At some point during the Portland Timbers’ match against the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday, the Timbers Army – which is what the team’s fans call themselves – raised large banners that read: “From Stonewall a brick and Portland an axe” and “Respect our pride or expect our wrath.” 

Seconds later, Mae, who is Pansexual, joined the celebrations.

jaw dropped https://t.co/rcYvziEMWOJune 30, 2022

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Night in the Woods creator Scott Benson took notice of the above clip and gave his full endorsement. “Jaw dropped,” he wrote in a tweet. “I’ve typed like 5 or 6 witty follow ups but I got nothing.”

“This is the closest I have ever been to being involved in sports.”

“Idk folks i’m pleased that our beloved dirtball from down the block continues to show up in unexpected places, and also that those places are generally very good,” Benson added. “Anyway i endorse the message and the implied threat of axe violence.”

The Portland Timbers themselves also shared their support for the display, writing, “Portland is Pride,” which just warms my vitamin D-deprived soul having lived in this wonderful city for almost a year now.

Portland is Pride. pic.twitter.com/IzBlO3Q0BEJune 30, 2022

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Night in the Woods is a 2017 narrative indie game that’s been praised for its many queer characters, who add representation for Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Non-Binary, and Pansexual people.

For Pride Month, we spoke with Respawn about how no game does Pride like Apex Legends.

The post Night in the Woods Mae brings the Pride to a Portland soccer game, creator approves appeared first on Game News.

Absolutely nada on the release date front. Zilch, zip, zero. Not a sniff. Not even a vague “2023” label slapped on there for good measure. On stage, Xbox’s head of creator experience Sarah Bond did say that the games shown during the event would be playable in some form over the next 12 months – something the official Xbox Twitter account reiterated afterwards – but I’d have loved something a little more concrete. Listen, games are ready when they’re ready, I get that. But I’m looking forward to Silksong so much that I’d have taken a release date over any footage whatsoever – and if social media is anything to go by, I’m far from alone. 

And then I clapped eyes on The Last Case of Benedict Fox, due in Spring 2023, and all was right with the world again.

Demon sold

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Everything announced at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase

My desire for a new 2D Metroidvania platformer is clearly insatiable. I long for a combative side-scroller set within a dark and twisted fantasy world, with Lovecraftian monsters and magic, traversal mechanics and more supernatural abilities than you can shake a Coiled Nail at. But, hang on, what’s this? A new 2D Metroidvania with “challenging Soulslike combat”, set within a dark fantasy world, and starring an intrepid self-proclaimed detective wrestling with a demon who’s seemingly figuratively and literally trapped inside his body? The Last Case of Benedict Fox sounds, and looks, incredible. 

Some of that was outlined during its Xbox and Bethesda Games showcase reveal – check out the trailer above – which showed the titular protagonist zipping around fantastical worlds, harnessing double jumps and power stomps, calling upon the beast within to snatch and whip enemies from one end of the screen to the next, before shooting them dead with a well-placed blast from his revolver. After eventually happening upon his father, who’s either dead or incapacitated, Benedict’s inner demon helps him explore his old man’s memories – landscapes which appear even more haunting than the distorted ones the hero has found themselves roaming in the present day. 

Speaking to The Last Case of Benedict Fox’s narrative trappings, here’s what developer Plot Twist said in a coinciding press release: “In 1925 Boston, self-proclaimed detective Benedict Fox must uncover the fate of a family while traversing a dark, eerie world of emotions made manifest while battling the demon trapped inside his own body. Face an occult order and filthy demons in tactical and rewarding combat, explore the realm of the arcane, and unravel the disturbing secrets of a tragic family. The Last Case of Benedict Fox will immerse players in a rich story with engaging Metroidvania style combat and exploration, all in a breathtaking high fidelity art style.”

