During today’s Nintendo Direct, SQUARE ENIX unveiled two new games in development at its internal studio, Team Asano: OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0, an HD-2D turn-based RPG featuring a standalone story set before the critically-acclaimed OCTOPATH TRAVELER, launches on Dec. 4, 2025
Endzone 2was recently released from early access to 1.0, and Assemble Entertainment was kind enough to send me a copy to check out. I always appreciate this and like to get it out of the way upfront, as most of you know by now.
The game has been met with mixed reviews on Steam for quite some time now, and with a city builder, this is always one of those things I see and take with a grain of salt. We, as fans, are usually quite picky. One thing is out of place, and we tend to be a bit mad about it. Let’s look at this piece by piece and see where maybe this comes from.
The Endzone 2 takes place right after the first Endzone. Humans are now resettling into the world after a nuclear apocalypse, and the world is a bit irradiated. No, it isn’t the story, as cliché as it is, cliché is for a reason; it works.
This brings us to the controls; they work. They work well. Even if you read the Steam reviews, nobody complains about the controls. The controls are what you would want: fluid, easy to use, and pretty intuitive. No, they aren’t perfect, but nothing is.
This brings us to graphics. Yes, this is pretty universally the issue. I have mentioned in reviews before my hatred for this idea that darker is the only way to get across a dark and gloomy atmosphere. This game breaks the rule of feeling that way. The vast majority of the time, while playing the game is so dark, especially seeing anything is a nightmare. Even messing with my monitor settings only did so much.
All in all, if you enjoyed the first game and can get passed how dark this game can be, there is no reason why you won’t love this one. For me, I will stick with the first game as this game dove far deep into saturating everything in darkness to be enjoyable. It was a 5/10 experience that I have no intention of repeating. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Just a Shadow game is an upcoming ritual deck builder from publisher Neon Doctrine that is planned to release sometime in 2026. They were kind enough to toss me an early demo, and I have to say, this is another title on my list of games that shows a ton of promise. The good news is that by the time you read this, you can play that same demo.
The concept is pretty simple. You get a deck to start with, and with each area you win, you can upgrade it with new cards. Each card represents a sort of building or tower that summons fighters for you or attacks the other side for you. Each turn will see your little ritual summoner traverse your section to activate towers to send your forces to kill your enemies’ captor; in turn, you must protect yours. The first side to kill the other’s captor wins.
This sounds pretty easy and straightforward, but the amount of strategy needed is very real. The controls are also very nice, and graphically, the game does an amazing job of making everything look sinister without simply drowning everything in unneeded darkness, which I think is a mistake far too many companies make.
This is another title you should be trying the demo out for and keeping a close eye on. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Some of you may remember my review of Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap Xbox Review, and have been waiting for the PlayStation 5 release. That time is now, enjoy the trailer below and all the info you need.
Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Robot Entertainment, the independent development and publishing studio behind the beloved Orcs Must Die! series, today announced that Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is now available on PlayStation® 5. An update to the game entitled “State of Slay” is also being released today and includes a new map, two new traps, and two hero model updates.
The game originally released on Steam, Epic Games Store, and Xbox Series X/S on January 28, 2025. PlayStation® players now receive the most up-to-date version which includes content and quality of life updates made post launch, such as new levels, enemies, traps, threads, skins, and the return of fan favorite War Mages Max and Gabby.
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is the fifth game in the critically acclaimed Orcs Must Die! franchise. This latest chapter of orc slaying mayhem features much deeper progression systems, as players grow their War Mages to become stronger every battle and enjoy endless replayability as they face off against hordes of relentless orcs either solo or with up to four players in thrilling co-op gameplay. Players are challenged to set traps, upgrade their defenses, and use their hero’s unique weapons and abilities to prevent orcs from entering the rift, a gateway and powerful source of magic.
Every so often, I get an email from a company, and they say, “Hey, why don’t you check out my game demo?” This weekend I am at work just chucking axes at a wall like I do, because I teach people to throw them, and I get an email from Sudo Eat Cake Games telling me about their game Long Live My Lady over on Steam.
It’s a gnome
Of course, I am instantly drawn to the cute graphics and the idea of what appears to be a garden gnome slinging beer to goblins. It just screams something my D&D friends got drunk and came up with on a Friday night. I had to try this game out, and I am so glad I did.
The demo isn’t long; you can play for an hour and get into a great rhythm of what’s going on. You will be building tables, brewing beer, and serving goblins in no time. There is an overarching story that I won’t spoil for you; it is rather interesting, and I hope to see where it goes later in 2025 when it releases. For now, definitely check out the demo, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Hired by the Ministry of Monster Concealment, Custodians must explore, clean and dispose of all waste and secure the mischievous Ragamuffins who have, literally, left their mark. Sounds simple, but when disturbed, these adorable yet troublesome creatures unleash a wave of mess and mayhem, or poop, challenging up to six players to work together to contain the chaos. Armed with a bucket, mop, and trap, players can also use the environment to aid their efforts. Take advantage of secret interactions, such as magic orbs that obliterate the mess, and unlock upgrades through progression to clean, burn, and flush everything in sight, countering the antics of the goofy furballs.
