Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The First Hands-on

Indiana Jones Hero Art

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The First Hands-on

One of Mussolini’s blackshirts is running at me with a club. I’m out of bullets, he’s coming at me too fast for me to use my whip, and I don’t back myself to take him down with my fists alone. I take a frenzied glance across the room, and see an indicator saying I can pick up something as an improvised weapon – I’m reacting too quickly to check exactly what. I smash my controller to grab it. It’s… a wooden spoon. Oh well. I dodge the first blow, and hammer at my foe with my less-than-impressive weaponry. He eventually goes down. Troy Baker’s pitch-perfect Harrison Ford performance fills my ears: “You went down like a leaf!” 

MachineGames is looking to create the playable equivalent of an Indiana Jones movie. Well, I’ve just, quite accidentally, created a fight scene set piece that wouldn’t feel out of place in the series. Mission accomplished. 

My two hours with the game – taking in its introduction at Marshall College, a short section at the Vatican, and a trip to the game’s first truly open area set around the Pyramids of Giza – is full of these moments. Cutscenes are charming and heartfelt, getting across the movies’ lighter moments – particularly when Indy begins to travel with hapless-but-talented journalist, Gina. Puzzles come with the sense of wonder and satisfaction you’d hope for from an Indy film. And, yes, the action is as much slapstick as it is brutal, with that sense of ‘50s B-Movie derring-do that Spielberg always aimed to recreate. 

Controller in hand, this is a classic adventure game – MachineGames has brought its considerable experience with first-person action games, but pushed it so much further. In Marshall College, you’re given a truly sumptuous tutorial – Indy unsuccessfully attempts to foil a break-in (teaching you the rudiments of combat), works out which exhibit has been stolen from the museum (giving you the basics of puzzle solving), and asks you to follow clues to work out who broke in, and who they might work for (giving you some light traversal tips). 

Following those clues to Vatican City, we’re then shown how the game will approach its more linear sequences – Indy needs to break into Vatican walls, getting past the fascist forces that have mysteriously moved in. It’s introduced as an exercise in stealth – levels are rammed with items you can pick up and throw to distract guards, from bottles to… violins. But you’re also taught that anything thrown can also be a weapon. 

For someone who is shaky at stealth at the best of times, this is welcome news. One of the pure pleasures of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is how seamlessly it shifts gears, and this section teaches that beautifully. One moment, I’m confusing guards with clattering objects, the next I’m up on the battlements of the castle, choosing my own path towards my objective (even these more straightforward sections offer multiple routes to success), and then I’m travelling down a zipline, alerting three guards, shooting two, realizing I’ve run out of bullets, and then realizing again that, when I’m out of bullets, I can use my revolver as a melee weapon (I wish I’d understood that during the wooden spoon incident, incidentally). 

And after all of this, my demo whisked me to Giza, and I’m shown how much more of that spirit we’ll get. We already knew that the game would include more open areas along the journey, but I hadn’t quite realized how open we were talking. After a brief introduction where I meet Dame Nawal – an antiquities collector working to save the treasures of the Pyramids from the arrival of the Nazis – this section throws me into a huge swathe of playable space, packed with quests, side-quests, NPCs, and mysteries to be found along the way. 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle handles its open areas in some novel ways. Maps need to be found and collected, for a start – and once you find them, you’ll need to literally pull out the physical map to work out where you are, and where to go. It’s a means of reducing the onscreen UI, and to ground you in Indy’s analogue world. Fast travel is available around these areas, but only by finding road signs – again, making you engage with the world placed around you, rather than menus. 

The result is that, in just a short time, I learned how the Giza area was put together much faster than I would in other games – I knew which roads led to where, and how to get from place to place without a map. It’s another means of making you Indy, rather than simply piloting the character around. 

And it’s also a way of helping you find adventure on your own. While the game is clear about your main quest (you can open up your journal at any time, review clues you’ve found, and get pointers on where to head), it’s not insistent about making you do that quest. I initially took a walk to a market bazaar – but on the way found a wanted poster for a couple of graverobbers in the area. I followed their tracks to a hidden tomb I might otherwise never have seen, and discovered their grisly fate – and a skill book (the game’s means of ‘levelling up’ your abilities). 

Once I headed back to the market, I bought a lighter from a dubious vendor, and left to take on a quest I’d been given at a dig site under the Great Sphinx. As I snuck into the area, I saw an unguarded door and, walking in, I spotted a space small enough to crawl into. I assumed this was an alternative route to my goal, but I quickly found a miniature puzzle I was never aiming for in the first place. I’d literally stumbled into an adventure. 

This happened multiple times as I played – moments of discovery pile up to lead you to quests you didn’t know existed, offering up collectibles, skill books, and story. Wandering into a medical tent offered me the chance to help a local doctor, who needed me to steal medicine from the invading forces. Heading to a Nazi encampment, I was able to use a disguise I found to walk freely, pilfering supplies. And while I was in the camp, I heard two guards discussing an underground fight club that’s been set up in a local village – I never got the chance to find the uniform I needed to be able to sneak into said club, but I’ll absolutely be heading there when I play the full game.  

