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An Excellent Gen Con Adventure. What’s Next? You might be asking where the round-up for day two is, but I’ll let you in on a secret: There isn’t one! Gen Con day two ended up a day of wandering, and while I did see a lot of great stuff, I didn’t have any specific meetings or get a chance to talk to many of the people at the booths. Instead, I took a moment to try out some stuff we got from day one, and spent some time with family. More to come on those titles as we get some reviews rolling out moving forward. As for days 3 and 4, it was another hectic two days, but just as full of wonder as the previous ones. Although I missed the cosplay parade, I have a number of booths and games I want to highlight that looked great to me. Rose Gauntlet Entertainment Gone to Gaia A roguelite narrative campaign on a tabletop board where what remains of civilization looks to fight off monstrous sea creatures to survive and find the path to Gaia. The version we played included these really incredible miniatures for all of the enemies and player characters, which will be available in one version of the game upon its intended release in October. Combat is a lot of fun, and the artwork on the board, cards, and other game materials is absolutely lovely. We only had an hour to play, which was enough to get through the demo scenario, but I really wish we had more time to play around with it. There seems to be a lot of variability in play, living up to its roguelite name.  Coffee Cat Board Games Super Battle Mon A lighter TCG that does not have card rarity, meaning each card is of equal rarity, so building a deck is a much more simple process than the average TCG. Decks are made up of only 7 cards, and games take around 3 minutes total. Cards have a really clean artstyle, and are simple to understand. We’ll have a more thorough review soon, but I think this is a great jumping off point for small children into the TCG space. Burning Wheel  Torchbearer Not something that was demoed, as this is a full-fledged TTRPG system, but the staff at the booth gave me a quick rundown of the title. Intended to be more reminiscent of early TTRPG titles, Torchbearer  is a more punishing dungeon-crawling experience with an emphasis on survival and exploration. Sounds like a great fit for more hardcore players looking for some extra crunch and the artwork is gorgeous to boot. North Star Games Nature Nature is a strategy board game where the focus is on growing and maintaining a population of your species. It can be played between 1-4 players, and is fundamentally a competitive game. Having the chance to play with and examine the physical and digital versions of the game, it comes off as quite easy to jump into, with simple starting mechanics that anyone could pick up. Luckily, there is also a lot of room for strategizing and optimization.Part of that is certainly due to the fact that both versions of the game were developed in tandem, with the team able to playtest and collect data through their remote digital sessions. There are also additional modules available that act as a sort of scenario modifier, such as different locals, or a focus on other species — all of which can be mixed and matched without compatibility issues. If you don’t have your eye on this one yet, I recommend a serious look. Everything I played was awesome, and the team behind it has a clear passion for the project. It can absolutely fit in with more casual groups, as well as hardcore ones. Thames & Kosmos We actually got demos of other games on top of what is here as this is a pretty huge space, but I wanted to take the time to highlight 3 specific games that we saw and will be reviewing in the future. Australis First up is Australis. This game has a little bit of everything: resource management, dice-rolling, strategy, etc.. It’s a really gorgeous looking game with colorful pieces and a beautiful board that you use to move your sea turtles along a path. This one is multiplayer only, but it isn’t too complex, so it could be played with even novice tabletop players. We were drawn in by the aesthetic, but the game is a ton of fun in actual play among a group of friends. Catch The Moon A stacking game with a very simple premise. Roll a die, see what you have to do, then place your ladder in a way that meets the conditions set by our die. If a player places a ladder and it falls, they take a tear token, Once all tears have been taken, the player with the fewest wins. It’s a really cute aesthetic, with gameplay that looks appropriate for all ages. Kind of like an inverted Jenga in the sense that you’re building, rather than removing pieces. EXIT: The Game - Adventures on Catan I have never played an EXIT game, but I have done escape rooms, and this title is Catan-flavored spin on those. It is essentially a one-time use game that you can use to set up an escape room in your own home or other space. We will be doing a full review on this at a later date. Phase Shift Games Drop Drive This is known as a “Drop-style” game, which essentially means the game's pieces are dropped from above the play space into an area to create a board state which you then play off of. Planets, resources, events — everything is semi randomized as far as location goes. Wherever the pieces land is where they are when you play. Really neat concept, and the pieces have a lot of color and personality to them. The basic premise is that you are piloting a ship and you can collect resources to sell on planets, but there are other avenues of play available such as combat that allow the freedom to kind of do whatever you want. Widget's Workshop Another drop-style game where the pieces are laid out on the play space via dropping them from above. The idea is to pick up pieces in order to build a robot, with points being scored based on how well it is put together. It’s got some cute art, and the pieces fit together to show you your robot in-progress as you play. Mythic Earth Not a game, per se, but this booth had some amazing miniatures related to pre-colonial Central and South American civilizations, such as the Inca and Maya. You don’t see a lot of representation in these spaces for such unique cultures, so it was really great to see. They also have a DnD setting book, complete with stat blocks and other information if you wanted to incorporate that into your game.  