Greetings fellow necromancers and necromancer candidates! I’m Sampo Töyssy from 10tons, and I’m thrilled to announce that Undead Horde 2 launches today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One! We’re excited to bring our necromantic RPG-hack’n’slash-RTS hybrid to Xbox.
In Undead Horde2: Necropolis you become a powerful necromancer with the ability to raise the dead and command them in battle. With each victory, your army will grow stronger, and your city will become more powerful. In essence Undead Horde 2 is an action game with elements from RPG, strategy and hack’n’slash.
The creation of Undead Horde 2 was an interesting journey for us: It’s a sequel but on the other hand we were able to improve and even change many things. The player feedback so far has been very positive, and most players think the sequel is better than the first game in many ways which has been very nice to hear. We’ve tried staying true to the spirit of the original game, while simultaneously expanding its universe and refining the elements that made the first game so captivating.
The biggest change is in the core player interaction: Instead of your horde mirroring the enemies exactly, you can choose which kind of undead you raise. So, the players have more control over their undead minions in a more strategic and immersive manner. Our aim has been to not just create a sequel, but to evolve the franchise into a more engaging, dynamic, and compelling experience. We hope we’ve succeeded in our goal.
We also have an additional announcement: Undead Horde 2 was named the Big Screen Game of the Year at the Finnish Game Awards! The award was a nice surprise for us, since we didn’t think our sequel would stand a chance. We hope you enjoy commanding your undead armies on Xbox as much as we’ve enjoyed creating this experience for you. Glory to the king and glory to the undead!
The living have razed your home: The Necropolis. Become a necromancer king and raise undead warriors from the remains of your enemies. With each victory, your army will grow stronger and your city will become more powerful, allowing you to take on even tougher challenges. Take back your land, free the undead souls and secure a future for the undead. Undead Horde 2 is a necromantic action game with elements from RPG, strategy and hack’n’slash.
Earlier this month, we shared that PC Game Pass is now available in 40 new countries, the ability to take the expansive Game Pass library everywhere you go with the Asus ROG Ally, and the new PC Game Pass Friend Referral program where you can invite your friends and play together. You can find Friend Referral invitations on the Game Pass Home screen in the Xbox App on PC, just click the “Give PC Game Pass” button to share with up to 5 friends.
Now, we’re excited to share the latest Xbox app update to improve your PC gaming experience. Let’s explore the new features and improvements.
Improved Discovery with Updated Game Card, Filtering, and New Collections
We’ve updated game cards throughout the app to give you more information and convenience. Now, you can see the game’s title along with contextual metadata like publisher, pricing, HowLongToBeat time, coming to Game Pass date, leaving Game Pass date for those games leaving soon, and more! You will see all this information as you browse through games in the app. We have also made it easier for you to filter and sort game collections and your library with new filter options, including accessibility features and game ratings, as well as introducing HowLongToBeat as a new sorting option. This way, you can easily find the games you love and discover new ones that match your preferences.
Speaking of discovering new games to play, we have new collections to help you find that next game. Want to play what’s currently popular in your region? Check out the Trending collection. We’re also bringing you new collections powered by HowLongToBeat. You will soon see collections such as “Take a game break”, which highlights games that take less than 5 hours to complete, or “Clear your schedule”, which introduces a collection of games which will require more time to complete.
New Accessibility Options & Menu
Another important update focuses on unifying your accessibility settings, ultimately elevating your PC gaming experience. The new centralized location allows you to customize your accessibility settings, such as enabling or disabling animations and background images, or customizing the ability to browse for games by accessibility features. We have made it easier for you to manage all these settings, as well as PC gaming-related settings in one place. To learn more, check out this short video.
At-a-Glance Social
Now, you can keep your friends list, chat, and party windows up even while you’re in game! If you have two desktops, simply drag these windows onto the desktop that’s not in a full-screen game and continue to stay updated with your friends, all at-a-glance.
Instead of a dedicated tab, enjoy seeing all your online friends at-a-glance in a streamlined friends list at any time and even pop it out on your desktop to always be ready for multiplayer gaming with your favorite people. Simply click on an active friend to open a chat window and begin chatting with them, all while browsing for your next favorite game.
