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Hollow Knight: Silksong's release date causes delays for more games than you might think
Game Reviews

Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release date causes delays for more games than you might think

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Have you heard of a game called Hollow Knight Silksong? Silly question – the chances are you heard little else during Gamescom week. This near fabled sequel finally got a release date after several long years of development, and large parts of our gaming world erupted in response. The Gamescom queues to play Silksong were enormous. History had happened. The 4th September – mark it in your diary.

But it wasn’t good news for everyone. Announcing the date so late in the game’s development – a mere two weeks from release – meant a slew of games which already had early September release dates were suddenly in a difficult position. What should they do – hold ground and go against Silksong? Or move?

The choice was easier for some. Silksong, for all its legendary status, is an indie game made by a small team, so it will appeal particularly to players of indie games, especially tricky side-scrolling Metroidvanias. Blockbuster-styled games like moody action adventure Hell is Us should prove more resistant to Silksong-related audience leech, ditto shooters and other games without obvious crossover appeal. It’s to indie games we should look to see the Silksong effect – and it didn’t take long to be felt.

Swiftly, role-playing game Demonschool and literal walking simulator Baby Steps lunged out of the way, delaying their releases by a couple of weeks. Then Dorfromantik developer Toukana pushed the release of its new game Star Birds back a bit. With each new day came another alteration, so instead of listing each Silksong-related delay game by game, I thought I’d round them up. I thought I’d take a closer look at the 2025 release schedule and investigate what has and hasn’t moved, and there was a lot more movement than I expected.

The movers:

  • Lord Ambermaze, from 2nd September to 17th September – “guess why lol”
  • Demonschool, from 3rd September to 19th November
  • Comfy Girl, from 3rd September to 8th October
  • CloverPit, from 3rd September to 26th September – “if we stick to our original date we would risk the launch of CloverPit a fair bit”
  • Kejora, from 4th September to January 2026
  • Star Birds, from 4th September to 10th September
  • Little Witch in the Woods, from 4th September to 15th September – “we fear that launching LWIW on the same day would not only dishearten our dedicated team but disappoint our devoted audience”
  • Moros Protocol, from 4th September to 18th September
  • Baby Steps, from September 8th to September 23rd
  • Faeland, from 9th September to release date TBC – “we want to make sure it arrives at time where it can receive the attention and care that it deserves”
  • Aeterna Lucis, from 18th September to 2026 – “The good thing is that I’ll get to enjoy #Silksong just like any other fan”
  • Megabonk, to 18th September – “UH OH MEGABONK DELAY”

The non-movers:

  • Metal Eden, 2nd September
  • Hirogami, 3rd September – “Hirogami’s launch date is staying exactly where it is”
  • Jotunnslayer 1.0 release, 3rd September
  • Adventure of Samsara, 4th September
  • Hell is Us, 4th September
  • Jetrunner, 4th September
  • Fling to the Finish on consoles, still 4th September – “yes, we know what else is coming out that day”
  • Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots, 4th September
  • Dark Deity 2 on Switch 2, 4th September – Silksong’s release announcement “was not as fun for me as I had hoped”
  • Cronos: The New Dawn, 5th September
  • Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, 5th September
  • Shuten Order, 5th September

I’ll try to keep this list updated if and when any other games’ dates move around, by the way. But what about you – did the Silksong news affect you? Are you eager to play it? Or are you nonplussed?



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Demonschool delayed due to Hollow Knight Silksong release, "the GTA of indie games"
Game Reviews

Demonschool delayed due to Hollow Knight Silksong release, “the GTA of indie games”

by admin



Demonschool, the forthcoming RPG Eurogamer described as “Persona meets Buffy”, has been delayed once again due to the surprise release of Hollow Knight Silksong.


The game was originally intended for a release last year, but was delayed until 3rd September this year. Now it’s moved back to 19th November thanks to “brutal” market conditions.


