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An image shows a woman wearing a fox mask, the protagonist of Ghost of Yotei, and characters from Final Fantasy Tactics.
Game Reviews

Ghost Of Yotei And Six Other Great Games To Play This Weekend

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Happy October! We’re officially entering the spooky season, and that naturally means it’s a perfect time for horror movies, games, and maybe even a book or two. (I recommend Carmilla, if you haven’t read it. It’s a classic vampire tale that doesn’t get enough attention and is filled with a ton of dark, lesbian subtext.)

This weekend, in the spirit of spooky season, we’ve got two horror games worth your time: one a recently released stunner of a trip into an eerie mountainside village in Japan, and the other, well, it ain’t for the faint of heart.

But if horror ain’t your thing, fear not! There’s also plenty of great stuff here if you’re just looking for good, clean, non-terrifying fun. Let’s get to it!

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Unkown”)
Current goal: Do more wall-hopping

Another year, another Call of Duty. This time around it’s Black Ops 7. The beta started on October 2, and I got access and played a few matches. Yup, it’s another Call of Duty, all right. It also plays a lot like Black Ops 6, which isn’t a bad thing at all as that was a return to form for the franchise’s fast-paced multiplayer.

This time around, though, it does feel like I’m playing a Black Ops 6 expansion and not a new game. But, there is one big new feature: wall-hopping. You can now run up to a wall and hop off it to reach out-of-the-way areas or escape a fight. It feels really good and fits so perfectly into the CoD toolbox that it feels like a feature they added years ago.

Overall, I’m enjoying the BLOPS 7 beta, but I’ll need to play the whole game and a lot more multiplayer before I’m convinced this is a big new game and not just Black Ops 6.5. – Zack Zwiezen

Silent Hill f

© NeoBards Entertainment / Claire Jackson / Kotaku

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs (“Playable”)
Current goal: Unlock another ending

Silent Hill f’s aesthetic was always going to rope me in. It’s my kinda thing. But would my fascination with its darkness last through multiple playthroughs? Last weekend, I was happy to find myself truly enjoying extended sessions with this wonderful horror game, and I’ll be spinning it up yet again this weekend.

Read More: Silent Hill f: The Kotaku Review

In a year in which I’ve enjoyed many games but have struggled to manage my time well enough to roll credits on several of them (I’m really, really sorry Clair Obscur), Silent Hill f has pulled me into finishing it twice over. I just can’t resist sinking back into that fog to unravel more of this twisted story.

Last weekend I unlocked the “Fox wets its tail” ending. I won’t spoil it here, but wow, did it take the game to places I didn’t expect. And I especially enjoyed using the sacred sword you can unlock on a second playthrough. I happen to really enjoy the combat in SHf, and having this mystical weapon that almost feels like it moves of its own accord and ties in satisfyingly with f’s spooky mythological backdrop added yet another layer of cryptic narrative goodness on top of the existing themes of patriarchy and subjugation.

So this weekend I’m gunning for another ending, perhaps two more if I can make the time. I’m also playing it on the game’s hardest difficulty, “Lost in the Fog.” Lots of digital ink is being spilt over the game’s combat and difficulty, and facing down that top-tier challenge feels appropriate as I’m finalizing my own opinions on whether or not f indulges too much in making you fight monsters.

Also, it’s October, so how am I not gonna spend every weekend playing at least one horror game? – Claire Jackson

The Repairing Mantis

© Gif: Erupting Avocado

Play it on: Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Unknown”)
Current goal: Meditate on misery

Let’s get this out of the way: This game has like…all of the trigger warnings. The game’s Steam store page lists self-harm and animal cruelty as just two of the themes this short, surreal adventure explores. And it advises you to skip it if you have any doubts whatsoever about its subject matter.

In this game you play as a praying mantis visiting other animals who are caught in various states of extreme duress as you explore an endless realm of ennui. The game has two different endings, and only lasts around an hour or so. But it is a dark, bloody experience that’s less about trying to make you run for your life and instead asks you to meditate on absolutely dreadful, terrifying subjects with otherwise very casual, slow-paced gameplay.

Even thinking about playing this game again after not touching it for a few years, I’m wondering if I’m in the right emotional headspace for it–especially with the state of the world being what it is. But sometimes horror is most effective as an outlet when times are tough. Be sure to take care of yourself if you give this one a spin, because it can easily stir up some dark thoughts. – Claire Jackson

Ghost of Yotei

Play it on: PS5
Current goal: Finish the game

Is Ghost of Yotei another first-party open-world game with a skill tree and light crafting elements from Sony? Yes. Is it one of a number of recent games set in Japan’s past? Yup. Does it feel redundant and tedious? Somehow no. I’ve been finding it the perfect mix of map game checklist and cinematic adventure, sort of like if you turned Uncharted into an Ubisoft game. It’s also hitting at a good time of year. We’re far removed from Assassin’s Creed Shadows at this point, and there’s no other sandbox action game on this scale arriving this fall. The writing is very good, and 30 hours in the world still leaves me stunned. The more I play, the more Ghost of Yotei grows on me. If you pick it up, don’t rush. Take your time. It’s better that way. It also might have my favorite video game wolf ever. – Ethan Gach

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Playable”)
Current goal: Get the Platinum trophy

I’m on the verge of having played 100 hours of Final Fantasy Tactics this year. Have I lost my mind? Maybe. But the game really is that good, and The Ivalice Chronicles remaster rehabs it in almost all of the best ways. I’m frustrated Square Enix decided to cut the content from the War of the Lions port and not add any new battles or endgame content this time around, only because the rest of it is so excellent. We’ve never had a strategy RPG since that can hold a candle to it. I hope that eventually changes. For now there’s all the mods players are going to make for the PC version. – Ethan Gach

Lego Voyagers

Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”)
Current goal: Try to make playing with Lego in real life just as fun

