controllers, including a few limited edition ones, when you apply coupon code “SAVEACCXTRA“. It stacks with instant discounts as well. The limited edition controllers – Sky Cipher Edition and Nocturnal Vapor Edition – haven’t been discounted, ever, so it’s possible that they are unintentionally eligible. In any case, if you’ve been eyeing one of these controllers, do not hesitate or you’ll probably experience FOMO. They are compatible with Xbox Series X and S consoles as well as your PC (via Bluetooth, USB Type-C, or Xbox wireless dongle).
You can quickly browse through all of the listed controllers that are currently on sale above. We picked out the best deals or most interesting products worth mentioning below.
The Sky Cipher Edition is an absolutely gorgeous controller, with a translucent electric blue body, solid blue textured rubber grips, metallic triggers and D-pad, and metallic accents within the body.
The Nocturnal Vapor Edition sports a more understated style, with a light and dark green color swirl that’s unique to every controller, textured rubber grips, and green triggers and D-pad.
Step up with the Xbox Elite Series 2 Core wireless controller, which offers pelnty of pro gaming features like adjustable-tension thumbsticks, wrap-around rubberized grip, and shorter hair trigger locks. It’s a superior option to the standard Xbox controller. The only significant difference betweeh this and the original Elite controller is that the Core model doesn’t come with as many accessories. You can purchase them separately as a component pack for $59.99.
This model features a deep pink body color with matching thumbsticks. The back is white.
This model features a blue body color with matching thumbsticks. The back is white.
This model features a bright lemon-lime color with matching thumbsticks. The back is white. This is a good option if you lose your controller often and need some kind of visual indicator for help.
Check out the best Xbox deals today for more discounts on popular Xbox controllers on Xbox Series X accessories.
Sony has revealed the full line-up of PlayStation Plus Games Catalog additions for September 2024, which includes The Plucky Squire, Far Cry 5, and more.
Announced on the PlayStation Blog, a total of 13 games are joining the library, nine on the PlayStation Plus Extra tier and four on the PlayStation Plus Premium Tier through the Classic Games Catalog and PSVR2 offerings. They’re available September 17.
September perhaps doesn’t have as many heavy hitters as last month, which included The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Wild Hearts, Ride 5, Watch Dogs 2, Cult of the Lamb, and more.
The Plucky Squire is certainly the headline game this month as it launches straight onto PlayStation Plus, letting players explore its blend of 2D and 3D gameplay elements. “The Plucky Squire follows the magical adventures of Jot and his companions, storybook characters who discover a three-dimensional world outside the pages of their book,” reads the official synopsis.
Under the Waves is a narrative driven adventure game about grief, set in the North Sea in a techno futuristic 1970s. Players are offered the chance to not just explore a deep and dark surreal underwater landscape but also the very depths of the human psyche.
Adventure and exploration game Night in the Woods is up next, letting PS Plus users who haven’t already experience the 2017 game. “Night in the Woods’ exploration of young adulthood manages to be charming, funny, and devastatingly sad all at once,” IGN said in our 8/10 review.
Very different, Chernobylite is promised to be a science-fiction survival horror experience, mixing the free exploration of its disturbing world with challenging combat, unique crafting, and non-linear storytelling. It was released in 2021 and has a sequel on the way.
The football version of NBA Playground arrived in 2023 as Wild Card Football. Its developer Saber Interactive said it “takes the fun and excitement of football over the top with exciting arcade action and features a massive roster of hundreds of real-life football players with detailed player models and animations.”
One for science fiction and grafting fans, Space Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction, and the maintenance of space works. It was announced a decade ago but only arrived in 2019, and joined PlayStation Plus rival Xbox Game Pass in February 2024.
Looking to be as wild and wacky as some real road trips, Road 96 lets players travel through a procedurally generated adventure again and again. “Road 96 is a fascinating and frequently tense adventure that manages to keep its story on track despite the odd bump in the road,” IGN said in our 8/10 review.
Players may be able to complete Ben 10 faster than they can say “it’s hero time” but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a lot of fun, right? “As Ben Tennyson, it’s up to you to save the world,” reads the synopsis. “Take on some of Ben’s most infamous enemies, including Zombozo, Queen Bee, and the Weatherheads.”