We’ve made it easier than ever to discover and add new friends directly from the friends list. See everyone you’ve recently played with on one click or link your Steam account to bring your friends into the Xbox ecosystem to play together.
Thank you for continuing to provide us your feedback. We are listening to improve your gaming experience with the Xbox App on PC. Keep dropping your comments in the Feedback Hub, to us on Twitter @XboxGamePassPC or the Xbox Insiders Reddit.
After collecting feedback from The Sims 4 players, we have made some big changes to the Xbox version of the game.
By popular demand, we’ve reversed some previous changes to Build Mode and made other improvements. Most of these improvements are related to controller buttons – to create a more seamless play experience, we’ve tried to make the functions of buttons more consistent across different game modes. Here’s what’s new:
Bumper Button Functionality
It used to be that the bumper buttons would have different functions depending on what mode you were in. In CAS (Create a Sim), the buttons switched between Sims, while in Live Mode, they would adjust how quickly time passed.
Now, the bumper buttons will switch between Sims in both CAS and Live Mode. Game speed in Live mode can be adjusted with the triggers.
Build Catalog Changes
The Build Catalog will now minimize when you select an object to place. This will let you see more of your current build while you decide where to place the new object.
When you return to the Build Catalog you will now automatically return to the objects you were looking at most recently. This will make it easier to jump back into what you were doing, creating a faster building and decorating process.
Build Mode Object Rotations
Windows, doors, and tiles used to rotate differently than other objects in Build Mode. They used Y instead of the right and left bumper buttons. We’ve changed this to bring them more in line with the way other objects are handled. Now you’ll be able to rotate these using the right and left bumper buttons, the same way you’d rotate anything else.
Instead of rotating your doors and windows, the Y button will now allow you to place multiple. With tiles, the Y button will be used to toggle between placing a single tile or tiling the floor of an entire room.
Switching Cursor Modes
You can now change cursor modes using the View button.
New Shortcuts
We’ve added a lot of new shortcuts. For example in CAS you can press up on the d-pad to jump to the identity panel and down on the d-pad to add or remove Sims from your household.
Live mode shortcuts before (left) and after (right) the update.
Gallery Connection
The Gallery is currently down for some planned improvements. When it comes back, Simmers playing on Xbox will need to link their accounts to their EA accounts to access it. You can do this easily by going to Options > Game Options > Other and selecting Link EA Account.
While you’re getting used to these changes, it’s a good idea to go to the Other section under Game Options and enable Show Controls Legend. If you don’t like on-screen prompts, you can also bring up the Controller Overlay by pressing L3. We’ve cleaned up the Controller overlay so that it will no longer display excess or inaccurate button callouts.
Besides these improvements, we’ve also fixed a lot of bugs in this update that were affecting Xbox players. For example, we’ve made it possible to resize objects in Build Mode again. Press and hold LT+RT while holding the object, then press right or left on the d-pad to adjust the object’s size. We’ve also fixed a bug that was causing the cursor to vanish after using the Relationships panel, one preventing lots from being rotated if you’ve used Move Lot, another that was locking controls when viewing venue information for a lot placed from My Library or the Gallery, and a whole lot more.
Overall, we are confident these changes will make gameplay a lot more intuitive for our Xbox Simmers. We are grateful to our community members for their feedback. Read the full patch notes here.
Unleash your imagination and create a unique world of Sims that’s an expression of you! Download for free and customize every detail from Sims to homes, and much more. Choose how Sims look, act, and dress, then decide how they’ll live out each day. Design and build incredible homes for every family, then decorate with your favorite furnishings and décor. Travel to different neighborhoods where you can meet other Sims and learn about their lives. Discover beautiful locations with distinctive environments and go on spontaneous adventures. Manage the ups and downs of Sims’ everyday lives and see what happens when you play out scenarios from your own real life! Tell your stories your way while developing relationships, pursuing careers and life aspirations, and immersing yourself in this extraordinary game, where the possibilities are endless. Play with life!
Download for Free – The base game of The Sims™ 4 is free to download. Get a plethora of options for building homes, styling Sims, and customizing their personalities. Craft their life stories while exploring vibrant worlds and discovering more ways of being you all at no cost.
