The game Content Warning dropped on Steam PC on April 1, 2024 with a promotional event that allowed anyone to keep it for free as long as they simply activated it on the day itself. While plenty of games go free for a day on Steam, Content Warning has actually garnered a peak player count of 204,439 concurrent players on April 2, 2024, and it’s still early days yet.
Content Warning is a 2-4 player co-op game with the distinct feel of another smash hit–Lethal Company, which is exclusively on PC as well. Players are tasked with catching creepy monsters on video while avoiding being brutally killed themselves, all in the pursuit of fame.
No definitive statements have been made regarding an Xbox version of Content Warning. The game was developed over the course of a month, in Seoul, South Korea, as part of a game dev jam. Its runaway success has taken even the developers themselves by surprise, and they are currently preoccupied with keeping the PC version chugging along smoothly.
The game’s publisher, Landfall Publishing, appears to be just the five individual developers listed under the ‘Developer’ tag for the game on Steam. Given the intricacies involved in getting a game published on console, it may be a while before Content Warning makes its way through the certification processes for Xbox, but they haven’t said ‘no’ to an Xbox port.
Having said that, Landfall Gameshas published a number of games for multiple platforms, including Totally Accurate Battle Simulator or TABS, so never say never.
Watch this space for any further updates on Content Warning coming to Xbox consoles.
Sand Land is a manga by fabled Dragon Ball creator, the late Akira Toriyama, and a videogame adaptation is set for release soon. The action role-playing game is being developed by ILCA (Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, One Piece Odyssey), and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Sadly, this was one of creator Akira Toriyama’s final projects before his untimely passing on March 1, 2024.
UPDATED April 27
Sand Land Release Date And Time
Sand Land is slated to release on April 26, 2024, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam PC. However the release times are different for PC and for all of the consoles.
While release times haven’t been confirmed, we can expect a local midnight release, which means that Sand Land will unlock when midnight strikes on your clock, April 26.
On PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series X|S, Sandland will unlock at midnight local time, except for the US where it releases nationally at midnight ET. Here are localized times for major regions:
9 PM Pacific Time (PT) April 25
10 PM Mountain Time (MT) April 25
11 PM Central Time (CT) April 25
12 AM Eastern Time (ET) April 26
12 AM Universal Coordinated Time (UTC)/Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) April 26
12 AM British Summer Time (BST) April 26
12 AM Central European Summer Time (CEST) April 26
12 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) April 26
12 AM Singapore/Taiwan/Hong Kong Time April 26
12 AM South Korea Standard Time (KST) April 26
12 AM Japan Standard Time (JST) April 26
12 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) April 26
12 AM New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) April 26
On Steam PC, Sand Land will unlock concurrently globally on April 26, 2024, at midnight CEST. Here are localized times for major regions:
3 PM Pacific Time (PT) April 25
4 PM Mountain Time (MT) April 25
5 PM Central Time (CT) April 25
6 PM Eastern Time (ET) April 25
10 PM Universal Coordinated Time (UTC)/Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) April 25
11 PM British Summer Time (BST) April 25
12 AM Central European Summer Time (CEST) April 26
3:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) April 26
6 AM Singapore/Taiwan/Hong Kong Time April 26
7 AM South Korea Standard Time (KST) April 26
7 AM Japan Standard Time (JST) April 26
8 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) April 26
10 AM New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) April 26
Pre-ordering and wishlisting have been open on the Steam PC Store, Microsoft Xbox Store, and PlayStation Store for a while now.
A compilation of the patch notes for both hotfixes (fifth and sixth) released on April 26, for No Rest for the Wicked, the souls-like action RPG which entered Early Access on April 18, 2024.
The complete patch notes are below, in descending order, from latest to oldest:
We wanted to drop one more hotfix with important updates, new torch items, as well as additional performance and visual improvements to make sure all of you have a great time with the game this weekend! We also fixed the rings!Not to beat a dead Echo Knight Horse but please continue sharing issues or feedback you have with us!