This kind of organic, fortuitous discovery feels so right for an Indiana Jones game, and it’s a joy to see it coming together in such a short time with this small slice of the full adventure. And when I don’t get sidetracked by my wandering eye, the game’s main quests offer me more fully-fledged delights. When I reach my originally intended destination at the Great Sphinx, I meet Gina in a guarded dig site (kicking off a huge fight outside before I do so), then head off to steal a golden medallion from Nazi officers playing a game of cards, before returning to solve multiple puzzles in the bowels of the Earth.`  

Another major quest sees me scouring multiple locations across Giza in search of precious, ancient steles – needing to fight off scorpions by waving flaming torches (you really should get that lighter), smash down bricked up walls into undiscovered tombs, and sneak into a Nazi transport depot, taking down a captain, learning a code from a letter nearby, and breaking into a lockbox to find the stolen goods. 

I’ve played just two hours of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and I already have this many stories to tell. It bodes beautifully for the full experience – like I say, if this is an exercise in making you feel like Indy –  mission accomplished. 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (with Game Pass), or Steam on December 9. Premium and Collector’s Editions will offer 3 days of early access from December 6. 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™: Digital Premium Edition

Bethesda Softworks

$99.99

Pre-order now or Play on Game Pass* to receive The Last Crusade™ Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip, as seen in The Last Crusade™.

***
Live the adventure with the Premium Edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™!

INCLUDES:
• Base Game (digital code)
• Up to 3-Day Early Access**
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants Story DLC†
• Digital Artbook
• Temple of Doom™ Outfit

***
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark™ and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.

YOU ARE INDIANA JONES
Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.

A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS
Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.

WHIP-CRACKING ACTION
Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

*Game Pass members get access to all pre-order content as long as Game Pass subscription is active.
**Actual play time depends on purchase date and applicable time zone differences, subject to possible outages.
†DLC availability to be provided at a later date.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™ Standard Edition

Bethesda Softworks

$69.99

Pre-order now or Play on Game Pass* to receive The Last Crusade™ Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip, as seen in The Last Crusade™.
***
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark™ and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.

YOU ARE INDIANA JONES
Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.

A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS
Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.

WHIP-CRACKING ACTION
Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.

THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?

*Game Pass members get access to all pre-order content as long as Game Pass subscription is active.

The post Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The First Hands-on appeared first on Xbox Wire.

New Home Experience in the Xbox App on Windows Is Available for Xbox Insiders

Starting today, we are excited to announce that a new Home experience is available in the Xbox app on Windows for Xbox Insiders! We are improving the Xbox app on Windows by making it faster and easier to find your next favorite game. We’ve listened to your feedback and have been testing different designs internally over the last several months. Our goal is to create a unified Home experience that combines the best and latest content from both the Game Pass and Microsoft Store tabs, so you can easily find what you love without having to jump between tabs. 

All Xbox players on Windows will benefit from Home, whether you play with Game Pass or purchase your games individually. Home brings you the latest games, news, curated recommendations, free-to-play content, and deals.

Check out the new Home tab and let us know your thoughts by completing this short 2-minute survey available here. Your feedback will be used to inspire future updates and plans as we continue to evolve. 

Now, let’s take a look at some of the updates that you can expect to see in Home starting today. 

New Home highlights 

Featured content. At-a-glance view for you stay up to date on exciting game releases, new events, content available with Game Pass, sales, and more! 

A screenshot of a desktop computer displaying the new Home interface.

Deals and discounts. No more navigating through the app to find the latest deals and discounts. The new Home will now have collections with the best deals and discounts to make sure you can see available savings at a glance. 

Note: Prices shown are for illustrative purpose only and may vary.

Curated collections and recommendations. Find games that are perfect for you with collections curated and personalized for you. Spend less time searching and more time playing games.

Note: Prices shown are for illustrative purpose only and may vary.

Jump back in (available with compact mode). In May, we tested Jump back in as part of the Game Pass tab experience. This feature allows players in Compact Mode to click on any game card shown, allowing them to go directly to its game hub, where you can jump right back into game play.  Today, we are excited to add this feature as part of the new Home experience for all Xbox Insiders. 

How to get Xbox Insider support and share your feedback 

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 recommend adding to threads with the same topic before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can! Also, you can provide direct feedback to Team Xbox by following the steps here under the “Report a problem online” section.  

If you aren’t part of the Xbox Insider Program yet and want to help create the future of Xbox and get early access to new features, join the Program today by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One or Windows PC.  

For more information on the Xbox Insider Program, follow us on Twitter at @XboxInsider. Keep an eye on future Xbox Insider Release Notes for more information regarding the PC Gaming Preview

Note: This feature is being made available to Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview.  

The post New Home Experience in the Xbox App on Windows Is Available for Xbox Insiders appeared first on Xbox Wire.

A Deep Dive into [REDACTED]’s Challenging End Game

A Deep Dive into [REDACTED]’s Challenging End Game

On behalf of the team at Striking Distance Studios, I wanted to offer up a huge thank you to everyone who pre-ordered [REDACTED].  I hope you’re enjoying the 72 hours of Early Access on Xbox.

