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The Bearer & The Last Flame Now Available for Pre-order on PlayStation 5

Meridiem is pleased to announce that The Bearer & The Last Flame is now available for pre-order on PlayStation 5. The game will also be available on Steam and in physical format, with two editions available on March 6, 2026, for PlayStation 5. Developed by Dark Reaper Studio, The Bearer & The Last Flame is an epic action-adventure dark fantasy game, created by a single developer, inspired by classic Soulslike titles that will immerse you in a world ravaged by death.

Meridiem has been responsible for the design and creation of these physical editions: The Bearer & The Last Flame – Standard Edition for PlayStation 5 which includes the PlayStation 5 game and The Bearer & The Last Flame – The Knight’s Edition, which includes, in addition to the PS5 game, a game guide and a special sleeve. 

In the far reaches of the extinct land of men, darkness has ravaged every sign of life. The lost souls of bloodthirsty warriors seek rest in the underworld, where demons of the abyss, the darkest creatures, and soulless sorcerers dwell. Darkness looms over the land, and only faint traces of light remain. There is no solace for life,  yet in the high mountains of Selender, a glimmer of hope has emerged.

A living soul has received its charge. Carry the last flame, illuminate the lands of night, and return the fearsome creatures back into the abyss.

Features:

  • Relive the essence of classic Soulslike games: experience strategic combat in a world full of mysteries and a deep story told through the environment and the enigmatic characters you encounter on your journey.
  • Choose from various characters: forge your destiny in this unforgettable adventure. Select your hero from different characters originating from unique worlds.
  • Challenging difficulty: master a combat system where every strike matters. Face demanding enemies with mechanics that reward precision, strategy, and constant learning.
  • Variety of enemies across different environments: confront a vast range of unique creatures, night beasts, demons, and soulless undead, each designed to exploit your weaknesses.
  • Memorable enemies and bosses: prepare for epic battles against terrifying creatures and colossal guardians. Each encounter is a unique challenge filled with tension and reward.
  • Choose your fighting style: customize your strategy with an arsenal of over 200 unique weapons. Master melee combat, ranged attacks, or the arcane power of magic.
  • Explore the vast landscapes of Hyperborea: traverse dungeons, caves, and castles in an epic medieval fantasy adventure.

The game will feature an original soundtrack composed by Francisco Arroyo, bringing a fresh and distinctive musical style to the experience.

The Bearer & The Last Flame will be released in physical format in two editions for PlayStation 5 and digitally for PlayStation 5 and Steam on 6 March 2026.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

So you know Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne but do you know of FromSoftware’s (arguably) most challenging masterpiece of them all? After almost a year playing on and off, I do.

Sekiro tells the story of Wolf, a shinobi in ancient Japan tasked with protecting his lord, Kumo, a young boy plagued with a great and terrible curse. Dragon’s Blood- immortality. They’re are forces that want eternal life and will go to any length for it. After losing his arm and his lord to a rival, Wolf is resurrected and granted a special prosthetic from a mysterious sculptor that can be fitted with deadly and useful attachments. With his new arm, Wolf must embark on a epic quest to save his lord and stop this curse…

Is Sekiro a Soulsborne game- one of gaming’s hottest debates. Honestly, I’m torn but ultimately believe it qualifies. Sekiro is easily the hardest of the group I’ve played. It requires intense focus, creativity, patience, and Jedi fast reflexes. I’ve gotten my ass kicked and pulverized harder in my 60+ hours in Sekiro than I did my 100+ hours in dark souls 2 and multiple playthroughs of bloodborne but after it was all done, I felt true accomplishment I’ve rarely gotten in gaming. The game flows incredibly well and can be extremely challenging without ever really feeling like bullshit (I’m looking at you Souls 1 and 2). Swordplay is fast, responsive and thrilling. Stealth is smooth and easy. The platforming has a few rocky moments but mostly is solid overall and adds alot of depth to combat and exploration. Visually, the game is utterly breathtaking with stunning color and environments. The bosses are memorable, especially Genichiro, The Guardian Ape, and Ishinn the Sword Saint; Ishinn is hands down one of my favorite final bosses.