SlugFest Games The Red Dragon Inn: Adventure is Nigh! Simply another character pack for RDI featuring characters from the YouTube Series “Adventure is Nigh!” from the likes of Yahtzee Croshaw. The additional “Extras Pack” also features some new prizes and an entirely new tavern to play with. Positano A competitive strategy game where you are fighting over real estate for an ocean view off the Amalfi coast of Italy. Seems quite strategic in terms of how best to manage your building processes. The tokens and pieces were really neat, overall, with the buildings stacking easily, and various parts being easily identifiable. I really loved the color palette and designs on the pieces, with an almost pastel look to the game. Hit Point Press Floral Dragons Not a lot to say here, but this book contains some truly stunning artwork of Floral-inspired dragons, all based upon real flowers. The book comes with ecology notes and even stat blocks for DnD 5E. Just a bafflingly gorgeous work of artistry through-and-through. Grand Gamers Guild Tír na nÓg A game after my own heart, Tír na nÓg takes inspiration from celtic mythology for its setting and gameplay. The artwork is amazing, and the game seems fairly simple to play. You place tokens between the cards in the shared grid. When all tokens have been placed, you draft cards and add them to your hand, which are then added to your tableau. Each player has some goals to achieve, and you earn points for having the most connected Story cards of each color. The highest score wins.  Luma Imports Zenith A sort of tug-of-war type game where you are trying to build your ship to end the game. I was really impressed by the tactile feel of the game, with pieces made of a faux wood that just feels great to hold. It has a slick, distinct design, and a unique board layout that is sure to catch your eye. Can either be played with two or four people (broken up in a 2v2 scenario). It’s really fun to play, but I was struggling to wrap my head around some of the finer details of the mechanics. That could very well just be a me problem! CookieRun Braverse Trading Card Game A simpler, more affordable take on a TCG. Not much to say yet, as I haven’t gotten to playing it myself, but it gets bonus points for being cute enough that my child stole a deck the second I got home. And that’s the big rundown for the final two days of the con! Be sure to check out the day 1 round-up for other great things we saw along the way! We’ll have full reviews out of some games and items we got in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Gen Con 2025 has just begun The first day of Gen Con is in the books, and I’m pretty blown away. This is not only my first Gen Con, but my first major Con of any kind, so everything here feels so new to me in many respects. I have been so blown away by not just the games and merch on display, but all of the people running the booths as well. Everyone has been so generous with their time and cordial, it has made this much easier on me as a first-time press member at the event.  That said, I did see a ton of cool things today, so here’s a quick rundown of some of the things we had the opportunity to play, have demoed for us, or otherwise caught our eye. Capstone Games Sanctuary This was the big demo for today. A really fun and interesting title where you are working on building an animal sanctuary, collecting points along the way. I have not played Ark Nova myself, but the team behind this title indicated that it is quite a bit more simple than that title.  That’s not to say it is in any way shallow. There are certainly a lot of avenues for strategy, and you can definitely feel the care the team behind it put into making it a smooth experience to play while retaining that sense of mechanical depth. Up or Down I didn’t play this title at the con, but I received a copy to try out at home. Only one game played so far, and I can see where this would fit in for group settings or family gatherings. It’s a very simple game to pick up and play (something even the most novice players could figure out), while also taking a short amount of time to complete. I didn’t love it, but the simplicity does allow for a more broad audience to give it a spin. Moose Games MENAGERIE The small demo I saw didn’t give me a great idea of the gameplay, but this title sees you collecting insects as part of a menagerie to collect points. You can actually play this one solo, so if you just want to look at some cool bugs, it might just be the perfect title for you. I was most impressed by the artwork on the cards, which feature these lovely renditions of the real-life insects the cards represent. They really are gorgeous, and wouldn’t be out of place on display in a picture frame at home, if not for the game’s iconography covering the cards. HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS: REACH FOR THE STARS   I loved seeing this one in action. Moose Games already has some really great children’s titles that my son and I play, but this has risen to the top of my list as far as titles I want to bring home. Another simple title, REACH FOR THE STARS  could be played with young children quite easily. Just roll the cute figurines and see if any of the ones on the board match the orientation of the images on your card. It also comes with a nice Hello Kitty holding purse for the game pieces, or for personal use.  