Category: Game Preview

 “SAND,” tinyBuild’s Diesel-punk Multiplayer Mech Game, Hits Steam Early Access April 3

Publisher tinyBuild and indie developers Hologryph and TowerHaus are thrilled to announce that SAND, the action-packed, mech-fueled, multiplayer action game, will launch onto Steam Early Access on April 3, 2025! Trek across vast open-world dunes in groups of up to six players, customize your mech fortress, and battle against other iron beasts and their crews to claim your fortune.

SAND is set in an alternate-history, diesel-punk world – the ruined planet Sophie – where an ecological disaster has evaporated the oceans. All that’s left are humans and their Trampler mechs, titanic mechanical moving structures that can traverse Sophie’s sprawling wasteland. Working alone or in teams, humanity now scours Sophie’s sprawling deserts, scavenging for hidden riches and fighting to keep them.

Players got a taste of SAND’s unforgiving terrain and intense gameplay with a demo that was ranked among the top 10 most played in Steam Next Fest last year, as well as a highly successful open playtest that attracted over 200K testers. Early access will introduce loads of improvements along with continued development to keep players coming back to Sophie.

Early Access Features

  • New cities, points of interest and way more loot
  • Undead NPCs that roam cities and engage in combat with players
  • New environmental hazards such as minefields
  • Revamped controls for Tramplers
  • New Trampler customization options, including new compartments and a new chassis option

New gameplay content and features will be added throughout early access in regular updates, and a development roadmap will be available at launch detailing what to expect from the future of SAND.

To learn more about SAND, visit the game’s website, and follow along with the latest updates on X and Discord.

Endzone 2 Releasing 2025, Massive Early Access Update

Assemble Entertainment has released one of the biggest updates on their early access title on Steam, Endzone 2. This Survival builder entered early access last year, with the newest update adding an entirely new education feature.

The latest mammoth update to this hotly anticipated survival epic includes updated gaming mechanics and a graphical overhaul. A fully-formed education system, where teachers and pupils work together against a desolate backdrop to learn a new way forward in a landscape they’re yet to understand.A blackboard will appear in your town center, directing players to in-game events. New crops and items to be used within your campaign . Settlers can gain new badges that affect the productivity of their zones.Improved antialiasing and new graphical options.
The scope of Endzone 2 continues to grow as we move towards its July 2025 launch, with the prospect of this genre-defining title, even surpassing its predecessor thanks to deeper complexity, realism, and engaging challenges. Players must carefully navigate intuitive gameplay while making critical decisions essential for progress, offering a glimpse into a future that feels all too real.

If you are a fan of games like Frost Punk and Banished this one is worth looking into. Check out the trailers below. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Overview trailer below

Education trailer below

New Pirate Adventure ‘Trident’s Tale’ Announced for Nintendo, Xbox, PlayStation and PC Platforms

Get ready to set sail for adventure! Independent studio 3DClouds is delighted to reveal the brand new third-person pirate action game Trident’s Tale launching worldwide for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch platforms May 2025.

Known for developing beloved licensed titles such as Transformers: Galactic Trials, Paw Patrol World and more, 3DClouds is self-publishing and self-funding this new swashbuckling experience which is being designed from the ground-up to be accessible for players both young and old.

Trident’s Tale is a single-player pirate adventure set in a vibrant and colourful magic-infused world. Embark on an epic journey across a vast sea teeming with unique islands, dank dungeons, enemies to vanquish and mysteries to unravel. Players will be immersed in a gripping tale filled with eccentric characters, cunning riddles, shadowy-dungeons and adrenaline-pumping battles against monsters, competing pirate gangs and more on both land and sea.

“Trident’s Tale has been a labour of love for our 60 person studio,” said Franceso Bruschi, CEO of 3DClouds.  “Any fans of pirates will have a blast in our game with a compelling 15+ hour story-driven campaign, a massive open world to explore, compelling sword and gun combat, lots of crafting and customisation opportunities and, my personal favourite, naval combat with challenging mythical monsters to vanquish and a fully dynamic weather system.”