All of which sounds right up my street. Having rolled from GTA Online’s The Contract update at the turn of the year into a stint in Fortnite, then Elden Ring, and latterly Sniper Elite 5, I’m feeling a wee bit burnt out on sprawling, all-encompassing open world sandboxes that offer so much to do and see at the moment. The thought of getting to grips with a tight and punchy platformer, one that tells an intriguing tale, lets me switch off while exploring, but equally demands my full attention with my fists raised in its epic showdowns sounds absolutely perfect. Granted, The Last Case of Benedict Fox is a ways away from its tentative Spring 2023 release, but it’s entered my radar with a bang – both as one to watch, and as an alternative to Hollow Knight: Silksong whenever it may poke its head above the parapet proper. 

Which is also one of my favourite things about E3. Games like Starfield, Redfall, The Callisto Protocol, Diablo 4, and The Last of Us: Part 1 will always steal the spotlight – and rightly so. The stature, the pizzazz, the fanfare – these games have all of this in spades, and they’re the reason we have annual events in the first place. But that doesn’t mean the surprises aren’t worth shouting about, those games that unwittingly stop us in our tracks for all the right reasons. For me, The Last Case of Benedict Fox is one of those, and, with the super-cool-looking adventure strategy game Highwater also on its books, publisher Rogue Games should be proud of its E3 2022 season showing. 

E3 in its current fragmented guise, of course, continues to roll on (you’ve checked out our E3 2022 schedule, right?), and while it was first thought Nintendo were skipping proceedings entirely, it turns out the next Nintendo Direct could be happening later this month. With Hollow Knight: Silksong en route to Nintendo Switch whenever it lands, might we see a release date there? I can only hope so.

Fancy this? Keep your eyes on the best new indie games out now.

The post The Last Case of Benedict Fox saved my Hollow Knight: Silksong E3 disappointment appeared first on Game News.

‘The one who pulls out the sword will be crowned king’ is a free experimental game for PC which popped up on Steam (opens in new tab) just a few days ago. The sword-pulling sim has a run time of around 25 minutes according to the reviews on the game’s Steam page but it isn’t as easy as just pulling the sword up with a drag of your mouse. 

According to the game’s developer Majorariatto, each time someone removes the sword from the stone, the game will increase in difficulty with the sword getting longer and heavier. Meaning the more you wait, the harder it will become. Those who do manage to make it through the game though and get the sword out will receive an achievement that proves “you are a king and not a peasant.” 

If you’re still not sold on this unorthodox indie, maybe some of the game’s reviews will be enough to persuade you. According to one player, The one who pulls out the sword will be crowned king is a “fun little game for 24 minutes, easy 100% achievement game if you’re into that sort of thing.” 

Another player gave an insight into how difficult the game actually is with a review that contained the phrase: “I have never secreted so much sweat from my hands in my life for such an arbitrary reward that does nothing for me.” Regardless of this though, they do follow up by saying: “Great game. I couldn’t have bled my sweat and tears better than this game. Highly recommend for those who want to become a true king.”

It looks like The one who pulls out the sword will be crowned king is the kind of game you need to just experience for yourself. Just don’t blame us for all the hours and tears you’ll waste trying to pull that damn sword from the stone. 

Looking for some other hidden gems to play? Take a look at our list of new indie games for inspiration. 

The post Every time somebody pulls the sword in this King Arthur-inspired game, it gets harder appeared first on Game News.

“Our whole ethos for the game was to be nostalgic but not in a superficial way, we really wanted to make a game that felt cool and really felt like the self-indulgent Y2K anime game of our dreams, and part of that is embracing cringe and embracing the tropes,” Esposito explains during a preview event. As such, Neon White plays like a visual novel during cutscenes and like a ultra-fast platformer during gameplay. This is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Unabashedly anime

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Neon White is leaning hard into its source material, and it’s not ashamed to admit it. “People make fun of tropes. And yes, things are tired, and they’re overdone. But we’re also kind of sick of subverting things just for the sake of it because we’re making an indie game,” Esposito explains. “So what we wanted to do was instead of subversion, we just wanted to make version.” Crunchy, frantic music from electronic duo Machine Girl bumps so fast it feels like you’ve had one too many gamer energy drinks before you’re thrust into the story of White, an assassin who wakes up in Heaven and is forced to compete as a top demon slayer to earn his spot in the Cloud Lands beyond death.