POPPY'S PLAYTIME: FACTORY FRENZY Despite video games being our forte, I am not actually familiar with the Poppy’s Playtime series. However, the team behind the board game had a clear appreciation for the video game it was based upon. Obviously, Poppy’s Playtime is not the type of title you can just slap on a board game and have it translate easily, so it was really cool to see what they did to try and capture the essence of the video game and bring it to the table, complete with a Huggy Wuggy spinner figurine that chases players around Cephalofair Games, Snapshot Games Inc., Arc Games Frosthaven Digital Another blindspot for me, but I’ve never played Gloomhaven on tabletop or digital, and I’ve never played Frosthaven , either. Getting the chance to play a demo of the digital title just prior to early access, I’m excited to see the full game in action. I had fun with the demo, but perhaps more importantly, I had a great chat with Isaac Childres (designer of Gloomhaven and Frosthaven ) and got some insight into his journey and development process. This one is definitely on my radar going forward. Nomnivore Games, Pixels Dice Get Baked! No true demo for this one due to shipping delays (a major throughline for many of the games, actually), but I got a quick rundown of the game and got to take a look at some of the art, as well as chat with the team about it. It looks fun, so I would keep an eye out for it when it finally drops. Also, the design aesthetic for the games here is really great. I mean, look at this cutie: Pixels Dice Perhaps the most singularly impressive thing I saw today, point-blank-period. I’m going to swing back to this one at a later date, but here’s the long and short of it. The dice that were shown to me could be illuminated with different colors, patterns, etc., and you could even customize the sounds played when rolling numbers on your die — all of which could be changed via an app on your phone. I think this is an excellent tool for accessibility, but is also great for kids or any other person who just wants to have a little more fun with the dice-rolling experience. Plus One Exp No actual play or true demos of any of these titles, but the premise of each was really interesting. I got a few quickstarts to work with, plus a more in-depth explanation of The Walls Will Swallow You and Hellwhalers , and I’d like to give each a look in earnest when I can get back home and play them in a group. Gundam I’m really hoping I can get a better look at these later this weekend, and specifically see the Gundam Card Game  in action, but just the main display was breathtaking in its own right. The cards have some truly phenomenal art, and I’m a big Gundam fan, so seeing them translated here was great. They also have some “Assemble Kits”, which are miniatures you put together as representative tokens of the cards in the card game (they don’t confer tangible benefits, they just look cool). And that’s it for day one! I want to reiterate that I remain overwhelmed not only by the craftsmanship and passion of the teams behind the games, but also their generosity and politeness in my visits. I saw so many cool things today, it's hard to wrap my head around it all, and every bit of interaction I had was a positive one. It feels almost surreal to see this many people in one place being so positive about a shared passion — especially at this specific moment in time. Here’s hoping the rest of the convention is just as fulfilling!

Don't go looking for evil. You might just find it. Every bit of the introductory segment in One-Eyed Likho  is a little bit disorienting — a bell tolls, a smith hammers an axe on the anvil, and a raven pecks at the moon. Between the chain of events, only a smash cut is used to tie them together, engendering a sense of unease as your eyes follow the dark and discombobulating sequence. Soon, you’re sitting face-to-face and sharing a drink with your friend, The Tailor, and although the image is a bit blurry due to your assumed drunkenness, it feels as if a bit of sanity has crept back into the scene. Things change quickly, thanks to another smash cut, and massive claws tap upon the table in front of you. In your drunken stupor, you determine it is best to go searching for evil in the world. The sound design, visuals, and camerawork push the scene forward in ways that feel a bit nightmarish — something that will hold true throughout the entirety of the game’s runtime. Its greyscale visual style also lends itself well to this sullen atmosphere, enhancing the mood of any given moment through its excellent use of light and dark imagery, and the interplay between those two elements. Publisher: Morteshka Developer:   Morteshka Platform:  Played on PC (Steam) Availability:  Released on July 28, 2025 for Windows PC (Steam). Set in Russia and based on an old Slavic fairy tale, One-Eyed Likho  embraces the fantastical, leading you through mesmerizing environments as you try to find a way out of the desperate and horrific circumstances that have befallen you, thanks in no small part to your own hubris. Playing as The Smith, you start the journey to find evil in earnest by traveling through the Dark Forest, dragging The Tailor along