“Securing this funding [is] a transformative opportunity for our studio, enabling us to finally bring ‚Chessarama’ to the mobile platform — a crucial step in our long-term growth strategy. We recognize the immense potential of the mobile market, particularly on Google Play, and with this support, we can expand our reach, connecting with new audiences and delivering an accessible, high-quality experience for chess and puzzle fans worldwide.”
Raphael Dias da Silva and Helena Magarinos Souto (co-founders)
Today we released Play’s 2024 Best of Awards, which honor the year’s most creative apps and games. Developers from Asia-Pacific took home over 60% of the awards — a testament to the creativity coming from the region, powered by millions of Android developers.
In the gaming category, Asia-Pacific developers took home 62% of all gaming awards handed out in the United States, Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia and Taiwan. Chinese studio FARLIGHT’s AFK Journey claimed the “Best Game” honor for its stunning visuals and immersive fantasy world, while Korea’s Devsisters Corporation took home the “Best for Google Play Games on PC” award for CookieRun: Tower of Adventures, delighting players with its adventurous gameplay across mobile and web.
Asia-Pacific developers picked up a third of the global awards in the entertainment apps category, with China and Korea emerging as powerhouses, particularly with mobile-friendly, short-form content. China’s DramaBox – Stream Drama Shorts won “Best for Fun” in Indonesia and Hong Kong, while Korea’s Vigloo – Premier Short Dramas snagged “Best Hidden Gem” in Korea, proving the strong appeal of drama shorts and showing how Play is critical for developers who aspire to go global. In fact, 85% of monthly active users of Korean-developed apps were based overseas in 2023.
Manga apps continued to thrive in Japan, where we recently launched a dedicated Comics space on Play to help fans discover new apps and content. SHOGAKUKAN INC’s MangaONE, which won the „Best App“ award, redesigned its interface to celebrate its 10th anniversary, giving manga fans a fresh way to enjoy their favorite titles. JumpTOON, a new app from SHUEISHA INC. designed specifically for webtoons, snagged the „Best for Fun“ award.
AI is also increasingly transforming app experiences, and developers from Asia-Pacific are leading the way. In India, almost 1,000 apps and games are using AI technology. One example is Hey Alle’s Alle – Your AI Fashion Stylist, which offers AI-powered personalized style advice based on occasion, body type and facial features. The app snagged both the „Best App“ and „Best for Fun“ awards in the country.
Singapore’s Notewise stood out with its AI-powered note-taking app, earning the “Best for Personal Growth” award in Taiwan and Hong Kong for making work and learning more efficient. China’s Starii Tech also made waves with Winkit – AI Video Enhancer, an app that allows users to create custom videos and animated avatars, winning the “Best Hidden Gem” award in several Asia-Pacific markets.
Over the past two years, we’ve been working behind the scenes to improve the process of setting up your Android phone and transferring your information, so you can bring what’s important to you, with you.
Here are the top four updates we’ve made to make the switch even easier:
1. Android Switch on phones around the world
To make the process of switching to a new device as simple and straightforward as possible, we launched Android Switch, our streamlined onboarding experience, with several phone manufacturers.
We know it’s important to be able to get your chats, calendars, contacts and more on your new device, including the nitty-gritty information like your Wi-Fi, screen lock and Google account. That’s why our Android Switch experience walks you through clear steps to get set up and to learn about the features on your new device.
2. Faster data transfers
If you’re using a cable to switch from iOS to Android, it’s 40% faster to transfer your data compared to 2023. This saves hours for people who have a lot of data to move from phone to phone.
Having the information you care about on your new phone is essential to making it feel like your own.
3. More flexibility for switchers and upgraders
If you’d rather check out your new phone first and transfer your data later, we’ve got you covered. Available with Pixel 9 and coming to more Android phone makers in 2025, you can quickly complete your initial setup and get your data when you’re ready. When ready, just head to Settings to copy data from your old device or check out the app on Google Play. From there, you’ll be able to connect to your old device and get the information you want, when you want it.
For those upgrading an Android device to a new one, we’ve got an express setup option. You can opt to transfer only the information that is stored on the device, and none of the information you already have stored in the cloud. And, if you have a Pixel Watch, that device will prompt you to transfer data to your new phone at the end of setup.
4. Easier messaging with the people you love
Of course, the way you connect with friends and family is just as important as the information on your phone. This year, Apple adopted RCS. Now, whether your loved ones are on Android or iOS devices, you can send high-res images and videos, react to text messages with any emoji you like, and add or remove people from group chats.
This year’s top entertainment on Google TV had it all: action-packed thrills, dramatic twists, and even a few laughs. But with so much great content out there, it can be hard to keep up.
Today, we’re making it easier for you to look back at the most popular shows, movies, and music from this year with the Best of 2024 collection on Google TV devices and the Google TV app. So whether you’re in the mood to re-watch, or finally tune in to that show everyone was talking about, Google TV makes it easier to choose what to watch, with the best of 2024 all in one place.
You can save Best of 2024 content to your watchlist to enjoy later and share your favorite titles with friends and family using the share button on the Google TV app.
Dive into action with the most watched movie
Looking for a good action thriller for your next movie night? “Road House,” the remake of the 1989 classic, has an edge-of-your-seat plot, a superstar cast, and a touch of nostalgia. Check
Embark on Dead by Daylight‘s new Chapter Doomed Course, which introduces a new Killer – The Houndmaster, and a new Survivor – Taurie Cain. Beyond the arrival of these characters, Doomed Course delves deeper into the dark and mysterious lore of Dead by Daylight, expanding on the connection between our world and The Entity’s Realms.
We’ve got you covered with a deep dive into each character’s backstory, detailing how one of the most brutal and merciless Killers and one of the morally darkest Survivors ultimately wound up in The Fog.
Merciless As The Sea
Before she became The Houndmaster, Portia Maye had a chance at an ordinary life. Warmed by her father’s love and fueled by the promise of adventure, her early years were largely spent at sea. Unfortunately, the course of her life was forever altered when the depraved pirate Mad Molak set upon her father’s vessel Nightsdream and slaughtered nearly all aboard.
Kept alive as a celestial navigator, Portia descended into darkness, allured by the siren’s song of cold revenge. It was there she altered the course of her life, steering her father’s ship into the dreaded Dragon’s Tooth and plunging her tormentors into the depths. By some stroke of fortune – or perhaps the opposite – she emerged as the lone survivor. That is, until she came across her loyal puppy Snug.
It’s interesting to consider that Portia, at one point in time, represented the quintessential survivor. Not only did she survive the harrowing slaughter of the Nightsdream massacre, but she also survived years marooned on the Dragon’s Tooth. Alas, every waking thought revolved around revenge, and her bloodlust burned hotter with each passing year.
It didn’t help that the Dragon’s Tooth, unbeknownst to Portia, was a Bleed – an otherworldly intersection between Realms. Think of Bleeds like melding colors on a palette, as elements from two dimensions converge into one.
“That’s the one thing about entering a Bleed,” explains Lead Narrative Director Jessi Thind. “If it doesn’t kill you, it drives you mad.”
Her descent into madness ran concurrent to her mastery of violence, culminating in a Killer whose merciless nature surpassed Molak himself. By the time she tracked him down and enacted her vengeance, her role in The Entity’s realm was long cemented.
Before long, the only remaining vestige of her humanity was tethered to Snug, her lone companion and relentless protector; their bond is expressed in The Houndmaster’s Power, which utilizes Snug’s ability to track and grab hold of Survivors.
For The Black Talon
Raised as a member of the Black Talon organization – a subsect of the nefarious Black Vale, Taurie Cain spent her life seeking to uncover The Entity’s secrets. Upon discovering a Bleed, Taurie’s parents ventured within to further their research. Unfortunately, tragedy struck, the worst of which was averted after Taurie entered the Bleed after them.
From that moment on, Taurie pledged her devotion to the malevolent cause, quickly rising through the Black Talon’s ranks. While some Survivors like Haddie Kaur and Elodie Rakoto have crossed paths with the Black Vale’s disciples, Taurie seemed to seek out the darkness, believing The Entity to be the key to transcending mortal existence.
“Having grown up as a member of the Black Talon, Taurie genuinely believes her actions to be for the betterment of humanity,” explains Thind. “However, as she rose through the ranks, things got darker and darker. Eventually, Taurie reached a point of no return and had to make a life-altering decision.”
Her journey led her to a pivotal moment. Tasked with the ritualistic killing of a man named Jordan Rois – stepbrother of Survivor Haddie Kaur and constant thorn in the Talon’s side – Taurie raised her knife for the plunging strike. And yet, she faltered. A crucial decision, and one of the last ones made before her arrival to The Fog.
It was there she would discover that everything she believed was true. Her jubilation quickly turned to horror when she realized that all her years of devotion had led to a perpetual cycle of pain and suffering. Though such a revelation might shatter a lesser will, Taurie remained steadfast in her belief that her true purpose has yet to be defined.
“Her devotion to the Vale may actually prove beneficial in The Fog, as she maintains belief everything is part of the plan,” continues Thind. “Taurie is determined to continue along the path until The Entity finally recognizes her as a disciple – a Killer.”
It raises an interesting question – why did The Entity bring Taurie into its Realm as a Survivor in the first place?
“For reasons yet to be understood, The Entity feeds on emotions,” explains Thind. “We can interpret that The Entity took Taurie for a reason, and perhaps it sensed a benefit to having one person who simply won’t get along with many of her fellow Survivors. Taurie doesn’t understand why she’s trapped with people who never believed in the first place, and that naturally builds resentment. There’s conflict there – anger, confusion, and mistrust – and that’s something The Entity would feed off.”
Despite whatever conflict may arise, Taurie will do what she must to thrive in her new environment. Her Perks emphasize quickly breaking away from teammates and drawing the Killer’s attention, gritting her teeth through pain and using it to her advantage.
It’s curious that Portia and Taurie both spent time in the Bleeds, with the latter proving largely unaffected. Perhaps under different circumstances, their roles within The Entity’s Realm might have been reversed. However, once a course is set, deviation is not an option – especially when the destination is shrouded in Fog…
Embark on Dead by Daylight’s Doomed Course, featuring The Houndmaster and Taurie Cain, available today in the Xbox Store.
Dead by Daylight
Behaviour Interactive Inc.
☆☆☆☆☆2911
★★★★★
$29.99$11.99
Xbox Game Pass
Ever wished to play as one of the characters from your favorite horror movies? Dead by Daylight is a 1v4 multiplayer game that draws from all corners of the horror world from a powerful slasher to a terrifying paranormal entity. Choose between playing an unstoppable Killer and one of 4 Survivors trying to evade a gruesome death. Each character has their own deep progression system and plenty of unlockables that can be customized to fit your personal strategy. Work together to escape, or stalk and sacrifice every Survivor. This Edition of Dead by Daylight gives you access to a roster of 7 Killers (The Trapper, The Hillbilly, The Wraith, The Nurse, The Hag, The Huntress and The Doctor) and 9 Survivors (Meg Thomas, Claudette Morel, Jake Park, Dwight Fairfield, Ace Visconti, Nea Karlsson, Bill Overbeck, Feng Min and David King). It also includes two cosmetic add-ons packed with outfits for various characters.
Ravenswatch, a new action-roguelike, is out today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
Learn how we choose which heroes to include in our game.
2 characters that must be played together will be added in early 2025.
Fallen heroes, you are on the verge of a crucial battle against the Nightmares invading and corrupting your world! Today, we will talk about the fallen heroes of the Ravenswatch – and we even have some news about new, free heroes coming to the game soon.
In Ravenswatch, you play as heroes inspired by old folk tales and legends, from Little Red Riding Hood to Sun Wukong. In each play session, you’ll embody these charismatic heroes and reveal their stories, run after run. You’ll explore open maps inspired by enchanted forests, One Thousand and One Nights, and Arthurian legend, filled with activities and dark foes. And along the way, help the inhabitants of the world of Reverie you come across! The Three Little Pigs need extra hands to build their houses, while Sinbad the Sailor finds himself in a tough spot and might need rescuing. Complete their quests to earn valuable rewards that will aid you in future battles.
Available to play solo or with up to 4 players in co-op, this action-roguelike game is out today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One!
Meet the Ravenswatch
In Ravenswatch, players step into the shoes of fallen heroes drawn from timeless tales and legends, reimagined with a dark and devilish twist. Take Scarlet, our cursed version of Red Riding Hood, who transforms into a big bad wolf at night to hunt the Nightmares; or the Pied Piper, a musical tactician who commands swarms of rats in battle. From Beowulf wielding his mighty sword alongside his baby wyrm to Mélusine unleashing devastating magic water wisps, every hero offers a unique way to confront the Nightmares threatening Reverie!
At the start of your experience, you’ll have a choice between Scarlet, The Pied Piper, Beowulf, and Snow Queen. But nine playable characters are available in total! Unlock them during your adventures and learn about the rest of the team. Some secrets are best uncovered in the heat of a battle!
Who’s Fit for the Ravenswatch?
When choosing a new hero, we must be careful and select a character who will fit in with the rest of the cast. Heroes are the cornerstone of the game’s design and are the most essential part of the core gameplay.
In our approach, each playable character must be unique in how they are played, their physical appearance, and their personality. That’s why we have set imperatives to meet before considering adding a new hero to the Ravenswatch. Here are our four pillars:
Gameplay-oriented: First and foremost, the goal with each of our heroes is to create a unique feeling when playing them. Whether ranged, melee or an atypical gameplay style, no hero plays the same. When adding new characters to the cast, they must always bring something new and fresh to the table.
Worldwide notoriety: We are keen to add Heroes inspired by tales and legends from all over the world, but one of our imperatives is that they must be famous on a global scale. From our perspective, players will be more excited by a familiar figure than an unknown one. Additionally, we need to make it credible that they exist in the same universe. That’s why we tend to avoid stories that are too ancient, or too modern, with advanced technology.