In the end, I think Sekiro beats Bloodborne as my favorite Fromsoftware game and like Bloodborne, I consider it a masterpiece. Like all the games in the category, it won’t be for all. Especially, and I cannot stress this enough, if you aren’t good at parrying- I don’t recommend this game if you aren’t a parry god or able to learn. If you are, then you’re in for a divine treat. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

28 Years Later

It’s no secret I went insane when I found out this long awaited awaited sequel was actually coming. It was my most anticipated movie of of 2025 even. In a year of surprises like Sinners and Fantastic 4: First Steps , I was sure Years was going to be a legendary following to a masterful trilogy…

28 Years have passed since the Rage virus has run rampant through the UK and neighboring areas. Spike and his family live in a small island off the mainland, separated by a natural bridge only accessible between tides. On his twelfth birthday, Spike and his dad must partake in his right of passage and go hunting for supplies on the mainland full of starved infected who are evolving and the madmen who thrive against them. Spike and his father narrowly escape their trip, but Spike must risk another trip in search of the only Dr who can help his ailing mother. How far can the boy go for love?

28 Days Later was noting sort of a masterpiece. 28 Weeks Later fell off a bit by the end, but was still a pretty damn good sequel. 28 Years is one of the most conflicting movies I’ve seen in recent memory. I genuinely love and hate this movie, and honestly can’t debate you either way.

This movie has an incredible cast. Alfie Williams, steals the show as Spike; I can see him going very far in the future. Everyone brings their A game. Visually the movie is gorgeous. The color pops naturally, no bullshit filters. Th scenery is breathtaking. I liked that there is some inspiration from Day of the Dead in that this story is genuinely an epic and a point is how the infected are naturally evolving over time. The story at it’s core is fantastic and full of heart I haven’t experienced since the first time I played the original The Last of Us ; I did get teary eyed at the end.

Danny Boyle, who directed the the first movie, wanted to be different this time around. Unfortunately not all those choices worked. This movie hits you with a lot quickly. There are jarring cutaways that reminded me think of House of 1000 Corpses . Most of the kills are filmed in a way that reminded me of a Call of Duty kill-cam. The blood is comically over the top at points. The music choices can be rattling as hell. The pacing feels rushed in the first half hour. There’s a lot of plot threads that feel useless, including the opening, that serve the follow up films more. The ending, while good for a laugh and some blood, is pure sequel bait which admittedly I’m both excited for but also irritated with. I really can’t argue if you tell me the ending pissed you off.

In the end, even writing this review, I’m totally conflicted on this movie. I loved things about it but absolutely hated others. It is wildly unique from it’s predecessors and delivers a hell of an experience- whether it’s to your liking or not. I absolutely think it should be watched but just know you may not get what you expected. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Mummy 2026 trailer

Well, it’s that time again everyone! Another Mummy remake (this time thankfully not trying to launch a cinematic universe like The Mummy (2017) ) This time, I have no clue what director Lee Cronin is going for. Seriously, I had to watch this very same trailer multiple times and had no idea what the hell I was looking at. It’s definitely my first head scratcher of 2026. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Playground: Child of Divorce

I hope everyone had a fun, safe, happy New Year. I took another trip to The Playground for mine. Child of Divorce is the disturbing prequel to Aron Beauregard’s splatterpunk hit I didn’t know I want or needed.

The year is 1993 and Geraldine Borden’s macabre magnum opus is under construction. But after a heated swing with young Matthew Cookson went awry, Geraldine and her compatriot, Fuchs, see there’s a road ahead. In the meantime, she ordered Fuchs to build a separate structure, a prototype, ordering her broken adapted son Rock, and Fuchs to abduct a unlucky set of children. Confused, hunted by a nightmare with little explanation, who will survive the first Playground, and what will be be left of them?

