Topic: game mechanics
-
Spread Plague & Cultivate Feculent Gnarlmaws with Maggotkin of Nurgle
The Maggotkin of Nurgle spread disease as a core mechanic, systematically weakening enemy units through attrition and debilitation to make them vulnerable. Infection is guaranteed on an enemy unit in melee combat, while a dice roll (4+) is required to infect units not engaged, encouraging aggress...
Read More » -
Fire Emblem's New Mobile Game is Like Among Us
The new Fire Emblem mobile game incorporates a social deduction mechanic where three allies battle, but one is secretly a traitor working against the team. After combat, players vote to identify the hidden traitor, and the outcome of this vote directly influences the difficulty of the next battle...
Read More » -
Mewgenics: 10 Essential Tips for Beginners
Mewgenics is a strategic roguelite where you manage a lineage of cats, blending generational progression with turn-based tactical combat in a bizarrely charming setting. Key gameplay mechanics include adapting to randomized cat abilities each generation, prioritizing food and waste management at ...
Read More » -
Mewgenics: The Ultimate Cat-Breeding RPG Review
Mewgenics is a tactical RPG with a darkly comedic tone, where players breed and manage cats as disposable resources to build a squad, embracing randomness in stats and skills for highly replayable gameplay. The core gameplay loop involves strategically breeding cats in a house to influence stats ...
Read More » -
Big Hops Review: A 3D Platformer That Rivals Mario
*Big Hops* is a standout 3D platformer praised for its exceptionally satisfying core movement and controls, centered on a frog protagonist with a versatile, grappling tongue. The game's unique mechanics include a variety of magical fruits that enable creative puzzle-solving and platforming, rewar...
Read More » -
Unleash Nurgle's Rot: Battletome Maggotkin of Nurgle
The Maggotkin of Nurgle gain a once-per-turn combat ability that can target an enemy unit, provided the user did not charge that turn. Its effect is determined by a contested roll-off modified by each unit's Control characteristic, with the outcome varying based on the target type. A successful r...
Read More » -
December 2025 PS Plus Extra & Premium Games Revealed
Sony has added a new selection of games to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium for December 2025, featuring a major action RPG as a headline title alongside other modern and classic games. The featured action RPG includes a gear upgrade system, New Game+ modes for replayability, and a streamlined ...
Read More » -
December 2025 PS Plus Extra & Premium Games Revealed
PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium's December 2025 lineup adds new games, including a notable action RPG and classic titles, catering to diverse gaming tastes. The headlining action RPG features a familiar progression system with gear upgrades and a New Game+ mode that introduces higher-tier item...
Read More » -
Lumines Arise Review: A Sensory Masterpiece
Lumines Arise revitalizes the classic puzzle series by transforming block-matching gameplay into an immersive sensory journey, focusing on emotional impact through light, music, and motion rather than photorealism. The game retains core mechanics where players align falling blocks to form combina...
Read More » -
BALL x PIT Switch Review: Is It Worth It?
BALL x PIT combines arcade action with strategic depth, merging elements from classics like Vampire Survivors and Breakout into a chaotic roguelite where players bounce balls to defeat descending enemies. The game features a progression system with character upgrades, special balls, and base-buil...
Read More » -
Sausage Dueling Game Aims for Success with Steam Launch
Sausage Legend: Arena is a quirky mobile game with over 3.5 million players, featuring physics-based combat where players fling sausages to battle opponents, and it's set to expand to Steam for a broader audience. The game includes a diverse roster of over 50 food fighters with unique traits, min...
Read More » -
Samson: A Tyndalston Story is a Consequence-Heavy Noir Action Game
Liquid Swords, founded by Just Cause creator Christofer Sundberg, has announced its debut title *Samson: A Tyndalston Story*, a noir action game priced at $24.99 for a PC release in early 2026. The game is a focused, consequence-heavy experience set in a relentless city, where survival depends on...
Read More » -
Flappy Bird's Wild Rise and Sudden Fall
Flappy Bird was a deceptively simple and punishingly difficult mobile game that achieved sudden, massive global popularity in early 2014, becoming a viral cultural phenomenon. Its creator, Dong Nguyen, unexpectedly removed the game from app stores at its peak due to intense public scrutiny, backl...