The story plays out in visual novel-style cutscenes between missions, with characters that feel ripped right out of Danganronpa. The group of assassins, now all known as Neon [insert color here] are forced to wear animal masks, but their actual outfits are all stark white, shiny black leather, and excessive belts and buckles. Some light dating sim elements let you really bask in Neon White’s homage to excess as you go on side missions and bequeath your favorite assassins with gifts. “We’re using tropes because we want to evoke a really specific period and a really specific kind of game and a development style,” Esposito assures us. 

That style is a mix of melodramatic cutscenes that punctuate fast speedrunning levels. And Neon White wants you to go faster, always, pushing you to beat each level quicker than you did the last time around. Global leaderboards will let the fastest of the fast show off their best times, and short and simple levels beg for replays. “The whole design of the game is to get you to replay levels,” Esposito says. But how do these levels play out?

Fast as hell, but make it heaven 

Neon White is fast as hell, with gameplay that is appropriately frenetic thanks to its unique concept. Each section of the game has ten speedrunning levels within it, and each level requires players traverse spaces quickly with actions and weapons augmented by floating cards found resting on platforms or picked up from enemies felled. During the preview, Esposito blows through levels so fast it makes my head spin, and the heavy-hitting soundtrack makes it feel like I’m watching a 2000s movie club scene at 2x speed.

In Neon White, cards can be used for either weapons or movement, and it’s up to you to decide how to delegate. Discarding a card like Godspeed will shoot you forward in a lightning-fast dash that takes out several enemies, or you can use its weapon component to fire several shots from a rifle. You can’t level up these weapons or horde them for later levels – Esposito just isn’t a fan of accumulation. 

“It’s just a different way of thinking about an FPS, maybe I’m kind of weird but something I don’t love in shooters an games in general is when you accrue to much power and become kind of unstoppable,” Esposito admits, as he breezes through a level where all the platforms are covered in spikes. “I like pain and suffering.” 

Instead in Neon White, the resources are built into the world and are constantly changing at rapid speed. That’s why this FPS doesn’t have a typical visual of a gun in your hand, but instead has some gun cards stacked in the bottom corner of the screen. And that’s part of Neon White’s mission statement, according to Espositio: “You can’t think of guns like a weapon in your hand, you have to think of them as resources that allow you to move around.”

With all of that, Neon White is designed to be enjoyed in small doses, with you blowing through a few levels on the train on your Nintendo Switch, or picking it up on PC during some downtime at work. 

Set to land on PC and Nintendo Switch, Neon White is due at some stage in 2022, but is currently without a concrete release date.

Fancy this? Neon White is in great company on our list of the best new indie games to look out for in 2022. 

The post Neon White is a lightning-fast FPS that leans into anime tropes appeared first on Game News.

The presentation led off with the first confirmation that Sea of Stars, the stylish new RPG from the makers of The Messenger, is coming to Switch. It ended with another pleasant surprise – well, pleasant if you enjoy psychological horror, that is: Omori is also headed to Switch next year. Here’s everything there was to see at the Nintendo Indie World December 2021 presentation.

Sea of Stars, coming Holiday 2022
An unusual prequel to The Messenger, Sea of Stars trades out its early Ninja Gaiden inspiration for a healthy dose of Chrono Trigger. Even if you haven’t played The Messenger, you’ll still be able to enjoy its eye-wateringly beautiful pixel art and thoughtful turn-based combat.

Aliisha – The Oblivion of the Twin Goddesses, coming spring 2022
This puzzling 3D adventure stars a pair of twin sisters, each of whom uses her unique abilities and Switch input methods to explore their surroundings. You can control both sisters on your own, or split up the duties via local co-op.

Loco Motive, coming summer 2022
Loco Motive is a good old-fashioned train murder mystery with three playable protagonists. This puzzling point-and-click adventure has strong LucasArts vibes, so Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle fans should take special note.

After Love EP, coming summer 2022
This sidescrolling, musical RPG set in Jakarta puts you in the role of a young person who is dealing with the grief of their girlfriend’s recent death. With her voice still playing in your head, you’ll choose how to move on and keep performing alongside your bandmates via rhythm game segments.