for the trek. It’s not long before it becomes obvious things are amiss as you arrive at a seemingly abandoned cabin in the woods. That cabin lays the groundwork for the story, drawing you into the world of Likho and other fables, but it also sets the table for what to expect going forward in the gameplay. Tight corners, dark rooms, and grotesque figures make up much of the scenery, with very little visibility. Claustrophobic is the term best used here in these tight passages, a feeling accentuated even further if you play in the “Cinematic” visual mode, a tighter aspect ratio view of the game that further limits your field of vision. Here you’ll obtain the matchbox, which will serve as your only real tool for a majority of the game. This matchbox is integral not only for visibility, providing much-needed light in many scenarios, but also as your puzzle-solving mechanism; lighting debris or objects on fire is how you clear nearly every obstacle within One-Eyed Likho . While that dark and moody visual style produces some great ambience, it does do a bit of a disservice to the environments themselves, as so many details are outright obscured unless you take the time to painstakingly light a match every few seconds to explore. Exploring in that manner is technically possible, seeing as there is little urgency baked into the gameplay systems. Despite the game feeding you constant reminders about the demon stalking you, Likho herself very seldom makes an appearance, and when she does it’s mostly non-threatening. Likho is slow, with a short range of vision, and she’s easily outmaneuvered. Coupled with the downright simple puzzles throughout the odyssey, this lack of tension undercuts the frankly stunning atmospheric elements of the game. There’s absolutely no reason to ever feel rushed or scared as you make your way through those dark corridors. No reason to fear what might lie around the corner or in the rafters. One-Eyed Likho is visually stunning, utilizing surreal environments and stark contrast to create its eerie atmosphere. That breezy gameplay design does allow the player to explore more freely and there are quite a few collectibles to gather. Matryoshka dolls, manuscript pages, totems, and other items litter the environments. Many of these only require simple exploration and interaction to acquire, but others are more involved, needing minigames or slightly more advanced puzzles to be completed before being added to your collection. The additional fables and murals along the way are a great touch that add to that fantastical feeling the game so deftly navigates, but with so many of the fables being near identical, reading them feels more than a bit redundant.  Dialogue feels much the same in many instances, with repeated ideas or lines rearing their head throughout your conversations with The Tailor. And while the game does offer you quite a few opportunities for choosing your dialogue, the options are quite vague and you’re never fully sure what your character will say when you pick one. The instances where you do get to sit down and talk to The Tailor still remain positive, despite the uncertainty behind your choices, as they offer some insight into the world you are currently in and the mentality of the characters themselves. Of course, I feel the repetition is intentional. Those manuscripts all contain similar fables, all of which are not only connected with each other, but also feed into the overarching narrative you find yourself working through. Those dialogues and images are there to hammer home the point that you’re not coming out of this whole — something about you will have been irrevocably altered at the end of all of this. Despite the intent, I do find that repetition overdone and it diminishes the excitement of finding those hidden items, quelling any desire to find all of the pieces for any reason other than to say you did. Those dialogues and images are there to hammer home the point that you’re not coming out of this whole — something about you will have been irrevocably altered at the end of all of this. This disconnect between the atmospheric elements and the actual mechanical gameplay is perhaps my largest disappointment with One-Eyed Likho . It is an absolutely visually stunning game, with striking environments and smart use of lighting that instills feelings of unease and fear into a player, but those facets are so thoroughly undermined by the mechanical components of the game that it drags everything down. Despite the minor technical hiccups like invisible barriers blocking puzzles or manuscripts lighting themselves on fire before I could read them, I would never go so far as to say the gameplay was bad — it simply left me wanting. I wanted to see more of Likho, I wanted more variety in gameplay, and I wanted to feel like I wasn’t wasting my time exploring.  Thankfully, the visual identity of the game and the exceptionally strong closing segments leave a lasting impression. Despite my qualms with this title, the issues with the gameplay seem to blur a bit when I try to focus in on them — much like The Smith’s vision at the beginning of the game — and I’m left instead with a game whose distinctive imagery is seared into my memory. Verdict One-Eyed Likho is a fascinating, surreal, and almost hypnotic experience. The strong visual style and artistic direction of the game make it a truly enthralling title to behold. While the puzzles and overall gameplay are a bit lacking in terms of crafting an engaging or exciting adventure, the atmospheric elements are unmatched. Image Credits: Morteshka Disclosure: We received a free review copy of this product from the publisher.