The decision appears to have been made by publisher Ysbryd Games. “With 11 years under our belt as an indie publisher, we at Ysbryd Games are reasonably qualified to say that any point of 2025 on balance, has been or will be as brutal as market conditions can get when it comes to releasing a game,” it wrote in a statement on social media. “Crueler still, that we should find out with such short notice that Hollow Knight Silksong will launch just one day after our planned release for Demonschool.”

Demonschool release date trailerWatch on YouTube


Visibility is of prime importance for the publisher; as such “we would not be doing our game any favours by wading into waters we can clearly see are blood red”. Instead, it wants to allow Silksong to have its moment, and for Demonschool to follow.


The publisher has also confirmed there will be no more delays after this. Until release, more time will be spent polishing and enhancing the game experience, with more endings and minigames originally planned for a post-release patch to be included at launch.

This was not our choice but we understand why the choice was made. We aren’t mad at Ysbryd but at the situation. Dropping the GTA of indie games with 2 weeks notice makes everyone freak out. Ysbryd is being a good partner and paying for the delay. We’re sorry this is happening. https://t.co/uz2FlPMUNi

— Necrosoft Games | wishlist Demonschool now! (@necrosoftgames) August 25, 2025

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“This was not our choice but we understand why the choice was made,” wrote the developer Necrosoft Games in response. “We aren’t mad at Ysbryd but at the situation. Dropping the GTA of indie games with 2 weeks notice makes everyone freak out. Ysbryd is being a good partner and paying for the delay. We’re sorry this is happening.”


I went hands-on with a demo of Demonschool last year and came away impressed by its haunted university setting, graphic style, and turn-based combat.

This is a news-in-brief story. This is part of our vision to bring you all the big news as part of a daily live report.





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Demonschool Delayed To Avoid Releasing Near Hollow Knight: Silksong
Game Updates

Demonschool Delayed To Avoid Releasing Near Hollow Knight: Silksong

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After years of anticipation, Team Cherry announced last week that Hollow Knight: Silksong will finally be released on September 4. This took many fans and, evidently, other studios by surprise, namely Ysbryd Games. In response to Team Cherry’s announcement, the indie publisher has delayed the upcoming tactical RPG Demonschool, which was planned to launch one day before Silksong.

In a press release, Ysbryd announces it has pushed Demonschool’s planned September 3 launch to a new release date of November 19. With Silksong arriving next week on the 4th, Ysbyrd read the tea leaves, realizing that releasing a game so close to the most anticipated indie game in recent memory is a bad idea.

“We have to remind ourselves that gaining visibility for Demonschool is our main goal,” says Ysbryd’s Brian Kwek in a statement. “Thus, the Ysbryd team strongly believes we would not be doing our game any favors by wading into waters we can clearly see are blood red. If the September period is going to be Silksong’s moment, then we need to be elsewhere on the calendar to give Demonschool its own moment to be seen and talked about meaningfully.”

 

Ysbyrd states that developer Necrosoft Games will spend the extra two months enhancing and polishing Demonschool. One positive of the delay, according to Ysbyrd, is that the added time allows Necrosoft time to add additional endings and minigames that were originally going to be included in a post-launch patch.

Similar to Silksong, Demonschool has been in development for some time as well, suffering several delays before this one. It centers on teenage students battling demons in turn-based tactical combat similar to titles such as Into the Breach. We were impressed with the demo we played at Summer Game Fest,  and are optimistic about the full release. 

Demonschool launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC for $24.99.



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Hollow Knight Just Hit An All-Time Peak On Steam After Silksong Release Date Reveal
Game Updates

Hollow Knight Just Hit An All-Time Peak On Steam After Silksong Release Date Reveal

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2017’s Hollow Knight just reached a new all-time peak concurrent-player record on Steam, and the achievement came just after developer Team Cherry announced the release date for its sequel, Silksong.

Hollow Knight reached an all-time peak concurrent record of 23,819 on Steam today, August 22. Measuring a game’s popularity by Steam concurrent numbers is never a perfect or complete encapsulation of a game’s popularity, and Hollow Knight being an exclusively single-player game that doesn’t rely on people playing at the same time muddies the waters as well. But what is evident here is that Hollow Knight’s popularity on Steam is growing in the wake of the big Silksong reveal.