⚔️ Art:
Improved rim light rendering in the shadows to improve game readability in dark areas. This should help with the “game is too dark” feedback we were getting in some cases.
Adjusted rim lighting looks even nicer and allows characters to feel more integrated into the environments!
⚔️ Performance:
Reduced unnecessary memory allocations for general rendering, fog, and other game systems
Optimized shadow rendering for all Visual Effects
⚔️ Quests:
Changed Potion Seller quest reward from a Medium XP Potion to a Small XP Potion.
⚔️ Loot:
Increased drop rate of gems
⚔️ Content Additions:
Added new Torch offhand for purchase at Whittacker’s shop and crafting at the Workbench
Torches can be used for more light in dark areas
⚔️ Balance:
Replaced Risen enemies on Prologue ship with special instances so they won’t be affected by global balance changes
Nerfed health on Risen enemies (except Risen Great Axe Raider) on Prologue ship by 40%
Rebalancing Cerim Crucible by nerfing enemies in the most deadly room and buffing enemies in weaker rooms
Increased timing of lowering platforms in Cerim Crucible so its more challenging and requires player to wait around less
Rebalanced Plague Ring
Increased Gain Health effect to 1-3%
Decreased Lose Focus effect to -7-10%
Rebalanced Snake Ring
Decreased damage dealt to player to 5%
Changed damage type dealt to player and enemy to Physical Damage instead of Plague Damage
⚔️ Enemies and Bosses:
Improved Risen Bruiser locomotion animations
⚔️ Areas:
Improved collision, faders and texture in Mariner’s Keep
Improved set dressing, collision and faders in Nameless Pass
Improved faders in Sacrament
Improved set dressing, collision and faders in Cerim Crucible
⚔️ Loot:
Increased drop rate of gems
⚔️ Audio:
Improved Falstead Darak intro audio timing
⚔️ Localization:
Added and updated localized text in many places across multiple languages
Added localization support for the attribute insights tooltips, new Quit menu and depositing stacks UI
⚔️ Bug Fixes:
Fixed Crash on the Main Menu
Fixed some transparency rendering artifacts
Fixed Plagued Mutant Soldier bounty boss going invisible
Fixed Fog of War not creeping back while the game is closed
Fixed error spam on the Refinery
Fixed Fierce Ring not dealing extra damage
Fixed interior backgrounds no longer being black
Fixed Bows not having full durability when being purchased at Whittacker's Shop
Fixed spot in Black Trench where you can go out of world
Fixed spot in Prologue ship interior where you can sidle and get stuck
Fixed spot in Echo Knight arena that resets the fight
Fixed shadow flickering at Campfire in Black Trench
Fixed spot with texture flickering in Black Trench
Today marks the one week anniversary since our Steam Early Access Launch and it warrants an extra beefy hotfix full of significant performance improvements, balance changes, stack size increases, 32:9 support, Quality of Life additions, 8 new shields, polish, localization and bug fixes.As always, please be sure to share any issues or feedback with us!
⚔️ Performance Improvements:
Further improved Quality Settings for better performance when at higher visual quality
Optimized rendering of volumetric Fog
Optimized shadow rendering
Reduced resolution transparency rendering tech for GPU heavy overdraw situations
Significantly reduced unnecessary memory allocations across many game systems
Improved handling of asset unloading to reduce performance degradation over time
Tracked down and improved several sources of CPU-side stuttering when the game is loading assets
Optimized instantiation costs for various often-used Visual Effects and Characters.