I resisted. I’m still here. Trigger Warning: this page contains references to themes of suicidal ideation, self-harm, and other psychological issues which some individuals may find distressing’ There’s something gnawing away at me in the back of my mind when I play a game like this. An agonizing feeling that I am never really able to shake. Whenever a game deals in earnest with mental illness or suicidal ideation, I begin to feel a bit like a bug under a magnifying glass in the hot sun. Or maybe the bugs are just beneath my skin, ready to break out and consume me. I can’t help but squirm in my chair, restless. But I am still here. I persist. Without a Dawn  is, without a doubt, a deeply upsetting title to work through. My own fears and past are dredged up every step of the way. As are painful reminders of loved ones I’ve lost along the way. Frankly, this is a phenomenal display of artistry. Publisher: Jesse Makkonen Developer:   Jesse Makkonen Platform:  Played on PC (Steam) Availability:  Released on May 19, 2025 for Windows PC (Steam). Without a Dawn is a visual novel in name only. There are minimal choices to make, and no branching paths or objects to interact with. Instead you’re guided through an emotional and evocative exploration of one person’s struggles with anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-doubt. The art and music are outstanding, with the visuals made with something akin to ASCII art, but they shift and flow to create these stunning scenes where little changes creep up on you over time. Impactful audio, such as rain pattering, ticking clocks, and other normally mundane sounds create an isolating atmosphere, enhancing the text in a way that makes big moments much more impactful. This is complimented by the strong writing, which does an excellent job of crafting an intense sense of dread and isolation. There were moments where I began to feel anxious myself — not a feeling I’m accustomed to. Its vivid imagery — visually and linguistically — are reminiscent of poetry, allowing us insight into the emotions and experiences of the subject without flatly describing them. There’s so much tension and buildup in every single scene, it becomes unnerving and unbearable, able to push and pull you in an intended direction emotionally.  Without a Dawn has a unique and disorienting art style . Perhaps thankfully, Without a Dawn  is extremely short, taking under an hour to run through. That’s not a negative for me on this one, as I thought it got all of its emotional impact and story-telling across quite well in that brief span. It fits into that really unique space where it really only works as a game, but the why might seem a tad counterintuitive. See, the choices don’t matter much, with many of the options being false. You can choose to advance and select the intended option, or you can try and hold out through the night. In the end, you must give in to continue the story. But I always resisted anyway. To be honest, I think I always will, given the choice. There’s something about it that just feels so personal, so familiar. Having gone through my own struggles and knowing those feelings intimately, I felt compelled to resist. Perhaps that was more for me. I refuse to let myself go there again. I will persist. Alas, there is no way to really do so. I tried — god did I try.   By forcing you to make these choices and move things along, you become party to the events in a way that’s just not possible in something like a film or novel. It gives you personal connection to the events unfolding, or maybe even forces you to bear a little responsibility for the way things go. I can’t let go of that feeling. The feeling like I could have, or should   have  done more. But what more could I have done? The game made me continue in that way, right? I suppose I could have turned it off, just closed it and moved on with my life, oblivious to the events portrayed, ignorant to the loss I would contend with. Of course, that’s not really true. For better or worse, I was compelled and unable to divert myself from it. It fits into that really unique space where it really only works as a game, but the why might seem a tad counterintuitive. At the end of the game, I was a bit shaken. Or perhaps it was more disgust? Dread? I am not sure what the overarching emotion was, but I know I felt powerless in a way that’s uncommon after playing a game. So much of the visual novel feels like a car crash in slow motion. You know where it’s going, you see the signs, but you can’t stop it. No matter how much you fight, it feels inevitable. Maybe that’s why when it was over, I felt a bit of relief — a release from the burden of care imposed on me. It’s funny, when I was working through ideas in my head about how to write this review, I kept thinking about ways to incorporate the number 15, a reference to the game. I wanted to try something a little more unique, maybe make it a bit fun. But you know what? I’m a little tired, too. Verdict Without a Dawn  is a powerful and moving, albeit short, experience. A distilled shot of emotion and anxiety wrapped into a surreal package. It made me feel deeply uncomfortable in all the ways art like this is meant to. In playing it, I had to once again reckon with a part of me long buried, and in having done so I feel a bit stronger. Image Credits: Jesse Makkonen

Here’s what to expect from us. Gen Con 2025 is just a few short days away, and the JetsonPlaysGames team will be there! While we are there, our normal video game coverage and reviews will be suspended. We will be focused on providing articles related to Gen Con and any of the games or events we participate in at the convention. We’ve got a pretty packed schedule for Gen Con, so here’s a few things you can keep an eye out for: Interviews with developers of the games. Daily breakdowns of what we saw/played. Game reviews. Lists and opinion articles about the games, booths, or events that excited us. We’re excited to share this stuff with all of you, especially since it will be our first con as press. While we have not previously covered tabletop games at length, this felt like the perfect opportunity to broaden our coverage into even more types of games. Many of the events and games that we’ll be participating in are already things we enjoy, so it’s a no-brainer to make it part of our wheelhouse. There aren’t any plans for video content such as travelogues, video interviews, actual play, etc., but if you have any suggestions or requests for content you would like to see, be sure to send us a suggestion using our contact form ! And if any of you see us out there, be sure to say hi!