Please see a breakdown of all of Trident Tale’s key features below:

  • Command Your Ship, Rule the Seas: Take the helm in dynamic naval battles, where every cannon shot and maneuver counts. Upgrade and customise your ship to suit your playstyle, and engage in epic cannon duels against rival pirates, sea monsters, and more!
  • Explore a Vast, Living World: Discover a sprawling ocean filled with diverse islands, each with its own secrets, treasures, and challenges. Uncover hidden dungeons, solve cunning riddles, and loot rare treasures to power up your crew.
  • Build Your Legendary Pirate Crew: Recruit a colorful cast of characters, each with unique abilities, and personalities. Level up your crew, unlock powerful skills, and create the ultimate pirate team.
  • Fight for survival: Use your blade, magic, and firearms in exhilarating land combat, complete with special abilities and thrilling boss encounters.

Trident’s Tale is available to wishlist now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. To learn more about the game, please visit the Steam page here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2541780/Tridents_Tale/ 

reveal trailer for 12-player murder mystery It Was You

Snowfall Games has unveiled the first full trailer for their upcoming multiplayer murder mystery game, It Was You as part of IGN Fan Fest 2025. Catch the first glimpse of this murder mystery-themed Halloween party, where 5-12 players will be given a role—detective or killer—and tools to manipulate, uncover, or plant evidence. Deduce the murderer or sow discord amongst your fellow party attendees when It Was You launches on Steam later this year.

Detectives have a range of tools at their disposal to uncover the truth—whether it’s using a magnifying glass to trace footprints, a blacklight to reveal hidden blood splatters, or even a lie detector to expose a suspect’s role. Meanwhile, killers rely on deception, using items like a spray bottle to erase their fingerprints or tape to plant someone else’s. They can even drag a body into a closet, hoping it remains undiscovered. At any moment, players can call for a discussion and vote to exile whoever they believe is guilty.
Acoustic proximity voice chat introduces lifelike reverberation and occlusion, causing voices to echo in the long corridors of the Tylock Estate. When a player enters a room and shuts the door, conversations from outside are naturally muffled, adding an unprecedented degree of immersion. To execute the perfect murder, killers must ensure the door is closed and no one is around —or risk detectives overhearing the victim’s scream echoing through the halls.
Every party feels alive with the addition of non-player guests. Killers must eliminate these NPCs first, creating a buffer that allows real players to investigate and participate in the narrative of every game before they risk becoming victims.

Wizard Academy SteamFest Demo

Wizard Academy was sent to me from kipwak studios is another game I played as part of Steamfest. It is another game where the focus is building, this time it is a wizard school. I won’t lie, I truly wanted to love this one. It is a lot like Hotel Architect Steamfest Demo Review in that they have a very easy premise that has been done a lot in the past. This time it just sort of misses the mark for me.

The controls on how you build things just don’t really work for me, despite the simplistic placing down of rooms that are prebuilt, it is actually possible to fail the tutorial essentially. The first two times I attempted it I placed things down in such a way that my wizard couldn’t complete the rooms or enter them. But deleting them doesn’t give you back the resources required to build them. The building in question however is the only way to get the aforementioned resources to build that very room.

After sorting that out, however, the game does function pretty well if you don’t do this to yourself again or accidentally place a hall where you don’t need it. The game doesn’t do a good job of explaining what you need or don’t need in my opinion.

Enough of the negatives, I do like to stay positive here. The game looked great, and I loved watching my students run around and practice their spells. It is also undeniable that building your own wizard school for anyone who grew up watching Harry Potter is a dream come true.

There is definitely fun to be had with this game, and I don’t discourage anyone from trying this demo. Remember it is just that, a demo. Many of my issues can easily be sorted out before the full launch which is in April. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Hotel Architect Steamfest Demo Review

Another hit from Steam Fest, Hotel Architect was sent to me by Pathos Interactive and Wired Productions. This game, as the name implies, tasks you with building a hotel. it is quite similar to games like Project Hospital in that your goal is to build a successful hotel, but this game lacks comedy and is more serious.