If you haven’t pre-ordered the game yet, you’ve still got a chance to get in on the fun and check out the new gameplay trailer before our official launch on October 31. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

[REDACTED] is our take on a fast-action dungeon crawler roguelike. It’s set in Black Iron Prison, a deep space penitentiary where the shit really hits the fan after a full-blown outbreak has created a terrifying mob of bloodthirsty monsters. You’re an expendable prison guard with one mission – find the last escape pod and get the hell out of there.

This is a passion project for our team between AAA releases. We’re huge fans of roguelikes and wanted to put our stamp on the genre, with a vibrant comic-book-inspired style, and a high-energy, futuristic punk rock vibe.

We’ve already talked about a few of the innovative new gameplay features we’ve added, like “Rivals” and “Fight Your Last Corpse.” But of course, we’ve saved a few surprises for the end.

Today, we wanted to tell you about a devious ultra-hard mode called “The Watcher Run.”

“The Watcher Run” is a completely optional endgame playthrough for the hardest of the hardcore out there. It’s the only way to unlock the final pieces of the story in [REDACTED], and is the ultimate test of your skill, strategy, and sanity.

You’ll unlock dossier filers for each Rival you encounter in the game as you battle through Black Iron Prison. Each completed dossier scores you a code used to unlock a mysterious Vault in the escape pod bay at the end of the prison.

Redacted game screenshot

Once you secure all eight codes and reaches the vault next to the escape pod, you have the option to unlock “The Watcher Run.”  

And here’s where things get interesting.

If you choose to take on this challenge, you’ll assume the role of “The Watcher.” Playing as the “The Watcher” has its perks – you’ll wield a cattle prod and the Plasma Gun, a new and powerful ranged weapon.  Otherwise, it’s simple – you have to make one last run through Black Iron facing off against every boss and rival from start to finish – without dying.

Redacted game screenshot

Don’t worry, The Watcher isn’t just a guy with a big shiny gun and cattle prod. He has a unique ability to exit any room that doesn’t include a boss or Rival encounter before it’s cleared.  This speeds the run up and reduces your exposure to combat, but it costs you the ability to unlock upgrades along the way. Which is a real high-risk scenario, because there’s a catch.

If you die, you’ll lose every upgrade you’ve purchased. So, basically, just about everything you’ve earned up to that point. Like I said, The Watcher Run isn’t for the timid and the stakes are high. But so are the rewards.

If you battle your way through the prison, clear the whole run without dying, overcome one last life-or-death battle that unlocks one of two special endings for the game (no spoilers here), you win access to the Plasma Gun and a new suit that grants 100% hazard protection and deflects enemy projectiles back at the attacker.

Redacted game screenshot

I can’t wait to hear about all your own unique player stories exploring Black Iron Prison (whether you take on “The Watcher Run” or not) in the days ahead as we launch the game globally on October 31.  We hope you have as much fun playing the game as we did making it!

[REDACTED]

KRAFTON, Inc.

$22.49

Black Iron, a state-of-the-art penitentiary located on Jupiter’s icy moon Callisto, is overrun with hordes of infected inmates. As a modest prison guard your job is simple – get to the last escape pod and get out alive.

But you aren’t the only survivor looking to escape. Your rivals – a deranged custodian, a violent gangster, a maniacal lunch lady, and more – can’t wait to step over your corpse and save themselves.

Only one of you can make it off the moon – make sure it’s you!

FIGHT/DIE/ADAPT

Each death is a learning experience. Starting fresh each run, build up your loadout with powerful experiments, weapon schematics, and buffs to battle through Black Iron. When you die (and you will die), use your hard-earned loot to purchase new permanent weapons, suits, and skills. Get stronger, experiment with your strategy, and get out!

ROUT YOUR RIVALS

You’re not the only person to survive the initial outbreak or willing to use a bit of violence to get to the last escape pod. Some prisoners and even your correctional services colleagues are just as eager to escape and will make escaping harder by attacking you remotely or challenging you to a one-on-one duel. Race them, attack them back remotely, and fight them to the death to make it out in one piece.

FIGHT YOUR LAST CORPSE

When you die, you leave more than a coverall-clad carcass. Defeat the reanimated corpse of the last guard to succumb to the prison’s dangers to earn a powerful experiment. But beware, it’s not going to be an easy fight. The semi-alive guard has the same loadout they had when they met an untimely end and a few extra tricks up its sleeve to keep things spicy.

“GAME OVER, MAN”
You’ve made the perfect build, battled through bosses, ran through rivals, killed your corpse, found all the files, and now you’re standing in front of that last escape pod. Sure, you could leave it all behind for the sweet taste of freedom… or risk it all in one last hardcore do-or-die run back through the prison. Fail and you lose all your purchased gear, skills, suits, and weapons. But IF you succeed, you’ll unlock new powerful permanent gear.

FUTURE PUNK

An irreverent attitude, unique presentation, vivid graphic novel style, and a 180bpm original arcade-punk soundtrack by Mutato Muzika enhance [REDACTED]’s sci-fi setting and fast white-knuckle action.