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Now Playing: Hollow Knight: Silksong – Official Release Date Reveal Gameplay Trailer

Hollow Knight’s previously Steam concurrent record of around 20,000 players was achieved in May 2022. All of this data comes from SteamDB.

Steam’s own sales data shows that Hollow Knight jumped into the top 50 overall best-selling games on the platform. The game is also available on console platforms, but sales or engagement data is not available. Hollow Knight is also available on Game Pass (and Silksong will be as well).

At least three games have already been delayed due, in part, to Silksong. The game is set for release on September 4, and it’s been a long time coming.

“Hollow Knight: Silksong appears to be exactly what we all should have expected: a strong, well-designed, visually lovely game that carries forward the aesthetic and design philosophies of the original with thoughtful, if not earth-shattering, updates,” GameSpot’s Steve Watts wrote after going hands-on with Silksong at Gamescom this week.



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First Hollow Knight Kickstarter Update In 6 Years Promises Backers Silksong Codes
Game Updates

First Hollow Knight Kickstarter Update In 6 Years Promises Backers Silksong Codes

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If you backed Hollow Knight on Kickstarter in late 2014, developer Team Cherry has confirmed that you will receive a download code for Hollow Knight: Silksong. This promise also marks the first Kickstarter update in six years for the upcoming metroidvania game.

The only caveat is that keys for Hollow Knight: Silksong will only be available on PC, Switch, and Switch 2. The game will also launch September 4 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Game Pass. “We’ll be reaching out in the (very) near future to find out your platforms of choice and the best email addresses to send your copy/s. Keys will be provided as either PC (Steam and DRM free) or Nintendo Switch (Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2),” Team Cherry said in the Kickstarter update.

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Now Playing: Hollow Knight: Silksong Gameplay (Over The Shoulder Filmed) | gamescom 2025

For those curious, the previous Kickstarter update was a post right after E3 2019 talking about a demo for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Funnily enough, the Gamescom demo playable this week seems to be nearly identical to the experience from E3 2019 (an event that no longer exists). GameSpot did get hands-on time with Hollow Knight: Silksong at Gamescom.

Kickstarter backers receiving Hollow Knight: Silksong codes was foreshadowed yesterday when Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier posted on social media that reviews probably wouldn’t be ready before the game’s launch. That’s reportedly because Team Cherry would find it unfair for critics to play the game earlier than original backers.

The anticipation for Hollow Knight: Silksong’s upcoming launch feels pretty tangible. For instance, Hollow Knight just hit an all-time concurrent-players peak on Steam with over 22,000 people. In addition, at least three indie games are pushing back their release dates now to avoid coming out near Hollow Knight: Silksong.



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Hollow Knight Silksong finally gets release date, out next month
Game Updates

Silksong excitement has seen Hollow Knight’s concurrent Steam peak record smashed over and over again

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People are getting ready for Hollow Knight: Silksong in the very best way possible – by replaying the original, Hollow Knight, in record numbers.

Ever since Silksong’s 4th September release date was confirmed at Gamescom last week, more and more people have been heading back into Dirtmouth, so much so that Team Cherry’s critically-acclaimed game has repeatedly broken its own concurrent peak player count on Steam over the weekend.

Hollow Knight: Silksong release date.Watch on YouTube

Right now (and “right now” is subject to change with alarming speed), Hollow Knight’s all-time concurrent peak of 39,356 players was set less than an hour ago. And while there are plenty of games that have eclipsed that over the last few weeks, don’t forget that Hollow Knight is an indie single-player game that’s eight years old now.

Of course, concurrent Steam peaks are precisely that – an indication of popularity on Steam – but it’s usually indicative of player counts on other platforms, too. But before the Silksong announcement, Hollow Knight’s concurrent Steam peak, set back in 2022, stood at a much more modest 20K.

Hollow Knight: Silksong will release on Thursday, 4th September 2025 for PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Yet contrary to what you may believe, Silksong hasn’t been in development hell for that time, however – in fact, Team Cherry’s developers say they were just having too much fun making it.