The world in Children of Morta is corrupted, with a blight spreading across the land that infects all living creatures it comes into contact with. Left unchecked, this Corruption will eventually consume the world and all who live in it. And while fighting the Corruption is the primary driver of the plot, that’s not really what the game is about. No, Children of Morta  is about family. It’s about sticking close in the face of adversity, supporting each other and becoming stronger through all of your trials, together. Publisher: Playdigious, 11 Bit Studios Developer:   Dead Mage Platform:  Played on PC (Steam) Availability: Released on September 3, 2019 for Windows PC, and October 15, 2019 for PS4 and Xbox One. Released on November 20, 2019 for Nintendo Switch, and October 7, 2024 for iOS and Android. Taking control of the Bergson family, you must navigate the perils of corrupted dungeons and ferocious enemies to save three trapped spirits in order to stop the mountain god, Ou. Your first moments are spent controlling John Bergson, a very typical sword and shield archetype character who works best at close range and can block many blows with his gigantic shield. At the behest of your mother, the matriarch of the Bergson family, you are sent to investigate the corruption. This short section serves as the tutorial for many of the gameplay systems, but also sets the scene for the characters and their relationships, showing you a bit about the characters’ personalities and abilities without the characters themselves ever speaking a word. The story is presented by an omniscient voice, who narrates the events but does so with a gentle touch. Rather than getting into the weeds by using descriptive language to elaborate on character feelings or specific dialogues, the narration mostly focuses on the overarching events or actions taking place, and while this may at first come off as a bit redundant, I felt that it was more complimentary. As the narrator delivers the exposition, you can see the characters and their relationships shine through via the well-crafted sprites during any scene. The characters themselves do not have any spoken lines of dialogue (at least not in the story scenes), instead communicating their emotions, intentions, and personality through their animations — both alone and among the other characters. All of these scenes are beautifully crafted, utilizing the exquisite pixel art to deliver some truly phenomenal moments. Dead Mage has had some practice with this in other titles, such as Wizard of Legend , but here they have managed some really powerful emotional storytelling through the artwork alone. That spritework doesn’t just come in handy in the story moments, though. Dazzling effects in combat and enticing landscapes all serve to keep your eyes in a state of wonderment, even if it can get a bit messy in high octane environments. Late game combat is especially hard to parse when too many foes arrive on-screen, each with their own abilities and animations vying for your attention. Children of Morta sports absolutely stunning pixel art graphics. Of course, that may be part of the intentional design behind the game. As a roguelite dungeon crawler, the point is to make a run at a dungeon a few times, gathering resources to be spent back at home to upgrade your equipment and abilities, dying, and then doing it all again until you finally succeed. That visual clutter certainly adds to the difficulty, but I fear the game would not be particularly challenging without it. Personally, I don’t mind if a game is hard or easy — I can take it one way or another and it’s not something I’ve ever worried about carrying as a badge of honor. That said, when the crux of your balance is whether or not you can see , I do take umbrage to the idea. Despite the large number of playable characters, and seemingly vast amount of relics or usable items available to you in any given run, none of those runs ever really felt unique. Yes, John may use a sword while Lucy slings fireballs, but encounters are still largely approached in the same way, and the controls for combat may be a bit too simple to support the slower paced action of this title. Consequently, almost nothing ever feels threatening past the first zone. The exceptions to this would be bosses on first pass (only if you don’t have great gear, at which point they just melt anyway) and late in the third zone, where enemies have so much health it becomes a bit of a war of attrition to wade through them all as an unstoppable, zone-specific AOE constantly tracks you and attempts to ruin your day. The sort of closeness in gameplay between members is a bit disheartening, but that closeness does manifest in other ways. As you level a character and learn new abilities, they gain passive effects which can be applied when you play as other characters. For example, Lucy gains the ability to set a decoy down when one of her family members takes a large blow, distracting and damaging foes in the process. In this case, if you played as a character like John, Lucy’s presence and bond with her family could still be felt and provide tangible benefits, even if she’s not there physically. I love the way the gameplay and narrative intertwine in this way, as it does wonders in showcasing the bond between the Bergsons throughout the adventure. In this case, if you played as a character like John, Lucy’s presence and bond with her family could still be felt and provide tangible benefits, even if she’s not there physically. While disparate elements such as the combat, music, and level design are all fine in their own right, I can’t help but look back on the bond of the family as the high-point of the experience. Through their excellent spritework, Dead Mage communicates these relationships so well, making you feel each and every bit of pain or joy the Bergsons face (individually and collectively). Coupled with the inventive ways that these bonds are implemented mechanically in the form of support actions in combat, it becomes the most interesting aspect of the game. It has been said that familiarity breeds contempt, but I’ve found there’s no place like home. Verdict While the combat may not be the most exciting offering in the roguelite genre, there’s still a lot to love in Children of Morta . Beautiful pixel artwork keeps things visually interesting, and is especially well done in touching family moments. The visual flare of many of the special abilities and attacks is also another positive, though the screen can get a bit too busy in large group fights. Children of Morta  manages to tell an emotionally resonant story, perhaps in spite of its simplicity, relying on the power of family to drive things home. Image Credits: Taylor Rioux