Create Unique Sims – A variety of Sims are yours to personalize, each with distinct appearances, dynamic personalities, and inspiring aspirations. Use powerful customization features to bring your imagination to life. Create yourself, your favorite celebrities, your fantasy, or your friends! Change your Sims’ clothing to reflect your mood, develop stories that deepen your world, and give their lives purpose with traits and aspirations.
Build the Perfect Home – Effortlessly build and design homes for your Sims in Build Mode. Construct the home of your – and their – dreams by planning its layout, choosing furnishings, and altering the landscape and terrain. You can even add a pool, basement, and garden, or rebuild with new ideas and designs!
Play with Life – Control every moment of your Sims’ lives from their relationships to their careers. Your choices shape every aspect of their lives from birth into adulthood. Along the way, develop your Sims’ skills, pursue original hobbies, take them on adventures, start new families, and much more.
Add New Experiences – Use the Gallery to find inspiration from a community of players just like you. Download and comment on your favorite Sims, homes, and designed rooms.
Get More with EA Play – EA Play* members can expand their career possibilities with The Sims™ 4 Get to Work Expansion Pack
*Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See tos.ea.com/legalapp/eaplay/US/en/PC/ for details. Conditions & restrictions apply. See ea.com/legal for details.
Explore the worlds of two unique, narrative-driven games this June with Games with Gold! On Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, sticking to one critical moral decision is harder than you think in the poignant Adios, and then starting on June 16 listen closely as you try the outside-of-the box audio driven adventure The Vale: Shadow of the Crown.
Xbox Live Gold members will have exclusive access to these games for a limited time as part of Games with Gold. So will Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, who receive all the fantastic benefits of Gold plus access to hundreds of high-quality games with Xbox Game Pass.
One choice can change everything. You are a pig farmer in Kansas who has finally had enough of your role helping the mob dispose of bodies on your farm. Your hitman friend tries to convince you to change your mind as the two of you go about the errands of the day. He knows what saying no means. This is a meditative thoughtful game that reflects on morality and spirituality with compelling writing and phenomenal voice acting. Will this be goodbye?
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
You can close your eyes and listen. This is one of the most unique adventures you’ll experience that leverages sound and haptic controller feedback in an audio-based adventure. Break down the barriers between you as the player and your character as you feel your enemy’s breath, listen to the crunching of footsteps or the clang of weapons. Combat is intense and very different than other combat and fantasy games.
Read more about our Games with Gold program here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire for all the latest news on Xbox. Like we said before, if you are an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member, you get all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, hundreds of high-quality games you can play on console, PC, and across devices from the cloud, and access to EA Play at no extra cost. New games are added all the time, so you’re never without something new to try when you’re looking to find your next favorite game. If you’re new, or if you’re an existing Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass for Console member, join or upgrade today.
Adios is a cinematic first-person game about sticking to a complicated decision.
You’re a pig farmer in Kansas. It’s October. Cold, crisp mornings are the norm, and you have decided that you’re no longer okay with letting the mob use your pigs to dispose of bodies. When your old friend – a hitman – arrives with his assistant to deliver another body, you finally screw up the courage to tell them that you’re done.
Your friend doesn’t want you to stop. He knows that there’s no such thing as quitting, so he’ll try to convince you that you’re making a mistake. You spend the day together, doing chores and exploring the nooks and crannies of an authentic environment in the American Midwest alongside the man who will be forced to kill you, if he can’t convince you to stay.
How you respond will determine the rest of your life.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a story driven, action-adventure that utilizes the full potential of 3D audio and haptic controller feedback to deliver visceral gameplay that shatters the barrier between player and character. As an audio based game, The Vale sets out to breathe new life into medieval combat and provide a truly novel experience for visually impaired and sighted gamers alike.
It’s a challenge to bring systems together to fit perfectly with one another! Each one has to be carefully balanced, considering the changes other systems bring, and what the addition of each additional system affects. Our unique, dice-based survival city builder, Dice Legacysits directly in the middle of this careful balance, putting the controlled ‘random number generation’ aspect of its titular dice at the true center of it all. It’s this innovative design that won Dice Legacy its “Most Original Game of Gamescom 2021” award. With the additional scenarios, DLC, and gamepad support brought to Xbox by the Definitive Edition – which is out now for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One – players can put their strategic mettle to the test.