The post A Deep Dive into [REDACTED]’s Challenging End Game appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Survival Horror Gets Crafty in Outbreak: Shades of Horror Chromatic Split

Summary

  • Outbreak Shades of Horror Chromatic Split launches on Xbox Series X|S today.
  • Compelling and twisted narrative, devious puzzles, thoughtful inventory management, and endless dark secrets.
  • Special bonus modes include action-packed scenarios for a more arcade-style experience.

Happy Halloween, Survivors! My name is Julia Wolbach, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Dead Drop Studios.  Today we are launching our next-generation survival horror bloodbath, Outbreak Shades of Horror Chromatic Split, on Xbox Series X|S. As Detective Lydia Daniels, players will begin in a sprawling sewer system beneath the city of Cypress Ridge on the eve of a massive zombie apocalypse.  Players must explore, solve puzzles, and take advantage of their limited resources to survive in an ever-changing world filled with dangerous enemy zombies and a recurring, massive monster.

Outbreak screenshot

Dare to Explore an Underground Labyrinth Alone and Afraid.

Initially, players will be unarmed and at the mercy of the environment before discovering a repertoire of melee weapons and firearms such as the lead pipe and the shotgun.  These and other key items will give players a fighting chance and also open up new and secret areas to explore in the game’s colossal maps.  Resourceful players can find crafting items to create healing items, ammunition, and even precious ink for saving their game.  For example, players can use unique types of gunpowder and shell casings to fabricate different types of ammo, or in a pinch, players can combine gunpowder with a virus kit to produce antiviral items.  Explore a multitude of different crafting combos to manufacture the valuable supplies needed to ride out the zombie storm!

Outbreak screenshot

Play in Third Person or Through Lydia’s Eyes.

Players can switch between first person and third person perspectives at any time as they fight to survive in a ruthless world.  If you’re looking to fully immerse yourself in Lydia’s journey, first person view may be your cup of tea, while if you enjoy more of a traditional survival horror experience, third person view will provide you with a full look at your character.  Utilize melee combat to try and stagger foes and sneak by, or use your limited bullets to carefully place shots that can dismember and severely cripple zombies’ offensive options.  Be warned, as enemy zombies can stun you or even knock you over, leaving you vulnerable to an unholy beating!   Explore and carefully take advantage of your tools to open new pathways and discover a bevy of secrets, such as bonus crafting items and more.

Outbreak screenshot

Strategize and Think Quickly to Best Utilize Your Limited Items.

Lydia’s supplies will be limited, so she’ll need to find materials to give herself a fighting chance!  Combine gunpowder with other items to create ink for saving, items for healing, additional bullets, antiviral solutions, and more.  Lydia can’t afford to shoot first and think later, so think carefully about how you use your items!  Will you consume raw gunpowder in an act of desperation to bail yourself out in the moment, or will you wait to find an empty ink canister so you can save your progress?  Inventory space is also limited, so take time to optimize your pocket space and put excess items in linked item boxes occasionally found throughout the game for later use.  Remember that opening your inventory to combine components will pause the game, but to reload your weapon you must find a safe spot to hide in the cruel, chaotic underground of Cypress Ridge!

Outbreak screenshot

Satiating Side Content Expands the Breadth of Gameplay.

Once you’re done with Lydia’s campaign, there’s still more fun to be had!  Unlock an additional wild campaign for a more action-oriented game style. Try out the Onslaught and Besieged modes for arcade zombie-splatting fun against piles of enemies on unique maps.  Looming Dread Mode challenges you to survive and clear a unique scenario in as fast a time as possible.  You can also replay Lydia’s campaign in New Game Plus to keep all of your upgrades from the end of the story or enjoy built-in Developer Commentary!  Can you find all of Chromatic Split’s hidden achievements and cheat codes?

Outbreak screenshot

Will you Save Cypress Ridge or Die Trying?

With so much content and multiple replayable modes all horrifyingly crafted in Unreal Engine 5, the standalone Outbreak Shades of Horror Chromatic Split is the perfect way to prepare for the main Outbreak: Shades of Horror game releasing soon episodically.  On the eve of a massive zombie outbreak, can Lydia survive long enough to help her city in its time of need?

Outbreak: Shades of Horror Chromatic Split

Dead Drop Studios LLC

$24.99

Cypress Ridge – September 28,1999

Go back to the beginning of the end in the prologue to Dead Drops’ Studios upcoming Outbreak: Shades of Horror. Play as both the heroes and the villains of the outbreak as you attempt both to avoid an outbreak of epic proportions and to stop word from getting out.

As Lydia, a veteran police officer, race against time through the Cypress Ridge sewers to spread the truth of the Outbreak before it’s too late but beware there is more than sludge and rats waiting for her.

As Hank, keep sight of your target while navigating rooftop of insanity as he tries to stop the truth from coming to the surface. But remember, the higher you are, the harder you fall when the zombies attack!

Leads into the upcoming Outbreak: Shades of Horror, a spiritual successor to online survival horror from the early 2000s.

The post Survival Horror Gets Crafty in Outbreak: Shades of Horror Chromatic Split appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 28 to November 1

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 28 to November 1

Next Week on Xbox Hero Image

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!