Dungeon Munchies, out today
This 2D platformer challenges the long-held belief that zombies can’t cook. You play as an undead servant of the necrochef Simmer, roving around an underground complex full of monsters – and those monsters are full of ingredients.

Figment 2: Creed Valley, coming February 2022
This top-down adventure puts a musical twist on combat encounters as well as puzzles, and you can play it on your own or in local co-op. A free demo headed to Switch today will let you try it out yourself.

Let’s Play! Oink Games, out today
This collection of fun and quirky tabletop titles from Oink Games lets you take on classics such as A Fake Artist Goes to New York and Startups on your Switch. Play with friends locally on one system, or create an online multiplayer room for distant competitions.

Endling: Extinction is Forever, coming spring 2022
You are the last mother fox in a world ruined by climate change, and the way you play will determine whether your three cubs survive. Your ultimate goal? Reaching the one place left on Earth where humans can’t hurt you.

OlliOlli World, coming February 8, 2022
The next chapter in the sidescrolling skater franchise blows the whole thing wide open with colorful 3D visuals, multiple paths through levels, and a skateboarding wizard. Pre-orders open today, and you’ll get some special in-game rewards for early patronage.

River City Girls 2, coming summer 2022
The modernized beat-em-up action returns with more characters to play, new moves to learn, and a bigger city to explore. Take on all of River City on your own or in two-player co-op either locally or via online play.

Omori, coming spring 2022
After creating a massive impact with its arrival on PC last year, the warm yet foreboding story of Omori is headed to Switch. Nintendo warns that this one goes into some “heavy topics,” but at least you’ll have your friends to keep you company.

Near the end of Indie Direct, Nintendo also rolled out a quick-hit mashup of even more games that are coming soon or out right now.

• Parkasaurus, coming spring 2022
• Don’t Starve Together, coming spring 2022
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale, out today
• Baby Storm, coming January 21, 2022
• Grime, coming summer 2022
• Gerda: A Flame in Winter, coming 2022
• Timelie, out today
• Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery, coming spring 2022

Between this and our existing list of upcoming Switch games, we have plenty to look forward to.

The post Everything announced at Nintendo Indie World December 2021 appeared first on Game News.

Mass murderer

On one level it’s the story of a detective trying to save his ex-girlfriend from being murdered. On another, it’s about the birth of the universe, because the detective is actually time, his ex represents mass, and the murderer is energy. Still with me? If you’re not, it doesn’t really matter, because the game is still gorgeous. The world is represented entirely in shades of black, white, and gold, and the scenery shifts and changes as you wander through it, figuring out what you can interact with, and why you would want to. 

According to developer Feral Cat Den, the game is inspired by Italo Calvino’s 1965 short story collection Cosmicomics, but an understanding of the science of the creation of the universe won’t help you, and a lack of one won’t stop you from enjoying the experimental, dreamlike state induced by wandering through the game, listening to the jazz score rise and fall. In fact, at times the game felt more akin to a walking simulator than a point and click, a story I was just bumbling through and interpreting at my own pace. 

Flower power

Even when I was working through the puzzles, growing flowers by shifting the ground like radio frequencies, or applauding a giant saxophone solo, it always felt more like I was intuiting what the game wanted me to do, rather than following a logical pattern. There’s no dialogue or instructions or even any annoying, angry bleeps when you’re doing something wrong, so it all becomes a process of gentle trial and error until something clicks. You could be connecting a network of gold, white and black orbs to light up a constellation, or trimming tree branches, or planting seeds to suck up lines of white light blocking your path. 

It all sounds complicated, and it is on paper, but in practice, there’s a soothing, smooth progression that pulls you along, without ever leaving you so stuck you’re tempted to shut it all down and angrily google a solution. Each section is minimal, often with only one or two things you can interact with within a whole scene, so if you’re really struggling you can just go with the age-old method of waving the cursor around until the icon changes. 