The most important aspect of any game like this is how it feels to build anything, and I have to say this game is second to none. The typical controls are here and are very intuitive. Simply pick the foundations button, pick a starting and ending point, and boom, you have a room. Switch over to your interior walls and add some walls and doors, and you are good to go. Want to add some floors and wallpapers? It is point-and-click and done. Want to add it to the entire room all you have to do is hold shift, point to a wall or floor, and done. This mechanic also applies to assigning a role to a room such as a bedroom or kitchen.

There are maps to play in right now, I won’t touch on them all but the first two are almost like tutorial maps. The first one has nothing special going on and will teach you the ropes on how to build rooms, set up your kitchen with a menu, and hire staff. The second one is based on Greece which gives you access to a beautiful beach and sweltering heat. You will need to use fans and air conditioning to keep rooms cool so your guests don’t complain.

The Greece-inspired map will also teach you about setting up a bar, and a new type of guest called Brats. These guests have very high standards. They want the nicest rooms, high-end meals and drinks, and a place to sunbathe. They are also willing to spend the most money.

This is where the game gets tricky and interesting, some guests like backpackers won’t spend much money but are happy with a bed and the bare essentials. Others want more stuff like access to a gym or a bar and specific meals. Finding a balance isn’t easy, and even harder is finding a way to make the low-end guest not even want to show up at all so the high-end guest book the rooms.

I won’t grade a demo, but I will say you should all definitely give it a shot. This one is on my list of games I want for the full release. (Pathos if you read this hook a Savior up) so get out there and build some hotels for Steam Fest, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

TANUKI: Pon’s Summer” Reveals ID@Xbox Showcase Trailer, Launching Late 2025

n TANUKI: Pon’s Summer, you’ll ride your way around a picturesque Japanese town as a part-time mailman and full-time, furry-pawed BMX-pert. Pull off sick tricks, deliver packages and help locals with quests, all in pursuit of fixing the Great Tanuki Shrine before the end-of-summer Matsuri festival!

It’s summer, so don’t forget to make time for awesome activities like baseball, sumo, taiko drums and more! Experience village life and create your own unique story as you befriend (or annoy) a cast of quirky townsfolk and manage your relationships with an intuitive, emoji-based dialogue system!

Key Features

  • Ride your bike freely while doing sick BMX tricks, grinds, flips and stunts
  • Deliver packages and complete odd jobs around the village as a part-time mailman
  • Enjoy summer activities like bug catching, karaoke, fishing, baseball and more
  • Make friends with – or even upset – the quirky townsfolk with a fun emoji-based dialogue system
  • Unlock different decorations to restore the Great Tanuki Shrine
  • Explore a lovingly crafted world inspired by the developers’ lived experiences in Kyoto, Aomori, Sapporo and Beppu. Hot summer days in Japan await!

TANUKI: Pon’s Summer is available to wishlist now on Steam. For more information, visit https://www.denkiworks.games, and follow Denkiworks on Twitter for the latest news and updates.

About CRITICAL REFLEX

CRITICAL REFLEX is an indie game publishing label on a mission: find kick-ass games, make sure they’re at their best upon release, and put them in front of as many gaming fans as possible. As a publisher, we are dedicated to finding and elevating genre-blending and rule-breaking games that push the boundaries of gaming as a medium. www.criticalreflex.com

About Denkiworks

Denkiworks is a studio based in Kyoto, Japan. The three co-founders, who had previously worked together on other game projects, including the hit indie “golf-like” Cursed to Golf, decided to form their own studio after recognizing their great team chemistry. They embarked on their first project after prototyping, experimenting, and world-building in a tanuki-filled kitchen, which led to the creation of their title TANUKI: Pon’s Summer.

‘Iconic Anime’ Samurai Pizza Cats Are Coming BACK! (ALL Platforms – 2026)

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the beloved 1990s anime Samurai Pizza Cats, a brand-new video game is officially in development. Alongside this announcement, a special trailer featuring the original voice cast has been released!