Reduced mutex contention cases that caused performance stutter while streaming content
Optimized icon texture resolutions and memory consumption
Optimized Sacrament rooftop models and textures (rooftops, rooftops everywhere)
Multiple smaller general CPU optimizations for better overall performance
⚔️ Quality of Life:
Added ability to deposit all items from the players inventory that match the types already in the selected chest
Default chest sorting changed to Sort By Type
Enhanced durability system for tools and armor, ensuring correct values are displayed and used
⚔️ Settings:
Increased supported aspect ratios to 32:9
Remaining visual glitches with 32:9 will be addressed in future updates
⚔️ Loot:
Increased stack size of cooking and crafting materials to 25, allowing for better management of resources
Food can now be stored in cupboards
Removed Blueprints from Fillmore shop before Anvil is unlocked
⚔️ Content Additions:
Implemented eight new shields for better class diversity
⚔️ Localization:
Widespread improvements to translations and localizations, we’ve fixed typos, updated NPC dialogues, and ensured consistency across various languages
Fixed UI translations, including screens for house buying and management, equipment, and warning messages
Implemented better localization handling mechanisms for NPC names and dialogue
⚔️ Balance:
Major Balance Revisions to provide a smoother experience and prevent high level item drops too early
Adding Stamina cost for parrying with Shields
⚔️ Enemies and Bosses:
Adjusted Prisoner Wolf enemy to jump around less
Added ability for Shackled Brute to dodge after attacking
Updated Echo Knight fight initiation to reposition instead of attacking right away
Polished Riven Twins taunt
Polished Risen Axe Bruiser attack animation
Polished parry animations for enemies
⚔️ Areas:
Updated Cerim Crucible so that leaving the realm will end your run and return you to the atrium. This is to prevent abusing backups and other potential loopholes.
Improved collision and faders in Cerim Crucible levels
Improved collision and faders in Mariner’s Keep and The Shallows
Improved faders and lighting in Sacrament
Improved Sacrament rooftops
⚔️ Audio:
Adjusted sound effects for better ambiance and clarity, including updated tree chopping SFX and ambient sounds in town areas.
Improved audio cues for NPC interactions to minimize overlaps and ensure clearer dialogues.
Improved spatial audio for Sacrament Rookery, Town Square, Slums and Training Grounds
Improved Echo Knight slam down AOE sound effects
⚔️ Bug Fixes:
Fixed bosses and a couple of bounty/quest variants of enemies spawning when not intended
Fixed player being able to accidentally delete a character when hovering while having another character selected. Now the hovered character will be deleted
Fixed and balanced Enchantment Effects across the board
Fixed Heavy Bandit being able to be pushed off the edge of the ship and block progress
Fixed Cerim Crucible run ending early if a realm save happens right after you finish a level
Fixed Durability of Tools being the wrong value when bought from vendors
Fixed turning in a Bounty showing the replacement prompt
Fixed exploit with certain bounties
Fixed shinies pulling a disappearing act (visually) in the Black Trench
Fixed Squire’s Attire Armor Set not available for crafting at the anvil
Fixed Tier on the Gangrenous Eel
Fixed Finley remaining in his cell after you rescue him and leave Nameless Pass
Fixed Finley’s missing sign in Sacrament
Fixed missing enemy and loot spawners in the northern section of Orban Glades
Fixed spot in Nameless Pass where you could go out of world
Fixed position of a rooftop in Sacrament
Fixed incorrect texture for the shipwreck in The Shallows
Removed duplicate models in Sacrament and Nameless Pass
Fixed bush clipping in the Inquisition Arrival cinematic
Fixed rain occasionally being heard during Falstead Darak fight
Fixed ragdolls blinking back into existence when going out of view and coming back in
A compilation of the patch notes for the third and fourth hotfixes thus far on April 23, for No Rest for the Wicked, the souls-like action RPG which entered Early Access on April 18, 2024.
The complete patch notes are below, in descending order, from latest to oldest:
This hotfix covers more cases of the Nameless Pass progression blocker, balance adjustments, performance improvements and we snuck in a few more bug fixes!As always, thank you for your continued feedback and bug reports!