The penultimate (for now) entry in Ubisoft’s open world first-person shooter series, Far Cry 5 takes players to the deep south of the U.S. as they look to escape from and destroy a doomsday cult attempting to take over the entire country. It also earned an 8/10 in IGN’s review: “Far Cry 5 is another wide-open playground with all the necessary ingredients for causing a real ruckus: loads of enemies and allies, temperamental wildlife, and plenty of explosions.”
Pistol Whip is September’s virtual reality game as it gives PSVR2 users an action packed rhythm game blended with the first person shooter genre. “Pistol Whip is a VR highlight with fast-paced rhythm shooting, an exciting soundtrack, and an enticingly abstract art style,” IGN said in another 8/10 review.
Did you know Clank, of Ratchet and Clank fame, had a secret agent alter ego? No? I guess that’s the point! Secret Agent Clank is a PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable game from 2008 making its way to the PS Plus Classic Games Catalog. IGN’s 6/10 review said we don’t hate the game, but are just disappointed in it.
Sky Gunner is a third-person combat flight simulator from 2000, originally released on the PlayStation 2. It’s now been enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters, however, clearing the runway for takeoff in the modern era.
Though perhaps not quite as iconic as Crash Bandicoot or Spyro the Dragon, Mister Mosquito still pulled in a decent review. “It’s a little short and about $10 more that [we’d have cared] to pay for it, and it has a few camera and control problems, but the game’s creative premise, it’s brave completion, and the phenomenal amount of laughter and fun to be had here shouldn’t be ignored,” IGN said in 2002.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Earlier today, Nic did me a great injustice by waving aside my suggestion that he write about Shroom And Gloom, because “I want to read you describing mushrooms in interesting ways”. Nic, I have no interesting ways to describe mushrooms right now. I used up all the mushroom lore I’ve ever gleaned from real-life foraging when I wrote about Morels 2, and I spent most of that article whining about unicorns. The best I can do as regards Shroom And Gloom is to say that these Shrooms do indeed look very Gloomy, possibly because some mad human has wandered into their warren and is now stabbing and eating them.
If you build it, they will run.
Following a hugely successful launch on Steam back in 2020, indie developer Spiderling Studios has brought the physics-based medieval vehicle-builder Besiege to Switch. What’s more, it’s available right now.
This is a game that will see you building deadly devices to take on whichever army is unlucky enough to stand in your way. What you build is entirely your call, with over 70 different blocks at your disposal and enough inspiration out there to keep you going for a while (just take a look at the above trailer).
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Jump between 2D and 3D worlds in a storybook adventure that literally leaps off the page, dive into the depths of the North Sea in a techno-futuristic 1970s, reconnect with friends in a crumbling former mining town and more with September’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup*! The Plucky Squire launches day and date into PlayStation Plus, with the lineup’s headliner joined by Under The Waves, Night in the Woods and many more games. We’re also announcing new classics and PS VR2 game offerings coming to PlayStation Plus Premium, which includes action rhythm shooter Pistol Whip. All these games will be available from September 17.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the new game announcements.
The Plucky Squire | PS5
The Plucky Squire follows the magical adventures of Jot and his friends – storybook characters who discover a three-dimensional world outside the pages of their book. When the malevolent Humgrump realizes he’s the villain of the book – destined to lose his battle against the forces of good for all eternity – he kicks the heroic Jot out of its pages and changes the story forever. Jot must face challenges unlike anything he’s ever seen if he is to save his friends from Humgrump’s dark forces and restore the book’s happy ending. Jump between 2D and 3D worlds in this charming action adventure – solving puzzles, boxing badgers, flying with a jetpack, and enjoying many more delightful and surprising mini challenges as you become the hero of a living storybook.
Under The Waves | PS4, PS5
Under the Waves is a narrative-driven adventure game about the engulfing power of grief. Set in the depths of the North Sea in a techno-futuristic 1970s, professional diver Stan is struggling to overcome a life-changing loss and embrace a new future. A love letter to the oceans, Under The Waves invites you to dive into a gorgeous underwater world, brought to life in a poetic blend of cinematic visuals and poignant storytelling. Live a gripping story through Stan’s eyes and guide him through an unforeseen series of events that will bring him deeper and deeper into the abyss, the reflection of his own psyche.