This removal includes items that have already been paid for, with users unable to download the content. July 23, 2025 — Digital distribution platform and marketplace itch.io  appears to have removed a massive amount of content from their website, with  users noting  that games and other content with ‘NSFW’, ‘Adult’, or ‘Erotic’ tags are no longer appearing in searches. Additionally, many games rated r18 have been entirely delisted, preventing not only future sales, but the ability to download  the titles whatsoever. Despite this change in policy affecting thousands of items on the platform, itch.io  has yet to release a statement on the matter, leaving creators and consumers alike in the dark about what is happening.  UPDATE: itch.io  has released a statement  regarding the removal of NSFW content on the platform, stating “We have “deindexed” all adult NSFW content from our browse and search pages. We understand this action is sudden and disruptive, and we are truly sorry for the frustration and confusion caused by this change.” Additionally, the statement specifically mentions pressure from payment processors, and explicitly names the organization “Collective Shout” as party to the campaign to pressure itch.io .  “Recently, we came under scrutiny from our payment processors regarding the nature of some content hosted on itch.io . Due to a game titled No Mercy, which was temporarily available on itch.io before being banned back in April, the organization Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io , directing concerns to our payment processors about the nature of certain content found on both platforms.” Why itch.io  decided to implement these changes without any warning or press release prior to its implementation remains unknown and unexplained, with itch.io  only noting that the situation developed quickly. The itch.io website is now devoid of NSFW titles on the front page, even with the setting turned on. This change comes on the heels of digital distribution platform Steam delisting huge swaths  of adult games. In their updated rules and guidelines , Steam indicates that “Content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam’s payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers. In particular, certain kinds of adult only content” should not be published on the platform.  Why is this happening now? Following Steam's policy reversal, anti-porn organization “Collective Shout”  claimed responsibility for the removal . As reported by journalist Ana Valens , the organization has been lobbying payment processors to stop facilitating payments for NSFW-adjacent titles for some time, and seems to have finally broken through. In their demand letter  from May 26, 2025, Collective Shout specifically named itch.io  as one of their targets. They don’t plan on stopping there, either, stating “We request that you demonstrate corporate social responsibility and immediately cease processing payments on Steam and Itch.io and any other platforms hosting similar games.” With payment processors like Visa, Paypal, and Mastercard putting the screws to these digital distribution platforms, there’s little choice but to acquiesce to the demands, as the storefronts would be unable to process most monetary transactions without the processors. The distribution platforms themselves would be cut off from any funds, period, spelling doom not only for the platform, but many other developers or companies in the process. “We request that you demonstrate corporate social responsibility and immediately cease processing payments on Steam and Itch.io  and any other platforms hosting similar games.” There are many reasons why this sort of crusade against NSFW titles is both undeserved and unwarranted, but perhaps the most pressing is the relation to the current LGBTQ+ rights crisis we are facing in the US. These events don’t exist in a vacuum. It is no accident that these far-right groups are targeting itch and other LGBTQ+ adjacent platforms — it’s their stated goal. Project 2025 (and by extension the US government) has made it explicit that they  intend to criminalize ‘transgender ideology’  — a term so broad it could even cover the acknowledgement that trans people exist. By first getting platforms to agree to remove NSFW content, they then only need to include groups or ideas they find unsavory under that umbrella to facilitate their erasure. This deliberate attack on the LGBTQ+ community is just another item in a long list of hateful actions that have been enacted since the reinstatement of the Trump administration, but it is still horrifying nonetheless. The gaming community as we know it would not exist without LGBTQ+ peoples, and by continuing to censor and erase them from the world, we not only diminish the artform of video games, but we diminish ourselves. We are losing some of our greatest artistic and scientific minds in service of some of the most hateful people on the planet. We are losing lives and monuments of joy in order to appease those who only seek to cause pain. It is unlikely that itch.io  will be the last site to make changes like this. The efforts of hate groups to make these changes are ongoing, with payment processors seemingly happy to oblige them. I wish there was an easy answer for what comes next and how to stop this from happening, but I don’t have one, at least. For now, here is a petition from the ACLU  directed at the payment processors to end the unjust targeting of adult content. JetsonPlaysGames stands in solidarity with all of our LGBTQ+ family and friends.