I recently finished Lego Voyagers and it’s a fantastic little co-op puzzler that not enough people are talking about. You play as Lego pieces who have to help one another build to overcome obstacles. Think Split Fiction but with zero words. It’s full of clever little interactions that kept surprising me while also tapping into all of those core Lego building habits I’ve honed over decades. The price is a bit steep for the three-to-five-hour runtime, but every moment hits. – Ethan Gach

Digimon Story: Time Stranger

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”)
Current goal: Save the future

I write about Pokémon almost every other day here at Kotaku, but I don’t get to write about Digimon nearly as much. Legends: Z-A is two weeks away, but if you’re looking to get your monster-taming fix right now, Digimon Story: Time Stranger is out, and I really loved it. The story skews dark, the evolution mechanics are elaborate and experimental, and riding around on my favorite monster’s shoulders doesn’t get old. It’ll be most rewarding to longtime Digimon fans, but I think it’s got enough emotional stakes to even draw in people who haven’t visited the Digital World in years. Its turn-based combat isn’t that deep, but it makes up for it with complex and rewarding training mechanics. — Kenneth Shepard

That wraps our picks for the weekend. What are you playing? Any horror recs for the best month of the year?



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Nicktoons & The Dice Of Destiny, Is Great Diablo-Like For Kids
Game Updates

Nicktoons & The Dice Of Destiny, Is Great Diablo-Like For Kids

by admin


So Timmy Turner from Fairly OddParents, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Leonardo from TMNT are all in a game together, and no, I’m talking about Fortnite. Not this time. Instead, these and other Nickelodeon cartoon characters are part of Dice of Destiny, a newly released action RPG that plays a lot like Baby’s First Diablo, which might be the perfect game for parents and kids to enjoy together. Just don’t go in expecting something deep, difficult, or long.

Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny, out now on consoles and PC, is very much a Diablo-like ARPG that removes all the blood and demons and replaces them with famous cartoon characters and family-friendly enemies to smack around over the course of the game’s six- to eight-hour campaign. Like Blizzard’s popular ARPG, Dice of Destiny is played from a top-down isometric perspective and features lots of gold to collect, loot to find, and new skills to unlock to better kill all the hundreds and hundreds of fish men, robots, evil books, jellyfish, and even big bosses who want to stop our heroes from collecting powerful dice that will let them escape this fantasy world they are trapped in.

Dice of Destiny doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to ARPGs. You’ll feel right at home with the combat, movement, and progression if you’ve played a Diablo, or a Titan Quest, or even a Path of Exile. You enter areas filled with enemies to kill, find some loot and gold, perhaps stumble upon a side challenge or hidden chest, level up, and then return to a hub area to sell loot and tinker with your character and inventory. Yeah, you’ve played this game before. You know how this goes.

And to Dice of Destiny’s credit, it plays very well and runs like a dream on my Xbox Series X. Sadly, combat isn’t challenging, even when I turn the difficulty up before entering a mission. At least the different biomes you visit, each inspired by Nickelodeon shows like SpongeBob, look wonderful, with a vibrant art style that pops on a big 4K TV. You might get a bit bored fighting the same enemies and getting little loot for it, but at least it all looks nice and runs well, which is not something I can say for other Gamemill-published titles.

Sadly, where Dice of Destiny sort of falls apart is that all the playable characters lack skill trees. Combine that with a lack of loot drops and you start to wonder why you’re grinding away through all the missions. Characters also level up so fast that after a few missions, I was well beyond the level of later missions and felt nearly invincible outside of boss fights. It leads to the game lacking any meaningful RPG progression, and I went from a weakling to a powerful murderer in no time. While I found this to be disappointing, as it meant an already easy game became even easier, I can see how kids would appreciate the ability to level up quickly and acquire new powers to use.

©Gamemill

I think for most people who regularly read Kotaku, Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny will be a boring and somewhat shallow ARPG adventure through some gorgeous cartoon worlds that will make you want to reinstall Diablo IV.  But if you have a young kid who’s getting into video games and wants to play an RPG, this is probably a perfect choice. It’s very likely they will know at least some of the characters in Dice of Destiny, and the lack of a skill tree and the game’s reluctance to drop loot or flood the screen with baddies makes it a relatively kid-friendly experience, especially if this is one of their first “big” games. And there’s just enough depth and action here that parents playing with their kids in co-op, which the game supports locally, won’t be bored to tears.

Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC. I’d recommend waiting for it to drop in price during a sale, as the $50 sticker slapped on this thing is a bit too high for what’s on offer here. But hey, maybe your kid (or you) really wants to kill 200 jellyfish as Jimmy Neutron? If so, run, don’t walk, to Dice of Destiny.



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Dyson Isn't Doing So Great
Gaming Gear

Dyson Isn’t Doing So Great

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Consumer electronics giant Dyson’s profits were nearly halved in 2024, despite selling more products this year than they have ever before.

The company’s pre-tax profit for 2024 fell to £561 million (roughly $754 million) from £1.1 billion ($1.48 billion) the year before.

It was also the first time the company reported a fall in sales in over two decades, according to The Telegraph, despite selling a record-breaking 20 million products this past year. Dyson’s new product launches in 2025 included an AI-powered robot combination vacuum and wet floor cleaner, and the company’s billionaire owner, Sir James Dyson, has said that they are preparing for more product launches in the home appliances category.

Known for hit products like the bagless vacuum and TikTok-famous hand dryers, Dyson’s 2024 was marked by a cost-cutting initiative despite being in the midst of a popularity boom the past two years.

Yearly revenue fell from £7.1 billion (a little over $9.5 billion) to £6.6 billion (roughly $8.8 billion) in what the company’s CEO Hanno Kirner has called “a difficult but necessary year of transformation.”