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Hollow Knight
Esports

Hollow Knight Silksong has devs so scared that they’re delaying their games

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Following Hollow Knight Silksong’s release date announcement, several developers who were planning to release their indie games before the big holiday game rush have delayed to 2026.

The prospect of being a big enough industry titan that your release forces others to delay their games is a level of respect few games earn. GTA 6 is the only other recent example that has caused mass delays, with it being a wrecking ball for 2025’s release calendar before it got delayed to 2026.

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But, considering that the original Hollow Knight has now sold over 15 million copies and hype for Silksong is at a fever pitch, indie devs especially are feeling the pressure with a September 4 release date imminent.

Several developers have come out and said they’re delaying their games to clear the runway for Silksong, wanting to give players a chance to get through it before putting their title on the market.

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Silksong is forcing other devs to delay their games

When it comes to indie games that don’t have a massive marketing budget behind them, putting enough hype behind the initial release is an absolute make-or-break moment. Word of mouth is arguably the best way for indie games to get noticed, but, if no one knows the game exists, there isn’t anyone to tell others how good the game is.

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So, in order to give themselves the best chance of getting noticed and creating a game successful enough for them to continue game development as a career, some devs have decided not to risk competing with Silksong and opted to delay.

Aeterna Lucis‘ devs were arguably the most transparent, saying that the game is completely finished but that they’re choosing to delay into 2026 anyways.

“Our initial plan was to launch it this September, but after the announcement of Silksong, we are fully aware that our game wouldn’t have the visibility it deserves. Competing with a phenomenon of that scale would not only be unfair to our team’s effort, but also to you, the community, who expect to experience this adventure under the best possible conditions,” a statement from the developer reads.

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Aeterna Lucis

But, instead of being mad about the change, they’re grateful to Hollow Knight developers Team Cherry and credited them with being an inspiration for Aeterna Lucis and their other games.

“There’s no need to wish [Team Cherry] luck—we know Silksong will be a success and a masterpiece. Instead of rivalry, what we feel is gratitude: thanks to them, the metroidvania genre is more alive than ever and, in fact, they were one of the main inspirations that led us to create Aeterna Noctis and the entire saga now in development.”

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Faeland, an RPG that’s been in early access for almost 2 years, also delayed their 1.0 release and directly cited Silksong as the reason:

Faeland

“Our v1.0 launch was set for September 9, but with today’s announcement of Hollow Knight Silksong releasing on September 4, we’ve made the tough call to postpone our release.”

CloverPit, a rogue-lite slot machine game, was also delayed, again with a direct mention to Silksong.

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“Some of you might already have guessed the reason for the delay: Hollow Knight: Silksong.

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“The release date for Silksong was announced yesterday, and it’s only one day after CloverPit our original launch date. Silksong is the most anticipated and wishlisted game on all of Steam and we think people will love this game and play it right at launch (including us) but that also means it will overshadow all games launching close to it. So if we stick to our original date we would risk the launch of CloverPit a fair bit,” the devs explained.

CloverPit

“We poured our hearts into our little game so of course we want to give it the best possible shot. We hope you can understand – we’ll use the extra time of course to polish the game even further and we hope for your support at launch either way.”

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These are just a few examples, and consist only of statements where the devs directly admitted that Silksong was the reason their game was delayed. Who knows how many other ways that its release has affected the games industry that aren’t as transparent.

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Either way, it seems like a lot of devs and other folks working in the games industry will be taking a few days away from work to play Silksong. Probably including myself.

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The main character of Hollow Knight jumps into a fiery light.
Game Updates

The Internet Reacts To Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Big Day

by admin


After six years, the clowning is over. Hollow Knight: Silksong is coming to a PC, Switch, Xbox, or PlayStation near you on September 4. Silksong has been conspicuously absent from industry events for so long that the act of anticipating the elusive Metroidvania has become a meme in and of itself. Now that it’s imminent, what does the internet do with all that pent-up energy? They draw, yell, and celebrate.