Exciting backstory: The essence of what the tales tell is a wonderful source of inspiration for character and gameplay design. We often use defining moments of a story (such as Grandma being eaten by a Wolf) or a specific object (like Aladdin’s genie lamp) as the starting point when creating a new Ravenswatch hero. Twisting the original tale is what makes rediscovering a character so exciting.
Family photo: We love to see the cast posing next to each other, and there’s no greater feeling than to see the “family photo” of your creation in the end. Having a varied, diverse, and eclectic group of heroes is a priority!
Much More to Come
More updates are planned for Ravenswatch; you can learn more about our plans for the future on Twitter and Discord!
Oh, and one last thing! Our first DLC will be free for everyone to enjoy, and will bring an inseparable duo into the ranks of the Ravenswatch! These two new heroes have distinct abilities and synergies. They’re also never one without the other, and will need to be played together in co-op to succeed! But that’s all we’re saying for now…
So what are you waiting for? Grab your friends and join the Ravenswatch today!
Until the 21st century, cathode-ray tube (CRT) TVs were pretty much the only option. As such, media was made to suit them. Retro video game consoles in particular look best on CRT TVs. But those old TVs are getting hard to find and desirable models are now quite expensive. So, bitluni built his own “fake CRT TV” that works using lasers and UV magic.
Conventional CRT TVs work by shining an electron beam onto a phosphorescent screen, which glows for a moment after being excited by the electrons. Electromagnetic coils deflect that beam so it can scan across the X and Y axes of the screen. Add some clever modulation and you’ve got moving pictures.
The fake CRT made by bitluni works in a similar manner, except it has a 405nm laser pointer instead of an electron beam, stepper motors instead of deflection coils, and a screen printed in special UV-reactive filament instead of a phosphorescent screen. The two stepper motors move mirrors to direct the laser and an Arduino Nano board controls those through a CNC shield.
However, that system is far slower than that of a real CRT, so bitluni had to operate it a bit differently. CRT TVs normally make raster images by scanning across the entire screen, row by row, until the beam reaches the bottom and the process repeats. The fake CRT TV works displays vector graphics instead. That means that it moves the laser to trace the lines of the shapes to display, which is the same way that old tube oscilloscopes worked.
But that is still pretty slow, so bitluni can’t display anything particularly complex or fast-moving. Still, it looks great in the 3D-printed retro-style enclosure. It isn’t suited to playing Super Mario Bros., but it is a nice decorative piece.
On November 30, a custom Juice WRLD-themed Fortnite Island, “Juice WRLD: The Party Never Ends” launches, featuring unreleased music, iconic tracks, and Xbox Lounges.
Xbox will release two Juice WRLD-inspired Xbox Design Lab controllers.
Xbox will also host a live Fortnite tournament during the final Juice WRLD Day at Chicago’s United Center.
In celebration of the upcoming release of The Party Never Ends, Juice WRLD’s highly anticipated final, posthumous album dropping on November 29, Xbox is partnering with Interscope, Grade A, and Life Free 999 to launch a custom in-game Island – “Juice WRLD: The Party Never Ends” – inspired by the artist. Fans can dive into this unique experience starting November 30, 2024. Please note: this is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Epic Games, Inc.
This Island features an epic tower-climbing race set amid stunning landscapes of lush mountains, serene lakes, and open fields. Along the way, players will be able to chill at Xbox Lounges, where they’ll hear a snippet of an unreleased Juice WRLD track alongside fan-favorite hits like “Lucid Dreams,” “Wishing Well,” and “Robbery.” Juice-related imagery and collectibles are woven throughout the experience, ensuring fans feel truly immersed in his world.
Xbox will also launch Juice WRLD-inspired Xbox Design Lab controllers, available to order starting today. These custom designs honor Juice WRLD’s bold style and love for gaming, giving fans a unique way to incorporate his influence into their gaming setups. You can order them here.
The celebration doesn’t stop there—on November 30, Xbox will host a live, in-person Fortnite tournament during the fourth annual and final Juice WRLD Day at Chicago’s United Center. Local students will compete in the custom Island finale, adding excitement to a day filled with an exclusive listening experience, surprise performances, and more. It’s a tribute fans won’t want to miss!
Die Adventszeit steht vor der Tür und das Team von ID@Xbox freut sich, Dir die Indie Selects des Monats vorzustellen. Doch zunächst möchten wir uns ganz herzlich bei allen bedanken, die im vergangenen Jahr die Spiele unserer unabhängigen Entwicklerstudios unterstützt haben. Die Indie Selects sind für uns etwas ganz Besonderes und wir sind stolz auf die Vielfalt, die wir mit dieser Plattform fördern.
Das perfekte Spiel muss nicht unbedingt ein großer Blockbuster sein. Vielmehr lieben wir ausgefeilte und emotional ansprechende Geschichten, brandneue Varianten bestehender Ideen oder etwas wirklich Ungewöhnliches. Vielen Dank, dass Du Dir unsere Empfehlungen ansiehst und tolle Spieleentwickler*innen über unsere Plattform unterstützt.
Darüber hinaus haben wir uns entschlossen, statt einer einwöchigen Dezember Selects-Sammlung drei Wochen lang unsere Indie Selects Highlights aus 2024 vorzustellen. Ab dem 11. Dezember werden wir jede Woche 18 unserer Lieblingstitel, die in diesem Jahr auf den Markt gekommen sind, hervorheben und promoten. Schaue jeden Mittwoch im Indie Selects-Bereich im Xbox Store vorbei (ein paar Reihen unter der Registerkarte Games Home), um mehr über weitere, unverzichtbare Indie-Titel zu erfahren.
Am 28. Januar 2025 werden wir schließlich das einjährige Bestehen des Programms mit einer 2024 Anniversary Collection feiern. Unser Team wird sechs Top Indie Selects aus diesem Jahr auswählen, die wir für absolute Must-Haves halten und diese in einem prestigeträchtigen „Schrein“ platzieren. Für 2025 haben wir weitere Überraschungen, neue Angebote und Kollektionen geplant, doch nun konzentrieren wir uns erst einmal auf das Hier und Jetzt.
Dieser Monat ist vollgepackt mit Highlights. Es gab so viele Titel, die mit ihren einzigartigen Designs, mysteriösen Mechanismen, dramatischen Geschichten und jeder Menge Humor neue Maßstäbe gesetzt haben. Wir haben eine Liste zusammengestellt, die alle Beteiligten zufriedenstellen konnte – und wir sind uns sicher, dass auch etwas für Dich dabei ist, was Du so schnell nicht vergessen wirst:
Neva
Neva wird Dich mitten ins Herz treffen. Ich habe es letztes Wochenende durchgespielt und war von der wunderschönen Präsentation, der visuellen Gestaltung und dem eindringlichen Soundtrack geradezu überwältigt. Gelegentlich war ich auch zu Tränen gerührt. Wir haben es hier mit einem unglaublich bewegenden Spiel zu tun, das auch noch Spaß macht und fesselnd zu spielen ist.
Dieser Nachfolger des emotionsgeladenen Klassikers Gris zeigt, dass das Nomada Studio sein Handwerk beherrscht. Gris war ein beeindruckendes Kunstwerk; Neva greift diese Kernformel auf und ergänzt diese um einfache Plattform- und Kampftechniken. Die Gesamtspieldauer liegt bei rund fünf Stunden, allerdings werden Dich diese innerlich zum Nachdenken bringen und Dein Herz auf eine Weise berühren, wie es bei Spielen selten der Fall ist. Wenn Dir die Kampfszenarien zu knifflig werden, bietet das Spiel auch einen „Story Mode“-Schwierigkeitsgrad, der ganz ohne eine Gesundheitsleiste auskommt, sodass Du ohne Angst vor dem Sterben spielen kannst.
Animal Well
Animal Well ist ein wunderschönes 2D-Pixelart-Metroidvania voller Rätsel in gespenstischen, aber dennoch lebendigen Umgebungen. Du erwachst als matschiger kleiner Blob in einer dunklen, feuchten Welt, die Dir auf ihre ganz eigene Arte und Weise vermittelt, wie Du zum nächsten Gebiet gelangst. Wenn Du in den neuen Gebieten vorankommst, erhältst Du Zugang zu weiteren Wegen. Finde geheimnisvolle Werkzeuge und entschlüssele ihre Mechanik. Die Kreaturen, die den Brunnen bevölkern, sorgen für eine interessante Wendung, sobald Du ihren Zweck für Dich zu nutzen weißt. Einige Tiere sind für die Lösung komplexer Probleme wiederrum unentbehrlich und da es keine wirklichen Kämpfe gibt, musst Du die sich auftuenden Gefahren geschickt umgehen, was an und für sich schon ein kleines Rätsel sein kann. Selbst wenn Du ein Gebiet nach dem nächsten durchquerst, gibt es im Spiel noch so viel zu tun und so viele Geheimnisse zu lüften – auch nach dem „Ende“ der Geschichte.
Das Spiel hat auf jeden Fall einen bleibenden Eindruck hinterlassen. Ich habe einige Zeit gebraucht, um herauszufinden, was genau mir diese ständige Gänsehaut beschert hat und schließlich wurde es mir klar: Der winzige, kleine Blob ist, obwohl er sehr lebendig und niedlich ist, nicht wirklich die Hauptfigur. Die Umgebung ist es! Es gibt so viele kleine Momente und Interaktionen mit der Umgebung und sie geschehen einfach nacheinander. Ich bin so tief in die Geheimnisse dieser Welt eingetaucht, dass ich mich selbst manchmal fragen musste, was ich hier eigentlich mache. Irgendwann haben sich meine Ziele verschoben. Erst recht, als ich festgestellt habe, dass ich für die Untersuchung jeder Pixelverschiebung belohnt werde. Wenn Du Spaß daran hast, alles in einem Spiel zu entdecken, ohne online nach Hilfe zu suchen, kannst Du Dich darauf vorbereiten, Deine Fähigkeiten in Animal Well auf die Probe zu stellen.
Planet Coaster 2
Planet Coaster 2 ist ein Genuss für alle, die Freizeitparks und Strategiesimulationen lieben. Als jemand, der sowohl strategische als auch kreative Elemente liebt, hat mich das Spiel sofort begeistert. Du betrittst mit dem ersten Schritt eine sehr lebendige Welt mit spektakulärer Grafik. Die Figuren, die Dir auf Deinem Weg begegnen, sind super darin, Dich durch die Benutzeroberfläche, die Aufgaben und die Verwaltung des Parks zu führen. Es gibt so viele Möglichkeiten, den Themenpark Deiner Träume zu gestalten – ich könnte Stunden damit verbringen! Der Coaster Builder ist sehr intuitiv und bietet genug Raum für Kreativität, sodass Du die verrücktesten Fahrgeschäfte bauen kannst, die Du Dir vorstellen kannst. Der Management-Aspekt erinnert Dich an Deine Verantwortung, die Du rund um das Personal, die Finanzen und die Zufriedenheit Deiner Gäste trägst, damit alles reibungslos abläuft.
Die Möglichkeit, Deine Einfälle und Ideen mit anderen Spieler*innen zu teilen und deren Kreationen herunterladen zu können, ergänzt das Spiel um einen gemeinschaftlichen Aspekt. Und was noch besser ist: Du kannst ihre Visionen direkt in Deinen eigenen Park einfließen lassen. Egal, ob Du schon endlose Stunden mit der Verwaltung von Parks verbracht hast oder neu in dem Genre bist – Planet Coaster 2 bietet Dir die perfekte Mischung aus Community-, Strategie-, und Kreativ-Elementen.
Phasmophobia (Game Preview)
Phasmophobia ist ein fesselndes Horror-Erlebnis, bei dem Du herausfinden musst, welche Geister an den von Dir untersuchten Orten spuken. Hierfür stehen Dir verschiedene Werkzeuge zur Geistererkennung zur Verfügung. Jede Art von Geist ruft bestimmte, übernatürliche Phänomene hervor, die Du erkennen und in Deinem Tagebuch entschlüsseln musst. Wenn Du den richtigen Geistertyp identifizierst, hast Du gewonnen.
Der Clou liegt in der Erfahrung, die Du bei der Suche nach den Hinweisen machst. Das Spiel macht sich klassische Horrorelemente wie Geräusche oder Lichtflackern zu eigen, die den Eindruck erwecken, es würde tatsächlich spuken. Die Effekte scheinen auf Dein Tun zu reagieren und da Du Dich nicht wirklich wehren kannst, besteht Deine einzige Option darin, die Dinge so schnell wie möglich zu erledigen und dabei jegliche Gefahr zu umgehen.
Das Spiel eignet sich schließlich hervorragend, um es mit mehreren Freund*innen zu spielen. Kannst Du Dir vorstellen, wie Deine Freund*innen über den Voice-Chat schreien, weil sie denken, dass sie gleich sterben? Das ist der lustigste Teil des Spiels – und gleichzeitig der gruseligste.
Fear the Spotlight
Fear the Spotlight ist ein Retro-Horrorspiel, das im Stil der 90er Jahre gehalten ist. Es geht darum, Rätsel zu lösen, eine fesselnde Geschichte zu erzählen und der eigenen Entdeckung zu entgehen. Vivian und Amy schleichen sich nachts in ihre Schule, um eine Séance abzuhalten, die natürlich furchtbar schief geht und dazu führt, dass Amy verschwindet. Nun muss Vivian die Schule nach ihrer Freundin absuchen und dabei das Geheimnis der Schule lüften. Während ihrer Suche wird sie von einem Monster verfolgt – genauer gesagt von einem Mann, der statt einem Kopf einen Scheinwerfer auf den Schultern trägt. Da Du Dich nicht wehren kannst, musst Du um jeden Preis verhindern, entdeckt zu werden, während Du die Schule erkundest, Rätsel löst und wichtige Gegenstände erwirbst, um weiterzukommen. Das Spiel verzichtet auf Jump Scares und setzt stattdessen auf einen langsamen Aufbau von schleichender, unbehaglicher Spannung, die zu einer großartigen Gesamterfahrung beiträgt.
Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut
Dies ist eine Liebesgeschichte. Richtig? Slay the Princess ist ein visueller Roman… allerdings kannst Du Dein ganz eigenes Abenteuer wählen mit dem Ziel, die Prinzessin zu töten. Aber warum? Das musst Du selbst herausfinden, indem Du mehrere Aufforderungen durch die Stimme des „Erzählers“ erhältst, die Licht ins Dunkel bringen. Das Geniale daran ist, dass Deine Vorgehensweise über Deinen weiteren Weg bestimmt. Weitere Stimmen werden die Wahrnehmung der jeweiligen Situation verändern.
Je nachdem, wie sich Dein Verhalten entwickelt, wird sich auch die physische Gestalt der Prinzessin manifestieren. Dies alles gipfelt im Ende einer Geschichte und dem Beginn einer anderen – immer und immer wieder – während Du die verborgene Geschichte hinter all dem durchläufst. Die Bleistiftzeichnungen sind fantastisch, die musikalische Untermalung ist intensiv und die Sprachausgabe etwas ganz Besonders. Es ist düster, gruselig, charmant und unglaublich fesselnd. Oh, und Du wirst oft sterben. Mache Dir darüber keine Gedanken. Mache einfach weiter. Es lohnt sich.
The holiday season is upon us, and the ID@Xbox team is thrilled to showcase this month’s picks for Indie Selects. But first, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for supporting independent games on Xbox over the past year. Indie Selects is our special platform to celebrate the incredibly weird and unique. Someone’s perfect game isn’t necessarily a massive blockbuster IP, but may be a polished and emotionally resonant story, a brand new spin on an existing idea, or just something truly unusual. Thank you for checking out our recommendations and supporting amazing game creators on our platform.
Secondly, instead of giving you a one-week December Selects collection, we decided to build out 3 weeks’ worth of 2024 Indie Select Highlights. Each week, starting December 11, we’ll be highlighting and promoting 18 of our favorite titles that launched this last year. Be sure to check out the Indie Selects section in the Xbox Store (head to the Games Home tab and a few rows down) every Wednesday for more must-have indies.
Finally, on January 28, 2025, we will celebrate the one-year anniversary of this program with a 2024 Anniversary Collection. Our team will pick six top Indie Selects from the previous year that we believe are absolute must-haves and place them in this prestigious shrine for all to witness. We have more surprises, new sales, and new collections planned for 2025, but for now, let’s focus on the present.
This month is stuffed. There were so many titles to choose from that truly pushed the envelope in terms of unique design, mysterious mechanics, dramatic storytelling, and the art of fun. We all made some strong cases for what we wanted to champion. Some of us were still in our October bag and needed something terrifying to get the heart pumping. A lot of us, understandably, wanted to build a bond with a giant wolf that we could ride on to our next adventure. Several of us wanted to get lost in something: a mysterious world, impossible choices, or maybe just our own creativity. We ended up with a list that thankfully kept everyone happy here and we’re sure that there’s something here that you won’t soon forget. Here’s what we’ve got for you this month (in no particular order):
I don’t know if any of you are looking for more reasons to get emotional, but Neva will hit you right in the feels. I played through last weekend and found myself in awe of its beautiful presentation, visual splendor, and haunting soundtrack. I was also reduced to tears on occasion. It’s an incredibly moving piece of software that also happens to be quite fun and compelling to play.
This follow-up to the gorgeous and emotionally charged Gris from Nomada Studio shows a studio honing in on their craft. Gris was an impactful work of art; Neva takes that core formula and adds satisfying yet simple platforming and combat to the mix. The game is only about 5 hours from start to finish but those hours will make you reflect inwardly and touch your heart in ways that are rare for games. If the combat scenarios get a bit tricky for you, the game offers a “Story Mode” difficulty that removes the health bar entirely and allows you to play without the fear of dying.
Neva
Devolver Digital
☆☆☆☆☆104
★★★★★
$19.99
Neva is an emotionally-charged action adventure from the visionary team behind the critically acclaimed GRIS. Neva chronicles the story of Alba, a young woman bound to a curious wolf cub following a traumatic encounter with dark forces. Together they embark on a perilous journey through a once-beautiful world as it slowly decays around them. Over time, their relationship will evolve as they learn to work together, helping one another to brave increasingly dangerous situations. The wolf will grow from a rebellious cub to an imposing adult seeking to forge his own identity, testing Alba’s love and their commitment to one another. As the cursed world threatens to overwhelm them, Alba and her courageous companion will do whatever it takes to survive and make a new home, together.
Animal Well is an illusive, beautiful, 2D pixel art Metroidvania full of abstract puzzles in haunting, living environments. You play as a squishy little blob in a dark and wet world that offers up its own interpretive language on how to proceed beyond to the next area. As you progress through new areas, you’ll gain access to more routes as you find mysterious tools and understand their mechanics. The creatures populating the well create an interesting dynamic as you discover their purpose. Some animals are essential to solving complex problems and because there’s no real combat, other animals often must be cleverly avoided which in-and-of-itself can be its own puzzle. Even as you traverse area after area, the game is packed with so much to do and so many more secrets to find – well after the “ending”.
This is one of those special games that leaves an imprint. It took me some time to nail down what exactly it was that gave me goosebumps during each minute of my playthrough. Finally, it hit me. Your tiny, bright little blob, though very alive and cute, isn’t really the main character: The environment is! There are so many small moments and interactions with the environment that are so wonderfully satisfying, and they just keep happening one after the other. Delving into the deepest mysteries of the environment felt like I was asking the developer directly, “What were you trying to do here?” At some point, my goals for what I wanted to get out of the game shifted as I uncovered more and more secrets and felt rewarded for examining every pixel shift. If you relish finding everything in a game without looking for help online, prepare to put your skills to the test and enjoy the ride.
ANIMAL WELL
Bigmode
☆☆☆☆☆99
★★★★★
$24.99
Hatch from your flower and spelunk through the beautiful and sometimes haunting world of Animal Well, a pixelated wonder rendered in intricate audio and visual detail. Encounter lively creatures small and large, helpful and ominous as you discover unconventional upgrades and unravel the well’s secrets. This is a truly unique experience that can make you laugh in fear, surprise, or delight.
Planet Coaster 2 is gratifying for anyone who loves theme park and strategy simulations. As someone who loves both strategy and creativity, this game hits me in all the right ways. From the beginning, you enter a very vibrant world with spectacular visuals. The in-game characters are great at guiding you through the UI, tasks, and management of the park. There are so many possibilities on how you can design and build your dream theme park –and I can spend hours doing this! The coaster builder is very intuitive and allows for lots of creativity, letting you craft rides that are as crazy and wild as your heart desires. The management aspect pulls you right back to reality as a park owner, as you need to balance staff, finances, and guest satisfaction to keep everything running smoothly.
Being able to share your creation with other players – and being able to download theirs – adds another level of collaboration and fun to the community. It’s astonishing to see just how creative others can be! And even better than that, you can incorporate their vision into your own park. Whether you’ve spent endless hours managing parks before or new to the genre, Planet Coaster 2 provides the perfect mix of community, strategy, and creativity!
Planet Coaster 2
Frontier Developments
☆☆☆☆☆192
★★★★★
$49.99
Create a splash with Planet Coaster 2 – sequel to the world’s best coaster park simulator! Reach new heights of creativity, management, and sharing as you construct the theme parks of your dreams combining epic water rides and coasters to delight and thrill your park guests. Dive in now! EMBRACE CREATIVITY Expand your imagination: Enhanced and improved building and pathing tools let you create spectacular, true-to-life theme parks, complete with sprawling plazas. Make your mark on the world as you shape terrain and populate your park with stunning swimming pools and thrilling rides. It’s never been easier to bring your dream park to life. Next-level customisation: Embark on the coaster park experience of a lifetime as you push the boundaries of creativity like never before! Unleash your imagination as you build the most awe-inspiring themed creations with unparalleled customisation tools! For the first time, intuitively add scalable scenery and objects to every ride to elevate your park and give your guests a day to remember. Combine epic water and coaster rides: Create the ultimate experience for your thrill-seeking guests using piece-by-piece construction. Build a vibrant array of exhilarating rollercoasters and jaw-dropping thrill rides. Design a seamlessly interconnected park paradise with glistening swimming pools and twisting water flumes. Create unforgettable experiences: Surprise and amaze as you bring the dramatic flair of real-world theme parks to your guests with the brand-new event sequencer tool, while sophisticated global illumination lighting brings the theme park experience to your home with stunning visuals and striking authenticity. MASTER MANAGEMENT Find the secret to success: Balance thrilling your guests with managing your budget – populate your park with amazing efficiently powered attractions and the right amenities to boost your rating and become a theme park master. Take care: Provide for your guests’ health, well-being, and happiness so your park can thrive. With all-new waterparks comes the need for shade, sunscreen, lifeguards, changing rooms, and more to ensure everyone has their best day both in and out of the pool. Satisfaction guaranteed: Understanding the wants and needs of your guests has never been easier! The new ‘heat maps’ feature lets you understand the wider park’s needs at a glance before diving deeper into the details -simply select any guest to see how they and their immediate group are enjoying your theme park. SHARE THE RIDE Create together: Unleash your collective creativity in Sandbox Mode. Take turns to work on building a park with players around the world using a shared cross-platform save! Play together: For the first time ever, collaborate with friends in Franchise Mode to create the best theme park empire and compete with others to reach the top of worldwide leaderboards! Visit together: Soak up the fun and get up close and personal, as you experience other players theme park creations first hand – explore their worlds in first person as a park guest! Share creations: Share anything and everything! Upload coasters, rides, or even full theme parks for other players, and download and delight in other’s creations. All are easily accessible from the cross-platform Frontier Workshop both in-game and online.
Phasmophobia is a truly engaging horror experience in which you need to figure out what kind of ghost is haunting the locations you are investigating by using various ghost detecting tools. Each type of ghost creates specific supernatural phenomena that you need to identify and to puzzle out in your journal. If you get the correct ghost type, you win.
The secret sauce is in the experience you have while searching for the clues. The game masterfully uses classical horror cues like sound or light to create the feeling of a haunted house, reacting to your actions and making you always fear for your life. As you cannot really fight back, your only option is to get things done as quickly as possible while avoiding the danger.
Finally, the game is a great one to play with a few friends. Nothing beats hearing your friends screaming in your voice chat that they are about to die and the silence afterwards. That’s both the funniest part of the game – as well as the scariest.
Phasmophobia (Game Preview)
Kinetic Games
☆☆☆☆☆568
★★★★★
$19.99
Free Trial
This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game. INVESTIGATE
Immersive Experience: Realistic graphics and sounds as well as a minimal user interface ensure a totally immersive experience that will keep you on your toes.
Unique Ghosts: Identify over 20 different ghost types, each with unique traits, personalities, and abilities to make each investigation feel different from the last.
Equipment: Use well-known ghost-hunting equipment such as EMF Readers, Spirit Boxes, Thermometers, and Night Vision Cameras to find clues and gather as much paranormal evidence as you can. Find Cursed Possessions that grant information or abilities in exchange for your sanity. PLAY YOUR WAY
Locations: Choose from over 10 different haunted locations, each with unique twists, hiding spots, and layouts.
Game Modes: With 5 default difficulties and daily and weekly challenges, there are plenty of ways to test your skills.
Teamwork: Dive in head first, get your hands dirty searching for evidence while fighting for your life. If you’re not feeling up to the task, play it safe and support your team from the truck by monitoring the investigation with CCTV and motion sensors.
Custom Difficulty: Create your own games to tailor the difficulty to your or your group’s needs, with proportional rewards and come up with crazy game modes of your own! MULTIPLAYER
Co-operate: Play alongside your friends with up to 4 players in this co-op horror where teamwork is key to your success.
Play together: Phasmophobia supports all players together, play with your friends with any combination of input types.
Cross-play: Play alongside your friends on other platforms. Full details on the latest status of the game, how you can give feedback and report issues can be found at https://kineticgames.co.uk/.
Fear the Spotlight is a retro, ’90s-inspired horror game focused on puzzle solving, gripping story, and avoiding detection. Vivian and Amy sneak into their school at night for a séance which, of course, goes horribly wrong and Amy disappears. Now Vivian must search the school for her friend and uncover the mystery of the school’s past.
During the search you’ll be stalked by a monster – more specifically, a man with a spotlight for a head. There’s no combat, so you’ll need to avoid detection at all costs while you explore and solve puzzles which allow you acquire key items to progress further. This isn’t the type of horror game that is full of heart-pounding jump scares, but a slow build of creeping, uneasy, tension that adds to a great narrative experience.