In July 2024, the company laid off around 1,000 employees in the UK, equaling one-third of its British workforce, and in October, the company laid off an undisclosed number of workers in Singapore.

Globally, Dyson has 10,000 employees, down from 13,000 in early 2022. Although a British company at heart, Dyson moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2019 and manufactures most of its goods in the region.

At the time of the UK layoffs, Dyson blamed “increasingly fierce and competitive global markets.” Dyson’s major competitors include the buzzy SharkNinja, German home appliance manufacturer Miele, and Samsung.

This time around, on Monday’s earnings call, Dyson executives blamed one-off factors for the massive revenue decline, like currency volatility in Asia and Turkey, where Dyson sells most of its products, a global reorganization of the business, and a factory fire that led to a shortage of supply in its beauty products.

But despite those one-off factors weighing on profit, executives did admit that the financial strain was still due in part to “slower economic growth in 2024 and reduced consumer confidence in some key markets.”

Although a worldwide recession is still not in the cards, the global economy is set for its weakest run in nearly two decades.

“Heightened trade tensions and policy uncertainty are expected to drive global growth down this year to its slowest pace since 2008 outside of outright global recessions,” the World Bank wrote in a press release in June. “If forecasts for the next two years materialize, average global growth in the first seven years of the 2020s will be the slowest of any decade since the 1960s.”

The U.S. is experiencing (and causing via Trump’s tariffs) its fair share of economic pressure as well. U.S. consumer confidence declined to a five-month low in September due to inflation and a weakening job market, according to data from the Conference Board that was unveiled on Tuesday.



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A cave with a skull and a waterfall where the Forgive Me quest begins
Product Reviews

There’s a sidequest in Borderlands 4 based on a meme making fun of Soulsborne games and it’s great

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Borderlands 4 is in a tough place when it comes to tone. The over-reliance on literal toilet humor in Borderlands 3 was so universally disliked that a follow-up was always going to pare it back a bit. Which Borderlands 3 does, though sometimes too much. The villains in particular end up feeling like personality-free zones, some of them not even having enough going on to fill the empty space on their introductory title cards. They’re just names and hit points.

The sidequests squeeze in some of the personality the main questline leaves out, and even (whisper it) reference the occasional meme. My favorite so far is Forgive Me, a quest based on a viral joke about the storytelling in Soulsborne games—a joke tweeted by Borderlands 4 head writer Sam Winkler back in 2022.

(Image credit: Sam Winkler)

Because the internet is the way it is, Winkler ended up having to explain in the replies that he actually likes FromSoftware games, saying, “I am begging anyone who thinks I’m dunking on fromsoft to learn how to make fun of the things you love”. And if you needed further evidence, the Forgive Me quest in Borderlands 4 is an extended gag about Soulsborne storytelling that clearly comes from a place of deep knowledge and appreciation.


Related articles

Forgive Me isn’t marked on your map. It begins in a cave in the Cuspid Climb area of the Terminus Ranges, with a waterfall pouring out of a giant skull at the entrance. Near a sword embedded in a fire a badass psycho attacks you, dropping a Desecrated Bolt as he dies. When you pick it up you hear the words “Zanzibart… forgive me” and begin an unmarked quest that instructs you to “Find Zanzibart’s resting place”, though it doesn’t add a marker for it.

You’ll need to find another cave in the Terminus Ranges, this one in Stoneblood Forest to the north and accessible by grappling point. There you’ll face the Cursed Myrmidon of the Cruel Dawn in combat and be left wondering if you can possibly have a crumb of context.

(Image credit: Gearbox)

At which point Vycarias, the Lore-Singer, a character who is a cross between a fantasy sage and a YouTuber who reads out flavor text will emerge from out of nowhere to monologue at you for nine minutes straight about the Shatterglass Plain, the Nevergreen, the Red Requiem, and a bunch of other proper nouns you’ve never heard before. It’s like reading a dense wiki entry for a game you haven’t played, and I applaud the voice actor who plays Vycarias for nailing the tone. It’s the kind of commitment to the bit that I enjoy about Borderlands, and I hope I keep finding it in Borderlands 4’s sidequests and inevitable DLC.



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Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua vacuum testing mop function on wood floors
Gaming Gear

Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua review: a 2-in-1 vacuum-mop that’s great for freshening up floors

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Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua: two-minute review

The Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is marketed as a hybrid hero: part cordless vacuum, part mop, all in one sleek stick. It sits alongside the regular Unlimited 7, which is a standard cordless vacuum, but the Aqua version comes with two floorheads: a powered vacuum head, and a mopping head with suction. As such, it’s a direct rival to Dyson V15s Submarine, but with a lighter feel and a friendlier price. However, after using it for nearly three weeks, I found it wasn’t quite up there with the best wet and dry vacuums on the market.

On test, I found this vacuum light and nimble, with a properly practical design. There’s a long, flexible nozzle attachment for getting behind radiators, and the main vacuum wand can be released to bend forwards to 90 degrees too, enabling me to skim under sofas, kickboards and low tables without crouching or dragging furniture around.

However, it’s not well suited to strenuous cleaning. With the vacuum head attached, suction was strong enough for everyday crumbs, dog hair and dust bunnies, but not on a par with the best cordless vacuums on the wider market – it struggled to get fine dust out of carpet and wasn’t great on edges, either. The mop head did a decent job of freshening up hard floors, but tended to smear spillages around rather than mopping them up. Plus, the gap between the two rotating pads meant several passes were required for complete coverage. Both the dustbin and water reservoir are quite small, which means frequent emptying and refilling.

Still, if you live in a smaller home, perhaps with mostly hard floors, and are just looking for an all-in-one solution for everyday use, the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is well worth a look. You’ll still need to dig out the mop for more thorough cleans, but this stick vacuum will help keep things fresh in the meantime. Read on for my full Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua review.