So far, the most prominent reaction to the Silksong news beyond keyboard smashing is art that represents the end of a meme. For years, Hollow Knight fans have been depicting their constant waiting for a crumb of news with images of the game’s characters dressed in clown make-up. The joke got so popular that someone modded it into the original game, and Geoff Keighley even referenced it ahead of Gamescom’s Opening Night Live show, where Silksong made an appearance. Now, fans are hanging up, throwing away, and burning their clown wigs and wiping off the makeup.

Time to hang up the costume. The wait is over (⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠0⁠*⁠)⁠ﾉ@gamescom @TeamCherryGames #gamescom #Silksong #hollowknight pic.twitter.com/rbNxhF9jp1

— Rudy (@ItsRudyArt) August 19, 2025

today#hollowknight #SilkSong pic.twitter.com/hU7wxo2V9D

— Pynch.psd 🇺🇦 (@pynchosa) August 21, 2025

“Leave it behind”#SilkSong https://t.co/8UWze6JTeu pic.twitter.com/5kPD39R5VZ

— Enzo Spagnuolo (@enzo_spagnuolo) August 20, 2025

ITS REAL#SILKSONG #HK https://t.co/hHky0h5uH8 pic.twitter.com/9idjuE2L9f

— ✨🇻🇪💜 Koumouby💜🇻🇪✨ (@koumouby) August 19, 2025

my 5 coins of a shitpost
it’s happening, we celebrate🎉 https://t.co/oFqlbTbLLz pic.twitter.com/PJaL4IoGpl

— Shkarp (@Shkarpett) August 20, 2025

ARGG IM SO HAPPY WAHHHH TWEAKING https://t.co/uL8GofyUvG pic.twitter.com/QUy3D2QeIA

— Miikrowelle (@Miikrowelle) August 21, 2025

FINALLY! https://t.co/tGDkCfYaW3 pic.twitter.com/RtfYAEvJvm

— Jacksepticeye (@Jacksepticeye) August 21, 2025

Farewell “Silksong is fake” and clown makeup jokes pic.twitter.com/kuqdWWJzNp

— TheNCSmaster (@TheNCSmaster) August 21, 2025

 

Though the end of the clownery is one part of the equation, others are just expressing relief and excitement that they’ll finally be able to play the game they’ve waited more than half a decade for.

pic.twitter.com/LwNWLrvqpc

— 할로우나이트 실크송 나왔니? (@hornet_love_you) August 21, 2025

WE WON #SilkSong #hollowknight #teamcherry pic.twitter.com/SG2Si4pbuS

— Grimm (@GrimmHxH) August 21, 2025

Silksong
Silksong is reeaaaaal !!!!#SilkSong pic.twitter.com/pXIaliuVMg

— É o Marill Rapá (@18k26_) August 21, 2025

pic.twitter.com/ZLGc2HDYqv

— Sharpski (@Sharpski_) August 21, 2025

i can’t believe Silksong is real pic.twitter.com/8LdF3vda2S

— Omni ☕️ (@InfernoOmni) August 21, 2025

https://t.co/5FpFzSCj5L pic.twitter.com/Klbx4O7U5d

— Gatuno (COMMISSIONS OPENED!!!) (@gatunowo) August 19, 2025

The end of today’s reveal trailer read “September 4,” but didn’t bother specifying “2025.” Some are using this to joke that the wait may actually be far from over.

September 4th… 2029

— Daniel Failboat (@Failboat103) August 21, 2025

Okay, but what year?

— Cc (@Ccmaci) August 21, 2025

 

Hollow Knight fans are lining up in droves to play Silksong at Gamescom; we’ll see if those lines get a little smaller now that everyone knows the game is just two weeks away.

Here’s the line for the silksong demo at gamescom. They only have 10 game setups😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/c2HUjdhBPy

— BlueSR @ gamescom (@BlueGoesFast) August 21, 2025

That’s not a lot of time, but it is enough time to play (or replay) the original Hollow Knight. It’s on just about any console you can imagine, and is still considered one of the best Metroidvania games of all-time. There’s a reason people have been clowning for all this time.





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Hollow Knight: Silksong Launches On September 4
Game Updates

Hollow Knight: Silksong Launches On September 4

by admin


After years of waiting, today’s Hollow Knight: Silksong presentation gave fans what they’ve been clamoring for: a release date. The long-awaited sequel will launch on September 4.

The brief showcase presented an impressive gameplay montage showing off protagonist Hornet’s solo adventure. Check it out below. 

 

Hollow Knight: Silksong was first announced in 2019, originally envisioned as paid DLC for Hollow Knight before developer Team Cherry expanded its scope to a full-fledged sequel. Silksong stars Hornet, a hunter and supporting character in the first game, as she explores a new kingdom boasting over 150 new enemies to slay. The game has spent years quietly coming together, with only the rare trailer or update during this time, lending to its near-mythical status. After suffering several delays, Xbox announced this summer the game would arrive by this holiday season; turns out they were correct. 

Silksong is currently playable for attendees at Gamescom, and senior editor Wesley LeBlanc has played it. You can read his impressions of the game’s first level here.

Hollow Knight: Silksong will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. The game will also be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. 



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What we've been playing - the fabled Hollow Knight, the much-anticipated Bloodlines 2, and more
Game Reviews

What we’ve been playing – the fabled Hollow Knight, the much-anticipated Bloodlines 2, and more

by admin


23rd August

Hello and welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we’ve been playing. This week, our away team returns from Gamescom and our home team recovers from Gamescom. What a week! Have you had your head turned by anything?

More importantly, what have you been playing?

Catch up with the older editions of this column in our What We’ve Been Playing archive.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, PC

Watch on YouTube

I’ve been waiting for this for years and now that I’ve finally played it – a few hours of it in a preview – I’m disappointed. It’s not so much that the concept has been narrowed to fit an action game template, because that can work really well – though it’s a shame not to use the outrageous wealth of RPG depth in the existing tabletop RPG game – but being narrower means there’s more pressure on the content that remains. Having less to do means the things you actually do need to stand out more.

The characters need to really impress, the combat needs to really impress, the corridored sequences need to really impress; and they don’t – or at least they didn’t in what I played. The preview build fell a bit flat. With the notable exception that it did make me feel like a very powerful vampire. The action felt great, which does count (Dracula) for a lot.

I still hold out hope for the game; there’s every chance it might broaden into a more fulfilling experience as the campaign goes on. But my confidence has been knocked.

-Bertie

Mina the Hollower, Switch 2

I’ve been looking forward to Mina the Hollower ever since Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games announced its oh-so-adorable looking release all the way back in 2022. Cute? Yes! Nostalgic? Yes! Pretty darn Gothic? Yes! This game had Victoria written all over it. Now after more than three years, the studio has released a demo, offering a bitesized piece of what players can expect. And I am pleased to say that so far, things are looking good.

Story wise, it turns out titular mouse Mina previously created devices known as Spark Generators, but they are now failing. Not only that, it seems more is afoot than just some technical issues. So, Mina sets off to look into the situation, but before she can arrive at the city of Ossex, her ship is attacked by a sea beast off the coast of Tenebrous Isle. Picking a weapon (I went for Nightstar, which is a mace on a whip-like chain), Mina soon let that Kraken creature know she meant business, but alas, the ship still made a less than graceful arrival to the shore. However, Mina and I remained undeterred, so we made our way through the Blighted Docks…

While only a snippet, I loved my time with Mina the Hollower’s Switch 2 demo. I collected Bonestone, I popped off various goblins and bats, I burrowed my way underneath enemies to spring up excitingly from behind and I negotiated perilous pits, all while bopping along to a gloriously retro-infused soundtrack. It reminded me of a classic Zelda game, but with an extra touch of Castlevania deliciously laced through it all. Oh yes, I am certainly looking forward to Mina the Hollower’s full release this October.

-Victoria

Hollow Knight, Switch 2

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After getting wrapped up in the Silksong hype, among other things, I went back to Hollow Knight. And honestly? I get it. I get the excitement, I get the celebrations around Silksong finally receiving a release date this week.