⚔️ Performance Improvements:
Fixed a leak with GPU Culling
⚔️ Bounties and Challenges Changes:
Bounties and Challenges are no longer deleted if you choose to abandon them
Added confirmation when choosing to abandon Challenges
⚔️ Balance Changes:
Adjusted Damage On Parry enchantments
⚔️ Loot Changes:
Adjusted loot drop rates from chests
Added more furniture to Whittacker’s Shop
⚔️ Bug Fixes:
Fixed Nameless Pass cranes still not rotating correctly in some existing realms (their position will now reset to default)
Fixed sell value on Raw and Refined materials at vendors still being only ¼ of what they should be
Fix for the Channel rune icon not showing up when player has no Focus
Fixed Focus Gain On Hit enchantment text displaying a larger Focus number
The Watcher’s call has been answered, our biggest Hotfix Patch has arrived!We improved Performance, Balance, Loot, Harvesting, Graphics, fixed progression blockers and added new options in the Settings Screen. A good few dozen other bugs across the rest of the game have also been squashed.The amount of feedback, bug reports, and reviews we’ve received so far has been awesome! Please continue sending them in!
⚔️ Performance Improvements:
Improved area streaming, making the game feel smoother while traversing across different areas
Dynamic Resolution Scaling is now less aggressive, maintaining higher image quality
Improved culling for off-screen physics objects and characters
Fixed culling for bird animations, improving their performance in levels (there’s a lot of them!)
Additional Shader Optimizations for performance mode
Fixed a leak which increased memory and CPU usage the longer the game was played
Optimized rain and other GPU particles
Opening Cinematics and Ship Prologue Optimizations
Memory optimizations for character customization textures
A compilation of the patch notes for both hotfixes so far on April 20, for No Rest for the Wicked, the souls-like action RPG which entered Early Access on April 18, 2024.
The complete patch notes are below, in descending order, from latest to oldest:
No Rest for the Devs as we’re back with another hotfix! Today’s hotfix aims to improve Performance (woooo!), Durability, Food costs, as well as introducing fishing rods to Whittacker's loot table. We’ve also improved enemy spawning in Nameless Pass, fixed some gaps in localization, and squashed a handful of other bugs.Keep sending us your feedback (and bug reports)!! Now onto the patch notes!
⚔️ Performance Improvements:
Improved overall rendering performance
Additional optimizations in Balanced and Performance Quality Modes
Improved overall performance of Visual Effects and Fog
Improved performance on the Ship Prologue
Additional smaller performance improvements
⚔️ Balance Changes:
Increased Durability on tools:
Tier 1 - 100 Durability
Tier 2 - 125 Durability
Tier 3 - 150 Durability
Nerfed Silver Ring’s enchantment and buffed base stats
Buffed Riven Twins Boss by removing stagger on parry
⚔️ Loot Changes:
Moved Water Channel key to a chest in the Black Trench while we investigate Plague Leader not spawning for certain players
Adjusted Food costs to be more balanced in terms of cost to health gained
Improved drops for Clay and other rocks at Dig Spots
Introduced fishing rods to Whittacker's loot table
⚔️ Crafting Changes:
Added Tool crafting at Crafting Tables
⚔️ Area Changes:
Improved critter spawns (such as Deer) in some areas
Improved enemy spawning in Nameless Pass
Added a few more loot spawn locations in Nameless Pass
Polished art and climbables for Mariner's Keep
⚔️ Combat Improvements:
Adjusted Wolf and Plague Wolf targeting to remove aggressive rotation
Improved audio for Riven Twins Boss
⚔️ Bug Fixes:
Fixed missing text in Chinese (Simplified & Traditional)
Fixed certain interaction texts appearing in the wrong language
Improved clarity for Filmore’s free repairs till you reach Sacrament
Fixed Map not showing area names on hover
Fixed Echo Knight Boss AoE damage zone not matching visual effects
Fixed enemies becoming kaijus (visually)
Fixed Shinies and Chests visually pulling a disappearing act in sewers
Fixed deleted chests not dropping loot bags when inventory is full
Removed the chest roasting over an open Campfire in Nameless Pass
Fixed rain sounds from occasionally appearing in the Phalen Church cinematic