The dice represent your people, starting out as Peasant Dice and given general tasks they’re able to perform. Along the way, you’ll elevate them to different classes with specific functions, sacrifice them, forge new and empowered dice, and even ascend them for use in new playthroughs. While a dice roll is an iconic example of chance, you choose how they’re utilized, which faces to lock in, and tipping the chances for each die as you assign them a class.
As your people, they need to be protected and provided for as the cold of winter sets in and raiders strike into your lands; at the same time, their happiness must be balanced, as well. Your domain’s expansion will cost resources and take decision-making, and both can come at the cost of your peoples’ happiness – ignore them at your own peril.
Building your domain means building structures, from the first cookhouses to the mysterious concoctions of the laboratory. Each structure serves your domain, starting by gathering basic resources and progressing onwards to establish and enhance your kingdom. While growing your population and level of technology advances your reach and potential, the resources required also increase in quantity and rarity. Mismanaging them can spell doom for your attempt, but lessons learned (and dice ascended) can be brought into the next run for you to apply as you see fit!
Players can expect to further challenge themselves with the content included in the Definitive Edition! Brace for wild turns of weather, discover hidden memories throughout the land to help (or hurt) you, and placate the demands of an up-in-arms populace at the risk of being overthrown. Additionally, the Definitive Edition includes the Corrupted Fates DLC, where players will discover the ethereal corruption that lies at the heart of their kingdom. Choose whether to wield it to your own ends, stamp it out, or succumb to it.
Ruling a kingdom is a fine balance between riches and ruin, and Dice Legacy: Definitive Edition puts your leadership to the test. Your defenses, your people, and your resource management all must be tended to regularly, and each of these is tied into the success or failure of the others. When they work in harmony, you are prepared to face any challenge that arrives at your doorstep, and the ringworld has many to offer. Will you masterfully strike out into this new land, or will your fledgling kingdom burn?
Experience Gamescom’s Most Original Game of 2021 in its Definitive Edition.
In this dice-based survival city builder, you roll and use your dice to gather resources, construct buildings, expand your settlement and face the menacing threats of a mysterious ringworld.
Your dice are your people. Allocate them to jobs, keep them happy and healthy by providing food, ale and medicinal herbs. Assign them classes to gather resources, fight enemies, and develop your domain. Prevent starvation and sickness from spreading through your realm and prevent your dice from freezing in the unforgiving cold of the winter blizzard.
Manage the happiness of your people as you grow your realm from its humble beginnings, building structures to care for the classes while allocating your resources. Pass Policies proposed by the Council, balancing improvements to your society against the happiness of the various classes.
Explore an uncharted continent, interact with its strange inhabitants and face the wrath of a mysterious population. Upgrade and empower your dice, forge them together to create mighty Constructs, research forbidden technologies and discover the secrets of the Ring.
The Complete Dice Legacy Experience
Dice Legacy Definitive Edition includes all the content and scenarios from the original Dice Legacy release plus the three major updates: Memories, Forging a Realm and A Storm is Coming as well as the Corrupted Fates expansion pack.
October 25 marks the release of Alone in the Dark, a twisted reimagining of the game that gave birth to the survival horror genre. To bring their new, nightmarish vision to life with the ferocity it deserves, Pieces Interactive turned to two modern greats in David Harbour and Jodie Comer to play their dual protagonists. As Detective Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood, David and Jodie brought the same intensity to their first ever video game roles as they have to some of their best known appearances across stage and screen.
No matter which character you choose at the beginning of Alone in the Dark, you’ll experience the whole adventure through an unforgettable performance from one of Hollywood’s most talented actors. While both characters go through the same events, Emily and Edward will react differently to their environment, and each have unique story moments. They both possess strong, individual personalities and histories, and Derceto Manor’s residents will treat them accordingly – playing the game through twice is a must.
David brings his unmistakable presence to his portrayal of Edward, with Xbox’s next-generation hardware capturing every brooding expression and dark glare. In making the role his own, David also injected a distinct humour into the troubled detective’s attempts to ward off the horrors that lurk in Derceto Manor. Alone in the Dark’s classic noir genre trappings and disturbing setting attracted David to the role:
“He’s a gruff detective, and he’s searching for something – he’s hard-boiled, but he’s got some humour to him. He’ s a bit of a trope, or a type, and I liked that – I liked the world, and how he’s exploring this insanity, amidst all this horror.”