It comes with plenty of accessories and spares (Image credit: Future)

Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua review: price & availability

  • List price: £499.99 / AU$699
  • Launch date: January 2024 (AU), April 2024 (UK)
  • Available: UK and Australia

In the UK, the Unlimited 7 Aqua officially launched in April 2024, and it’s already seen some decent discounts. The list price is £499.99, but at the time of writing I spotted it on offer for £379.99 with free delivery (which actually makes it cheaper than the base Unlimited 7). Considering the Aqua version comes with a handy mop head as well as the standard vacuum attachment, it feels like a no-brainer if you’ve got hard floors.

Over in Australia, the Unlimited 7 Aqua arrived in January 2024 with a price tag of $699. That puts it neatly in line with the rest of the Unlimited 7 range, which varies between AU$549 and AU$749 depending on which bundle you go for (extra batteries, pet brushes, that sort of thing).

I haven’t spotted any consistent discounts yet, so it’s probably safest to assume it’ll be sold close to full price for now. Sadly, Bosch doesn’t sell its vacuums in the US, so the Unlimited 7 Aqua won’t be making its way across the pond as far as we know.

As for where it sits in the market, the Aqua is at the lower end of the premium sector in both territories. But given the solid build quality, the option to mop and vacuum in one go, and Bosch’s reputation for durability, I’d say it’s pitched fairly.

  • Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Weight:

6.4 lbs / 2.9 kg

Dimensions (H x W x D):

51.6 x 9.9 x 53in / 131 x 25.2 x 134.5cm

Floorhead width:

9.8 in / 25cm

Filter:

HEPA

Bin capacity:

0.3L

Battery:

18v 3.0 Ah

Max runtime:

40 mins

Charge time:

5 hours

Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua review: design

  • 2-in-1 vacuum and vac-mop, with separate heads for each
  • Slim, lightweight, yet solid build
  • Flexible wand and bendy hose get into hard-to-reach places

In the box, the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua comes with everything you’d expect, and more. You get two floorheads (a powered floorhead for vacuuming and the Aqua mop/vac head), a bendable hose, charging cable, battery pack, docking station, a 2-in-1 furniture brush, both short and long, bendy crevice nozzles, plus four textured pads for the mop.

It’s a generous bundle that meant I could get stuck in straight away without feeling short-changed on accessories. You can also store a couple of the nozzles on the wall-mounted docking holster once you’ve decided where it’s going to live.

The floor head has a motorized brush with soft and hard bristles and LED headlights (Image credit: Future)

The vacuum itself is slimline and lightweight and, crucially, it doesn’t feel top-heavy in the hand the way some stick vacs can. All the attachments click into place with satisfying smoothness, and the release buttons are ergonomically positioned, so swapping heads mid-clean never felt fiddly.

If I were to compare it to a car, the build quality was giving VW energy: solid, reliable, and clearly engineered to last, even if it doesn’t have the glossy, showy looks of a Merc or Beemer.

Switching to handheld mode is very easy (Image credit: Future)

Controls are nice and simple. A single slider toggles between Eco, Turbo and Auto, and I mostly left it parked on Auto. Battery life is shown by three LEDs that switch off one by one as the charge drops. It’s functional, but a bit vague info-wise compared to a modern digital display.

Getting deep under furniture is a breeze (Image credit: Future)

The flexible hose was one of my favorite design touches. It bends like an elbow joint, letting me sweep under sofas and kickboards without crouching. I also made good use of the bendy crevice nozzle, which snaked neatly behind radiators and into tight spots.

The roller floorhead mixes stiff and soft brushes, though I couldn’t see an obvious way to pop the roller out for detangling hair without a screwdriver, which felt slightly old-school.

A small water tank feeds the mop floorhead (Image credit: Future)

The mop head, on the other hand, is refreshingly straightforward: a lozenge shape with two spinning pads that attach via Velcro. Fill the small tank with water (and a splash of floor cleaner if you like), press a button to dampen the pads, click it back into place, and you’re ready to mop. All in all, the Unlimited 7 Aqua’s design is practical, flexible and reassuringly well built. It’s not especially flashy, but it’s smart where it counts.

Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua review: performance

  • Strong suction and flexible cleaning
  • Mop tends to swish dirt around
  • Small bin and tank need frequent stops

Since the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is a game of two parts, I’ll start by covering the general stuff like ease of use, noisiness and maintenance, then focus on mop-ability.

Maneuvering the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is effortless. Regardless of which floorhead is attached, it glides smoothly across every surface, getting tight to edges and right into the corners with ease, and barely needing any force, thanks to the powered floorhead.

On test, I especially loved the flexible main tube, which I could unlatch and bend to reach right under sofas and low furniture without having to twist my own body like a contortionist. It’s also very lightweight, even for a stick vacuum, so I could lift it up onto the sofas and upholstered ottoman, staircase runner etc.if I was feeling lazy, or switch to handheld vacuum mode if I wanted a bit more precision.

The long bendy nozzle tool is super handy for getting into awkward places (Image credit: Future)

The array of nozzles make the fiddlier tasks easy, too. The crevice tool and furniture brush work exactly as expected, but my fave is the bendy long crevice nozzle, which managed to get into all the nooks and crannies of my fancy (but impossible to clean) radiators and also provided good reach for ceiling cobwebs and curtain rails.

This cordless is so light, I often didn’t bother switching to handheld (Image credit: Future)

While the mop head has a vacuum function, it’s really only designed to clear the way for mopping. For carpets and dirty hard flooring, you’ll need to employ the excellent motorized floorhead.

I loved that it has decent LEDs on the front to illuminate every crumb, and the anti-tangle roller had no truck with my daughters’ long tresses. In terms of noisiness, which I recorded using an app, in Eco mode it was fairly quiet at around 68 dB(A), so I could easily hold a conversation while cleaning. Turbo definitely ramped things up, hitting about 80 dB(A) and sounding punchier, but I used this mode sparingly to save juice so it was never really an issue.