Prequels are normally cursed to be inferior to the originals. Sometimes forced, sometimes bloated by needless explanations, sometimes they are decent stories twisted and mangled to fit a mold. Child of Divorce actually avoids all these pitfalls. The book improves immensely from the first. My biggest complaint from the first, the structuring, has been smoothed out, flowing much more naturally. The children themselves are flushed out a lot more and written more three dimensionally; I was much more invested in these kids and their story arcs, feeling truly saddened and impacted when they met a horrible fate. I loved the set up. Mildred, who hunts the children and keeps them moving, truly freaked me out and I tip my hat to Beauregard for making a stalker enemy that is truly nightmare fuel. The book stands really good as a standalone, only nodding to the first a few times. It is a quick read that fits perfectly, not being too short or long. The only downside I can think of was some of the games didn’t resonate with me as much and the dodgeball room utterly confused the hell out of me towards the end. In the end, I loved this book. Hell, it’s one of my favorite prequels. Can I recommend it? Yes, but do your research because there is a massive set of triggers in this book- if the cover upsets you, this book isn’t for you, and like last time, it is a scene from the book and there are disturbing pictures inside. Personally, I loved it, and I think it was captivating, grim, creepy as hell horror story I’d recommend, especially if you loved the first. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders Playstation 5 Review

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders finally got its PlayStation 5 release, and Megagon Industries was kind enough to send me a copy to check out, which I always appreciate.

The game itself is pretty straightforward. Ski down a hill, pass checkpoints, and set the fastest time you can while crashing the least amount of times possible. You are free to do some spins and flips while you do it. This sounds easy, but damn, this game pissed me off more times than I can count. This has nothing to do with the game itself. The controls are nice, with a couple of options to choose from if you don’t like a specific style.

Knowing when to break and cut that sharp corner is important, and there are plenty of areas where you can simply make a leap of faith and cut off precious seconds to secure that faster time. I am horrible at making those judgment calls, it seems. I also don’t exactly excel at avoiding trees or rocks.

The game is a lot of fun, with simple graphics that add to the game’s simplistic but challenging nature. Another nice touch is the unlockables. It is simple things like hats and scarves. Some don’t even make sense; they are just fun. My character currently skis down the hill wearing a knight’s helmet. I am not much for winter sports; however, if I went snow tubing or something, and some dude flew past me in medieval armor, I’d laugh a lot.

This game won’t be for everyone; it may not even be for most people. That being said, for $25, there is quite a bit of content. Multiple game modes, multiplayer, plenty of different routes, mountains, and difficulties to choose from. It is a 7/10 experience. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Ontos reveal trailer

Of all the trailers unveiled at the 2025 Game Awards, the one game I’m surprised I haven’t heard about was Ontos. I might not be a huge fan of Frictional’s gameplay choices but I do love their stories and visuals. Ontos looks like 2001 meets Soma and I’m absolutely here for it. I’ll definitely keep an eye for it in the future. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pragmata release date trailer

Everything about Capcom’s latest release has me super curious. The world is intriguing with interesting visuals. I can’t make heads or tails of the gameplay yet. The game looks pretty graphically. I want to know more. Thankfully the release date isn’t too far off from this posting. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Drink Human Beans Steam Review

Every so often, I play a game that leaves me wondering, What the hell did I just play? Drink Human Beans is that game. Sent to me by Last Dissent, for which I am grateful. The game is a horror game at its core, and every bit of it will leave you wondering. The game’s story is broken up into days, with each day serving a narrative purpose. What that purpose is, however, is largely left for you to figure out. It does not really hold your hand as you solve puzzles and make choices that will ultimately decide what ending you get.

One moment, you might be trying to figure out how to open a door before using your phone’s flashlight to find your way down a hall, only to be laughed at by what seems to be a storage area with marked boxes you think you need to sort, only to have them launched across the room. I don’t want to go into spoiler territory, but all of this does serve a real purpose, and the more you dig around and screw with things, the more you discover that even things that seem pointless serve a real narrative purpose.

This game clearly won’t be for everyone. Honestly, it wasn’t even the type of game I normally play. The violence and dark humor are rather enjoyable, admittedly. It is a 7/10 experience that fans of this type of game will enjoy. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Supergirl teaser trailer

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the follow up to Superman (2025). Milly Alcock was great in her cameo and her sassy, drunken badass persona from her cousin’s movie is on full display here I do love that we instantly know she’s nothing like Clark. I think it’s also cool her first solo movie is a space adventure. Jason Momoa looks perfectly as the main man himself, cosmic bounty hunter Lobo. I’m pretty excited to see more and dive into Kara’s story more. May the gaming gods bring you glory.