Jodie’s ability to become totally absorbed in her roles has rightfully netted her Olivier, BAFTA, and Emmy awards, and she brings that same tour de force power to becoming Emily Hartwood. From her quiet fear of the Hartwood family curse consuming her, to explosive desperation in the pursuit of her missing uncle Jeremy, Jodie’s nuanced characterisation of Emily is at once terrifying and heartbreaking.
“I loved the mystery of the game, I loved the picture of her. There’s a lot of fear within her, and a lot of speculation, and curiosity, dread, intrigue. There’s a lot about her that’s kind of on edge.”
Awakening Alone in the Dark‘s long-dormant terror meant assembling a crack team of horror gaming’s best, and this started with Creative Director and Writer Mikael Hedberg, the mind behind the macabre worlds of Amnesia and SOMA. Joined by long-time Guillermo Del Toro collaborator Guy Davis – contributing creature designs – and doom-jazz legend Jason Köhnen – helping shape the game’s oppressive atmosphere – the team creating Alone in the Dark are dedicated to creating a game that’s at once a faithful recreation for fans and an accessible entry point for players new to the series.
There are still surprises to come between now and October, but you don’t have to wait that long. You can get your first taste of the torment that awaits in Derceto today for free, with the Alone in the Dark Prologue, and pre-order the Digital Deluxe Edition for access to the Derceto 1992 Costume Pack, Vintage Horror Filter Pack, and Director’s Commentary with Mikael Hedberg.
Psychological Horror meets Southern Gothic in this reimagination of the classic survival horror game, Alone in the Dark
This love letter to the ground-breaking original lets you experience a haunting story through the eyes of one of two protagonists. Play as either Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood and explore your environments, fight monsters, solve puzzles and uncover the uneasy truth of Derceto Manor…
Deep in the 1920’s south, Emily Hartwood’s uncle has gone missing. Together with private investigator Edward Carnby, she embarks on a journey to Derceto Manor, a home for the mentally ill where something is lurking. You’ll encounter strange residents, nightmarish realms, dangerous monsters and ultimately uncover a plot of rising evil. At the intersection of reality, mystery, and insanity, an adventure waits that will challenge your core beliefs. Who can you trust, what will you believe, and what will you do next?
See Emily and Edward brought to live by the Hollywood talent of Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, Free Guy) and David Harbour (Stranger Things, Black Widow), who lend their voices, their appearance, and their formidable acting skills to the protagonists
Alone in the Dark Prologue is an atmospheric Playable Teaser for the upcoming re-imagination of Alone in the Dark – the game which gave birth to the survival horror genre.
One of Derceto’s residents, Jeremy Hartwood, has been acting strange lately. He asks Grace to do one simple thing – help him deliver a letter to his niece, Emily Hartwood. She seems to be the only one capable of understanding the otherworldly horrors plaguing Jeremy’s mind.
Grace agrees and embarks on a short yet memorable trip through a wing of Derceto Manor, invaded by a presence which appears to have emerged from the dark depths of the Bayou…
Welcome to Dark Quest 3, launching on Xbox today! Let’s jump in to some game play tips!
Your First Run
Your starting heroes in Dark Quest 3 are the barbarian, dwarf, archer, and wizard. How you allocate your hero upgrades has a huge impact on how far you will get with each run. You should start by putting a point to one of the dwarf’s barrels. This a secondary action which means you can still perform an attack action after that.
The barrels will attract attention and monsters will attack them. All monsters have a preferred target (closest, lowest health, highest health, those in a line). The barrel must still obey these rules.
The barbarian throwing axe is essentially a free ranged attack. Make sure you put a point there soon after.
Next is the Archer with his surprise attack. The archer will shoot a random enemy when a battle starts. This attack benefits from all equipment and modifiers.
Finally, you will need some AOE, the wizard lighting storm is one of the strongest cards in the game and will kill multiple enemies when it reaches high levels, particularly if you have some rings of power equipped.
General Strategies
Do not waste your re-roll on meaningless events. If a hero becomes poisoned, or suffers 1 damage simply accept it. Instead save re-rolls for higher impact events such as losing a hero for a few turns or high damage.
Always play your secondary actions first in battle to gain an advantage.