The suction on this thing is way punchier than I expected. Even in Eco mode it guzzled up crumbs, pet hair and muddy paw/boot prints without breaking a sweat. Auto mode was the real star though – I could hear it cranking things up the second I hit a rug, then chilling out again on hard floors.

The red button slides down to drag the bin contents out (Image credit: Future)

The vacuum dustbin was annoyingly small and needed emptying far more regularly than my cordless Miele – this wouldn’t be ideal if you have plenty of pets. On the plus side, it was very easy to empty, and the filter has an easy-clean function whereby you turn the red wheel in the top and the dust pours out. No washing filters under the tap and waiting for them to dry before you can vacuum again.

Mopping

To set the scene, my floors are mostly hard surfaces (engineered wood, porcelain, laminate) and they do not get an easy ride. With two kids, two dogs (including a mischievous puppy), an escapee budgie who thinks he rules the roost, and ponies that seem determined to send half the Devonshire countryside indoors on our boots and clothing, my mop and bucket get a lot of action throughout the week.

With that in mind, it’s fair to say the mop pads on the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua had their work cut out. They work by taking clean water from the reservoir to dampen the pads, then spinning fairly quickly as you push along, vacuuming at the same time. The mop head has a button you can press with your foot to charge the mop heads with water.

Press the raised button with your foot to charge the mop heads with water (Image credit: Future)

I found the mop pads spread the water and cleaning solution fairly evenly, except for the dry channel created by the gap between the two, which meant I did need to do multiple passes for full coverage. They definitely did some good, judging by the grubby pads afterwards – which were pretty grim, in a satisfying way.

If I’m honest, it often felt like the mops were pushing the dirt around rather than properly lifting it away. In short, when life got really filthy (pretty much every other day), I still needed to follow up with an old-fashioned mop to tackle the worst of it.

That’s the issue with this style of mop: although the pads are fed with clean water, the dirty stuff stays on them until the end of the cleaning session, when you can remove them and rinse them out or pop them into the washing machine.

In contrast, roller-based wet cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 have a scraper that siphons off dirty water as the mop pad rolls around. That kind of setup does require a separate dirty water tank, though.

The rotating mop pads sit on Velcro and can be removed and washed in the washing machine (Image credit: Future)

That said, for everyday upkeep the Unlimited 7 Aqua was still a handy pal to have around. It gave our hard floors a nice little refresh, and I loved how quick and fuss-free it was compared with lugging out the mop and bucket.

For me, this is the machine to grab for a speedy once-over before guests arrive, i.e. when I want to pretend we don’t spend our days knee-deep in horse muck. But after a muddy hack through the fields or a puppy-induced disaster, the good old faithful mop was called back into action.

Cleaning tests

To really see what this machine was made of, I put the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua through a series of at-home tests that aim to replicate the kind of messes real families deal with daily. Here’s how it did.

Test 1: Fine dust
I started with a teabag’s worth of dry tea scattered on both hard floor and carpet. On hard floor, it was flawless – everything vanished in a single pass on Eco, without any effort. On carpet, though, it wasn’t quite as slick. Eco took several passes and still left bits behind until I cranked it up to Turbo, which eventually got the job done.

Image 1 of 2

Tea on hard floor(Image credit: Future)Tea on carpet(Image credit: Future)

Test 2: Larger debris
Next up, 30g of oats scattered across the floor to mimic larger dirt particles. On hard floor it aced the challenge, sucking them up in one smooth pass without shoving them around like a mini snow plough. On carpet, they bounced about a bit at first, but a second pass on Eco cleared the lot.

Image 1 of 2

Oats on hard floor(Image credit: Future)Oats on carpet(Image credit: Future)

Test 3: Edges
I lined oats along the skirting boards to see how close it could clean without swapping to a nozzle and was not terribly impressed. It needed multiple passes and still left a few stragglers that I had to tidy up with the crevice tool.

The edge cleaning test left a fair few stragglers (Image credit: Future)

Test 4: Mop
This was the big one. I spilt milk on dark laminate and set the Aqua mop head to work. At first glance it looked promising… until I stopped and lifted it, at which point milk dribbled back out. Worse, when the floor dried, there was a faint white film where it hadn’t been properly cleaned.

A second test on my engineered timber floor seemed better at first, but a swipe with a wet wipe revealed plenty of dirt was still lingering. Safe to say, I won’t be relying on it for puppy accidents again anytime soon.

Image 1 of 2

I didn’t cry over spilt milk…(Image credit: Future)…until it poured right back onto the floor(Image credit: Future)

Overall, the tests showed that the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is a strong performer on hard floors, handling both fine dust and larger debris with ease in Eco mode. Carpets were more of a challenge. It could cope, but often needed multiple passes or a boost to Turbo to get a thorough clean.

Edge cleaning wasn’t its strongest suit, and the mop function looked good at first glance but ultimately made me sad, leaving behind residue and proving unreliable for all but the quickest spruce-up.

  • Performance score: 3 out of 5

Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua review: battery

  • Around 30 mins with the powered floorhead for vacuuming
  • Mopping eats battery quicker, around 10–15 mins on Auto
  • Turbo gobbles up the juice – about 9 mins max

Battery life on the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua isn’t mind-blowing, but it’s not a total washout either. In Eco mode, I squeezed out a respectable 41 minutes when using the smaller accessories, though the powered floorhead brought that down to about half an hour (28 minutes, if we’re being precise). Flick it into Turbo and the battery evaporates faster than my kids’ snacks after school – you’ll get around nine minutes before it keels over.

Mopping is another level of thirsty: with the Aqua head on Auto mode, I only managed 10–15 minutes before the lights started blinking. That said, I rarely needed Turbo when mopping, so it wasn’t a huge issue.

Charging is where Bosch redeems itself. Yes, it takes a yawnsome five hours if you plug it directly into the vacuum, but if you shell out for a fast charger base (not included as standard), that falls to just one hour, which feels far more realistic for a busy household. The battery is part of Bosch’s 18V Power For All Alliance, so I could technically pop it into a hedge trimmer or drill, which is pretty handy.

Overall, the runtime won’t blow you away, but I never ran out mid-clean in Auto mode. If you’ve got a bigger place or serious messes, a spare battery is your golden ticket.

  • Battery life score: 3 out of 5

Should you buy the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua?

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value for money

Not dirt cheap, but you’re getting a vacuum and a mop in one, plus Bosch’s solid build. Deals make it even sweeter.

4/5

Design

Slim, light and packed with clever touches like the bendy wand. Feels sturdy and well thought-out, but not flashy.

4/5

Performance

Great suction on hard floors, less convincing on carpets and edges, and the mop turned out to be disappointing.

3/5

Battery

Enough juice for a decent clean, although Turbo and mop modes drain battery fast. Bosch’s fast charger (not included) is a lifesaver.

3/5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

How I tested the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua

I spent nearly three weeks living with the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua, putting it through its paces in the chaos of my pet-filled four-bed family home in the country. To keep things fair, I ran TechRadar’s set tests, sprinkling fine tea leaves, scattering handfuls of oats, dragging it along skirting boards, and even pouring milk on my dark laminate to challenge the mop.

Day-to-day, I also used it for real-world chores: sucking up endless dog hair, chasing crumbs under the kitchen table, and tackling the fallout from pony gear being trailed through the hallway. The bendy wand and flexible crevice nozzle got a workout behind radiators and under sofas, while Auto mode proved handy for flitting between hard floors and rugs without me fiddling with settings.

I even gave the mop head a fair chance, though I quickly learned its limitations and gave up using it on Dotty the puppy’s many, many toilet-training fails. I generally found it quick, light and easy to use, even if it couldn’t quite conquer the messiest moments.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners.

First reviewed September 2025



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PlayStation Magic Cards
Game Updates

The Gathering Is Making PlayStation Cards, And They Look Great

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Magic: The Gathering has become the Fortnite of trading card games, and as annoying as I find the practice of constantly dumping different IPs together, even God’s strongest soldiers are not immune to propaganda. At MagicCon Atlanta, Wizards of the Coast and Sony announced that PlayStation series are getting seven different Secret Lair drops for various games, and folks, I want those Last of Us cards.

On October 27, Wizards of the Coast will be selling seven PlayStation sets, with most of them covering different franchises in the console maker’s catalog. However, both The Last of Us and God of War are getting two sets. The former will have a pair of cards for both the first game and its sequel, while the latter will cover both the original Greek storyline and the reboot’s Norse one. With the exception of the Last of Us and God of War sets, most of these drops just seem to feature one card with their respective games’ protagonists. The set will drop at 9 a.m. Pacific Time that Monday.

The full line-up includes:

  • The Last of Us Part I
  • The Last of Us Part II
  • Uncharted
  • God of War: Greek
  • God of War: Norse
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Ghost of Tsushima

Though it’s not surprising that Sony would want to spotlight its current stable of prestige action games, I’m bummed there’s not more classic PlayStation representation here. Give me Parappa the Rapper, you cowards. But that’s pretty par for the course these days with Sony. Even its upcoming concert series is leaning heavily into its new stuff. 

I don’t play Magic, but I did buy the Sonic cards they put out earlier this year just to get the Shadow the Hedgehog one. He’s sitting pretty on my shelf, so I guess I’ll also buy the Last of Us ones next month, to keep him company. You know, as long as they don’t sell out before it’s my turn in the queue.



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Baldur's Gate Character Portraits
Product Reviews

Baldur’s Gate 2 has great dungeons and epic quests, but my real love is for my fake friends: BioWare’s first truly great companions

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I loved the idea of Dungeons and Dragons when I was young, but can’t claim the same about playing it. Because I didn’t play it: Circumstances—small town boy, limited circle of friends, not very outgoing—meant that while I could and did spend hours poring over rules, sourcebooks, and even a few modules, I got very little in the way of actual playtime. A good, deep D&D adventure as I imagined them to be—basically Mazes and Monsters, minus the moral panic psychosis—was out of reach.

The first Baldur’s Gate changed all that, with great dungeons, an epic quest, and most important of all, a deep cast of characters with their own thoughts, beliefs, and personalities—and who, just like in the real world, would sometimes gel or clash with their fellows in unexpected ways.

Some became fast friends, others would try to literally murder each other, and a handful would just throw their hands up in disgust at my obvious incompetence and leave, after giving me a good telling-off of course.


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Baldur’s Gate 2 raised the stakes with a more focused cast and wider range of interpersonal possibilities, plus an unpleasant kickoff that reminded me just how much these characters meant. Discovering that two beloved* party members from BG1 (your mileage may vary on that point, but they were with me from start to finish in the first game and would’ve been for BG2, too) had been killed in pre-game events—irretrievably, irreversibly, no-resurrecting-thing dead—was a genuine gut-shot: We’re supposed to be the heroes, and now a third of us are just… gone.

It took a while to get my head around that, but I was fortunate enough to find a new companion of poise, ability, and coolness while making my way out of that first dungeon: Yoshimo, an immediately likeable bounty hunter who proved his worth a dozen times over on our adventures across Amn. And then, after weeks of camaraderie and good times, he screwed me!