Fixed Terms of Service and Privacy Policy screens so they appear correctly in all languages
THANK YOU again to all of you for making our Early Access launch so amazing. Today’s hotfix is the first of many upcoming patches and updates to improve No Rest for the Wicked on the road to our 1.0 release.We hear you! While we are hard at work on performance improvements and controller remapping, which are coming soon, please be sure to check the resolution settings for the game to be able to get the best experience in the meantime.Today’s Day 2 hotfix aims to improve balance, durability, stamina, loot, stability, and immediate quality of life:
⚔️ Balance Changes:
Reduced Durability Damage Taken
Reduced Repair Costs
Increased Drop Rate on Repair Powders
Reduced Stamina Costs
Reduced Fall Damage Curve
Reduced cost of Horseshoe Crab and food that includes Horseshoe Crab
Balance update for the Cerim Crucible boss
Changed Corpse-Smeared Blade starting from Tier 2 to Tier 1
⚔️ Loot Changes:
Introduced more Weapons into Fillmore's Pre-Sacrament Loot Table
Reduced Drop Rate of Fallen Embers
⚔️ Stability:
Fixed crash that could occur when quitting out to the main menu
⚔️ Bug Fixes:
Improved inventory navigation
Fixed jump at Potion Seller Cave so you can’t miss the jump when executed correctly
Blocked off an out of bounds area of Nameless Pass
Wordle can be an unforgiving puzzle sometimes, and you can often come so close to ending a long winning streak. So, for your convenience, here are some hints as well as the answer for the Wordle today April 27.
We present Wordle clues here in a variety of ways to gently help you along, but if you just want the answer straight, spoilers be damned, then scroll all the way down to the section titled Today’s Wordle Answer.
As a noun: a brief flash or beam of light, often suggesting brightness or a sparkling quality.
As a verb: to shine brightly, emit flashes of light, or reflect light in a bright, sparkling manner.
Wordle Hint Today Fifth Letter
The fifth letter for the Wordle answer today is:
“M”
Wordle Hint Today Fourth Letter
The fourth letter for the Wordle answer today is:
“A”
Wordle Hint Today Third Letter
The third letter for the Wordle answer today is:
“E”
Wordle Hint Today Second Letter
The second letter for the Wordle answer today is:
“L”
Wordle Hint Today First Letter
The first letter for the Wordle answer today is:
“G”
Today’s Wordle Answer
And finally, here is the Wordle answer today. While this is your last chance to turn back, don’t feel bad about having to look it up.
Sometimes you have just one last chance to solve the puzzle, but three different letters that could viably fit into that last remaining square. At other times the word is so obscure, you just would not have gotten it without having in-depth knowledge about some oddly specific subject.
That’s no reason to lose a streak you have kept going for 71 days straight! So here goes nothing:
The opening or beginning segment of something, like a speech, a book, a movie, or a piece of music.
Wordle #1040 For April 24, 2024
“OVERT“
Done or shown openly; plainly or readily apparent, not secret or hidden; the opposite of covert.
Wordle #1039 For April 23, 2024
“ROVER“
A small, self-propelled vehicle used for exploring the surface of an extraterrestrial body, such as the moon or Mars. Also a fairly popular name for a dog at one time.
Wordle #1038 For April 22, 2024
“LASER“
An acronym for a device that emits a coherent beam of light through the process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation.
Wordle #1037 For April 21, 2024
“RAISE“
An adjective that means cheerful, happy, and full of high spirits. It can also be used as an adverb to intensify the meaning of a verb, conveying the sense of merriment and joy.
Wordle #1036 For April 20, 2024
“LUCID“
An adjective that describes clarity, rationality, or transparency in thought, expression, or perception.
Wordle #1035 For April 19, 2024
“RAISE“
To lift or elevate something from a lower to a higher position. Or an increase in salary or wages, often as a result of a promotion or performance evaluation.
Wordle #1034 For April 18, 2024
“FACET“
A particular aspect or feature of something, often referring to one side or component of a larger whole. It can also describe a small, flat surface on a cut gemstone or other object, especially one of several that together form a geometric shape.