If you waste your re-rolls it’s only a matter of time before a dice roll will kill you.
Make sure your heroes don’t have low health, you can’t control 100% what will happen in battle or during the cards. If a hero has 1-3 health then you should expect death around the corner! Use your healing potion when heroes drop health to critical levels, otherwise save its charges.
Unlocking new heroes is crucial. Many of the locked heroes are overpowered and can easily lead you to glory.
Heroes
Barbarian: A good all-around hero that can take some damage and also deal a lot of damage.
Dwarf: The best hero to keep enemies busy with barrels and keep your party out of harm’s way.
Archer: This is a heavy damage hero, perhaps the hero who can deal the highest damage on a single attack. Also has an underrated evasion card which allows you to dodge an incoming attack completely.
Wizard: Strong AOE and utility cards. Lighting storm will kill many enemies at once and so will tornado if you can line the enemies up. Do not underestimate the wizard’s default attack in conjunction with his invisibility card. His magic resistance will be very useful towards the end game.
Lancer: The first hero who can summon a “pet”. The extra character is always summoned at start of battle making that character a good meat-shield. The spear can damage two enemies in a line and together with break armor you can wreak havoc when many enemies are lined up.
Prince: This hero allows you to command an ally or enemy to attack another enemy. One of the most powerful and versatile cards. Having ranged allies around the prince will easily give them attack damage bonus without having to get the in front lines.
Savager: This hero is capable of wiping out the entire board with a single action. Allocate many points to bloodthirsty, which makes the Savager auto attack when she kills a monster.
Lady: A powerful defensive hero. She is the only one who can heal the party with a passive card. Her divine shield blocks all forms of damage.
Druid: This character can summon two “pets”. A large bear that attacks multiple enemies and a smaller fox that deals high damage to a single target. If your party needs additional defenses, you can also transform to a large tree to soak up damage while your other heroes deal the final blows.
Dwarf King: This hero also has a “pet” to help soak up some damage. In addition to that he has a passive card that calls for an ally to attack, when he gets damaged from enemies.
Knight: Just like the archer the knight can attack the lowest health enemy at start of battle automatically with Charge. If the enemy survives his Follow Me card will call for an ally to also make an attack on this target. A very powerful hero indeed.
Fire Mage: Devastating magic damage cards and a pet that can be summoned anywhere on the battlefield.
Closing Notes
A good party must have high damage dealers, ways to soak up damage without getting hurt and some form of AOE for battle with many enemies. Choose your party carefully and bring your lucky dice as you venture forth to face the sorcerer and his magic.
A rogue-lite tabletop that mixes card based exploration with turn based combat. Create your party, draw adventure cards, roll dice and fight monsters to defeat the sorcerer and his magic.
A message from the Elder
“Heed my warning well, friends. A new evil has risen in the East. A power-hungry sorcerer of chaos magic is laying siege to the realm. That is why I called you here. You are heroes, one and all. And without you, all hope is lost. You will face untold challenges you may not survive, and old alliances will need to be rebuilt to stand a chance. I will guide you as best I can, but the rest is up to you.”
What is it?
You start the game at hero camp where you must create your party and then go on journey throughout the world by choosing different areas. Choose each area based on your party’s strengths and weakness, draw adventure cards, roll dice, fight monsters and reach the chaos castle to defeat the sorcerer and his magic.
Features
• 12 heroes and over 60 monsters
• Procedurally generated adventures and combat
• Rogue-lite experience where you create a party of heroes and play until you win or die
• 13 areas to play with over 150 adventure cards
• Survive the skull of fate and the sorcerer’s magic
• Tactical based turn based combat with controlled random numbers
• 80+ combat cards ranging from spells, weapons, potions and equipment
• Unique art world that looks, feels and plays like a tabletop
• Voice over for the sorcerer playing the role of the Dungeon Master
The ultimate tabletop game, unlike anything you have ever seen before!
Challenging retro platformer where you can switch characters in real time.
Each hero plays wildly differently, allowing allowing unique skill combinations.
Out now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
Hi heroes! I’m Israel Mallen, PR at Catness Games. We’re the publishers behind Chronicles of 2 Heroes, a retro platformer inspired by masterpieces like The Messenger and Ninja Gaiden. This epic quest features metroidvania elements and a singular mechanic: you can switch heroes in real time!