Fear the Spotlight
Blumhouse Games
☆☆☆☆☆39
★★★★★
$19.99
Fear the Spotlight is an atmospheric third-person horror adventure with a disturbing mystery to unravel. Sneak into school after hours with Vivian and Amy, survive a séance gone wrong, solve tactile puzzles, and, whatever you do, stay out of the spotlight… Sunnyside High has a dark history. When Vivian enters the deserted corridors for a seance with the rebellious Amy, she suddenly ends up alone, and at the mercy of the monster who wanders the halls. Vivian must avoid its gaze, find her friend, and uncover the disturbing, murderous truth of a decades old tragedy. Fear the Spotlight is a creepy love letter to classic 90s horror experiences with a focus of rich storytelling, puzzle solving, and a tense atmosphere. This is a perfect narrative horror game for those new to the genre. ESCAPE THE NIGHTMARE The séance went terribly wrong. Amy has disappeared, and the school has transformed into a nightmarish version of its former self. Play as Vivian to uncover a dark hidden past while attempting to save both you and your friend DELIGHTFULLY HORRIFYING GAMEPLAY * Sneak to avoid detection from an unknown entity in tense hand-crafted stealth moments as Vivian explores the ominous darkness of the school corridors * Solve highly tactile puzzles that pay homage to classic genre favorites while evolving gameplay to satisfy modern horror fans * Explore the eerie setting of a derelict Sunnyside High with a flashlight, screwdriver, wrench, and more to uncover a web of mysteries 1990s ATMOSPHERIC DREAD Explore the hellish version of Sunnyside High as Vivian in this ode to classic 90’s teen horror. A retro art style, tense audio design, and a nostalgic setting will delight both veteran fans and those new to the horror genre AN EXPANDED STORY Dive even deeper into the dark world of Fear the Spotlight with an extensive additional storyline Fear the Spotlight is the first title to be published by Blumhouse Games, a video games label within Blumhouse Productions focused on championing the most creative and unique takes on the horror genre.
This is a love story. Right? Slay the Princess is a visual novel… but more like a choose your own adventure with the goal to slay the princess. But why? That’s what you need to find out by exploring several dozen prompts from the voice of a “narrator”, who sheds more light on the situation. The genius here is that your approach will determine your path, invite more voices to join the narrator, and alter the perception of each situation.
As your behavior becomes more defined, the princess’s physical form will manifest accordingly. This all culminates in the ending of one story and the beginning of another – again and again – as you progress through the hidden story beneath it all. The black and white pencil art is fantastic, the musical score is intense, and the voice acting is top of its class. It’s dark, creepy, charming and incredibly intriguing. Oh, and you’ll die a lot. Don’t worry about that. Just keep going. It’s worth it.
Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut
Serenity Forge
☆☆☆☆☆204
★★★★★
$17.99
You’re on a path in the woods, and at the end of that path is a cabin. And in the basement of that cabin is a Princess. You’re here to slay her. If you don’t, it will be the end of the world. She will do everything in her power to stop you. She’ll charm, and she’ll lie, and she’ll promise you the world, and if you let her, she’ll kill you a dozen times over. You can’t let that happen. You do care about the fate of the world, right? Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut is a fully voice-acted horror tragicomedy featuring the impeccable talents of Jonathan Sims and Nichole Goodnight, with lovingly hand-penciled frames by Ignatz-winning graphic novelist Abby Howard. This game features a princess. She’s very bad and you have to get rid of her for all our sakes. She’s just an ordinary human Princess, and you can definitely slay her as long as you put your mind to it. Hopefully you won’t die. But if you do, you’ll die a lot. Be careful and stay focused on the task at hand! What you say and what you believe will shift the story in dramatic ways. Ah, but what’s in the Pristine Cut? Are you sure you want to find out? If you do, you’re likely to discover things that are best left experienced directly. Seriously, turn back. … Oh, you’re still reading? Very well, I shall tell you. The Pristine Cut contains, precisely: – 3 brand new chapters replete with mysteries—and consequences.
– Never before seen Princesses who will all murder you without a second thought.
– Expansions to familiar routes: The Den, The Apotheosis and The Fury each have more than doubled in length.
– Over 35% more content overall—and all of it filled with great opportunities to listen to me and do your job.
– A new ending. And hopefully one that saves the world rather than damns it. – Gallery to Track Your Progress: Cherish your memories, relive your exploits, and uncover deeply hidden secrets with the new gallery feature.
– Over 1,200 New Hand-Penciled Frames hand-illustrated by Abby Howard.
– Over 2,500 New Lines of Dialogue fully voiced dialogue by the impeccable Jonathan Sims and Nichole Goodnight. Yes, prepare yourself for an expanded journey filled with new perils, difficult choices, and unforgettable encounters. Will you stay on the path to slay the Princess, or will the new chapters alter your fate? (That said, while I wish free-will weren’t a thing here, I cannot emphasize this enough: you have to slay her. Please.)
Inventor Charly Bosch and his daughter Leonie have crafted something truly remarkable: a fully electric, Arduino-powered car that’s as innovative as it is sustainable. Called the Batteryrunner, this vehicle is designed with a focus on environmental impact, simplicity, and custom craftsmanship. Get ready to be inspired by a car that embodies the spirit of creativity!
When the Arduino team saw the Batteryrunner up close at our offices in Turin, Italy, we were genuinely impressed – especially knowing that Charly and Leonie had driven over 1,000 kilometers in this unique car! Their journey began on a small island in Spain, took them across southern France, and brought them to Italy before continuing on to Austria.
Building a car with heart – and aluminum
In 2014, Charly took over LORYC – a Mallorca carmaker that became famous in the 1920s for its winning mountain racing team. His idea was to ??build a two-seater as a tribute to the LORYC sports legacy, but with a contemporary electric drive: that’s how the first LORYC Electric Speedster was born. “We’re possibly the smallest car factory in the world, but have a huge vision: to prove electric cars can be cool… and crazy,” Charly says.
With a passion for EVs rooted in deep environmental awareness, he decided to push the boundaries of car manufacturing with the Batteryrunner: a car where each component can be replaced and maintained, virtually forever.
Indeed, it’s impossible not to notice that the vehicle is made entirely from aluminum: specifically, 5083 aluminum alloy. This material is extremely durable and can be easily recycled, unlike plastics or carbon fiber which end up as waste at the end of their lifecycle.
The car’s bodywork includes thousands of laser-cut aluminum pieces. “This isn’t just a prototype: it’s a real car – one that we’ve already been able to drive across Europe,” Charly says.
The magic of learning to do-it-yourself
“People sometimes ask me why I use Arduino, as if it was only for kids. Simple: Arduino never failed me,” is Charly’s quick reply. After over a decade of experience with a variety of maker projects, it was an easy choice for the core of Batteryrunner’s system.
In addition to reliability, Charly appreciates the built-in ease-of-use and peer support: “The Arduino community helps me with something new every week. If you are building a whole car on your own, you can’t be an expert in every single aspect of it. So, anytime I google something, I start by typing ‘Arduino’, and follow with what I need to know. That’s how I get content that I can understand.”
This has allowed Charly and Leonie to handle every part of the car’s design, coding, and assembly, creating a fully integrated system without needing to rely on external suppliers.
Using Arduino for unstoppable innovation
A true labor of love, after four years since its inception the Batteryrunner is a working (and talking!) car, brought to life by 10+ Arduino boards, each with specific functions.
For instance:
• An Arduino Nano is used to manage the speedometer (a.k.a. the “SpeedCube”), in combination with a CAN bus module, stepper motor module, and stepper motor.
• Different Arduino Mega 2560, connected via CAN bus modules, control the dashboard, steering wheel, lights and blinkers, allowing users to monitor and manage various functions.
• Arduino UNO R4 boards with CAN bus transceivers are used to handle different crucial tasks – from managing the 400-V battery system and Tesla drive unit to operating the linear windshield wiper and the robotic voice system.
Charly already plans on upgrading some of the current solutions with additional UNO R4 boards, and combining the GIGA R1 WiFi and GIGA Display Shield for a faster and Wi-Fi®-connected “InfoCube” dashboard.
All in all, the Batteryrunner is more than a car: it’s a rolling platform for continuous innovation, which Charly is eager to constantly improve and refine. His next steps? Integrating smartphone control via Android, adding sensors for self-parking, and experimenting with additional features that Arduino makes easy to implement. “This is a car that evolves,” Charly explains. “I can add or change features as I go, and Arduino makes it possible.”
Driving environmental awareness
Finally, we see Batteryrunner as more than a fun, showstopping car. Given Charly’s commitment to low-impact choices, it’s a way to shift people’s mindset about sustainable mobility. The environmental challenges we face today require manufacturers to go well beyond simply replacing traditional engines with electric ones: vehicles need to be completely redesigned, according to sustainability and simplicity principles. To achieve this, we need people who are passionate about the environment, technology, and creativity. That’s why we fully agree with Charly, when he says, “I love makers! We need them to change the world.”
Follow LORYC on Facebook or Instagram to see Charly and Leonie’s progress, upgrades, and experiments, and stay inspired by this incredible, Arduino-powered journey.
The first thing to decide is which Raspberry Pi model to use before assembling the kit. PiDog will work with Raspberry Pi 4, 3B+, 3B, and Zero 2 W. Using a Raspberry Pi 5 is not recommended since its extra power requirements put too much of a strain on the battery power – PiDog uses a lot of current when standing or moving – so it’s likely to suffer from under-voltage. We opted for a Raspberry Pi 4, although even then we did have a few issues with crashes when the battery level was low.
Canine construction
With a kit comprising a huge array of parts, building a PiDog is no mean feat. We reckon it took us around five to six hours, although we were taking our time to get it right. The printed diagram-based instructions are easy to follow, however, and there are online videos if you get stuck. Apart from a few fiddly bits, including manipulating some tiny screws and nuts, it’s an enjoyable process. Helpfully, the fixtures and fittings – including numerous sizes of screws and plastic rivets – come in labelled bags. The kit includes a couple of screwdrivers too.
The main chassis is built from aluminium alloy panels, giving this dog a shiny and robust ‘coat’. There are also several acrylic pieces, including some to build a stand to place PiDog on when calibrating its leg servos. A nice touch.
Raspberry Pi sits on a sound direction sensor module and is then mounted with a Robot HAT which handles all the servos (via PWM pins), sensor inputs, and battery management. Portable power is supplied by a custom battery pack comprising two 18650 batteries with a capacity of 2000mAh, which takes a couple of hours to charge fully.
Doggy-do code
Once you’ve assembled the kit, it’s time to fine-tune the calibration of the servos with a script. You’ll have used a zeroing script during assembly to get the rough positions right, so will have already installed the PiDog libraries and software in Raspberry Pi OS.
Detailed online documentation guides you through everything, including running a script to enable I2S sound from the robot’s speaker. It also covers a good range of Python example programs that showcase what PiDog can do.
In patrol mode, for instance, PiDog walks forward and stops to bark when it detects something ahead. The react demo sees it rear up and bark when approached from the front, but roll its head and wag its tail when you pet the touch sensor on its neck. There’s also a balance demo to showcase its 6DOF IMU module that enables PiDog to self-balance when walking on a tilting tabletop.
There are a few examples using the camera module with OpenCV computer vision. A face-tracking demo generates a web server, enabling you to see the camera view on a web page. There’s also the option to control PiDog with an iOS or Android app, complete with live camera feed.
You can even communicate with your PiDog via GPT-4o AI, using text or spoken commands – with a USB mic (not supplied) equipped. It takes a bit of setting up, using an API key, but the online guide takes you through the process.
Verdict
9/10
Great fun to play with, this smart canine companion has an impressive feature set and lots of possibilities for further training.
Specs
Features: 12 × metal-gear servos, Robot HAT, camera module, RGB LED strip
Before I played an early version of Crescent County, I didn’t know that an in-game version of a motorized, magical broomstick could feel right. But here I am, drawing wide arcs through the gently swaying grass of the Isle of Morah, identifying the perfect hillock to glide off from, and intuitively following paths of flowers to shortcuts across its open world. You’d think there’d no right way to depict something as bizarre as this, but as I feel a leyline-powered boost ignite the rumble of my controller, I start to think, “well, maybe.”
The debut game from Electric Saint – a two-person development team made up of Anna Hollinrake (Fall Guys) and Pavle Mihajlović (Erica) – Crescent County is part-open world exploration, part-dating game, part-gig economy delivery challenge, part-racer, part-life sim, and all-centered around that motorbroom experience. It’s ambitious, and with so many moving parts, you might expect it to have come together in pieces – but the real origin point was straightforward.
One of the earliest pieces of art that inspired Crescent County. Credit: Anna Hollinrake
Hollinrake has been painting images of what she dubs “witch-tech” for years, building a following as people fall in love with the bright, curious worlds she creates in static form. Choosing to leave the world of AAA development behind, and contacting Mihajlović to create the tech, there was only one setting they wanted to bring to life together.
“The number one piece of feedback I get when I’m at conventions selling art based on this world, or on social media when I post images of it, is that people wish that they could live in the paintings I create,” she tells me. “I’m an art generalist for games and have worked along the whole art pipeline, but my specialty is infusing moreish worldbuilding into my work, from concepts to full 3D environments, that give a sense of place, with little story hints throughout. I really want to give people the opportunity to step into a lovingly crafted, painterly space that feels both joyful and a little melancholy and that, critically, they feel at home within.”
It means that Crescent County wasn’t built out of disparate mechanical ideas that the developers wanted to jam into one playspace – every choice has been made because it fits the theme. Even in the early form of the game I play, that comes across. As main character Lu, your motorbroom is key to everything you do – you arrive on the island and take part in a race, then become the island’s delivery courier. That job allows you to meet characters you can get to know (and romance), afford furniture for your apartment, and to customize your broom and go further, faster. In Crescent County’s world, motorbrooms aren’t a vehicle, they’re a culture.
“Motorbroom racing is an underground sport, practised by a small group of the coolest people you know,” says Hollinrake. “It’s very inspired by roller derby and the roller skating community (I’m an avid quad skater myself!), and we wanted to capture that punk, do-it-yourself attitude within motorbroom subculture.”
“In terms of racing though, it’s more about friends challenging each other in playful ways (like seeing who can get up the mountain first), than it is about big formal races with sponsors and crowds,” adds Mihajlović. “If you win, you can expect to learn some secrets about the island, or maybe get a hot tip on how to get a particular broom part, but you can also choose to lay back and spend some more quality time with a racer you have a crush on.”