The show first aired in Japan on February 1, 1990. Kyatto Ninden Teyandee is a sci-fi, action-comedy animated show set in Edoropolis, a city inhabited by anthropomorphic robotic animals. The series gained international recognition in the early 1990s when it was localized as Samurai Pizza Cats and broadcast worldwide and has maintained a dedicated fanbase to this day.

The new game, Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past, is being developed by Dutch studio BLAST ZERO (creative team behind Jitsu Squad) and will be globally distributed by Red Dunes Games from the United Arab Emirates. Designed as a 2D Action RPG, the game allows players to seamlessly switch between members of the Pizza Cats, utilizing their unique abilities to solve puzzles and engage in thrilling battles within the world of Little Tokyo. The newly released trailer shows a stunningly faithful recreation of the anime’s cel animation style, along with a sneak peek at in-game footage.

Notably, the Japanese trailer’s script is being supervised by Satoru Akahori, the original screenplay writer.English cast from left to right:Sonja Ball (Polly Esther) Dean Hagopian ( Seymour “The Big Cheese”) Rick Jones (Speedy Cerviche) and Terrence Scammell returning as (Guido Anchovy, Narrator)The trailer also features an impressive voice cast reunion from both the English and Japanese show.The English cast includes Rick Jones (Speedy Cerviche), Sonja Ball (Polly Esther), Terrence Scammell (Guido Anchovy,  Narrator) and Dean Hagopian returning as Seymour “The Big” Cheese.The Japanese cast includes Kappei Yamaguchi (Yattarou), Ai Orikasa (Pururun), Ikuya Sawaki (Kitsunezuka Ko’on-no-Kami), Naoki Tatsuta (Karasu Gennarisai) and Kenyu Horiuchi (Narrator). Seiichirō Yamashita joins the cast as Sukashii, taking over the role from Jurota Kosugi, his senior at the same talent agency.To commemorate this special occasion Kappei Yamaguchi, Ai Orikasa, and Seiichirō Yamashita have shared their thoughts:

Kappei Yamaguchi (Yattarou) — How did it feel to record Yattarou’s voice again after so long?

“Yattarou, alongside Ranma, is one of my foundational roles as a voice actor. When I first heard about the game, I was absolutely thrilled, and now that it has become a reality, I couldn’t be happier. I was especially surprised to learn that the game is being developed in the Netherlands! It felt amazing to say ‘Tenkamuteki no Daishōri!!’ (‘Unrivaled, ultimate victory!!’) again. I love Yattarou so much!”

— What was it like reuniting with the original cast? And what are your thoughts on Seiichirō Yamashita joining as the new voice of Sukashii?

On reuniting with the original cast: “Hearing Kon-chan (Ko’on-no-Kami) and Gen-chan (Gennarisai) banter, Kenyū-san’s witty narration, and the Nyankī squad’s signature introductions—it was like stepping back into the recording studio from all those years ago. I was also blown away by how faithfully the trailer recreated the original animation style. The love and dedication from the Dutch development team truly shine through. And of course, a big thank you to Seiichirō Yamashita for bringing Sukashii to life!”

— What are your thoughts on the 35th anniversary of Kyatto Ninden Teyandee, which continues to be loved both in Japan and overseas as Samurai Pizza Cats?

“Congratulations on 35 years of Kyatto Ninden Teyandee! Over time, I’ve been hearing more and more people say, ‘I loved Teyandee!’ and it makes me so happy. The fact that this series continues to be loved not only in Japan but also overseas is truly special. This is a work that I will cherish forever, and Yattarou will always be an irreplaceable part of my career.”

Ai Orikasa (Pururun)
— How did it feel to record Pururun’s voice again after so long?

“I was deeply moved by the quality of the visuals. The passion of the game development team for this series was so evident, and it made me incredibly happy. Seeing Ko-on-no-Kami and Gennarisai’s interactions was exciting, and I was delighted to say Pururun’s signature catchphrase once again.”— What was it like reuniting with the original cast? And what are your thoughts on Seiichirō Yamashita joining as the new voice of Sukashii?