One year ago, this gorgeously pixelled adventure received tons of support on Kickstarter. Now Chronicles of 2 Heroes is ready to launch on Xbox Series XS, PC and Xbox One May 26th. So, if you’re a fan of challenging, retro-style platformers, mark your calendars!
Meet the Heroes of Feudal Japan
In this game, Amaterasu reigns over feudal Japan with her fearsome yokai army, and only Kensei and Ayame have what it takes to stop her. These siblings have trained for years to defeat the goddess, and each one has their own unique combat style.
As a samurai, Kensei has devoted his life to mastering the art of the katana. This lethal weapon is flawless in close combat and capable of parrying projectiles. Kensei wears shining red armour, even if it affects his mobility. While he can’t jump, he can perform lightning-fast dashes and slice his way through enemies.
On the other hand, Ayame is a stealthy kunoichi trained in ninja arts. She prioritizes agility and stealth over close combat and can throw kunai from a distance to take out enemies before they even know what hit them. If an enemy detects her, Ayame can use ninjutsu techniques to avoid attacks and vanish behind foes.
Switch ’em up
As you can see, these two heroes play wildly differently. Ayame excels at agile platforming, while Kensei is a pro at close combat. But what happens when you come across an obstacle that requires both skills? Luckily, you can switch between them in real-time!
Just press a button to switch between Ayame and Kensei whenever you need to. Most levels will require you to change characters frequently, but it’s all part of the fun.
Picture this: an undead archer perched atop a high ledge with immense gaps between platforms. Use Ayame to get to higher ground, then switch to Kensei and dash through the gaps while avoiding the arrows. Finally, use your trusty katana to take out the yokai once you’re close enough.
Are you feeling confident? Try parrying his projectiles instead of dashing through them. Or switch to Ayame and teleport behind the archer and keep going without battling anyone. Thanks to the switching mechanic, you can tackle the same problem in several ways. Combine Kensei’s and Ayame’s skills to free feudal Japan from Amaterasu’s wrath.
Unlock your Potential
There are over 20 skills waiting for you to unlock in Chronicles of 2 Heroes. Each one allows for even more powerful combinations, so prepare to get creative.
I could go on and on about all the combos, enemies, and challenges that await you, but I’ll let you discover them yourself. Just know that feudal Japan needs your help, heroes! We can’t wait for you to dive into Chronicles of 2 Heroes on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Xbox One today!
Chronicles of 2 Heroes is an intense 16-bit action platformer featuring Metroidvania elements, Japanese mythos and gorgeous pixel art. That’s not all: you can switch between the protagonists in real-time! Ayame and Kensei have unique, surprising combat styles that you will need to master to save feudal Japan from Amaterasu’s wrath.
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!
Company of Heroes 3 is the ultimate WW2 console experience, delivering an acclaimed blend of action, tactics and strategy. Purpose built for Xbox, Company of Heroes 3 delivers a custom UI, full controller support, and features that allow you to play at your own pace.
Connect and sever railways across different landscapes and help everyone reach their homes. Solve over 200 clever puzzles ranging from gentle slopes to twisted passageways. Place, remove and reroute connections so that carriages safely connect to the locomotive. But be careful and don’t make them run into each other!
Shame Legacy is a first-person survival-horror game set in a forsaken cultist village. Try to survive by using stealth and escape. By solving puzzles, you unravel the mystery that’s h(a)unting you.
You’re Rocky, a 20-year-old young man with a certain charm that doesn’t go unnoticed. After a night out at the Zooty Slammer, you wake up in a strange hospital, kidnapped and drugged. Whatever they did to you last night, they did it. And now it’s too late for apologies, you need to get to the bottom of this… Rocky style.
Create an aquarium in which each fish will want to live. Thanks to the variety of objects in the game, you can implement even the craziest ideas! A green, blooming oasis or raw, antique busts? The choice is yours.
FRITZ has been redefining the chess world for over 30 years. Whether in New York against Garry Kasparov or in Germany in the 4:2 victory against former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, millions of chess fans followed its duels and enjoyed its world-class games. Now with AI-supported help functions, you can play brilliant winning games against FRITZ on Xbox.