That idea, that every activity can affect another, seems key to Crescent County. You’re building a life for Lu on the island – a race can lead to romance, a delivery job could net you new decorations, and even the house creation element (so often a side activity) can have effects on the wider game.
“We’re really interested in how we can take classic, cozy house decoration and make it push our story forward rather than being purely for aesthetics,” explains Hollinrake. “In that classic scouring-Facebook-Marketplace way, you can do jobs around the island for people who’ll pay you back with a couch they have in the shed and aren’t using. Inspired by our own experiences living in crappy house shares in our early twenties, we know how big of a difference each single piece of furniture can have on your social life or sense of place – you can’t have a dinner party without a dinner table, and getting your new friends around it lets you chat late into the night and deepen those relationships. Even if the spaghetti bolognese you made was terrible.”
It leads to what promises a very satisfying loop – the more you play, and the more you engage, the more opportunities await you. Again, building Crescent County as a living world rather than a sandbox, is the key. The game’s organized into days and nights that pass based on what you choose to do (you can deliver by day, and race by night), rather than through a linear cycle, which gives you an incentive to choose the interesting thing rather than the efficient thing.
“Each day brings a host of new opportunities to earn some cash, make your flat less sad, and learn more island drama,” says Mihajlović. “You’ll get to pick who you want to help that day – whether it’s because you want to know a particular bit of gossip, you want to get a specific broom upgrade, or because your friend Rava has promised you she’ll give you her unwanted and admittedly ugly couch if you help round up her wayward sheep. You can either plan out your route carefully, or take it a bit more casually and ride around and see what you get up to. At the end of the day you can take your weird couch home, pick where to place it, and invite your friends over for a movie night – who point out you don’t actually own a TV.”
All of this would be moot if the brooms themselves didn’t feel quite so good, and the Isle of Morah wasn’t quite so fascinating a location. That connection to Hollinrake’s art means that this world is a deeply interesting place – unfamiliar silhouettes clutter the horizon, and the sheer fun meant that I spent as much time simply going places than doing, well, Lu’s job. The final piece in the puzzle, then, is in creating a motorbroom that suits you.
“Broom customization is both about building a motorbroom that looks amazing and feels just like you, but it’s also in how you decide how you’re going to navigate the island,” says Mihajlović. “Whether you want to speed down the straights, cut across a field, or glide over a canyon, different broom setups will open different paths and playstyles. You can also put Sigil Stickers on your broom that give you weird and wonderful powers, like an offensive sideways phase shift that you can use to bump your rivals off the track, or a more forgiving 10 second rewind that lets you retake a corner if you didn’t get it quite right.”
The way the team is winding together mechanical and narrative benefits to the player isn’t just fascinating – it’s unusual. It’s the kind of thing that might have been hard to pitch at their previous studios, meaning self-publishing with ID@Xbox has been a boon:
“We’re huge fans of the ID@Xbox program – and before that Xbox Live Arcade,” says Mihajlović. “It birthed or enabled so many of the games that we love, and in a lot of ways the whole indie wave that got us into the games industry in the first place. I actually remember the first Summer of Arcade, and how exciting and validating it was as a teenager to see indie games on a console, so it’s incredible to now be a part of the program.”
With a two-person team, the game still has a way to go until release – and they’re not set on a release date just yet – but the early version I play makes abundantly clear how wild, weird, and ambitious Electric Saint is getting. Just like its motorbrooms, Crescent County might be unfamiliar, but it’s feeling just right already.
Discover this beautiful open world racing on the back of your very own motorbroom. In Crescent County you play as Lu, as you move to the island under tense pretences, eager to start afresh. It’s a game about finding home in a brand-new witch-tech universe. During the day you’re a motorbroom courier; delivering packages, herding sheep, and setting off fireworks. You find yourself building a life through helping the locals; getting to know their struggles, and their island home. Plan your day every morning by picking your jobs, and then zoom around the island getting things done! The better your broom is the more you can do, and the more of the gossip you uncover. After you’ve made some change, head down to Bo’s workshop to upgrade your motobroom and make it your own! Replace parts to improve your broom’s handling, top speed, or gliding ability, and pop some Sigil Stickers on it to enable special powers such as Phase Shifting and Time Rewind. At night, use your customised motorbroom to defeat your new friends in improvised races around the island. Discover shortcuts on ancient ley lines, and sprint through abandoned power stations in rebellious, secret races to win new broom parts. Start in your cousin’s empty bedsit and collect furniture from the locals to scrap together a cosy new life for yourself on the island. The better your home is, the more activities you can do with your new friends. Can’t have a dinner party with a table, or a date without a couch!
The Halo franchise is full of iconic designs, from vehicles like the Warthog to weapons like the Needler. But the armor, such as the Spartan armor worn by Master Chief, is arguably the most recognizable. The helmets are especially cool, and LeMaster Tech put his own unique spin on an ODST-style helmet by adding an adjustable-transparency RGB-backlit visor.
The ODST helmet that LeMaster Tech used for this project was made by Anthony Andress, AKA “enforce_props,” and it is a solid resin casting. LeMaster Tech’s goal was to make the coolest visor imaginable for that helmet.
He achieved that using a PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal) “smart film” that changes from opaque to transparent when it receives current. That film can be cut to shape without causing any harm. He further enhanced the effect with some RGB LED backlighting, which illuminates the interior of the helmet and helps to make the wearer’s face more visible when the visor is transparent.
LeMaster Tech used an Arduino Nano board to the control the PDLC film and the NeoPixel individually addressable RGB LEDs. Momentary buttons in a 3D-printed enclosure control the LED lighting color, the lighting effect modes, and the visor transparency. The PDLC needs 20V to become transparent, so LeMaster Tech used a large battery to power that and a step-down converter to power the Arduino and LEDs.
The result looks fantastic and this helmet is going back to enforce_props, who will finish turning it into a cosplay masterpiece.
Indiana Jones vermittelt ein ganz besonderes Gefühl. Es steckt nicht nur in den greifbaren Elementen – den Geschichten, dem Helden oder der Musik – sondern auch in der Art, wie die Filme gedreht wurden: in den Details wie Choreografie und im Ton. Es sind genau diese schwer fassbaren Eigenschaften, die diese Reihe so beliebt und zeitlos machen. Und genau diese Magie in einem Videospiel nachzubilden, ist eine Herausforderung.
Das Entwicklerstudio MachineGames, das hinter Indiana Jones und der Große Kreis steht, hatte die Aufgabe, ein großartiges Spiel zu entwickeln, das sich modern anfühlt. Gleichzeitig wollten sie die Magie einfangen, die die Filme ausmacht. Die Aufgabe bestand darin, ein packendes Spiel zu erschaffen, das sich dennoch so anfühlt, aussieht, klingt und verhält wie die Filme, von denen es inspiriert ist.
Im Gespräch mit den Entwickler*innen von MachineGames wird deutlich, wie dieses Ziel erreicht wurde: Moderne Spieldesign-Ansätze wurden mit traditionellen Filmtechniken kombiniert, um etwas zu schaffen, das genau den „Sweet Spot“ trifft, nach dem das Team gesucht hat.
Ein Beispiel für diesen Ansatz findet sich in einer einzigen Szene – einer Szene, die man fast als nebensächlich bezeichnen könnte.
In Indiana Jones und die Jäger des verlorenen Schatzes gibt es vielleicht einen der bekanntesten Witze der Filmgeschichte: Eine Menschenmenge teilt sich, und unser Held steht einem bedrohlichen Schwertkämpfer gegenüber, der mit einem Krummsäbel prahlt. Er wechselt den Säbel von Hand zu Hand und wirbelt ihn mit beeindruckender Präzision. Was wie der Auftakt zu einem epischen Kampf wirkt, endet abrupt, als Indy genervt seine Pistole zieht und den Schwertkämpfer mit einem einzigen Schuss niederstreckt. Diese Szene ist perfekt – aber genau deshalb ist sie in einem Videospiel schwer umzusetzen.
In einem Spiel würde ein*e solche*r Gegner*in typischerweise über mehrere Angriffsmuster, drei Lebensbalken und jede Menge Effekte verfügen. Doch genau diese Szene wurde für das Team nicht nur zur Herausforderung, sondern auch zur Lösung:
„Diese Szene ist ein großartiges Beispiel für den Humor, der die klassischen Indy-Filme auszeichnet – unbezahlbar!“, sagt Axel Torvenius, Creative Director. „Was uns von dieser und ähnlichen Szenen absolut inspiriert hat, ist genau dieser Humor. Es war sehr wichtig, abwechslungsreiche, fesselnde und lohnenswerte Kampfszenen zu haben – aber es war ebenso wichtig, sie mit dem Indy-Humor aufzupeppen.“ Auf einer allgemeineren Ebene sagt dies viel über die Herangehensweise von MachineGames aus − in fast jeder Hinsicht hat das Team alles gegeben, um die Magie der Filme einzufangen, auch wenn sie sich nicht auf Anhieb für Spiele eignen. Und wie Du sehen wirst, ist das nur die Spitze des Eisbergs.
Matinée-Idol
„Von Anfang an war es unser Ziel, so nah wie möglich am Look und Feeling des 80er-Jahre-Kinos zu bleiben“, erklärt Torvenius. „Wir hatten nie die Absicht, das Erscheinungsbild oder die Atmosphäre von Indiana Jones neu zu erfinden – unser Hauptziel war es, sicherzustellen, dass der Stil von Jäger des verlorenen Schatzes wirklich getroffen wird.“
Du wirst überrascht sein, wie tief diese Bemühungen gehen. Das Team analysierte die frühen Filme nicht nur auf Ton und Schreibstil, sondern auch auf technische Details. Welche Farbpaletten und Filmabstufungen wurden verwendet? Welche Filmrollen wurden in den Kameras genutzt? Wie nahm das ursprüngliche Audio-Team die Soundeffekte auf? Welche Art von Stuntarbeit wurde durchgeführt? Und von da an begann die harte Arbeit – diese Techniken nicht nur in einen modernen Kontext zu übertragen, sondern sie in ein völlig anderes Medium einzubinden.
Einige der Geschichten, die hier erzählt werden, sind faszinierend. Torvenius erklärt, dass das Team untersuchte, wie die Original-Filmteams ihre Sets erschufen, und diese Regeln auf die Orte im Spiel anwendete:
„Natürlich ist die große Herausforderung bei Spielen, dass man ständig ‚hinter die Kulissen‘ schauen und die Komposition aufbrechen kann, da die Spieler*innen sich frei bewegen können. Aber es gibt viele Orte im Spiel, an denen wir wissen, aus welcher Richtung die Spieler*innen kommen, wo sie hinausgehen und welche Kulisse sie sehen werden. Diese haben wir frühzeitig identifiziert und verstärkt, um die Szene an bestimmten Orten stärker zu inszenieren.“
Für Zwischensequenzen, die naturgemäß kontrollierter sind, konnte das Team noch weiter gehen: „Ein weiterer großer Schritt für dieses Projekt war es, einen Director of Photography für alle cinematischen Aufnahmen im Motion-Capture-Studio zu engagieren“, erklärt Torvenius weiter. „Wir hatten den talentierten Kyle Klütz, der im Motion-Capture-Studio mit einer schweren Kameradolly arbeitete, um die richtige Geschwindigkeit bei Schwenks, Winkeln, Komposition und Framing zu gewährleisten. Wenn wir diese Daten dann in die Zwischensequenzen im Spiel übertragen, haben wir eine sehr solide Grundlage für eine Kameraführung, die an die frühen Indiana-Jones-Filme erinnert.“
Der perfekte Sound
Der Sound ist für Indiana Jones natürlich genauso wichtig wie das Bild. Von der legendären Filmmusik von John Williams über die Effekte bis hin zum kultigen Wilhelmsschrei (ja, der ist im Spiel) – die Soundkulisse der Filme ist genauso nostalgisch wie das Erscheinungsbild und die Handlung.
„Das Erste, was wir getan haben, war, die zentralen Elemente dieses typischen Indiana-Jones-Klangs zu identifizieren“, erklärt Pete Ward, Audio Director. „Was mussten wir einfangen, um das Gefühl zu erzeugen, als Indy in einer filmischen Weise zu spielen? Wir haben uns als Team zusammengesetzt, alle Indy-Filme noch einmal angesehen und festgestellt, dass es mehrere Dinge gibt, die wir unbedingt richtig hinbekommen mussten: Indys Stimmähnlichkeit, die musikalische Partitur, die Peitsche, den Revolver und die Faustschläge. Es gab auch andere Dinge, wie den Klang der Rätsel und die fantastischen Elemente, bei denen wir ständig auf die Originalfilme und das Sounddesign von [dem ursprünglichen Indiana Jones-Sounddesigner] Ben Burtts zurückgegriffen haben.“
Dieser Ansatz führte das Team von Ward auf unerwartete Wege. Ziel war es nicht, die originalen Soundeffekte direkt zu übernehmen, sondern sie so originalgetreu wie möglich nachzubilden, um den Anforderungen des Spiels gerecht zu werden – was in manchen Fällen bedeutete, auf Techniken zurückzugreifen, die das Originalteam vor über 40 Jahren verwendet hatte.
„Wir haben hunderte Stunden Originalaufnahmen gemacht, mit Requisiten wie der Peitsche, dem Fedora-Hut, der Lederjacke und vielen verschiedenen Schuharten auf unterschiedlichsten Oberflächen“, fährt Ward fort. „Insbesondere für die Aufprallgeräusche haben wir Techniken verwendet, die ursprünglich von Ben Burtt und seinem Team genutzt wurden, wie das Schlagen von Lederjacken mit Baseballschlägern. Wir haben auch, wo es möglich war, praktische Effekte eingesetzt, wie das Zupfen von Metallfedern mit angebrachten Kontaktmikrofonen, um in unseren spektakulären Set-Pieces etwas von diesem Old-School-Vibe zu erzeugen.“
Das Ergebnis ist ein Spiel, das sich anhört wie ein Film aus den 80er Jahren – es ist immer noch naturalistisch, aber wenn Du genau hinhörst, wirst Du feststellen, dass es sich anders anfühlt als die meisten modernen Spiele.