I stopped playing years ago so it all feels new again now. So far, I’m finding the most joy in going down holes I probably shouldn’t go down yet, because I’m not experienced enough to handle what’s there. But I do it anyway because I want to. My number of deaths so far? I’m not saying.

Somehow 10 minutes turned into an hour and I’m itching to get back to it. It’s a feeling few games have given me recently.

-Marie

Rocket League, Xbox Series X

I think I now see myself how my son must see me: old and out of touch. I’ve been playing more Rocket League with him, and I hadn’t realised just how far from the original idea of the game the whole thing had gone. That core car football experience is still the main bit, I guess, but we were playing a mode the other night where the ball was being pulled around in a circular arc, presumably by magnets or something, and the cars could leap into the air and hover there to intercept and push the ball back to the other team. My poor brain can’t take it. What will these people think of next?!

-Tom O

Until Dawn, PS4

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Somehow, Supermassive’s cinematic horror game Until Dawn is ten years old next week, and to mark the occasion (as well as for other reasons), I’ve been working my way back through the PS4 original. I always liked Until Dawn (and I absolutely adored creator Will Byles’ summer camp follow-up The Quarry), but I’ve been completely blindsided by just how well the whole thing still holds up today. The 60fps PS5 patch helps a bit, of course, but even without that, Until Dawn is an impressive piece of work. It absolutely nails the distinctive high-gloss slasher vibe that was particularly prevalent the 90s, for starter, Supermassive making the most of its stylish camera angles and wintery ambience. But more than that, it’s just a fun ride, and – as it slowly starts to subvert expectations, taking its slasher tropes and character archetypes to unexpected places – far smarter than I originally gave it credit for. It’s brilliant stuff, even ten years on, and I’m hoping this’ll finally be the run-through where nobody dies.

-Matt

World of Warcraft, PC

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I recently learned that World of Warcraft has added a one-button spell rotation to the game, allowing players to put out pretty decent damage without having to memorise anything or take time to learn their class. This I’m sure will have long-lasting impacts on the skill of the average WoW player, but for me it’s wonderful news. Not only as an accessibility feature for those who struggle to play WoW, but also for incredibly tired WoW refugees like me who have been burnt out the game several times now.

Years ago I made a Warlock called Goondan, but having reached level 10, I didn’t have the heart to play on, so I banished the Orc to a lonesome digital hell. Now that I don’t actually have to learn the class, I’ve been blasting through the leveling process, and Goondan may actually hit max level. He may even see the light of day in the upcoming Midnight expansion. Who knows!

-Connor

Balatro, Ballz, and NFL Fantasy Football

Being out in the field at Gamescom, I’ve obviously been playing a slew of things – but half of them I’m not yet allowed to talk about, and untangling the safe from the NDA-breakers is far too much for my con-frazzled Friday brain to handle. But me being away can only mean one thing: being back on my Balatro BS. It’s still as good as ever, and whenever I’m forced to spend time idling on board or waiting for planes, trains, and automobiles, it’s my go-to. It feels like it’ll stay that way forever, as I chip away at that 100 percent completion that still feels a million miles away. I also played a bit of a dumb ad-filled mobile game called Ballz, which is a bit like Breakout. Finally, I’m spending any last spare moment each day doing mock drafts as my NFL Fantasy Football draft is next weekend. For me, that’s one of the most important ‘gaming’ moments of the year. There is pride on the line, after all!

-Alex

Donkey Kong Bananza, Switch 2

I feel like this year I’ve spent a lot of time on very serious games. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and its themes of death. Death Stranding 2 and its themes of death. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and its frequent deaths. So this week I decided to change things up and finally start Donkey Kong Bananza after my partner won’t stop going on about it. And what a contrast! I love its musical themes and catchy tunes, and those brightly coloured worlds are a joy to just smash through – I’ve barely progressed at all as instead I just lay waste to entire levels hunting out those bananas. I hate bananas – they taste and smell repulsive to me – but I can’t stop going “ooh banana!” at every opportunity.

-Ed



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