I trusted you, you beautiful bastard. (Image credit: BioWare, Wizards of the Coast)

I was less upset about Yoshimo’s betrayal than I might otherwise have been for two reasons. One, potential spoiler here⁠—but come on, it’s been exactly 25 years⁠—it wasn’t really his fault, right? Lawyers call it “The Geas Defense.” Two, speaking of spoilers, that major twist had been spoiled for me weeks earlier by a jerk in a Baldur’s Gate 2 IRC channel. I was seriously pissed off at the time and yes, I still harbor a grudge.

Anyway, even though I knew it was coming, I was still heartbroken in the moment. Yoshimo was such a good guy, a solid all-arounder, and I’d grown genuinely attached to him and his presence in my party. It wasn’t the betrayal that hurt, it was knowing that—like Khalid and Dynaheir, victims of the madness of Irenicus—he was gone forever.

Party down

It sucked! But it’s also at the heart of why Baldur’s Gate 2 was, and is, so special to me. No game before or since has so perfectly captured the sense of a gang of pals (or occasional allies of convenience) roaming a massive fantasy world, butt-kicking for goodness.

And what a gang it was: The bloodthirsty berserker Korgan, occasionally setting aside his evil ways to mack on Mazzy Fentan, the halfling fighter desperate to be a paladin; sad Aerie and her broken wings, Valygar and his family problems, insecure Anomen, old friends Imoen, Minsc, and Jaheira, and of course Viconia, the original BioWare bad girl with a deeply-buried heart of gold—all of them and others shared the road with me in Baldur’s Gate 2.

I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring up what happens to my Dark Elf gf Viconia in Baldur’s Gate 3. (Image credit: Larian)

And yes, I did put the smooth moves on Viconia. Of course I did! Videogame romances can be trite and formulaic these days, but 25 years ago that kind of NPC relationship was new, unexpected, and real in a way that gave it a sense of significance beyond the mechanical necessity of cranking out loyalty missions.


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Best of all, amidst that bantering, bickering crew was me, ostensibly the leader of the pack but also just one among many: Grown from a young half-elf caught up in events beyond my understanding to a seasoned adventurer, but with still so much to discover and learn. I called the shots but my companions had their own ideas, and I ignored them at my peril.

Baldur’s Gate 2 anniversary

(Image credit: Beamdog)

25 years ago, one of the most important RPGs of all time was released onto PC, and today we’re celebrating that prestigious anniversary. You’ll find our thoughts and musings on what makes the game so special to us across the site, and we’ve also talked to the original developers about its ambitious and turbulent journey to release.

That’s what really sealed the Baldur’s Gate 2 deal for me: I wasn’t an unseen hand controlling an anonymous party of min-maxxed randos, I was that guy on the screen right there, and yes I was the boss but I was also getting yelled at by Jaheira on a regular basis and spending more time than I probably should wondering why I’m still putting up with Anomen’s bullshit. Sort out your daddy issues on someone else’s time, bud.

Baldur’s Gate 2 did so many great things: The art, the audio, and the huge, packed game world remain among the best of the RPG genre. But it was the decision to focus on the characters, and to make me one of their number, that elevated it from a great RPG to one of the most important and unforgettable videogames of all time.

It gave the game a feeling of tabletop authenticity I’d never previously experienced, and for someone who spent his youth on the outside looking in, suddenly having a seat at that table was nothing short of magical. That’s the real legacy of Baldur’s Gate 2 for me: Imoen, Jahiera, Minsc, Mazzy, and Viconia: Literally, and without a shred of irony, the friends I made along the way.



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V shows up to the club with cool sci-fi fits.
Game Reviews

Cyberpunk 2 Multiplayer Could Be A Great Thing But It Won’t Be Easy

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Asymmetric mercenary leaderboards? Co-op heists? A full-blown GTA Online-style live-service component? The multiplayer possibilities for a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel are easy to imagine, even if they’re hard to implement. A new job posting at CD Projekt Red suggests the studio is at least flirting with some sort of online component for its next sci-fi open-world RPG. It’s a small and noncommittal data point that’s nevertheless part of a larger trend.

“Lead your team to develop and optimize multiplayer systems, including matchmaking, and address challenges related to latency, bandwidth usage, and server performance,” reads part of the job description, first spotted by IGN, for a new engineering role at CDPR’s Boston-based satellite studio leading development on Cyberpunk 2. That ambition gestures toward plans the studio originally had for adding multiplayer to the first game. Plans for that content were later set aside or abandoned as CDPR rushed to prioritize the stability and long-term viability of Cyberpunk 2077 after a disastrous 2020 launch.

Will history repeat itself, or is multiplayer coming to the world of Cyberpunk for real this time? With the big-budget blockbuster still in pre-production as CDPR focuses on The Witcher 4, it’s impossible to say. But it’s clear the Poland-based company has been looking to experiment with multiplayer for some time now. CDPR told investors it was looking to bring “online gameplay” to more of its franchises in a strategy briefing four years ago, and co-CEO Michał Nowakowski told Reuters last year the team was “considering” bringing multiplayer to the next Cyberpunk.

CDPR has also already confirmed at least one multiplayer project: a Witcher spin-off codenamed Project Sirius. That game has been in prolonged development at what used to be called The Molasses Flood, with layoffs, departures, and design pivots reportedly all taking their toll. The studio was officially absorbed into the rest of CDPR earlier this year. “Overall, it shows a very bright future for Project Sirius (aka ‘the multiplayer Witcher game,’ of which I was the Design Director for three years),” Molasses Flood co-founder Damian Isla wrote upon leaving back in March. “It’s going to be an amazing game, one for the books, and I cannot wait until the rest of the world learns about what we’ve been working on.”

One does not simply pivot to making an online multiplayer game any more than one simply walks into Mordor. CDPR’s own struggles with going from the third-person perspective of Witcher 3 to the first-person Cyberpunk 2077 speak to the tech and design difficulties inherent in taking on new development challenges. But it would be cool to see what CDPR can achieve if it takes that next leap. It ultimately worked out in the end for the studio’s last game, even if it took an extra three years after it came out.