Little game, big ideas

For all their bluster and bombast, it’s not often a big blockbuster game gets me pondering the big, energetic accident that resulted in the universe and me sitting at a desk in sweatpants clicking at a big glowing screen. What Feral Cat Den has managed to do with a few simple, beautifully created tools, and a powerful artistic vision is to be applauded, even if it all sounds too woo-woo for you to ever play it. Give it a try though, and you might surprise yourself. 

Genesis Noir is out now on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. 

The post Have you tried… investigating the birth of the universe in jazzy point-and-click detective game Genesis Noir? appeared first on Game News.

Ultimately, you’re embarking from your Nana’s house to see Toem – a natural phenomenon only visible from the top of a mountain. But, in order to get there and bring a snapshot home for Nana, you’ll need to take a few bus rides and explore what lies between you and that peak. In the smallholding surrounding your home, you’ll learn that bus tickets are earned by completing small tasks for others. In Toem, kindness literally pays. 

During the game’s four or so hours, you’ll work your way through a city, forest, harbor, and the mountain itself. Each area acts as a kind of hub world, with photography challenges to be completed within that area. There are a few that require traveling across multiple zones, but they’re mostly self-contained experiences that force you to explore each hub thoroughly if you want to tick off all your quests. 

You’ll want to explore them too. Each area is inspired by Scandinavia, and from the moment you step off the bus you’re lured in to discover what you’ll find. The characters are brilliantly weird, whether you’re reuniting a family of camera-shy porcupines, inspiring a fisherman to create a beautiful melody, or finding a spot for a date with a ghost, the little stories you’ll find in Toem will easily bring a smile to your face. 

Photo ops

Most of the quests you’ll undertake will involve snapping a photograph of something and taking it back to show them. Taking photos is strangely satisfying, with an easy-to-use snapping mechanic, and various upgrades to unlock for your camera including a tripod for excellent selfie opportunities. You can opt to see photo ops and useful objects highlighted through your camera viewfinder if you’d like, which is particularly helpful for the slightly more interesting requests you’ll get. In each area, you’ll be tasked with finding specific things in the world, like “a wall of lights” and some clues more cryptic than others. There’s many an AH-HA! moment to be had when you figure it out though. 

Through it all there’s a wonderful puzzle balance, offering some really straightforward objectives that play well against those that are more obtuse. I had fun playing with my partner as we both tried to spot the various photo ops and grab all the stamps possible in each world. Learning what’s on offer in each hub world is part of the enjoyment too, as figuring out why something odd you spotted earlier is pivotal for a later quest is utterly rewarding. 

Narratively it’s gentle and sweet, with some touching little moments to be found in amongst those that are slightly more bizarre. But it excels because it all comes together so well, and just taking photographs is slick, easy, and downright good fun. You can take photos of whatever and whenever you want to build out your personal album, with snaps of critters and creatures filling up your Compendium like a riff on Pokemon Snap with that collect ’em all mentality. I particularly love that there’s a Trophy for papping the pets of the development team and supporting staff in Toem’s world, with each one a named character to collect in your photo album. 

Between the wonderfully weird little subquests and just snapping things in the world, you’ll be able to collect various items to create ridiculous outfits too – diving helmet, scarf, and climbing boots as an outfit, anyone? And that’s before I even mentioned the delightful soundtrack that pipes through your HikeLady – the game’s version of an old-fashioned WalkMan, complete with a collection of cassette tapes. You’ll earn new tapes for completing quests or wandering around a new area, and by the time the credits had rolled on Toem, I found myself just listening to the various tracks while sitting back with a cup of tea. Toem’s world is just such a joy to be a part of, even if I wish it had lasted just a little longer. 

Toem is out now on Switch, PS5, and PC via Steam and Epic Games.

The post Have you tried… being a hipster photographer in monochrome delight Toem? appeared first on Game News.

• Buy Minute of Islands on Steam today

Created by Studio Fizbin, Minute of Islands tells the story of Mo. She lives on a fantastical archipelago inhabited by giants, and loves to tinker with anything mechanical. On her adventure she’ll use her special tool – the Omni Switch – to repair what she can and interact with the environment and the mysterious hidden engines of the giants. Prepare to deal with giant garden eels, Batmoths, and drunken lighthouse keepers as you navigate between the islands of the archipelago, and explore its beaches, caves, and cliffs. 