Read More » -
News Tower: Why Quality Journalism Isn't a Game
News Tower is a 1930s newspaper management simulation where players transform a struggling publication into New York's leading news source, facing challenges like finances, staff morale, and external pressures from organized crime and competitors. The game emphasizes employee well-being through e...
Read More » -
Kirby Air Ride: Expression Trumps Racing
Kirby Air Ride is a unique kart racer that emphasizes creative expression and track mastery over traditional speed-based racing, now available on the Nintendo Switch 2. The game features automatic acceleration and focuses on skillful drifting and charging for speed boosts, with a diverse fleet of...
Read More » -
Lumines Arise: The Ultimate Zen Puzzle Experience
Lumines Arise offers an immersive puzzle experience by combining rhythmic gameplay with hypnotic audiovisuals, building on its predecessor's legacy while introducing new features like the "burst" mechanic. The game maintains core mechanics where players arrange colored blocks to form squares clea...
Read More » -
Pokémon Legends Z-A Review: A Fun But Flawed Adventure
Pokémon Legends Z-A is set entirely within Lumiose City and explores the tension between its narrative goal of human-Pokémon coexistence and the traditional gameplay of capturing and battling wild creatures. The game introduces a revolutionary real-time battle system and reworked Mega Evolution m...
Read More » -
D-topia: The AI-Curated City Promising Maximum Happiness
D-topia is a game where you collaborate with an AI to manage a seemingly perfect city, stepping in to handle situations that require a human perspective. Players make meaningful moral decisions that influence the narrative and characters' well-being, balancing between following guidelines and emp...
Read More » -
Sultan’s Game RPG Unveils Exciting New Update & DLCs
Sultan’s Game RPG has released a major update featuring new storylines, DLC expansions, and a 15% discount during the Steam Summer Sale. The game revolves around a deadly card game with four card types (Carnality, Bloodshed, Conquest, Extravagance), where players must strategically sacrifice card...
Read More » -
Xbox's Legendary RPG Gets Major Update With New Game Mode
A major update for *Pillars of Eternity* introduces a turn-based combat mode nearly a decade after its original launch, now in public beta on Steam and PC via Xbox. The new mode features key improvements like Unbound Turns based on character speed, Smarter Free Actions for strategic flexibility, ...
Read More » -
Keeper: The Xbox Game About a Walking Lighthouse
Keeper is an adventure game where players control a sentient lighthouse that grows legs to explore a fantastical world, dispelling darkness and befriending a bird companion along the way. The gameplay evolves from simple puzzles using the lighthouse beam to more complex mechanics involving time m...
Read More » -
Sword Of The Sea Review: A Dreamlike Adventure You Won't Forget
Sword of the Sea is an artistic adventure game where players glide through visually stunning levels to restore vitality to a fragile world, blending fluid movement with environmental storytelling. Created by Matt Nava, the game draws inspiration from extreme sports and themes of nature and solitu...
Read More » -
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Modern Graphics, Old-School Frustrations
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a visually stunning but faithful remake that preserves the original game's dated mechanics and design quirks, which can be frustrating for players. The game features responsive controls and David Hayter's iconic voice performance, yet it suffers from disjoin...
Read More » -
Mewgenics: The Binding of Isaac Creators' Chaotic New Roguelike
Mewgenics is a deep, strategic turn-based roguelike that combines cat breeding with tactical combat, offering significant long-term planning and replay value. The core gameplay loop involves managing and selectively breeding cats at a home base to create genetically unique fighters, then leading ...
Read More » -
Subway Surfers Sequel Arrives This February
The sequel *Subway Surfers City* launches on February 26th, shifting the endless runner gameplay to a centralized urban playground called Subway City with four distinct districts. It introduces new mechanics like speed pads and a stomp move, alongside three play modes including a Classic Endless ...
Read More » -
Arc Raiders: Snap & Salvage Quest Walkthrough
The quest is a multi-stage mission on the Stella Montis map, beginning with photographing rovers in the open Sandbox area and then retrieving papers from the Security Checkpoint. The final phase requires finding two specific, random loot items (a Magnetron and Flow Controller) by thoroughly searc...
Read More » -
Blue Prince: A Brilliant Puzzler and So Much More
**Blue Prince** is a puzzle game that explores profound themes of life, loss, and legacy, using the mystery of an unknown person's life to create emotional resonance and a lingering narrative. The core gameplay involves exploring a procedurally generated mansion, where players navigate a daily-ch...
Read More » -
Hurdle Hints and Answers for December 20, 2025
Hurdle is a five-round word puzzle that extends the Wordle format, where each correct answer becomes the starting guess for the next round, adding a strategic layer. A key strategic nuance is that letter highlighting from earlier guesses does not definitively indicate how many times that letter a...
Read More » -
I'm Addicted to These Roguelike Games
The author is deeply addicted to roguelike games, captivated by their core loop of risk, reward, and rapid progression where each run presents a unique, choice-driven puzzle. A key satisfaction comes from transforming a weak character into a powerful force within a single session, through synergi...
Read More » -
Destiny 2 Renegades: Armor Set Bonuses & Perks Guide
The Destiny 2 Renegades expansion, launching December 2, 2025, introduces new Star Wars-inspired content including the Lawless Frontier activity, heat-based Blasters, and Exotics like the Praxic Blade. Armor sets now feature tiered two-piece and four-piece bonuses that provide distinct buffs, all...
Read More » -
Pokémon Pokopia Trailer Reveals Animal Crossing-Style Gameplay
Pokémon Pokopia is a life simulation game inspired by Animal Crossing, featuring unique characters and redesigned classic Pokémon like a ghostly Pikachu and moss-covered Snorlax. Gameplay involves exploring ruins, completing quests from Professor Tangrowth, and using Pokémon abilities to craft en...
Read More » -
Goodnight Universe Review: A Stunning Follow-Up from Before Your Eyes
*Goodnight Universe* is a narrative adventure game where players experience life from the perspective of Isaac, a baby with telekinetic and mind-reading abilities, exploring themes of time and family. The game features innovative mechanics like camera-based controls for supernatural actions and m...
Read More » -
Nintendo's Pokémon Catching Patent Rejected in Japan
Nintendo's Japanese patent application for creature capture and battle mechanics was rejected due to lack of inventive step, citing prior art from games like ARK: Survival Evolved. The rejection could impact related patents in the same family and complicate Nintendo's legal position in its ongoin...
Read More » -
Forced to Romance Everyone in Hades 2
The author finds Hades 2 addictive despite noticing flaws, particularly in how returning elements like romantic subplots feel diluted compared to the original game. Romance options in Hades 2 are criticized for lacking variety, with characters sharing similar dynamics of hostility or timidity, ma...
Read More » -
Pokémon Legends: Z-A Revolutionizes Shiny Hunting
Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduces a new mechanic that prevents shiny Pokémon from despawning under normal conditions, such as time changes or fast travel, ensuring they remain available for capture. The community is divided, with some players appreciating the reduced frustration and improved access...
Read More » -
Nintendo's New Fire Emblem Mobile Game is a Social Deduction Spin-Off
Nintendo has unexpectedly released a new free mobile game, Fire Emblem Shadows, for iOS and Android, combining tactical RPG elements with social deduction gameplay. This marks Nintendo's first new mobile title in years, following the financial success of Fire Emblem Heroes, which earned over $650...
Read More » -
Channel-Surfing Simulator Is the Year's Strangest Game
Blippo Plus is an unconventional interactive simulator that lets users channel-surf through an alien television network, featuring bizarre full-motion video shows instead of traditional gameplay. The experience involves minimal interaction, such as changing channels and adjusting the picture, wit...
Read More » -
Race to Victory in a Real-Life Mario Kart Showdown
RPM Raceway has launched Kart Klash, an augmented reality racing experience that combines physical karting with video game-style power-ups, available at three northeastern locations. The experience uses advanced electric karts capable of 45 mph and features a power-up system similar to Mario Kart...
Read More » -
Marvel Tokon: Assemble Your Ultimate Team in Fighting Souls
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls introduces dynamic team-building during matches, starting with two fighters per side and adding allies through strategic moves like throws or stage transitions. The game emphasizes rapid team completion for health boosts and special gauge enhancements, blending tradit...
Read More » -
The Outer Worlds 2 Gave Me What I Wanted - And I Hated It
The initial freedom of an unlimited inventory in *The Outer Worlds 2* felt liberating but ultimately led to a hollow, disengaged playstyle focused on hoarding rather than meaningful interaction with the game's systems. The removal of the traditional encumbrance system eliminated a key driver of p...
Read More » -
Plants vs. Zombies Remaster: A Disappointing What-If
The original Plants vs. Zombies (2009) is a classic strategy game where players defend their home using plants with unique abilities against zombies, powered by sunlight from Sunflowers. A remastered version called Replanted updates the visuals and adds features but remains true to the original, ...
Read More » -
Spellcasters Chronicles: Quantic Dream's Risky Gamble After Star Wars Eclipse
Quantic Dream is shifting from its signature narrative-driven single-player games to the competitive multiplayer arena with *Spellcasters Chronicles*, a free-to-play 3v3 game focused on strategic spellcasting and team-based combat. The game emphasizes innovation with features like unrestricted fl...
Read More » -
Nintendo Only Creates New IP When Gameplay Doesn't Fit Existing Franchises, Says Former Dev
Nintendo prioritizes innovative gameplay mechanics over branding, developing new ways to play before considering which franchise to use. If the gameplay fits an existing series like Mario or Zelda, it is used; otherwise, a new IP is created, as seen with Splatoon. This design-led strategy ensures...
Read More » -
Helldivers 2 Xbox Review: The Ultimate Co-op Experience
Helldivers 2 on Xbox provides the same explosive and satisfying cooperative gameplay as on other platforms, now enhanced with substantial post-launch content including a new enemy faction, vehicles, and expanded arsenal. The game features dynamic missions with diverse biomes and enemy behaviors, ...
Read More » -
Halo: Campaign Evolved Remake Arrives on PS5 and Xbox in 2026
Halo: Campaign Evolved, a full remake of the original game, launches in 2026 for Xbox, PC, and for the first time on PlayStation 5, celebrating the franchise's 25th anniversary with modern technology and new features. The remake includes 4K visuals, new weapons, vehicles, a four-player online co-...
Read More » -
Foldable Phone? Play 'Foldy Bird' for a Soul-Crushing Flappy Bird Throwback
**Foldy Bird** is a browser game that uses a foldable phone's hinge as its controller, requiring players to physically fold and unfold the device to make an on-screen bird jump, mirroring the mechanics of Flappy Bird. The game is a website accessible via a browser on compatible Android foldables ...
Read More » -
Top Games of 2025: The Ultimate Year in Review
2025 was a standout year for gaming, offering a diverse and memorable lineup of titles across blockbuster sequels and innovative indie games. Staff favorites included the atmospheric PvE shooter **ARC Raiders**, the introspective sequel **Ghost of Yōtei**, and the brilliant puzzle design of **Blu...
Read More » -
Mega Raichu's Superman Flight Is Incredible
The article highlights the introduction of two Mega Evolutions, Raichunite X and Y, for the long-overlooked Pokémon Raichu, finally allowing it to step out of Pikachu's shadow. Mega Raichu X is praised for its dynamic, Superman-like flight animation, which provides both character charm and tactic...
Read More » -
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - First Impressions After 2 Hours
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond impresses with stunning visuals on the Switch 2 and offers classic exploration-focused gameplay in lush environments like the Fury Green jungle. The game introduces new mechanics, such as psychic abilities for puzzle-solving, which add depth to the series' traditional expl...
Read More » -
House of Golf VR: Master The Course From Home
House of Golf VR uses mixed reality to turn home spaces into personalized miniature golf courses, though the execution can be cumbersome and fall short of its creative potential. The game's course-building process is hindered by a lack of a snap-to-grid system, unpredictable physics, and tedious ...
Read More »