Das Gleiche gilt für die Musik – die Soundtracks von John Williams gehören zu den bekanntesten der Kinogeschichte. Doch das Ziel war es nie, sie einfach zu imitieren. MachineGames holte den Komponisten Gordy Haab ins Boot, um dies zu erreichen – eine passende Wahl, da er für seine Arbeit an mehreren Star Wars-Spielen ausgezeichnet wurde, bei denen er sich stark von Williams inspirieren ließ, während er dennoch seine eigene Note einbrachte.
„Es war großartig, mit Gordy als Komponisten für dieses Projekt zusammenzuarbeiten – er hat den Stil und den Ton wirklich getroffen und konnte die Originalpartitur bei Bedarf nachahmen und nahtlos erweitern, während er gleichzeitig völlig neue Themen für unsere Geschichte und Charaktere schuf, die perfekt in das Indiana-Jones-Universum passen“, schwärmt Ward. „Wir waren auch sehr vorsichtig, wann und wo wir bestimmte Themen erstmals einsetzen – der Raider’s March ist das ikonische, sofort erkennbare Thema von Indiana Jones, und wir wollten es an den richtigen Stellen einbauen, aber gleichzeitig unsere eigene musikalische Geschichte mit neuen Themen entwickeln.“
Das Risiko, neue Elemente inmitten eines so ikonischen Soundtracks zu schaffen, bestand darin, dass sie herausstechen könnten – und wieder ging MachineGames über das Übliche hinaus, um sicherzustellen, dass dies nicht geschieht. Haab und Ward recherchierten, wie die Original-Soundtracks aufgenommen wurden, und nahmen ihre eigenen Stücke im gleichen Studio, Abbey Road, auf. Erstaunlicherweise entdeckten sie dabei auch zufällige Verbindungen zum Original:
„Wir hatten sogar ein paar Session-Musiker*innen, die bei den Originalsessions für Raiders mitgespielt haben“, erklärt Ward. “Es war ein schöner Moment, als sie nach Abschluss der Session in den Kontrollraum kamen und uns das erzählten!“
Die Geschichte erzählen
Während die visuelle und akustische Gestaltung des Spiels es dem Team ermöglichte, auf das Vermächtnis der Filme zurückzublicken, musste die Geschichte von Indiana Jones und der Große Kreis etwas vollkommen Neues sein. Sie sollte dennoch perfekt zur Franchise passen – und natürlich auch zu der Zeitspanne zwischen Jäger des verlorenen Schatzes und Tempel des Todes. Für den Lead Narrative Designer Tommy Tordsson Björk war dies eine Herausforderung, die eine ganz andere Art von Recherche erforderte.
„Indiana Jones hat eine unglaublich reiche Überlieferung mit Filmen, Comics, Spielen und mehr, in die wir uns vertiefen und die wir auf unterschiedliche Weise nutzen konnten, nicht nur, um die Spieler in Indys Welt eintauchen zu lassen, sondern auch, um die verschiedenen Geschichten und Charaktere miteinander zu verbinden. In dieser Hinsicht hat uns unsere großartige Zusammenarbeit mit Lucasfilm Games enorm geholfen.“
„Von da an bestand ein Großteil unserer Arbeit bei der Entwicklung des Worldbuildings darin, die 1930er Jahre zu erforschen und diese durch die Linse eines ‚Indy-Matinée-Abenteuers‘ zu betrachten, um sicherzustellen, dass alles authentisch wirkt und der Geschichte dieser Welt treu bleibt.“
Diese Hingabe zeigt sich nicht nur in der Treue zur Indiana Jones-Reihe selbst, sondern auch in der Authentizität der Epoche, in der das Spiel angesiedelt ist. Dies wird deutlich in den Dialogen der Charaktere, in der Welt um Dich herum und sogar in Details wie der historisch korrekten Schreibweise von „Gizeh“. MachineGames – und die Verbindung vieler seiner Entwickler*innen, darunter Björk, zum gefeierten Starbreeze – zeigt, dass das Team viel Erfahrung in der Arbeit mit etablierten Franchises hat, von The Chronicles of Riddick bis The Darkness. Und diese Erfahrung hat sie bei diesem neuen Unterfangen geleitet.
„Unser Ansatz bei all unseren Spielen war es, sie so originalgetreu wie möglich zu gestalten, was die Originale so großartig gemacht hat. Wir wollen nicht das, was bereits erzählt wurde, neu auflegen, sondern stattdessen Neuland betreten, das den gleichen Ton und Geist hervorruft“, sagt Björk. „Ich denke, was uns die Entwicklung von Indy gelehrt hat, ist, wie wichtig es ist, dass der Charakter den Weg sowohl der Geschichte als auch des Gameplays kontrolliert, denn diese Franchise wird so sehr von Indy und dem, was er ist, bestimmt, in noch größerem Maße als die vorherigen Spiele, an denen wir gearbeitet haben.“
Mit der Geschichte spielen
Und das führt uns zum letzten Teil des Entwicklungspuzzles – die Geschichte einer Filmreihe in ein spielbares Erlebnis zu verwandeln. Wie fängt man die Spannung eines straff geschnittenen, linearen Films in einem interaktiven Erlebnis ein, bei dem jede*r Spieler*in die Dinge etwas anders macht und Indy in verschiedene Richtungen lenkt?
Ein Teil davon ist, dass wir uns wieder auf die filmische Umsetzung konzentrieren und so viel von dem, was wir spielen, in reale Performances verankern:
„Wir haben für dieses Spiel so viel Motion-Capturing eingesetzt! Ich denke, das ist die größte Menge an Motion-Capture-Aufnahmen und Stunts, die wir jemals gemacht haben“, sagt Torvenius. „Und einige der Szenen im Spiel sind aus der Perspektive der Stunts ziemlich verrückt. Wir haben eine Reihe von Szenen in Goodbye Kansas in Stockholm gedreht, wo die Deckenhöhe fast 8 Meter beträgt, nur weil für einige Szenen Stunts aus dieser Höhe ausgeführt werden mussten.“
„Wir haben während der gesamten Produktion mit einigen sehr talentierten Stuntmen und -women zusammengearbeitet und ich wage zu behaupten, dass wir zusammen mit unserem Talentdirektor Tom Keegan einige der stärksten Action-Szenen in der Geschichte von MachineGames geschaffen haben. Um den Look und das Feeling der Stunts und Action-Sequenzen aus den frühen Indiana-Jones-Filmen einzufangen, war die Zusammenarbeit verschiedener Teammitglieder von MG erforderlich. Natürlich spielen unser Animation Director Henrik Håkansson und unser Cinematic Director Markus Söderqvist eine wichtige Rolle für das Look-and-Feel der Animationen. Und dann spielt auch die Audioarbeit von Audio Director Pete Ward und seiner Abteilung eine entscheidende Rolle, um sicherzustellen, dass alles filmgetreu klingt.“
Doch auch die kleinsten Details wurden genauestens geprüft – wie zum Beispiel ein einfacher Faustschlag:
„Es war sehr wichtig, dafür zu sorgen, dass der Kampf Spaß macht und sich befriedigend anfühlt und leicht genug ist, um sich darauf einzulassen, aber dann schwer zu meistern ist für diejenigen, die den Schwierigkeitsgrad erhöhen möchten“, erklärt Torvenius. „Wir wollten unbedingt das cineastische Gefühl des Nahkampfs einfangen! Diese schweren, filmreifen Aufprallgeräusche, die gute Reaktion durch das Spritzen von Schweiß und Speichel, wenn man jemandem ins Gesicht schlägt, interessante Animationen und das Verhalten eines massigen Gegenübers, das auf einen zukommt.“
Diese Detailverliebtheit durchzieht das gesamte Spiel. Die Rätsel wurden so gestaltet, dass sie den Geist der Filme widerspiegeln könnten. Schauplätze wurden nicht nur dem realen Leben, sondern auch einem Filmset nachempfunden; und sogar die Möglichkeit, fast jeden verfügbaren Gegenstand sowohl als Ablenkung als auch als Waffe zu verwenden, ist der humorvollen Seite der Filme entlehnt.
„Einer der wichtigsten Bestandteile von Indiana Jones ist definitiv der Humor. Wir haben in allen Bereichen des Spiels hart daran gearbeitet: bei der Erzählung der Geschichte in der Spielumgebung, beim Skript und bei der Sprachausgabe, in Zwischensequenzen und Story-Beats, und er muss unbedingt im Gameplay von Minute zu Minute vermittelt werden, wie z. B. im Kampf. Und es sind nicht nur die Tools, die Du nutzt, sondern auch die harte Arbeit der Entwicklungs- und Animationsteams, die dafür sorgen, dass wir interessante, lohnenswerte und unterhaltsame Take-Down-Animationen haben. Und obendrein braucht man auch noch den bestmöglichen Sound! Und wenn dieser Cocktail genau richtig gemixt ist, voilà – kommt etwas sehr Leckeres und Unterhaltsames dabei heraus!“
Und so schließt sich der Kreis zu der ikonischen Szene mit dem Schwertkämpfer. In einem normalen Spiel würde diese Szene vielleicht keinen Sinn ergeben, wenn sie in ein Videospiel übertragen wird. Aber in Indiana Jones und der Große Kreis? Nun, MachineGames hat die Recherche, die Arbeit und das Engagement investiert, um sicherzustellen, dass Du beim Spielen dieses Spiels – vom Lösen spektakulärer Rätsel bis hin zu beinahe slapstickartigen Kämpfen – das Gefühl bekommst, dass es den klassischen Filmen absolut gerecht wird.
Indiana Jones has a feeling. It’s not just in the more tangible elements – the stories, the hero, or the music – it’s also in the way it was filmed, the minutiae of choreography, and the tone. Those ineffable qualities are what have made this series so beloved, and so lasting. And that’s a very difficult thing to recreate in a video game.
It presented Indiana Jones and the Great Circle developer MachineGames with an extra challenge – not only did the team have to create a fantastic, modern-feeling game, but one that simultaneously captures the magic that swirls around the movies. It comes down to a question of balance: making a compelling game that still looks, feels, acts, and sounds like the movies it’s drawing inspiration from.
In speaking to developers across MachineGames, it’s fascinating to hear how that was achieved, mixing modern game design with traditional filmmaking techniques, all in service of creating something that hits the sweet spot MachineGames has been striving for.
Perhaps one of the best examples of the deep thinking applied comes out of a single scene – one you might even describe as incidental.
‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’ contains perhaps one of cinema’s best-known jokes. A crowd parts, and our hero is faced with a menacing swordsman, brandishing a scimitar. He chuckles darkly, passing his sword from hand to hand, before twirling it with expert precision – a show of how tough this fight will be. Indy grimaces, pulls out his revolver, and drops him with a single shot. What we thought was about to be a fight scene becomes a punchline. It’s perfect.
And it’s exactly the kind of scene that shouldn’t work in a video game. This is effectively the intro to a boss battle – this guy should have multiple attack patterns, three different health bars, the works. As it turns out, that very scene may have started as the challenge the team faced – but it became part of the solution:
“That scene is a very good example of type of humor that one can experience in the classic Indy movies – priceless!”, says Creative Director Axel Torvenius. “What we absolutely have been inspired by from that, and similar scenes, is that very humor. To have varied, engaging and rewarding combat encounters has been very important – but to make sure we spice them up with the Indy-humor has been equally important.”
Taken on a wider level, this tells us a lot about MachineGames’ approach – in almost every regard, the team has gone the extra mile to help capture the movies’ magic, even if they’re not an immediately natural fit for gaming, in a new form. And as you’ll see, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Matinée Idol
“Sitting as close as possible to the original look and feel of ’80s cinema was something we wanted to get right from the beginning,” explains Torvenius. “There was never an interest in reinventing the look or feel of Indiana Jones – the core ambition was always to make sure it really hit home in terms of having a style close to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’.”
You might be surprised at just how deep that effort goes. The team scrutinized the early films, not just for their tone and writing, but for technical detail. What color palettes and film grading were used? Which kind of film stock was in the cameras? How did the original audio team record sound effects? What kind of stunt work was done? And from there, the hard work began – translating those original techniques into not just a modern context, but an entirely different medium.
Some of the stories here are fascinating. Torvenius explains that the team studied how the original film teams created their sets, and applied those rules to locations in the game:
“Obviously in games, the big challenge is that you can constantly peek behind the curtain and go ‘backstage’ – you can roam freely and break the composition. But there are many locations throughout the game where we know from which direction the player will come, or where they will exit and what type of scenery they will see. So we identified those early and pushed those further so we can set the scene more in certain places.”
For cutscenes, which are naturally more controlled, the team could go further: “Another big thing we did for this project was to have a Director of Photography on set for all the cinematic filming in the motion capture studio,” continues Torvenius. “We had the talented Kyle Klütz helping us and working in the mocap studio with this huge, heavy camera dolly rolling around to make sure we captured the right amount of velocity in pan, angular movement, composition and framing. Once we transfer this data into the cutscene shots in the game engine, it gives us a very solid start in terms of a camera work that feels reminiscent of the early Indiana Jones movies.”
Pitch Perfect
Sound is just as important as look for Indiana Jones, of course. From the iconic John Williams score, to the “feel” of its effects, to the iconic Wilhelm Scream (yes, it’s in the game), the soundscape of the movies is just as nostalgic as the look and story.
“The first thing we did was try to identify the core elements of that Indiana Jones sound,” says Audio Director, Pete Ward. “What did we have to nail to evoke the feeling of playing as Indy, in a cinematic way? We sat down as a team and watched all the Indy movies again, and we realized there were several things we absolutely had to get right – Indy’s voice likeness, the musical score, the whip, the revolver, and the punches. There were other things too, like the sound of the puzzles, and the fantastical elements, where we constantly referenced the original movies and [original Indiana Jones sound designer] Ben Burtt’s sound design.”
It led Ward’s team down some unexpected paths. The aim wasn’t to reuse sound effects directly from the game, but reproduce them as faithfully as possible to serve the game’s needs – which in some cases meant returning to techniques used by the original team more than 40 years ago.
“We did hundreds of hours of original recordings, using props like the whip, the fedora, the leather jacket, and lots of different shoe types on lots of different surfaces,” continues Ward. “For impacts in particular, we also used techniques originally used by Ben Burtt and his team, like beating up leather jackets with baseball bats. We also used practical effects where possible, like plucking metal springs with contact mics attached, to get some of that old-school vibe in our spectacular set pieces.”
The result is a game that sounds reminiscent of an ’80’s movie – it’s still naturalistic, but listen closely and you’ll find it comes across in a different way from most modern games.
The same went for the score – John Williams’ soundtracks are among the most recognizable in cinema history, but the aim was never simply to impersonate them. MachineGames brought in composer Gordy Haab to achieve that – a fitting choice given that he’s won awards for his work on multiple Star Wars games by drawing heavy inspiration from Williams, while making them his own.
“Gordy was such a great composer to work with for this project – he really nailed the style and tone, and was able to emulate and seamlessly extend the original score where needed, while also creating entirely new themes for our story and characters that fit perfectly within the Indiana Jones universe,” enthuses Ward. “We were very careful about where and when we first hear certain themes as well – the Raider’s March is the iconic, instantly recognizable theme for Indiana Jones, and we wanted to incorporate it at the right moments, but also develop our own musical story with our own new themes.”
But the risk of creating new elements amid such an iconic score is that they’ll stick out –and again, MachineGames went the extra mile to ensure that this didn’t happen. Haab and Ward researched how the original soundtracks were recorded, and even recorded in the same studio, Abbey Road. Amazingly, they even found out that they’d created accidental connections to the original along the way:
“We even had a couple of session musicians who played on the original sessions for Raiders,” explains Ward. “It was a lovely moment when they came to the control room after the session was finished and told us that!”
Telling the Tale
But where look and sound allowed the team to look back at what had come before, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s story needed to be something entirely new, yet totally fitting for both the franchise – not to mention the game’s setting between ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and ‘The Last Crusade’. For Lead Narrative Designer Tommy Tordsson Björk, it required a different kind of research.
“Indiana Jones has an incredibly rich lore with movies, comic books, games and more that we could dig into and use in different ways, not only for immersing the player in Indy’s world, but also to connect the different stories and characters. In this regard, our great working relationship with Lucasfilm Games helped us enormously.
“From there, a lot of our work when developing the worldbuilding has been devoted to researching the 1930s, and then filtering it through lens of what we call an ’Indy matinée adventure’ to make it feel both authentic and true to the story of this world.”
You’ll see that commitment not just to the Indy series itself, but for the time period in which it’s set, in the ways characters talk, the world around you, and even down to the era-appropriate spelling of Gizeh. MachineGames – and the connection of many of its developers, including Björk, to the acclaimed Starbreeze – means that the team has a lot of experience working with established franchises, from The Chronicles of Riddick to The Darkness, and it’s an experience that guided them in this new endeavour.
“The approach that we’ve had on all of our games is to make them as true to what made the originals so great. We don’t want to retread what has already been told, but instead move into new territory that evokes the same tone and spirit,” says Björk. “I think what the development of Indy has taught us is the importance of letting the character control the path of both the story and the gameplay, because this franchise is so much defined by Indy and who he is to an even greater extent than the previous games we’ve worked on.”
Playing With History
And that leads us to the final piece of the development puzzle – turning the history of a movie series into a playable experience. How do you capture the excitement of a tightly-edited, linear movie in an interactive experience, where every player will choose to do things slightly differently, and take their Indy in different directions?
Part of that is in returning to the movie making of it all, by grounding so much of what we play in real-life performance:
“We have done so much motion capture for this game! I think this is most motion capture and stunts we have ever done,” says Torvenius. “And some of the scenes we have in the game are quite wild from a stunt perspective. We shot a number of scenes at Goodbye Kansas in Stockholm, which has a ceiling height of almost 8 meters, just because some scenes required stunts to be performed from that height.
“We’ve been working with some very talented stuntmen and women throughout the production and together with our talent director Tom Keegan I dare to say we have some of the strongest action scenes from a MachineGames perspective yet. When it comes to capturing the look and feel of the stunts and action sequences in the early Indiana Jones movies, it has been a combined effort from various members within MG; obviously our Animation Director Henrik Håkansson and Cinematic Director Markus Söderqvist has an important part to play here for look and feel of animations. And then the audio work from Audio director Pete Ward and his department also plays an important part in making sure everything sounds true to the movie.”
But even the smallest elements have been scrutinized, like throwing a simple punch, for example:
“It has been very important to make sure the combat feels fun and rewarding and easy enough to get drawn into but then hard to master for the ones that likes to crank up the difficulty settings,” explains Torvenius. “We definitely wanted to capture the cinematic feel of the melee combat! Getting those heavy cinematic impact sounds in, having a good response from the spray of sweat and saliva as you punch someone in the face, interesting animations, and the behaviour of a hulking opponent coming towards you.”
This depth of thought is everywhere in the game. Puzzles have been designed with the spirit of whether they might feel right for the movies; locations given the buzz not just of real-life, but a film set; and even the ability to use almost any disposable item as both a distraction and a weapon is drawn from the comic spirit of the movies.
“One of the core ingredients in Indiana Jones is definitely humour. It is something we have worked hard with across every aspect of the game: environmental storytelling, script and VO, in cutscene and story beats, and it absolutely needs to be conveyed in the minute-to-minute gameplay, such as combat. And it is not only the tools you use but also a lot of hard work from the engineer and animation teams to make sure we have interesting, rewarding and fun take down animations. And on top of all of that you also need the best possible audio! And when that cocktail is shaken just the right amount, voilà – out comes something very delicious and fun!”
Which brings us all the way back round to that iconic scene with the swordsman. In a normal game, no, that scene might not make sense when translated to a video game context. But in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle? Well, MachineGames has put in the research, the work, and the commitment to ensure that, while you’re playing this game – from solving spectacular puzzles to near-slapstick combat – it’ll feel worthy of those classic movies.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (with Game Pass), or Steam on December 9. Premium and Collector’s Editions will offer up to 3 days of early access from December 6.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™: Digital Premium Edition
Bethesda Softworks
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$99.99
Pre-order now or Play on Game Pass* to receive The Last Crusade™ Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip, as seen in The Last Crusade™. *** Live the adventure with the Premium Edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™! INCLUDES: • Base Game (digital code) • Up to 3-Day Early Access** • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants Story DLC† • Digital Artbook • Temple of Doom™ Outfit ***
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark™ and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard. YOU ARE INDIANA JONES Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time. A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces. WHIP-CRACKING ACTION Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery. THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? *Game Pass members get access to all pre-order content as long as Game Pass subscription is active. **Actual play time depends on purchase date and applicable time zone differences, subject to possible outages. †DLC availability to be provided at a later date.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™ Standard Edition
Bethesda Softworks
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$69.99
Pre-order now or Play on Game Pass* to receive The Last Crusade™ Pack with the Traveling Suit Outfit and Lion Tamer Whip, as seen in The Last Crusade™.
***
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark™ and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them – Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard. YOU ARE INDIANA JONES Live the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time. A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITS Travel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces. WHIP-CRACKING ACTION Indiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery. THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY Venture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? *Game Pass members get access to all pre-order content as long as Game Pass subscription is active.
Inventive, open-source, and cost-effective – these words perfectly describe CapibaraZero, a multifunctional security and hacking tool developed by young innovator Andrea Canale.
Inspired by the popular Flipper Zero, a portable device used to interact with digital systems, Canale sought to create a more accessible, Arduino-based alternative.
The original Flipper Zero, known for its ability to read, copy, and emulate RFID tags, NFCs, and even remote control signals, has become a valuable tool for tech enthusiasts. Canale’s CapibaraZero captures much of this functionality but adds his own unique approach and vision.
A student’s vision for an accessible, open-source alternative
A passionate student from the University of Turin, Canale began working on CapibaraZero while still in high school, driven by the desire to build a tool that didn’t just replicate Flipper Zero’s capabilities but improved upon them through the power of open-source design.
CapibaraZero, named after Canale’s favorite animal, combines an Arduino Nano ESP32 with custom-designed PCB boards, making it adaptable and expandable. With sections dedicated to Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, infrared, NFC, and even network attacks, CapibaraZero allows users to experiment with multiple forms of wireless communication and digital security protocols in a way that’s affordable and accessible.
A tool for experimentation and learning
What makes CapibaraZero remarkable is not only its functionality but also Canale’s dedication to ensuring it remains open-source, user-friendly, and continually evolving. With additional modules for advanced features like Sub-GHz communication and network attacks (such as ARP poisoning and DHCP starvation), CapibaraZero empowers enthusiasts to expand the tool’s potential beyond traditional hacking devices.
Stefano’s first computer, a Commodore Vic20, was something he could program himself and opened up a world of possibilities. Most importantly, this first computer awakened Stefano to the idea of tinkering and eventually led to him pursuing a degree in electronic engineering. Over the past 20 years he has worked with many tech startups and software companies, often with Apache Frontier Foundation, where he became a fellow and met many passionate inventors. Fably, however, was very much inspired by Stefano’s own family, particularly his nine-year-old daughter who kept asking him to invent new stories.
Stefano had encountered LLMs (large language models) while working at Google Research and wondered whether he could use one to create a storytelling machine. Stefano found the command of language impressive but the LLM “felt like talking to a person that spoke like a college professor but had the understanding of the world of a five-year-old. It was a jarring experience especially when they confidently made stuff up.” The phenomenon is often referred to as ‘hallucination’ but Stefano says some colleagues at Google call it ‘fabulism’. He prefers this term and it is the origin of his Raspberry Pi project’s name. Importantly, ‘fably’ is also a word the text to speech synthesis API can pronounce.
As well as making more sense than an overconfident LLM, the smart storyteller needed to come up with compelling stories that engaged the listener and be sufficiently autonomous that it could be used without continuous adult supervision. Being an ambitious, entrepreneurial type, Stefano also wondered about the commercial possibilities and whether Fably could be made at a sufficiently low cost to build a community around it. He notes that children are demanding users being both “impatient and used to interactivity as a foundational aspect of learning”. It would be critical that the “time to first speech” (the time from the last word the child said and the first word coming out of the machine) could not be more than a few seconds.
Every cloud
Since LLMs are very resource-intensive (as he knew from working on machine learning at Google), Stefano chose a cloud API-based approach to address the need for speed, and Raspberry Pi to keep costs down so other technically minded makers could create their own. Raspberry Pi felt like the best choice because of its price, availability, fantastic and very active community, and because it runs Linux directly – a development environment Stefano felt right at home in. Additional hardware such as a microphone could also be added easily. Stefano praised Raspberry Pi’s “relatively stable” I/O pinout across versions in ensuring “a healthy and diverse ecosystem of extension boards”, which could prove important should Fably become a commercial product.
Fably makes full use of OpenAI cloud APIs, alongside a text-to-speech synthesiser with a warm and cosy voice. Stefano’s daughter enjoys the fact that she hears a slightly different story even if she makes the same request. Using a cloud setup means each story costs a few cents, but Fably can be set up to cache stories as well as to cap cloud costs.
Willkommen bei Next Week on Xbox! Wie immer stellen wir Dir alle neuen Spiele vor, die bald für Xbox Series X|S und Xbox One, Windows und im Game Pass erhältlich sind. Klick Dich einfach durch die Spiel-Details, um mehr zu möglichen Vorbestellungen zu erfahren (Änderungen vorbehalten).
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Wir schreiben das Jahr 2053. Die Welt, wie wir sie kennen, ist in einem längst vergessenen Krieg untergegangen. Seitdem herrscht Ungerechtigkeit in Viridis, einer großen Stadt, die aus der gefährlichen Blind City und der luxuriösen Bright City besteht. Du schlüpfst in die Rolle des ehemaligen Polizeidetektivs Axel McCoin und wirst zur zentralen Figur bei der Aufdeckung eines Korruptionsplans, der den instabilen Frieden von Viridis bedroht.
Game Pass / Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Ein handgezeichneter 2D-Action-Plattformer mit vielen Geschichten und einem von Sekiro inspirierten, ablenkungsbasierten Kampfsystem. Begib Dich auf eine Reise durch eine asiatisch inspirierte Fantasiewelt. Erkunde ein Land, das einst von einer uralten Alienrasse beherrscht wurde, und folge einem rachsüchtigen Helden auf der Suche nach den 9 Sols − den mächtigen Herrscher*innen dieses verlassenen Reiches.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S
Du wirst von einem maskierten Eingeborenen aus dem Wasser gezogen. Mit seiner Hilfe begibst Du Dich auf eine Reise in die Tiefen einer geheimnisvollen Insel. Stelle Dich den Herausforderungen und entdecke unbekannte Orte wie einen gefährlichen Vulkan, mysteriöse Wesen und mystische Stämme. Was wirst Du tun, um zu überleben?
Das Spiel umfasst 50 Level mit steigendem Schwierigkeitsgrad und der Einführung neuer Mechaniken, während Du voranschreitest. Du kannst drei unterschiedliche Größen annehmen: klein, mittel und groß. Sammelst Du einen Samen ein, wächst Du; nimmst Du Schaden, schrumpfst Du. Wenn Du als kleine Figur Schaden nimmst, ist das Spiel vorbei.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S
Tauche erneut in Hanwell ein und entdecke die Welt – in den tieferen Teilen Londons. Erkunde eine düstere, atmosphärische Version von Westminster und seinen verschiedenen Orten, die voller Geschichten und Geheimnisse stecken, die Du entdecken kannst. Sammle knappe Vorräte wie Waffen und Munition, während Du die Umgebung kreativ nutzt, um die Anomalien auszuschalten − ein verzweifelter Kampf ums nackte Überleben.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Tauche in die erbarmungslose Welt von Death Elevator ein, einem Low-Poly-FPS, in dem jede Entscheidung zählt und jede Begegnung Deine letzte sein könnte. Mit einem One-Hit-Death-Mechanismus und dynamischer Slow-Motion erfordert jeder Kampf Präzision und schnelle Reflexe. Kämpfe Dich durch zufällige Stockwerke und stelle Dich gegnerischen Horden mit ständig wechselnden Waffen, während Du das Geheimnis hinter dem Aufzug lüftest.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
Beweise Deine Logik und Deinen schnellen Verstand, um Ada zu helfen, Codeland zu retten! Besiege Gegner*innen und räume Dungeons in diesem spannenden Action-Abenteuer, das voller logischer Rätsel, Schleifen und unterhaltsamer visueller Algorithmen steckt und für Spieler*innen aller Altersgruppen geeignet ist.
Nach einer dreijährigen Pause ist das offizielle Spiel der MXGP zurück. Alle offiziellen Motorräder und 20 Strecken des 2024-Kalenders bieten Dir das volle Meisterschaftserlebnis. Über 50 Fahrer*innen aus offiziellen Teams wie Red Bull KTM, Red Bull GasGas, Monster Energy Yamaha, Honda HRC, Kawasaki, Nestaan Husqvarna, Monster Energy Triumph, Fantic und Beta MRT stehen Dir zur Verfügung.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
The Battle of Penguin’s Road ist ein schneller und unterhaltsamer Third-Person-Action-Shooter. Du erhältst ein ganzes Arsenal an Waffen und Werkzeugen, um Gegner*innen zu besiegen, die Dich vom Land, aus der Luft und von Wasser aus angreifen. Meistere Schießereien, Feuergefechte, Fern- und Nahkampf und kommandiere Panzer, um den Sieg zu erringen!
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S
Ein packendes Top-Down-Rogue-like-Actionspiel, in dem Du als Held*in aus Sagen und Legenden gegen Horden alptraumhafter Kreaturen kämpfst. Stelle Dich nervenaufreibenden Kämpfen und Herausforderungen. Nach dem Erfolg von Curse of the Dead Gods kehrt Passtech Games mit einer verbesserten Formel und einem fesselnden Spielerlebnis mit endlosem Wiederspielwert zurück. Spiele allein oder schließe Dich mit bis zu vier Spieler*innen im Koop-Modus zusammen!
Ein entspannendes Puzzle-Spiel, in dem Du daran arbeitest, die Energiesysteme eines beschädigten Raumschiffs wiederherzustellen. Deine Hauptaufgabe besteht darin, Reaktoren zu bewegen und das Stromnetz zu aktivieren, indem Du richtungs- und farbbasierte Herausforderungen löst. Das Spiel bietet neue Level und Hindernisse, die für zusätzliche Tiefe sorgen, während das zugängliche und leicht verständliche Gameplay der Reihe beibehalten wird.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Willkommen bei Find Love or Die Trying, der Dating-Show, bei der ein Leben als Single ein tödliches Ende bedeutet! Wirst Du die wahre Liebe finden – oder nur ein Rendezvous mit dem Tod?
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Erkunde fast 180 Territorien und Zehntausende von Städten. Baue Flughäfen an beliebigen Orten und starte den weltweiten Passagiertransport. Passe Deine Strategie an die Gegebenheiten der verschiedenen Regionen an: Kürzere Routen sind in Gebieten wie Europa leichter zu verwalten, während Fernverbindungen in weitläufigen Regionen sorgfältige Planung erfordern, um die höheren Kosten zu bewältigen.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Rase durch 30 actiongeladene Hochgeschwindigkeits-Rennstrecken und kämpfe um den Ersten Platz in jedem Wettkampf. Hol Dir Geschwindigkeitsschübe, während Du rutschigen Bananenschalen ausweichst. Sammle Nitroflaschen, um Dein Fahrzeug auf Höchsttempo zu bringen. Sammle Coins, um sie im In-Game-Store gegen stylishe neue Skins einzutauschen. Weiche Schlägen und Tritten aus und überhole Deine Gegner*innen auf abwechslungsreichen Strecken rund um die Welt. Der große Furious Biker-Pokal wartet auf Dich!
Erlebe über 50 einzigartige Level, jedes mit seinen eigenen Hindernissen, Überraschungen und Wendungen. Dank der einfachen Steuerung lernst Du das Spiel im Handumdrehen. Mit drei Spielmodi wirst Du Dich schnell vom Neuling zum Meister-Putter hocharbeiten!
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Shines Over: The Damned entführt Dich in ein einzigartiges, experimentelles Horrorerlebnis aus der Ich-Perspektive, bei dem Deine Sinne auf die Probe gestellt und Deine Wahrnehmung der Realität in Frage gestellt wird. Du hast keinen Namen, keine Erinnerungen und keine Waffen. Es gibt niemanden, der Dich beschützt. Du bist völlig allein – bis auf Deinen treuen Deutschen Schäferhund, der Dich durch diese düstere Welt führt und stets an Deiner Seite bleibt.
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
The year is 2053. The world as we know it came to an end in a war lost to time. Now, only inequality remains, in the form of Viridis, the great city that encompasses the dangerous Blind City and the luxurious Bright City. As former police detective Axel McCoin, you will become the key piece to unmask a plot of corruption and power that plagues the unstable peace of Viridis.
A lore-rich, hand-drawn 2D action-platformer with Sekiro-inspired, deflection-based combat. Embark on a journey through an Asia-inspired fantasy world, explore a land once ruled by an ancient alien race, and follow a vengeful hero on a quest to slay the 9 Sols—the powerful rulers of this forsaken realm.
You are pulled out of the water by a masked native. With his help, you begin a journey into the depths of a mysterious island. Face the challenges that await you and uncover yet undiscovered places like a dangerous volcano, mysterious figures, and mystical tribes. What will you do to survive?
The game has 50 levels, with increasing difficulty and the introduction of new mechanics as the player progresses. Players can have three distinct sizes: small, medium, and large, growing whenever they collect a seed and shrink one size when they take damage (see board tiles/enemies). If the character takes damage when small, the game ends.
Step back into Hanwell and discover the world beyond it, set in the deeper parts of London. Explore a rich, atmospheric take on Westminster and its various Locations, filled with lore and secrets to discover as you scavenge scarce supplies like weapons and ammo as you utilize the environment in creative ways to take out the Anomolies in a frantic effort to simply survive.
Enter the relentless world of Death Elevator, a sleek, low-poly FPS where every decision matters and every encounter could be your last. With a one-hit death mechanic and dynamic slow-motion, each battle demands precision and quick reflexes. Ascend through randomized floors, battling waves of enemies with ever-changing weapons, as you unravel the mystery behind the elevator.
Show your logical skills and quick mind to help Ada save Codeland by defeating enemies and clear dungeons in this fun and thrilling action adventure full of logical puzzles, loops, and fun visual algorithms suited for players of all ages.
After a 3-year break, the official game of the MXGP is back. All the official bikes and 20 tracks of the 2024 calendar await to give you the full championship experience. Over 50 riders are available, including those from official teams like Red Bull KTM, Red Bull GasGas, Monster Energy Yamaha, Honda HRC, Kawasaki, Nestaan Husqvarna, Monster Energy Triumph, Fantic and Beta MRT.
The Battle of Penguin’s Road is a fast and fun 3rd-person action shooter. The player is given an arsenal of weapons and tools to defeat enemies that attack from the land, sea and air. Master run-and-gun, cover-shooting, long aims, close blasts, melee and commanding tanks for victory!
A top-down rogue-like action game in which you play as heroes of tales and legends that must slay hordes of nightmarish creatures in nerve-racking fights. After the success of Curse of the Dead Gods, Passtech Games returns with an improved formula and a compelling game experience with endless replay value. It can be played solo or with up to four players in co-op.
A relaxing puzzle game where players work to restore the energy systems of a damaged spaceship. The main objective is to move reactors and activate the power grid, solving directional and color-based challenges. The game introduces new levels and obstacles that add depth while keeping the series’ accessible and easy-to-pick-up gameplay.
Embark on a chilling journey with the Thornvale family as they confront a malevolent force unleashed by their own patriarch’s archaeological discoveries. With each passing night, the family is tormented by terrifying apparitions and escalating paranormal activity, leading them to unravel dark secrets buried within the walls of their own home.
Explore nearly 180 territories and tens of thousands of cities. Build airports anywhere and start transporting passengers globally. Adapt your strategy to different regions: shorter routes are easier to manage in places like Europe, while long-distance connections in vast areas will require careful planning due to higher costs.
Blast through 30 high-intensity action-packed racetracks as you compete to be the fastest in every contest. Catch bursts of speed while avoiding slippery banana peels. Grab bottles of nitro to build up your vehicle speed. Collect coins to trade in for stylish new custom skins from the in-game store. Dodge punches and kicks and outrun opponents on different tracks around the world. The big Furious Biker trophy awaits you.
Enjoy over 50 unique levels, each with its own set of obstacles, twists, and turns. Its simple controls make it a snap to learn from the outset and through its three modes, you’ll soon go from fledgling to master putter.
Shines Over: The Damned will take you into a unique experimental horror experience in first person, where your senses will be tested and your reality questioned. You have no name, no memory, no weapons. There are no friends to protect you. You are alone except for your faithful German Shepherd dog, who will guide you through this dark world and stay by your side.
Following the success of Iron Meat’s launch back in September, the team at Retroware has been hard at work charting the path forward with planning major content updates to their modern retro gem!
With the first major update arriving on Xbox, you can experience a fine platter of new content to sink your teeth into!
Mirror, Mirror
One of the highly requested new features in the game is Mirror Mode–an option that lets you run through every level, but this time to the left! While flipping the x-axis may seem like a trivial update, facing every enemy, every boss, and every level becomes a whole new experience. Players can unlock this mode after beating the game for the first time on any difficulty!
Red Rapid Fire
A second new feature is the automatic Supercharge upgrade–or the “third” tier of possible weapon upgrades. With the Supercharge upgrade active on a player, all of that player’s projectiles will now have a red coloration, instead of maintaining their blue or green colors, regardless of their current upgrade tier.
So, if a player has one or two guns that are fully upgraded (as in, they fire green projectiles instead of blue), they can try to pick up a third copy of that gun(s) and be rewarded with an automatic Supercharge (Rapid Fire) upgrade, coupled together with a new red color for their projectiles!
My 1UPs, Thank You
With this first major update, we’re happy to announce that all extra lives players earn while playing through a level will be kept as you start a new level. In other words, you now get to keep extra lives if you finish a level with more lives than you started with.
Visual Enhancements to Level Backgrounds
We’ve gone back to the backgrounds of certain levels and added in some more details that we believe will really drive home some of the unspoken narrative points relevant to Iron Meat’s story. Some of these new details include: adding a brief section where the helicopter flies in shooting down at Meat monsters on Forest, adding in spikes to the midboss on Base, adding in surviving pilots to the ending credits animation, and explosive impacts from the Meat meteors on Train.
Other Updates
In addition to minor bug fixes on the backend, we’ve also:
Buffed the default damage dealt by the “E”, “U”, and “M” guns.
Added more Meat to different sections of the Moon Base.
Retooled certain patterns of the MI-24 helicopter boss fight to be more clear.
And slightly changed sections of all levels to be more fair to the player (for example: Meat worms are now killable on Base the second they appear, the Meat Mouth Doors on Train are now killable, and other minor fixes).
We wanted to give players a taste of what we’ve got in store for Iron Meat’s future, and we can’t wait to share even more new content with updates later down the line!Iron Meat is available now!
Iron Meat
Retroware
☆☆☆☆☆74
★★★★★
$19.99
Iron Meat is a fast-paced, run-and-gun shooter that immerses players in a world overrun by The Meat–an all-consuming interdimensional biomass. With a mix of classic arcade and console mechanics, players will battle against mutated victims and machines, dodge bullet barrages, and crush bosses in nine levels of gore-ific brutality. As Vadim, fight back against The Meat and stop the terrors spawned from scientist Yuri Markov’s experiments on the Moon. MULTI-PHASE BOSS FIGHTS
Iron Meat pays homage to classic run-and-gun titles from the past, with intense boss fights fixed into multiple phases. With three difficulty settings to choose from, players can put their skills to the test, where a higher difficulty is rewarded with an even more challenging boss battle. MULTIPLAYER COUCH CO-OP
Who says you have to take on The Meat invasion alone? With 2-player couch co-op, you can grab a buddy to leave a trail of bloody, Meat-infected corpses together! It’s double the firepower, double the carnage, and double the MEAT! OVER 30 UNLOCKABLE SKINS
You don’t have to be a soldier to fight against The Meat. Hell, you don’t even have to be a HUMAN to do so! With over 30 unlockable skins to choose from, players can customize their character the way they want. Each skin comes with interchangeable parts, allowing for greater customization with mixing and matching. Want a shark head on a robot body with dinosaur feet? DONE. Maybe a half human, half doggo? YOU BET! Or how about a cowboy with a tail and demon wings? Hmm…YEP!
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