I’m on Observation Duty 6

Dreamloop Games

I’m on Observation Duty 6 – October 28
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

As an employee of a mysterious organization, your job is to monitor live surveillance camera footage and report other-worldly anomalies using your sharp eyes and good memory. Can you survive the entire night shift, or will you succumb to paranoia?


Vengeance Hunters

Nalua Studio SLU

Vengeance Hunters – October 28

Pick your fighter: The robot, Golem. The brawler, Candy. The mad scientist, Loony. And adventure from the Last Woods to the desolate Wastelands and to the mean streets of the Megalopolis and beyond! Play solo or with a friend as you battle a strange array of enemies, aliens, monsters, and thugs. Collect secrets, increase your score, and challenge yourself across increased difficulty in this original NeoGeo title.


Backrooms: Partygoers

Ratalaika Games S.L.

Backrooms: Partygoers – October 29
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A horror survival game where you play as a researcher tasked to find anomalies inside the horrifying alternate dimension known as The Backrooms. Scavenge for water and other supplies from dead bodies stuck in The Backrooms as you try to escape sharing their fate. Hide in lockers, scan for targets, use a flashlight, and detect creatures using the Anomaly Scanner.


Clock Tower: Rewind

WayForward

Clock Tower: Rewind – October 29
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Translated and released outside of Japan for the first time, Clock Tower: Rewind is a revival of the terror-inducing 16-bit classic that dares you to explore the haunting confines of the Barrows family manor. As teenage orphan Jennifer, you must search every disturbing corner to find items, reveal secrets, and discover ways to evade Scissorman, a murderous, unstoppable, shears-wielding psychopath.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Square Enix

$49.99

Life is Strange: Double Exposure – October 29
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

Max Caulfield, photographer-in-residence at the prestigious Caledon University, discovers her closest new friend, Safi, dead in the snow. To save her, Max tries to Rewind time – a power she’s not used in years… instead, Max opens the way to a parallel timeline where Safi is still alive, and still in danger!


Monster High™‎ Skulltimate Secrets™

Outright Games Ltd.

$39.99

Monster High Skulltimate Secrets – October 29
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

It’s your first day at Monster High, where all monsters are welcome… but some strange events are happening. Can you uncover the mystery of the doors and ancient keys and bring the school back to its authentic, spooky self? Play and discover its skulltimate secrets.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution

Idea Factory International

Neptunia Game Maker R:Evoltuion – October 29
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

Grow a previously defunct gaming studio to success. Building it requires strong developers, cutting-edge video games, and the expansion of your market. Choose wisely and become the biggest game studio of the year!


Phasmophobia (Game Preview)

Kinetic Games

Phasmophobia (Game Preview) – October 29
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Paranormal activity is on the rise and it’s up to you and your team to use all the ghost-hunting equipment at your disposal to gather as much evidence as you can.


Post Trauma

Raw Fury

Post Trauma – October 29

Post Trauma is a modern interpretation of genre-defining survival horror classics. As you venture deeper into the unknown, you’ll strive to solve the mysteries of your unfamiliar surroundings, hoping to discover hidden truths while trying to stay alive.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Cell Scientists: Beyond

R-Next

Cell Scientists: Beyond – October 30
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

Save a sci-fi world from the dangerous Chaga virus in Cell Scientists: Beyond, an exciting puzzle game with 50 levels story mode and easy to pick gameplay mechanics. Embark on an adventure to destroy viruses using futuristics nano ships and help the patients. Save the day using your puzzle-solving skills!


Deepest Trench

Favor Games

Deepest Trench – October 30
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

An exhilarating local co-op game that plunges players into the depths of the Mariana Trench for a secretive military operation. With immersive gameplay and breathtaking visuals, players must work together to navigate treacherous underwater terrain, uncovering hidden mysteries and face unexpected dangers along the way.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Hidden Paws Mystery

Silesia Games Sp. z o.o.

Hidden Paws Mystery – October 30
Xbox Play Anywhere

You are an adventurer, the last of the Seekers of Cats, and you are tasked with an important job. Scattered on those islands are little cats, some of them are cold and hungry and yet still hoping someone will find them. Others don’t really care about you or your quest but meow insistently anyway so you should probably stop for a moment and pet them too.


Last Escape: Dead Complex

Mad Jackal Games

$4.99

Last Escape: Dead Complex – October 30

Dead Complex is a 2D top down, survival horror game. Sneak, loot, and fight your way out of an infested apartment complex and begin your final escape from the city.


Retreat To Enen

indie.io

Retreat To Enen – October 30
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

A base building simulator and survival game unlike any other. Rather than fight your way to prosperity, you’ll be living off the land in balance with nature. Three vast biomes await you. Explore, forage, hunt, craft, build, and meditate as you unlock the secrets of Enen and build the retreat of your dreams. Unlock and gather over 160 unique items as you explore.


Skater’s Solstice

Eastasiasoft Limited

Skater’s Solstice – October 30
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Skater’s Solstice is a top-down brainteasing game with a wintry theme and crisp HD visuals where you’ll need to overcome 50 stages of gradually increasing complexity to achieve ice skating mastery. Each stage contains 3 stars and a glimmering exit. Can you put it all together and gather all the stars?


Xbox Play Anywhere

Vampire Hunters

Gamecraft Studios

Vampire Hunters – October 30
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

Shoot, stack, and slay! Vampire Hunters is a rogue lite survivors FPS where the toughest Transylvanians stack guns to mow down monsters with extreme firepower. Collect new weapons, upgrade, and dominate as you explore new levels in this retro-inspired bullet heaven FPS.


[REDACTED]

KRAFTON, Inc.

$22.49

[Redacted] – October 31

Black Iron, a state-of-the-art penitentiary located on Jupiter’s icy moon Callisto, is overrun with hordes of infected inmates. As a modest prison guard your job is simple – get to the last escape pod and get out alive.


Dragon Age™: The Veilguard

Electronic Arts


15


$69.99

$62.99

Dragon Age: The Veilguard – October 31
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in conflict and secret magics. Now, a pair of corrupt ancient gods have broken free from centuries of darkness and are hellbent on destroying the world. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight to stop the gods from blighting the world.


Garten of Banban 6

Feardemic

Garten of Banban 6 – October 31
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Explore the forgotten levels of Banban’s Kindergarten. Survive the new terrors that reside below. Uncover the truth behind the place and find the whereabouts of your missing child.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Hannah

QUByte

Hannah – October 31
Xbox Play Anywhere

After Hannah’s doll gets stolen by a mysterious force, you must help her face multiple challenges that have taken shape by her childhood memories and wounds. Set in a retro surrealist world inspired by the 80’s, the player can choose between different paths that will take them down multiple endings.


Magic Cats Pots

©RedDeer.Games

Magic Cats Pots – October 31

Restore the broken porcelain and reveal hidden magic in Magic Cats Pots puzzles! Step into the magical world of Magic Cats Pots and breathe new life into old treasures! Visitors can come to the shop with their broken treasures, and with a touch of magic, these items can be brought back to life. But this isn’t just any life – these objects are home to divine creatures: cats.


Rumours From Elsewhere

Notte Studio Games

Rumours From Elsewhere – October 31
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

You have come to the right place pilgrim… Rumours from Elsewhere is a 2.5D action platformer with RPG and roguelite elements. Battle alone or with a friend through an ancient fantasy world, filled with loot and danger… welcome to the gauntlet of greed.


Self-Delusion

Sometimes You


$14.99

$11.99
Free Trial

Self-Delusion – October 31

A first-person survival horror game in the original setting of Slavic fairy tales. You will face unique monsters like Kolobok, Leshy, Boggart, Lapot and other creepy creatures. Explore, hide or run. Just don’t get devoured by them.


Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered

NetEase Entertainment Interactive Pte. Ltd.

$24.99

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered – October 31

Kick some demon tail as Garcia Hotspur on one devil of a ride. The flames of hell will feel frigid compared to the hot-blooded Garcia on his quest to get his girl back from the Lord of the Underworld in this hot-blooded, hellishly twisted, feverishly filthy, love and hate-filled road trip.


Totally Spies! – Cyber Mission

Microids

$39.99

Totally Spies! Cyber Mission – October 31
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

The dazzling trio from Beverly Hills—Sam, Clover, and Alex— is back and they are ready to light up the vibrant streets of Singapore with their spy skills! From the bustling streets to Aiya University, embark on an action-packed adventure as you explore all the futuristic spots of the town.


Aero The Acro-Bat: Rascal Rival Revenge

Ratalaika Games S.L.

Aero The Acro-Bat: Rascal Rival Revenge – November 1
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

The 2002 remake of Aero the Acro-Bat is back and better than ever with improved sprites, modified stages and skills, as well as a whole new comic-style introduction scene. It’s up to Aero the Acro-Bat, the circus’s star performer, to rescue his friends and girlfriend Ariel, and put a stop to Edgar Ektor’s mad plans so everyone can enjoy the show again!


Albatroz

SOEDESCO

Albatroz – November 1
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Albatroz is a backpacking adventure RPG that will take you through majestic landscapes in search of your lost sibling. A tale about knowing when to let go and start over. Follow Isla’s journey through the Forbidden Lands, a breathtaking, otherworldly realm where two worlds converge.


Journey to Kreisia

KEMCO

Journey to the Kreisia – November 1
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

While attempting to skip out on a homework assignment and meet up with his friends at the arcade, a teenager by the name of Yusis is suddenly enveloped in a blinding light and transported to Kreisia — a world where fantasy meets reality.



Sainthood – The Game

Bisong Taiwo

Sainthood – November 1
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Sainthood is a cozy strategy game about serving your community. Explore a miniature world and help the townsfolk by constructing buildings, delivering resources, and volunteering. Pray and attend other spiritual activities as you rise to become a Saint!


Unsolved Case: Killer Popularity CE Xbox

Legacy Games

Unsolved Case: Killer Popularity CE – November 1
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

This new collection of crime episodes is full of terrifying and bone-chilling murders, break-ins, and robberies. We believe you are the only one who can stop the perpetrators, but just in case, we’ve sent Paul to you for backup. Your faithful partner will be there to assist you or even bring you a new case. Make complicated moral choices that will determine the future of both perpetrator and victim. Danger and treachery lay around every corner… so be careful!


The post Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 28 to November 1 appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Creating Yooka-Replaylee – Our Vision for a Truly Modern Mascot Platformer

Summary

  • Almost ten years on, Yooka-Replaylee delivers Playtonic’s true vision for a modern mascot platformer.
  • Learning and growing from the original Yooka-Laylee through other projects.
  • Owners of the original Yooka-Laylee get a launch discount.

About ten years ago, a group of former Rare employees with decades of combined experience working on some of the most renowned platformers banded together to form Playtonic with the shared vision to resurrect the 3D platformer. Yooka-Laylee was born out of this vision and now almost a decade and a studio with over 60 employees later, we have refined that vision and morphed it with our learnings working across other projects and feedback from our community to bring you Yooka-Replaylee, the definitive version of the 2017’s indie 3D mascot platformer darling. Staring the buddy duo of Yooka, the green one, and Laylee, the purple one, the epic open world adventure is coming to Xbox Series X|S!

The makings of a great mascot platformer start with no less than, well, memorable mascots, and Yooka-Replaylee has got just that in the forms of the heroic lime-green lizard Yooka and his wisecracking, now fluffy, purple companion Laylee the bat.

Together they go against the comically villainous Capital B and meet a colourful and varied cast of characters along the way, some familiar to fans of the IP and some new ones like Coinelius the piggy bank and Mark the appropriately named bookmark who gives you directions throughout the game. Even some of the enemies you encounter have undergone a full makeover. The bees are fluffy now! Every character has been given a fresh coat of paint and smoother animations to go along with it.

Yooka-Replaylee screenshot

While story of Yooka-Replaylee begins in Yooka and Laylee’s home of Shipwreck Creek and swiftly moves inside the lair of the vicious capital B called the Hivory Towers, a vast majority of the game takes place inside Grand Tomes, each with its unique overarching setting and atmosphere.

Entering the world of Yooka-Replaylee, you will quickly discover that the worlds are now more populated with things to do, enemies with all new attacks to encounter, and collectibles to collect than before. Every single challenge has been improved and some entirely new challenges have been added.

An entirely new currency called Q.U.I.D.S has been added for players to collect and spend on a store run by a franchise favourite character. You no longer have to worry about getting lost in the world either thanks to the brand world map and the aforementioned Mark the bookmark giving you guidance and acting as a handy fast-travel system within the levels. You will also be able to track your progress through a brand-new challenge tracker.

Yooka-Replaylee screenshot

What is a platformer if it does not feel good to play? We have completely redone Yooka and Laylee’s move set and the player camera in Yooka-Replaylee to create a more responsive experience. You can now intuitively chain your moves together, which is something you were not able to do before.

In one of our more surprising decisions, we removed the double jump from the game. Instead, your regular jump now matches the height of the old double jump. This is all to ensure a better gameplay flow for the players. Swim and fly controls have also been redone and to the players’ relief, moves now cost less power to use!

Our colourful cast of characters are not the only ones who have undergone a makeover. Yooka-Replaylee has undergone a full visual upgrade covering every single art asset in the game along with a complete UI and HUD refresh. As you run through the grass at Shipwreck Creek or the snow in Glitterglaze Glacier, the world around you feels truly alive and breathing, creating a fully immersive platforming experience.

And I cannot finish a segment talking about immersion without highlighting the beautifully arranged orchestral score, based on the original score composed by Grant Kirkhope and David Wise, we worked together with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to produce.

Yooka-Replaylee screenshot

The founders of Playtonic had a vision for a new mascot platformer that would breathe new life into the 3D platforming genre. The very first Yooka-Laylee (2017) is to thank for the position the studio is in now, doubling as a development studio and a publisher, and for the fact that I get to work at Playtonic.

As we approach our tenth anniversary with more resources, more employees with fresh ideas, valuable community feedback and lessons learned working across other secret projects, we think it is only appropriate to go back to that original adventure and celebrate a whole decade of fun and love for platforming by delivering the true definitive version of Yooka and Laylee’s first adventure. And what better way to kickstart an exciting new beginning for the franchise than this? We cannot wait for you to get your hands on Yooka-Replaylee when it launches on Xbox Series X|S. I am also delighted to announce that owners of the original Yooka-Laylee on Xbox will be entitled to an owner’s discount at launch!

Yooka-Replaylee

Playtonic Friends

Yooka-Replaylee is the definitive remastered and enhanced version of the 3D indie platforming collectathon darling, Yooka-Laylee (2017), developed by key creative talent behind the Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country games. New remixed challenges and old favourites await as you embark to explore the huge, beautiful open worlds as the lovable buddy-duo Yooka (the green one) and Laylee (the purple one) once more, all while backed by a beautiful orchestral soundtrack. Did we mention there is a map now? A shiny new currency? And tons of customisation options? The favourite buddy duo has never moved, looked, or sounded better! 

Corporate creep Capital B is on a quest to steal all the books in the world and turn them into cold hard cash. BUT the most powerful book in the universe is right under his crooked nose in the neighbouring Shipwreck Creek, home to our adventurous buddy-duo, Yooka and Laylee!  Seeing their prized book stolen pulls them into a wacky adventure across many fantastical & imaginative worlds, full of colourful characters and vault-loads of shiny collectibles. 

Can you find all of the magical Pagies from their book and save the day?

FEATURES:
MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN EVER – With an art and animations overhaul and enhanced performance and resolution, the favourite buddy duo has never looked or moved better. 
NEW AND IMPROVED CHALLENGES – Improvements to existing in-game challenges and many entirely new challenges to discover and undertake! 
NEW COLLECTIBLE CURRENCY – Capital B’s inept minions have dropped their hard-earned coins all over the place. Collect the official currency of Hivory Towers to spend at the video games industry’s most beloved sentient vending machine Vendi! 
NAVIGATING THE WORLD – Now you can get lost in the game, not in the world! A brand-new world map and challenges tracker helps you know where you are and what needs to be done. Hooray! 
VENDI HAS PLENTY TO OFFER – Tonics are back with all new flavours! With the option to equip multiple game-changing enhancements, you can truly customise your playstyle. And as if that wasn’t enough, Vendi has new lines of merchandise for the modern fashionable adventurer. 
REVISED CONTROLS & CAMERA – A new tweaked move set allows you to combine moves more fluidly while the new camera controls make framing the action a breeze. 
A DREAMY ORCHESTRAL SOUNDTRACK – The original score from famed video game composers Grant Kirkhope (Banjo-Kazooie) and David Wise (Donkey Kong Country) returns but as a beautifully arranged orchestral score. Now seriously, clean out those ears. 

The post Creating Yooka-Replaylee – Our Vision for a Truly Modern Mascot Platformer appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Soul Stalker: Can You Overcome Its Roguelike World Through Pure Skill?

Summary

  • Battle hordes of corrupted apparitions.
  • Gain world knowledge through NPC interaction and combine items for astounding loadout options.
  • Progress through the ascension system to take full advantage of your overpowered builds.

In Soul Stalker, you take on the role of one of 21 unique characters to protect earth-bound ghosts. Set in a distinctive 3D world with paper-like graphics, this bullet heaven roguelike places skill at the core of its design. Rather than improving through grinding, you’ll advance by mastering the game’s mechanics and learning to optimize the interactions between characters, weapons, and trinkets.

Wield four to six weapons in simultaneous auto-attacking action to go on runs to defend your ghostly companions, while traversing combat encounters, campfires, and shops along the way. Each run typically lasts 20-25 minutes, and when you die, nothing except the currency called “Souls” carries over to your next attempt.

Soul Stalker screenshot

Souls aren’t used for permanent upgrades but to unlock new weapons and trinkets, which you usually find on runs. You can also use them to create your ideal starting loadout. Instead of relying on grinding for stats, the game encourages you to improve by understanding the synergies between characters, weapons, and trinkets. For instance, you might come across a weapon that fires projectiles with a low cooldown and pierces multiple enemies. Pair this with a trinket that applies the “bleed” status effect and another that causes enemies to explode upon death from the bleed, and you’ll end up with a build that clears the screen in an instant by exploding everything in sight! Through learning these powerful combinations, you’ll consistently improve your runs by knowing what to focus on and adapt strategies accordingly.

Characters are also a key part in making the strongest builds possible, and you unlock them by completing specific in-game objectives. For example, defeatinga boss with only one weapon unlocks Needle, the one-handed monk, while accumulating over 1,000 coins in a run grants you access to Penny, the merchant. As you unlock more characters, you’ll also discover more areas of the overworld and be able to chat with more of the ghosts you’re protecting. These ghosts can offer valuable tips on weapon and trinket combos, as well as insights into the mysterious events unfolding in Soul Stalker’s spectral world!

Soul Stalker screenshot

Once you’ve honed your skills and mastered the interactions across the game’s 21 characters, 35 weapons, and 84 trinkets, you’ll be ready to tackle ascension levels. Ascension levels are difficulty modifiers that you can apply to a run, such as “enemies are tougher”, “heal less whenever you beat a boss”, or even “coins are no longer attracted to you at the end of combats”.  Whenever you beat an ascension level, you unlock the next one with every single character, and if you manage to beat the maximum of level of ten with any of them, you can find a Master Crystal in the overworld that allows you to get a special skin!

Soul Stalker screenshot

Learn each character’s strengths and weaknesses and climb the ten ascensions to slay even the most dangerous of apparitions to become the ultimate Soul Stalker! You can play the game on October 24 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Microsoft Store with a 10% launch discount until October 31.

Xbox Play Anywhere

Soul Stalker

Radhood


$7.49

$6.74

Soul Stalker is a bullet heaven roguelike where you assume the role of the steward of ghosts bound to eternal life on earth. Wield 4 to 6 weapons simultaneously to fend off waves of apparitions determined to defeat your spirited friends. Choose from a diverse pool of 21 characters, 35 weapons, 84 trinkets, and 21 pets to craft your ultimate build!

Slay spooky souls, evolve your weapons, and progress through the Soul Stalker Society’s hub to become an unstoppable force of nature.

Soul Stalker screenshot

The post Soul Stalker: Can You Overcome Its Roguelike World Through Pure Skill? appeared first on Xbox Wire.