“We fell in love with Monster Mop Up the moment we saw it, and what’s not to love about a Ragamuffin that poops everywhere,” said Simon Byron, Managing Director, Yogscast Games. “Terahard Studios has created the perfect blend of a real-world cleaning sim and supernatural ghostbusting escapades where every clean-up is different, giving hours of endless fun whether playing alone or with friends.”
Players progress by unlocking new rooms through a variety of levels and challenges ranging from family homes to restaurants, mansions, and hotels. Once the cleaning rating is achieved, rewards are issued, which can be used to upgrade equipment or decorate the player’s home with charming accessories. Show off progression by visiting the Bazaar of Human Stuff, putting design skills to the test to create the perfect pad for the Ragamuffins who join as roommates once collected, or splashing out on valuable upgrades like rubber shoes, bucket grips, and soft hands to prevent another Ragamuffin mishap. Monster Mop Up delivers players an indescribable sense of satisfaction, as each corner gleams and every surface shines.
A playable demo is now available on Steam and can be wishlisted HERE.
Sintopia will be releasing into Early Access soon over on Steam, and Team 17 was nice enough to let me check out an early demo version of the game. There is also a demo you can check out over on Steam as well so definitely check that out.
The gameplay loop is very simple: you guide your people into living their lives so you can harvest sin and reap the profit and keep your hellish empire running. You then return those people to the surface to relive their sinful lives. Rinse and repeat. It is a nice combination of management and city builder.
The demo is far from complete, so obviously this isn’t a review in the classic sense, but the gameplay flows nicely and the humor is great. You quite literally get the job because nobody else wants it. The first-ever succubus guides you through your work and promises not to bite you, unless you ask nicely, with the entire reason for her helping you being that the person who was supposed to manage you was taking off to answer a phone call.
Building new ways to encourage sin and then make sure that people meet an untimely demise is more fun than I expected, and is definitely worth checking out the demo for. I, for one, can’t wait to play the full version. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
The Wandering Village on PS5 was sent my way by Stray Fawn Studio, for which I am grateful. I had previously played this on Xbox, and I must say that there seem to be some substantial changes over that time. The opening, as an example, now includes a beautiful anime-style video that wasn’t there at first.
The game takes place on the back of Onbu
In a world being rampaged by a poisonous plant, your tribe finds itself on the back of a massive creature called an Onbu. This traveling giant is content to ferry you around and let you live on the resources that grow on it. In turn, you care for it and guide it, if you can get it to trust you.
The game is a classic city builder at its finest, and a solid story has been naturally built in. As the people living on the last known living Onbu and the only people traveling the world, it has fallen on you to collect ancient seeds that might be able to be planted to fight back against the poisons that are destroying the world.
The game looks magnificent, and the controls are great. My only gripe is that a few times when trying to click on certain objects, the camera angles get a bit weird, but this is a minor annoyance and never really ruined the gameplay for me. Just watching my characters build things and live their lives as my lumbering creature travels the world to different biomes is a nice experience.
Another nice experience is the characters you meet along the way, many feel desperate for your help without coming across as sad and pathetic. They are hopeful while still giving off a sense of urgency. It is a nice touch, you don’t often get. At a $30 price point, I have no complaints about this game, and with everything just being included by the in-depth tech tree that is still small enough to allow multiple play-throughs on various difficulties, there is a lot to love here, definitely a 9/10 experience for fans of the genre. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Just a quick announcement from my friends at Movie Games: the RPG/Sim game Road Truckers, featuring Truck Driver, has been announced and is now open for wishlist on Steam and PS5. Check out the trailer below. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Curiosmos is a cute demo sent to me by Céline Veltman & The Silly Stars and is essentially a space sim that lets you build your own little star system. You will start out by slamming dust and rocks together to form a planet, and once it is big enough, you can start messing around on the surface.
On the surface, you can do all sorts of things, like hit the planet with more asteroids to see what happens to the surface, form clouds and rain, or even just anger the planet and watch it spit lava everywhere. The planet does have feelings after all.
The demo is sadly rather short and cuts off when a black hole appears, leaving you at a sort of cliffhanger as the sun explains that there is a way to make the black hole happy and leave your newly forming solar system in peace. The demo does, however, do a great job of showing you how you and your new robot friend can collect materials to form new planets and how you can play with them. It is a fun little demo, and the game itself shows some real promise. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Savior Gaming 