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The newly elected Pope Leo waves to the Vatican crowd.
Product Reviews

Pope Leo refuses to authorise an AI Pope and declares the technology ‘an empty, cold shell that will do great damage to what humanity is about’

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Pope Leo XIV has rejected the idea of an AI Pope, saying in an interview with biographer Eloise Allen that “if there’s anybody who should not be represented by an avatar, I would say the Pope is high on the list” (first spotted by The Register). Pope Leo, who is forthright about his views on the new technology, also said that he had been asked for his authorisation to create an AI Pope.

“Someone recently asked authorization to create an artificial me so that anybody could sign onto this website and have a personal audience with ‘the Pope’,” said the pontiff. “This artificial intelligence Pope would give them answers to their questions, and I said, ‘I’m not going to authorize that’.”

Pope Leo has previously said that he chose the name Leo partially as a tribute to Pope Leo III, the 19th century Pope best-known for Rerum novarum, a treatise on the exploitation of the working class during the Industrial Revolution. In one of his first addresses to cardinals, Pope Leo said AI is “another Industrial Revolution.”


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In this latest interview, the Pope returns to the theme of human rights and dignity. “If we automate the whole world and only a few people have the means with which to more than just survive, but to live well, have meaningful lives, there’s a big problem, a huge problem coming down the line,” said Pope Leo.

The Holy Father worries about “extremely rich people who are investing in artificial intelligence” but “totally ignoring the value of human beings and of humanity.” He adds: “If the Church doesn’t speak up, or if someone doesn’t speak up about that—but the Church certainly needs to be one of the voices here—the danger is that the digital world will go on its own way and we will become pawns, or left by the wayside.”

(Image credit: TIZIANA FABI via Getty Images)

The Pope says he’s not against progress or new technology, but basically doesn’t like the way things are going: “I think to lose that relationship will leave science as an empty, cold shell that will do great damage to what humanity is about. And the human heart will be lost in the midst of the technological development, as things are going right now.”

Pope Leo is clearly up for the fight against big tech, and his remarks echo some of his previous statements: I particularly enjoyed when he called AI a threat to “human dignity, justice and labor.” Heck, he even seems to like Pokemon. I’m not looking to convert anytime soon, but I’m certainly listening.



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Art shows RPGs coming this fall.
Game Reviews

Here Are 5 Great New RPG Demos You Can Check Out For Free

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If you’re looking for something new to play this fall but can’t quite decide what to dive into, these free demos might help you make up your mind. They run the gamut from traditional turn-based RPG to action roguelike and mech RPG-lite. Best of all, nearly all of them let you carry over your progress from the free demo to the full paid game if you end up taking the plunge. Most of them are also available across nearly ever console.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger

I recently had the opportunity to go hands-on with Digimon Story: Time Stranger for a couple of hours at PAX West and was pleasantly surprised by just how good it looks, sounds, and plays. It’s a crunchy turn-based RPG that seems like it’ll have a lot of Digimon-customizing depth to mine, but with the aid of some streamlining including a fast-forward option for battles. The demo takes place at the beginning of the game, sets up its central mystery, and introduces you to most of the basic systems. If you opt to keep playing, you can pick up right where you left off in the full release next month.

Release Date: October 3

Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree

Imagine Hades but you control two characters instead of just one and you get a sense of the chaos and potential of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree. Choose a team of two from an assortment of guardians, each with their own abilities and each controlled by a separate thumbstick. If you make it to the end, a guardian must be sacrificed and is removed from your pool of fighters until the evil you’re fighting is sealed away for good. There’s a fair bit of town-building, build-crafting, and weapon-crafting on top of this loop, making Towa and the Guardians far and away one of the more interesting mashups I’ve played this year.

Release Date: September 19

Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Switch 1, Switch 2

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

The first game in the super-awesome but very convoluted Trails series is getting a remake and it’s almost out. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a modern 3D overhaul of the 2006 isometric PSP RPG. It’s basically taking the world and story of the original and grafting it onto the more current gameplay systems from the recent Trails Through Daybreak games, including a hybrid of turn-based and real-time action combat options. If you’ve always been curious about Nihon Falcom’s long-running science fantasy series but couldn’t figure out where to jump in, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is meant to be the lifeline for you. It might not be as easy to hop into from a gameplay perspective as the original, but the presentation and everything else is a lot prettier and more streamlined.

Release Date: September 19

Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Switch 1, Switch 2

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion

What if you combined Armored Core with Xenoblade Chronicles? It sounds like a match made in open-world mech RPG heaven, right? Based on my early time with Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, the sequel to the Switch exclusive doesn’t entirely deliver on that promise but there are definitely more than a few flashes of brilliance. Titanic Scion has you taking big robot suits through sprawling environments to kill enemies and upgrade your powers, culminating in the occasional big boss fight. The scope is way more massive than in the original, which means it’s not necessarily doing any one thing very good. For anime mech-heads, though, it’s definitely worth a look. What it lacks in cogent storytelling and environmental detail, it makes up for with some really excellent mech progression and customization gameplay.

Release Date: September 5

Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Switch 1, Switch 2

Persona 3: Reload 

The best Persona is finally coming to Switch 2! Persona 3: Reload hit PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC last year, where the demo has been free for a while now. But the announcement of a port for Nintendo’s newest portable has brought a free demo to Switch 2 as well ahead of launch next month. Hang in there! The opening of Persona 3 is one of the slowest among the series’ modern entries, and the dungeon-grinding mechanics can get tedious at times. But the music, characters, and later game are all top-notch. If the other Persona games haven’t gripped you, Reload might have what you’ve been missing. There’s a bit more old-school dungeon crawling in it and the story is darker, more unsettling, and, in my opinion at least, ultimately more engaging.

Release Date: October 23

Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Switch 2



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