Night in the Woods | PS4, PS5
College dropout Mae Borowski returns home to the crumbling former mining town of Possum Springs seeking to resume her aimless former life and reconnect with the friends she left behind. But things aren’t the same. Home seems different now and her friends have grown and changed. Leaves are falling and the wind is growing colder. Strange things are happening as the light fades. And there’s something in the woods. Night in The Woods is an adventure game focused on exploration, story, and character, featuring dozens of characters to meet and lots to do across a lush, vibrant world. Break stuff, play bass, hang out, walk on powerlines, jump between roofs, and discover strange and amazing and terrible things you never asked for.
Chernobylite | PS4, PS5
Chernobylite is a science fiction survival horror RPG from developers Farm 51. Set in the hyper-realistic, 3D scanned wasteland of Chernobyl’s exclusion zone, you’ll take on the role of Igor, a physicist and ex-employee of the Chernobyl Power Plant, returning to Pripyat to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his fiancee, 30 years prior. Compete with the hostile military presence, other stalkers and supernatural creatures, as well as the harsh and unforgiving environment in your search to uncover the truth. Get ready for a thrilling adventure of survival, conspiracy, horror, love, and obsession.
Wild Card Football | PS4, PS5
Wild Card Football is a fun pick-up-and-play arcade-style football game featuring 7v7 team-focused gameplay with the unique Wild Card system that lets you change the course of the action in an instant with special power-ups and rule-breaking abilities. With optimized rule sets, customizable teams and outfits, authentic pro players, and bombastic moves, players can show off their skills across single-player and competitive multiplayer modes, while using ‘Wild Cards’ that redefine the football genre and unleash over-the-top action.
Space Engineers | PS4, PS5
Space Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction, exploration and survival in space and on planets. Players build space ships, wheeled vehicles, space stations, planetary outposts of various sizes and uses (civil and military), pilot ships and travel through space to explore planets and gather resources to survive. Featuring both creative and survival modes, there is no limit to what can be built, utilized and explored. Space Engineers concentrates on construction and exploration aspects, but can be played as a survival shooter as well.
Road 96 | PS4, PS5
Road 96 is a crazy, beautiful road-trip. The discovery of exciting places, and unusual people on your own personal journey to freedom. An ever-evolving story-driven adventure inspired by Tarantino, The Coen Brothers, and Bong Joon-ho, made by the award-winning creators of Valiant Hearts and Memories Retold. Moments of action, exploration, contemplative melancholy, human encounters and wacky situations set against a backdrop of authoritarian rule and oppression. A stunning visual style, a soundtrack filled with 90s hits, and a thousand routes through the game combine so each player can create their own unique stories on Road 96.
Ben 10 | PS4
As Ben Tennyson, it’s up to you to save the world. Take on some of Ben’s most infamous enemies, including Zombozo, Queen Bee, and the Weatherheads. Unlock and transform into all ten of Ben’s incredible alien forms. Use each alien’s powerful combat moves – including Ultimate Attacks – to lay the beat-down on enemies with devastating combos, and solve puzzles with each alien’s unique abilities as you unravel exciting new stories in three all-new playable episodes.
Far Cry 5* | PS4
Welcome to Hope County, Montana, the land of the free and brave, but also the home of a fanatical doomsday cult. Stand up to cult leader Joseph Seed and his siblings, the Heralds, to spark the fires of resistance and liberate the besieged community. Use a vast arsenal of weapons from rocket launchers to shovels, and take control of iconic muscle cars, ATVs, planes, and more to engage the cult forces in epic fights. Ally with the Fangs for Hire group, including fan-favorite bear Cheeseburger and dog Boomer, and free Hope County from its oppressors.
*PlayStation Plus re-release.
Pistol Whip | PS VR2
This physical first-person shooter is fueled by dynamic tracks, dreamscape visuals and easy to learn, tough to master gunplay. Blast, duck, and dodge your way through fever dream scenarios, build unique rhythms in a ballet of bullets and claim glory on the leader boards.Inspired by iconic action cinema, the only thing that goes harder than this title’s soundtrack is you. Flow to the music with your own rhythmic patterns, or go all out as a dual-wielding deadeye with nothing to lose.