On reuniting with the cast: “Even after 35 years, this series remains as vibrant as ever in my heart. The moment I stepped into the studio with Kappei-san and the rest of the team, Pururun’s lines just came naturally. Seiichirō Yamashita did a fantastic job as Sukashii—he really captured the character’s essence.”

— What are your thoughts on the 35th anniversary of Kyatto Ninden Teyandee, which continues to be loved both in Japan and overseas as Samurai Pizza Cats?

“Even our post-recording gatherings (laughs) were a blast! I truly believe the camaraderie among the cast and crew translated into what audiences loved about the show. It is such an honor to be part of a series that continues to be cherished after all these years. Please continue to support Kyatto Ninden Teyandee!”

Seiichirō Yamashita (Sukashii) — Were you familiar with Kyatto Ninden Teyandee before? What was your experience recording for the trailer?

“To be honest, I wasn’t familiar with Kyatto Ninden Teyandee before this project. It’s incredible to be involved with a series that predates my birth. The recording session was truly special—I had the privilege of performing alongside legends like Kappei Yamaguchi, watching them work up close in such a dynamic setting.”

— How did you feel about taking over the role of Sukashii from your senior colleague Jūrōta Kosugi?

“Even now, I feel like it’s too great an honor to say I’ve ‘inherited’ the role. This is my first time stepping into a character previously portrayed by another actor, and I was deeply conscious of preserving the image of Sukashii that fans hold dear. The encouragement from the production team was invaluable, and this has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.”

— What are your thoughts on the 35th anniversary of Kyatto Ninden Teyandee, which continues to be loved both in Japan and overseas as Samurai Pizza Cats?

“Stories have a way of leaving lasting impressions on people, and the love for Kyatto Ninden Teyandee has endured over decades. To see that love manifest in a brand-new game is truly extraordinary. This opportunity is a treasured milestone in my acting career, and I hope fans continue to support the series for years to come!”

Gelluloid Domination, a Minimalist Fantasy-Biology Strategy Game is Available on Steam

Gelluloid Domination is a fast-paced minimalist strategy game where you grow a network of cells. Start with a single fragile cell and expand across the network, assimilating rivals to grow your gel-powered army. 

Evolve mutations, unlock new abilities, and fight off swarms of deadly pathogens. Adapt and conquer, expand or be consumed. Every decision shapes the network – will you achieve total domination?

The game features 80 (and growing) hand-crafted missions. Each mission introduces new strategic layers, from classic domination to survival challenges, reservoir fills, and race modes. Specialized cells – attack, defense, production, carrier, link, and vortex – reshape the battlefield.

AI opponents provide a fair yet relentless challenge. With adjustable difficulty, advanced tools like Continuous Send and Chain Linking, every match is a test of skill and strategy.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3419390/Gelluloid_Domination/

Digimon Story Time Stranger Coming in 2025!

DIGIMON STORY TIME STRANGER is designed to be the perfect entry point to the series for RPG enthusiasts. The game’s multiple settings in both the human and digital worlds sets the stage for exploring the deep bond between people in the human world and creatures called Digimon, who reside in the Digital World. Players must work together with them, forging bonds, and evolving their Digimon’s abilities to unravel the game’s mystery and save the worlds. To do so, they journey between the two worlds, even across time and venture deep into the intricate Digital World revealing never-before-seen elements of the world of Digimon.

Fortunately for players, they can tame and recruit the Digimon they discover in their journey, training them to fight. Customization and developing strong bonds with Digimon is a unique element to the game, and the key to success in strategic, turn-based combat. With an intriguing story and setting, memorable characters including a vast array of Digimon with unique abilities to discover, updated battle systems and more, DIGIMON STORY TIME STRANGER is the next evolution for the beloved series and a must-play game for fans of anime-inspired RPGs. 

DIGIMON STORY TIME STRANGER will include both Japanese and English VO with localizations in English, Neutral Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese.