Soul Hackers 2 and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty included in the next batch of Game Pass additions

Atomic Heart which releases today. I was interested in the steely Soviet shooter until I read James’ review and saw that the protagonist yells “Crispy critters,” more than once – I think I’ll skip.

Here are the next batch of Game Pass titles:

  • Merge & Blade (Feb 28th)
  • Soul Hackers 2 (Feb 28th)
  • F1 22 (March 2nd)
  • Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (March 3rd)

This is my first time hearing of Merge & Blade, not to be confused with Mount & Blade which is also on Game Pass. Merge & Blade is a hybrid between puzzle games and auto-battlers. Rounds will start with a Tetris-like mini-game, but instead of shapes, you’re guiding different unit types and merging them together. You then use your completed party to raid castles and kill monsters. Mixing – or merging – Tetris into a new genre is a recipe for success, so I’ll definitely be downloading this one.

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Sons Of The Forest shows off multiplayer and slimy mutants ahead of its early access release

Sons Of The Forest is only a few days away as it launches into early access on February 23rd, and the team is celebrating with a final pre-release trailer, exposing us to some nasty sights. Sons Of The Forest was originally going to launch into a full 1.0 release this month, but the team ultimately decided on an early access release since it worked so well for the game’s predecessor The Forest.

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Frog Detective, Edith Finch and more are all going cheap in Steam’s Mystery Fest

Steam Mystery Fest is well underway, discounting countless games about detectives, murder mysteries, or generally strange occurrences. Lots of heavy hitters have big sales like Return Of The Obra Dinn and Pentiment, but as always, you’ll need to do quite a bit of scrolling to find the hidden gems. The sales last until February 27th, so you have a week to grab some cheap games, and if you’re struggling with recommendations, here are some good’uns.

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Environmentally friendly city builder Terra Nil is releasing on March 28th

Terra Nil is a reverse city-builder where you work to rejuvenate natural ecosystems by planting greenery, purifying water supplies, and reintroducing wildlife – rather than building an industrial empire. Terra Nil has released a few demos over the last year, taking Steam by storm and impressing players with its ecological twist on the genre. All those demogoers should be pleased to hear that Terra Nil is finally launching onto PC and mobile (through Netflix) on March 28th.

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Company Of Heroes 3 review: a glorious comeback for this WW2 RTS

Company Of Heroes 3 feels like World War II on its summer holiday. With two campaigns spanning each side of the sunny Mediterranean, this is arguably Relic’s breeziest and most colourful theatre of war yet, evoking the same kind of swagger and gung ho optimism as a Hollywood action flick. It’s a feeling that might seem out of place given the current climate, especially now, just days away from the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But while your main objective is always one of domination, gradually turning the map from red to blue on both a micro and macro scale, this is ultimately a game about searing comebacks – of beating back seemingly impossible aggressors, and finding hope where previously there was only despair. I think we could all do with a bit of that in this day and age, even if the battles before you end up feeling like nothing more than the digital equivalent of plonking down a big box of toy soldiers on your living room floor and going daka-daka-daka as they all fall over.

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Birth review: a comforting puzzle game about death and decay

Birth really caught me off-guard. From the look of the screenshots, I was expecting a creepy story in the vein of Little Misfortune or Fran Bow, but instead Birth is infinitely more introspective. Sure, it’s a game about death, decay, and loneliness, but it’s told in the most gentle and genuine way possible. Its themes are heavy, but the game could not be more light-hearted. I have no idea how it does it, but Birth is weirdly the most wholesome yet creepy game I’ve ever played.

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Redfall’s co-op won’t tether players to each other in the open world

Redfall has received a new trailer ahead of its May release date, showing off its twisted open-world and magic-infused shooting. It looks like a bloody visual feast, but the bigger news is how Redfall’s open-world multiplayer is untethered, meaning a four-player squad can separate and fight bloodsuckers in different parts of the coastal town.

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See Jumplight Odyssey’s chaotic starship management in action with its first gameplay trailer

Jumplight Odyssey is an upcoming starship roguelite colony sim from the makers of Armello, and when I saw it in action late last year, I was extremely pumped for it. It was formally announced with its very flash animated opening sequence during November’s PC Gaming Show Preview stream, but now you, too, can see what it actually looks like in motion with its very first gameplay trailer. Come and have a gander at its spaceship antics – or, if you’re like me, just watch the two full seconds of a crew member giving Ham the pig a nice big belly-rub on repeat.

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