Wordle #1033 For April 17, 2024
“TITHE“
The practice of giving one-tenth of one’s income or produce to support religious institutions or charitable causes, often as a form of religious obligation or duty. In some contexts, it can also refer to any similar tax or levy, especially one imposed by a church or religious authority.
Wordle #1032 For April 16, 2024
“SHANK“
To attack or stab someone with a homemade knife, especially in a prison setting.
Wordle #1031 For April 15, 2024
“EQUIP“
To provide with the necessary items or skills for a particular purpose or task. It involves outfitting or supplying someone or something with what is needed to function effectively or perform a specific function.
Wordle #1030 For April 14, 2024
“BLIMP“
A small nonrigid airship or dirigible, typically used for advertising or as an observation platform. It is characterized by its elongated shape and ability to float and navigate through the air.
Wordle #1029 For April 13, 2024
“STEEL“
An alloy of iron and carbon, typically containing small amounts of other elements such as manganese, chromium, or nickel.
Wordle #1028 For April 12, 2024
“WHINY“
An adjective used to describe someone who complains frequently and in a high-pitched or irritating manner, often about trivial matters.
Wordle #1027 For April 11, 2024
“LOUSE“
A small, wingless insect parasitic on mammals and birds, known for infesting human hair and clothing, causing itching and irritation.
Wordle #1026 For April 10, 2024
“BROTH“
A savory liquid made by simmering meat, bones, or vegetables in water, often with herbs or spices added for flavor. It forms the base for soups, stews, and sauces.
Wordle #1025 For April 9, 2024
“MERGE“
To combine or unite two or more things into one entity. It often refers to joining together separate organizations, companies, or entities to form a single entity or to integrate different elements into a unified whole.
Wordle #1024 For April 8, 2024
“BREED“
As a verb, to mate animals with the intention of producing offspring, often to perpetuate certain desirable traits or characteristics.
As a noun, a particular type or kind of something, denoting a distinct category or class.
Wordle #1023 For April 7, 2024
“VOILA“
A French interjection used to draw attention to or emphasize something that has been done or presented. It is often translated to English as “there you go,” “here it is,” or “there it is.”
It is commonly used to indicate the completion or success of a task, or to introduce something that has been prepared or produced.
Wordle #1022 For April 6, 2024
“FINCH“
A small to medium-sized bird, characterized by a stout conical bill, a short neck, and a compact body, known for their colorful plumage and melodious songs.
Wordle #1021 For April 5, 2024
“WRIST“
The joint connecting the hand to the forearm in humans and other primates.
Wordle #1020 For April 4, 2024
“CLIMB“
To move upwards, typically using the hands and feet to ascend a steep surface such as a mountain, hill, ladder, or rock face.
Wordle #1019 For April 3, 2024
“PLAIT“
A braid or a length of hair that has been divided into three or more strands and interlaced over one another.
Wordle #1018 For April 2, 2024
“SERUM“
A liquid that contains the fluid portion of blood after it has clotted, typically containing antibodies or other substances extracted from blood for medical purposes.
Welcome to Game Night, a Hard Drive review series that focuses on indie games.
“Indie” as a game category is loosely defined. It tends to refer to lower-budget productions with smaller creative teams, which can cover anything from a solo developer’s side hustle to veteran creators’ new startups.
More importantly, the indies get to be weird. Mainstream “AAA” video games often stick to a handful of established formulas, whereas indies have the freedom to explore niche genres, new mechanics, unique art styles, and/or the developer’s warped sense of humor. As a result, a lot of the “indie” label comes down to vibes, which is why games from billion-dollar studios like Dave the Diver can try to steal the label.
Despite that, this is a golden age for indies. It’s never been easier to make your own video game than it is right now. Digital storefronts like Steam and Itch can get anyone’s game in front of a global audience, while game creation tools have gotten progressively cheaper and easier to use. Sure, it creates the occasional broken nightmare or playable shitpost, but that’s the price you pay for creative democracy.
This would be a great time for indies as a whole to get more dedicated press coverage, but unfortunately, this is happening alongside the enshittification of the wider Internet. Due to the constant pursuit of SEO, many sites don’t have space to discuss anything that isn’t already a megahit.
That’s where Game Night comes in. Since Hard Drive is already on its financial suicide arc (join our Patreon today!), there’s no reason not to devote some of our column space to regular indie coverage. Every week, we’ll check out another game to highlight some hits, talk up the disasters, and look for diamonds in the rough. Hopefully you’re willing to come along for the ride.
—-
Anyway. Inkbound.
I hadn’t planned for this to be the first game I covered for the column, but I haven’t played much of anything else for the last few weeks. Sometimes you install a random indie just to see what it’s about and it proceeds to crawl directly into your skull.
Inkbound is a new roguelike from Shiny Shoe, the studio that made 2020’s Monster Train. Unlike its predecessor, Inkbound isn’t a card game. Instead, it’s a turn-based dungeon crawler, where you have to balance defense, offense, and positioning on every turn.
It’s also the sort of jam-band project that’s difficult to describe without talking about features from a half-dozen other games. Inkbound feels like Shiny Shoe took bits from every decent roguelike they’ve played lately, pushed it all into Inkbound like a game-mechanics Voltron, and then added co-op play. It was going to be a monster either way, but at least it’s in the sense that it’s a terrible, all-consuming addiction.
Inkbound is set in a magical library, the Atheneum, which is linked via its books to many other story-worlds. An unknown force has destroyed many of those worlds, and the survivors have taken refuge in the Atheneum.
You play as a Needless, a mute spirit of the library, who’s sent back out into the worlds in search of more information. If you survive, that’s great; if you don’t, you’re treated as expendable.
At the start of a run through Inkbound, you pick a class, which gives you 3 unique skills that define your basic game plan. As you progress through each encounter, you can gradually gather more upgrades and abilities. The challenge is to figure out how to turn all the random nonsense the game throws at you into a cohesive character build, and to do so before one of the bosses kicks your hairstyle in.
Co-op, conversely, is about how to trick your fellow players into not committing suicide. It’s tempting to just let everyone do whatever they want, but you end up having to discuss each turn in detail. Otherwise, your teammates will cheerfully redirect enemy attacks at one another, teleport into lava, or end their turn within 5 intersecting damage zones. If the solo game is about adaptability, co-op Inkbound is about herding cats.
In either mode, Inkbound is difficult, but it’s the good kind of difficult. Every time you lose, you can generally trace it back to a handful of your own bad decisions, so you might as well jump right back into the game and see if you can do better this time around. The next thing you know, it’s 2 AM.
Whether you win or lose a run, you gradually unlock more and better equipment, along with a whole whack of cosmetic items and a few of the stranger character classes. Winning gets you more of the same, as well as access to higher difficulty modifiers.
If I had a single major criticism, it’s that Inkbound’s overall reward structure makes an old mistake. It doesn’t give you any ability to filter your loot during a run, so all of the really killer gear that you unlock gets thrown into the same bucket with everything else.
You can find legendary items towards the end of a run that allow for some truly broken character builds, but in practice, you’ll rarely see them. There are just too many potential item drops by that point in the game. It creates an unsatisfying situation where all your best gear is also effectively too rare to reliably use.
The story’s also told in a strange way. Inkbound gives me the impression that its lore bible is a couple inches thick, full of characters we never meet and the strange history of the Atheneum. It’s a colorful world, but you aren’t exactly a character in it. Instead, you’re a magical UAV, who gets dispatched into threat zones by the people who actually matter.
It makes Inkbound into the story of something that happens around you, rather than to you. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, especially in a style of game that’s usually content to have no story at all, but it’s an interesting narrative flaw. Shiny Shoe was so eager to try and fill in some of the plot holes that are usually posed by roguelike mechanics that it created a few new issues that are all its own.
Otherwise, I don’t have many notes. If you’re like me and you’ve got a hole in your brain that’s only filled by short-run roguelikes, Inkbound is a charming, tricky example of the genre. Solo, it’s addictive enough to keep you busy for a couple of weeks, and its co-op mode is a useful game to have in your back pocket for quiet nights online.
[Inkbound, published and developed by Shiny Shoe, is currently available on Steam for $29.99. This review was written using a code sent to Hard Drive by Shiny Shoe’s PR representative.]
The full patch notes for Backpack Battles patch 0.9.7 on April 26 are below:
Hi everyone,It's patch day! We have some balancing adjustments for you today, and a new outfit for the Berserker. You can unlock it with trophies in the Wardrobe.
Backpack Battles is on sale from now until May 5th! If you have not picked the game up yet, now is the perfect time to get it with a 10% discount.Also, Steam has finally verified Backpack Battles for the Steam Deck! You can play using the touchscreen or simply with controller.Did you find a bug or do you want to talk about the game? Join our Discord server!
EDINBURGH, Scotland. — J.K. Rowling is once again under fire after claiming the Goblin Rebellions in the Harry Potter canon were about states’ rights.
Rowling, whose claim to fame is authoring the Harry Potter series, started the spat when she posted about some in-universe lore on her Twitter account.
“All these liberals are constantly accusing me of being a cruel unloved TERF who despite her enormous wealth will never achieve happiness,” wrote Rowling. “But what they don’t realize is that the Goblin Rebellions were actually just about land disputes between the wizarding states.”
Harry Potter lore expert Katherine Bongino replied to her post, arguing the facts did not support that claim.
“With all due respect, Mrs. Rowling, there’s a truckload of evidence that the Goblin Rebellions started because of the enslavement of goblins. The declarations of war by both the goblins and the wizards specifically mentioned it. Also, is it just me or are the hook-nosed, money-loving goblins kind of an antisemitic stereotype?”
“Kill yourself,” Rowling responded before turning off replies.
Rowling’s publisher, Little, Brown, and Company, issued a statement in defense of the author. “Mrs Rowling is a genius author, whose tremendous ability should not be questioned. In the years she has worked with us, she has generated tens of millions of dollars and a few middling books, we’re told. If Mrs. Rowling says the ‘googahs’ fought the wizards for land, then that’s what happened. Now please stop distracting her, we need her to focus her attention on finishing her next book ‘The Evil Man in the Dress Who Tweeted Mean Things at Smart Authors and Killed All the Women’“
At press time, Rowling has moved on from discussing Harry Potter to explaining why she thinks the Holocaust didn’t happen.
WHITE HOUSE — President Biden officially signed the RPG (Relief and Protection for Gamers) Act today as the widespread destruction and pain caused by an 8/10 review posted on Kotaku continued to dominate headlines, international aid groups confirmed today.
“The review said some things I agreed with, but not exactly. I would have worded it a little differently,” one of the most affected gamers said in his unlivable apartment with furniture turned upside down and trash thrown about. “It’s going to take me years to rebuild and get back on my feet.”
First responders as well as United Nations monitors on the ground had reportedly thought the review would be considered a category 1, or maybe just considered a particularly hot take, and are now struggling to set up a base of operations to intake and process hordes of gamers who tried to ride out the review’s publication.
“A lot of them are in rough shape. They come in mumbling to themselves. ‘Uncensored, patched out graffiti, the bus was good marketing’ – none of it makes sense. We need more resources,” Luke Franks, spokesperson for the National Guard, said. “I mean just getting them hydrated and eating a solid three meals a day is a problem.”
“Most of these guys come in essentially nocturnal,” he added.
According to experts, hundreds of thousands of gamers are expected to be emotionally displaced after the publication of the generally pretty positive review.
“They have no where to go. It’s not clear if neighboring entertainment-based identities have the infrastructure required to support such a large migration on short notice,” Dr. Tammi Givens, head of UCLA’s political science department, said. “It’s almost all men. But the real problem is just the sheer number of plushies they bring with them; it’s just not logistically feasible.”
At press time it was reported several congresspeople were celebrating large stock market wins after they placed bets on gaming related companies before the aid was announced.