Secret Agent Clank | PS4, PS5
Play as Clank, Ratchet, and Captain Qwark in this undercover adventure, originally released on PSP and now enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. When a valuable gem is stolen and Ratchet is charged with its theft, only one Robot can save him – Secret Agent Clank! It’s up to the galaxy’s top spy to solve this mystery and uncover the true mastermind behind the crime.
Sky Gunner | PS4, PS5
Experience SkyGunner, a 3D third-person combat flight sim originally released on the PlayStation 2, now enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. Choose from three Skygunners; Ciel, Copain and Femme and take on a multitude of spectacular missions and take advantage of the intricate scoring system to unlock hidden secrets and modes.
Mister Mosquito | PS4, PS5
You are Mr Moskeeto, an uninvited guest in the Yamada’s family home. You will need to drink as much of their blood as possible to survive the winter. They know you are in the house, and they plan to take you out. This PS2 release is now enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. Fly through and explore the 12 levels of the Yamada household, searching for victims. Use stealth or prepare for air combat as you do battle with human inhabitants. Watch the family’s relationship disintegrate as they take their irritation out on each other.
*PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and PlayStation Plus Premium/Deluxe lineups may differ by region. Please check PlayStation Store on release day.
The PS5 Pro is now a fast-approaching reality. The $700 mid-generation upgrade arrives on November 7, approximately a year in advance of the game that will likely push the four-years-old base PS5 to its very limits: Grand Theft Auto 6. But how essential will the PS5 Pro be to enjoying GTA 6 at its very best? It’s a question more complicated than it first seems.
“I think there’s good evidence to suggest that the [GTA 6 trailer from last year] was running on either PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X,” says Richard Leadbetter, technology editor at Digital Foundry. As such, the impressive level of graphical detail seen in that trailer should be achievable using the power of the original 2020 model PlayStation 5. It stands to reason, then, that the new PS5 Pro will be more than capable of delivering what we saw in that short glimpse of Vice City.
Frame rates, though, are an entirely different thing. When asked if GTA 6 could realistically run at 60 frames-per-second on the PS5 Pro, Leadbetter is blunt in his analysis: “No. Grand Theft Auto games have always run complex simulations that push the CPU hard, which is why every GTA game has initially launched on their target platforms at 30fps (or lower!).
“The PS5 Pro uses the same CPU as the PS5 and it would be extremely challenging to hit 60fps if the base PS5 version is targeting 30fps,” he explains. “This isn’t a GPU problem, it’s a CPU problem.”
There’s a multitude of simulation work running concurrently and constantly in GTA to keep its open world ticking. Every street is, at the very minimum, a stage for complex traffic and pedestrian simulations – AI routines and physics calculations that bring those roads and sidewalks to life. GTA 6 will very likely feature one of the most realistic depictions of city life we’ve seen in a video game, and so will be significantly taxing on the CPU as it renders all sorts of NPC behaviours. That leaves little bandwidth to boost those frame rates.
Still, thanks to the PS5 Pro’s other enhancements, GTA 6 will undoubtedly look better on the new console. It just likely will not be the 4K 60fps experience many will be expecting following Sony’s boastful presentation. “What you will get will be higher quality visuals, but likely still running at similar frame-rates [to the base console],” says Leadbetter. “If GTA 6 can’t sustain a locked 30fps (GTA 4 and GTA 5 couldn’t on PS3 and Xbox 360), PS5 Pro can run the CPU with a 10 percent bump to clock speeds – so you may get more stable performance.
“Of course, all bets are off if Rockstar is targeting 60fps on the standard PS5 – but we’ve seen no evidence so far to suggest it is.”
While it seems unlikely that the PS5 Pro will run GTA 6 at 4K 60fps, there’s still reason to believe the new console will prove an impressive machine. Right now, though, there’s little evidence of its transformative abilities. “I think the hardware’s certainly capable, but the actual presentation confused me,” says Leadbetter. “Nine minutes just isn’t really enough to describe in depth the features the machine has and the philosophy behind the design.”
Leadbetter also notes that the games showcased during the presentation were already fantastic graphical showcases in their original forms, and so were not ideal demonstrations of the Pro’s machine learning-based upscaling technology. Why was it the already gorgeous Horizon Forbidden West and Spider-Man 2 being shown off when we could have seen how transformative PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution could be for games that have shaky image quality on the standard PS5?
“Combine that with poor presentational techniques and YouTube’s inadequacies as a video delivery platform and you didn’t see much of an improvement,” says Leadbetter.
While Sony has chosen to so far only preview enhancements to games that barely require them in the first place, we can at least be relatively confident that those titles in desperate need of a performance boost will be catered for. The PlayStation Blog states that up to 8,500 games will be improved thanks to the PS5 Pro Game Boost feature.
“I think [the improvements will] be quite cool actually, assuming the extra 45 percent of GPU power is fully available to existing games,” enthuses Leadbetter. “Many titles have dynamic resolution scaling. You should see clear image quality improvements there. Similarly, a lot of games have frame-rate issues in their 60fps performance modes – I’d expect those to be cleaned up. We might even finally get Elden Ring locked to 60 frames per second.”
One thing Leadbetter thinks is less likely to make an impact is the Pro’s 8K capabilities. While he foresees a very small number of tech-focused developers, like Gran Turismo 7 creator Polyphony Digital, making 8K resolution options available for PS5 Pro, he doubts other studios will work on such modes “because the audience out there is vanishingly small.”
“I had an 8K screen for four years, but even as an RTX 4090 owner, I have little interest in 8K gaming when high frame-rates at max 4K are so much more desirable,” he says.
Talking of Nvidia’s RTX graphics cards, PC gaming has been the much-debated topic following Sony’s reveal of the PS5 Pro’s eye-watering $699.99 price tag. I’ve seen several suggestions across social media that it’s better value to just save up a ‘little extra’ money and buy a PC that will prove more powerful than the PS5 Pro. It’s an argument I personally think is flawed – a strong 4K, high frame-rate PC will set you back notably more money than the cost of the new console. And, when it’s built, it simply won’t be capable of doing the thing many prospective PS5 Pro owners want: playing GTA 6 at launch with the best possible graphics. (GTA 6 will ship on console first, remember.)
Leadbetter has a similar outlook. “You will struggle to get that kind of visual quality on a similarly priced PC,” he says. “The closest GPU on the market now with that kind of feature set and performance is the RTX 4070 – which is a fair bit better, I’d say. But your base cost there is $540/£480. And then you need to factor in CPU, motherboard, memory, storage, power supply and case.
“You could offset the extra cost against the fact that you don’t need extra subscription costs over time, I suppose, but I think you’re missing the fundamental point of what PS5 Pro is and who is going to buy it.
“It’s a console, not a PC – and there are still key differences there, not least in a viable living room experience. I’d also say the Pro is designed to appeal to core PlayStation users with a library built up over many years. That library will not transition over to PC so those users are effectively starting from scratch.”
Of course, that’s not to say that the PS5 Pro is a ‘good deal’. “That user base likely has a physical game library, too – so the notion you don’t even get a disc drive for your £699/$699 is nuts,” Leadbetter concludes.
There may be other people looking at the PS5 Pro and failing to see a good value proposition, too, although for entirely other reasons. “I think Phil Spencer watched the presentation and felt vindicated in the decision not to make a ‘pro’ console for this generation,” Leadbetter theories. “Xbox players already have a great way to play high-end Xbox games – and that’s on PC, where the enthusiast has more freedom to pick and choose the kind of hardware they want.”
It’s true: Microsoft has been running three different platforms from the very start of the generation, offering a solution for players of all tastes and budgets. It is arguably Xbox’s biggest advantage over PlayStation. Who needs a Series X-X when you can play Starfield at 4K60 on a PC? Avowed’s 30fps lock simply isn’t a problem if you’ve already shelled out for an RTX 40-series graphics card.
But, as we’ve already said, the PS5 Pro is not a PC. It’s a different beast entirely. Is it the console the PlayStation hardcore needs, though? Let’s see how fast it flies off the shelves this November.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Senior Features Editor. Additional reporting by Alex Simmons.