A side-scrolling 2D shoot’em up with multi-directional scrolling and parallax presented in hand-drawn HD graphics. Take control of one of three ships, each with a unique playstyle, and blast through enemy swarms across 10 cosmic stages of arcade-inspired action!
Discover a dark family secret and rid a young girl of her nightmares in this splendidly British point & click comedy adventure. Playing as sharp-witted Lucy, explore both dreams and reality to meet all the colorful characters who’ll help you solve puzzles, gather clues and find a murderer.
There’s no way out for Alex Young who wakes up to find herself locked in a strange mansion filled with puzzles, traps, and cameras following her every move. Whether she and her companions live or die, and find the truth behind their abduction, is up to you in this first-person mystery thriller.
The living has razed your home: The Necropolis. Become a necromancer king and raise undead warriors from the remains of your enemies. With each victory, your army will grow stronger and your city will become more powerful, allowing you to take on even tougher challenges. Take back your land, free the undead souls and secure a future for the undead. Undead Horde 2 is a necromantic action game with elements from RPG, strategy and hack’n’slash.
Play as a tiny sugar glider in your very own nature documentary! Glide among the trees, fight dangerous predators, and explore beautiful environments as you embark on a high-flying journey to save your family.
Homebody is a nostalgic survival horror puzzle game where you catch up with old friends and try not to get murdered. Evade the killer, solve the house’s devious puzzles, and reconnect with your friends. Escaping the house may seem impossible at first, but with each attempt to put the pieces together, the bloodstained picture becomes more and more clear.
Weep for the dead! In this short psychological horror story, play as a professional mourner travelling between funerals. Ride a nightmarish bus whose destination depends on how you choose to face your traumas.
An interactive game experience designed to ease your mind and have fun popping innocent balloons. You jump into the role of a little paper plane destined to rescue the world from little, evil balloon demons by dashing through them. A game for relaxing and blowing off some steam after an exhausting day of hassle.
Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer
Get ready to feel the speed in Speed Truck Racing. Enjoy the fastest, most spectacular races while avoiding multiple collisions against 20 rivals. There are several modes available, including championship, arcade, and four-player multiplayer. There is also an online leader board where you can compare your best times with those of your friends and players from around the world.
An intense, fast-paced, and super-sweet tank shooter game. Defend your sweet home world from evil grey tanks, trying to sap all the color from it. Defeat enemy tanks while dodging their attacks. Level by level they will get faster, smarter, and deadlier. Unlock more heroes with their own sweet perks and upgrade your tank. Stock up on lives, bombs, and shields and become the strongest hero.
Brutal upgradable cars, big guns, and daredevil speed will steer you through places that are chock-a-block with zombies. The dangerous post-apocalyptic world is crawling with them and only the bravest and most experienced drivers will be left standing!
Diablo IV is the next-gen action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or go rogue through an expansive End Game and shared world where players will meet in towns to trade, team up to battle World Bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms.
When Blackwing the devil left the world of fire and brimstone behind for the sunny human world, his evil shadow side also accidentally escaped with him. Now Blackwing must team up with a local office lady, Kureha Kurono, and her friends to defeat the evil shadow in this visual novel with over 50 original songs, dozens of high-quality art pieces, and more.
Build your social circle by maintaining and caring for the relationships that matter the most to you and run away from the ones that don’t. You can adopt many radish-pets and spend your life with them, start a family and breed little turnips or live fast and die young. There are thousands of ways to live, and none is correct! Just live as you wish! (And assume the consequences of your decisions when you rot).
Here comes Capcom’s newest challenger! Powered by Capcom’s proprietary RE ENGINE, Street Fighter 6 represents the next evolution of the Street Fighter series spanning across three distinct game modes featuring World Tour, Fighting Ground, and Battle Hub. Play as legendary masters and fan favorites like Ryu, Chun-Li, Luke, Jamie, Kimberly, and more! Your path to becoming a World Warrior starts here.
More than 200 larger-than-life versions of fan-favorite former pros like Vladimir Guerrero, Johnny Damon, Ozzie Smith, and Jason Giambi are ready to step onto the field and join the roster of beloved Super Mega League All-Stars. Hit, pitch, throw, and slide into home plate with the series’ signature combination of arcade-inspired style and immersive gameplay depth. EA Play members can start playing May 30 with an EA Play First Trial.