The sneak peek we got at Future Games Show revealed a world packed with characters and corners that will send your curiosity into overdrive, and all wrapped up in a visual style that will make it impossible not to want to explore every inch of it. Actress Megan Gay lends her voice to the game, and that distinctive soundtrack comes courtesy of composer Thomas Höhl and Sound Spores, who also created the music for games like HighRise and She Remembered Caterpillars.

Minute of Islands has been nominated for a number of respected indie awards and it was one of our 25 new indie games to keep on your radar in 2021. You can find out why for yourself by downloading the game today on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. 

The post Minute of Islands just shared a new trailer at the Future Games Show powered by WD_BLACK, and the game is out today appeared first on Game News.

Blue Box Games Studios addressed the rumors on their website (opens in new tab) stating that: “We received several emails regarding the Hideo Kojima rumor. We have no association with Hideo Kojima nor do we claim to have any association nor was it our intention to claim such a statement.”

These rumors began after the official PlayStation Twitter account (opens in new tab) shared a sneak peek at Abandoned, which is due to release in Q4 of 2021 exclusively on PS5. 

What may have added more fuel to the fire though is Geoff Keighley – creator of the Summer Game Fest and noted super-fan of Kojima – reply to the tweet (opens in new tab) which featured a gif which said “hmm, very interesting.” This led some people to reply to Keighley’s tweet to ask what he knows about the game and to make reference to Kojima. However it’s more likely that Keighley may have just been hinting at something from this year’s Summer Game Fest.

There’s also been a lot of talk surrounding Kojima’s plans to release a new horror game lately, including one recently which hinted at a possible canceled Kojima Productions episodic horror game on Google Stadia. Considering that Abandoned is a “survival horror title with a focus on realism and immersion” it almost makes sense as to why fans of Kojima may have suspected his input. 

However, as cleared up in Blue Box’s statement, this just isn’t the case. The developers also stated that: “We are a small group of developers working on a passionate title we wanted to work on for a long time. We have been assisting other studios in the past with their projects and we wanted to work on our very first big project.”

The team also wrote a post on the PlayStation Blog (opens in new tab) sharing more information about Abandoned including how the game has been specifically designed with the PS5’s hardware in mind, when they plan to release it, and how they want players to feel whilst playing their immersive survival game. 

If you’re looking for more spooky games to play, take a look at our best horror games list. 

The post Blue Box Game Studios addresses Kojima rumors surrounding upcoming release Abandoned appeared first on Game News.

If you’ve been hankering for a good indie or VR game, you’re in for a treat. From now until April 22nd at 11:59pm PT, the following games are available as free downloads from the PlayStation Store, via the ‘Play at Home’ tab: The Witness, Abzu, Enter the Gungeon, Rez Infinite (VR optional), Subnautica, Astro Bot Rescue Mission (VR), Moss (VR), Thumper (VR), and Paper Beast (VR).

The above list of free PS4 games brings a good deal of variety, whether you’re looking for a mentally tasking puzzle game (looking at you, The Witness) or something to scare you senseless (our Subnautica review called it “a must-play for 2018” but also said it’s “very much a nightmare”).

What, you don’t want to be confused OR terrified? Jeez, picky crowd. Well, you’ve also got Rez Infinite, the psychedelic on-rails shooter we awarded 5/5 stars back in 2016, the far-more meditative deep-sea adventure Abzu, or “the world’s most adorable bullet hell shooter” Enter the Gungeon.

Really, it sounds like you can’t go wrong with any of these free games (they are free, after all). I’ve played a good deal of Moss and found it to be a charming VR romp that won’t make you dizzy like a lot of other VR games. And remember, because there’s no subscription required, PS4 and PS5 players can download any of the above games for keeps. Best grab ’em for free while you still can.

If that’s not enough, here are the 25 best free games you can play right now.

The post These 9 PS4 games are free for keeps as part of Sonys Play at Home program appeared first on Game News.