When life hands you legal fees... July 22, 2025 — Popular VTuber and streamer Ironmouse has announced their separation from their talent agency, VShojo. In their announcement video regarding the departure, Ironmouse levies some hefty allegations and also indicates that further legal action is being taken. VTuber Ironmouse during their announcement video. Ironmouse is Twitch’s most popular Vtuber, having broken subscription records  on the platform during a 30-day fundraising effort for the Immune Deficiency Foundation just last year. During the subathon, Ironmouse raised $515,000 for the charity, but did not use Twitch’s fundraising platform Tiltify, leaving VShojo to handle the donations on her behalf. This seems to be the inciting event, with Ironmouse claiming that the agency has not made good on that payment, as well as other payments to the VTuber herself. Ironmouse’s Reasoning The specific allegations are pretty dire: “I believe I am owed a significant amount of funds which I have not been paid,” Ironmouse stated “And, most importantly, the thing that hurts me the most is that the Immune Deficiency Foundation, which is the most important charity for me and also the reason I am here today, is owed over half a million dollars from VShojo.” Ironmouse has also indicated that further specifics are being withheld at this time due to ongoing legal proceedings regarding the matter, but it was clear that the situation has been weighing heavily on Ironmouse herself. “I would always be told how important I was for the company. And I was always told that I was needed in order for the company to succeed. Although that was very positive to hear, it put a lot of pressure and a lot of stress on me to the point where I felt guilt-tripped into signing.” She continued, “I felt responsible for everybody. I felt responsible for staff and talent alike. And I felt like, if I didn’t do this and if I didn’t stay, I was hurting everybody and I was destroying everybody’s life. But this didn’t feel right with me and I began to feel extremely uncomfortable. “I felt responsible for everybody. I felt responsible for staff and talent alike. And I felt like, if I didn’t do this and if I didn’t stay, I was hurting everybody and I was destroying everybody’s life." What has happened since Since the split happened, Ironmouse has started another fundraising campaign   for the Immune Deficiency Foundation, which totals over $700,000 at the time of this article — a number that continues to climb rapidly. With Ironmouse’s stated goal of showing that VTubing can be a force for good, it seems she’s making good on the promise of continuing to support the foundation. Between herself and the streamer Connor “CDawgVA” Colquhoun, over $4 million has been raised for the Immune Deficiency Foundation, and this latest influx is just another reason to believe in the power of the collective. “The Immune Deficiency Foundation means the world to me,” she says, “Connor and I have both spent a ton of energy, time, and resources raising money for charity and we’re both so proud to say that we’ve raised nearly $4 million for the charity.” What happens next? While the outcome of Ironmouse’s legal challenge is impossible to predict at this stage, VShojo may still be in hot water as many of the agency’s talent members have moved on since the situation with Ironmouse came to light. Kson , AmaLee , Kuro , and Project Melody have announced they are leaving among others.  Kson during their departing announcement video . Despite now being without an agency at the time of this article, there is no indication that any of the listed VTubers have plans to stop streaming, including Ironmouse. “As of right now, I am an independent VTuber,” she says, later adding “Sometime this month, I plan on doing a special livestream in order to raise money for the Immune Deficiency Foundation. I hope to have a ton of friends joining me and hopefully there’ll be a lot of singing and a lot of fun and just a day full of happiness.” If you would like to contribute to the Tiltify campaign, the link can be found here .

Saying Goodbye (For Now) What FFVII Rebirth can teach us about life...and letting go. My first Christmas memory is unwrapping an NES, meant for the entire family, immediately hooking it up to the TV in the room, and playing Ducktales until my family forced me to stop. Our family Christmases were always held in the metro area of our home state - both sides of my family lived there, so it was always convenient to have one big trip for the holidays. The trips were always long, and we relied on family to put us up for the nights we were there, but we always visited everyone we could. After all, this might be the only time we saw our family for the year (or even years). I generally hated these trips (or any other trip to the cities), but there was always at least one bright spot - visiting my uncle. I was really too young to understand the particulars, or even to know my uncle well, but every time we visited it seemed like he had something for me. He was especially supportive of my art, providing me with materials to draw and color as much as I wanted on his table - or his floor, which was my preferred spot. He once gifted us a large box of art supplies that seemed to last forever. A box of crayons, colored pencils, pastels, and paints - it was the go-to whenever I felt like creating something new. It was always there when I needed it. My uncle passed away in 2000, and it was a difficult time for my family. Especially so for my dad. Both my grandfather and grandmother had passed away within the last few years, and he had now lost a brother. To be honest, I don't remember much of the time we spent with family at these funerals or gatherings, but what I do remember was seeing my dad cry for the first time at my grandmother's funeral, and for the second time at my uncle's funeral. I didn't really know how to process anything that was going on. When we arrived back home, a friend lent me Final Fantasy VII for the PSX. We were a few years removed from the massive frenzy surrounding the game, but I had never played it and didn't know much about it at all. I had played Final Fantasy I, IV, and VI, so I was at least somewhat familiar with the series, and since I didn't have to go to school anyway, I figured I'd give it a shot. What I got was a deeply moving, and personal, experience. An absolutely stunning game, in terms of visuals and scope. Aside from being a fun RPG with cool guys, big swords, and killer music, Final Fantasy VII ( FFVII ) is also a game about life, death, grief, and acceptance. Through Final Fantasy, I was able to gain a better understanding of not only these things and how they affect people, but I was also able to contextualize and process the events that I was going through. The most famous event in gaming history is a powerful moment, to be sure, but even beyond that singular bit, much of FFVII 's mid portion deals with the party's previous losses, their grief, and their acceptance of the events past and present that haunt them. It is my favorite part of the game. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second of three installments in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which was announced in 2015. Rebirth , in particular, covers that aforementioned mid portion of the Final Fantasy VII story, and aims to do so in a larger fashion. Much like 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake, Rebirth extends and extrapolates the events to give us a more in-depth look at the world, all with a great new coat of paint. Rebirth has a great balance of new scenes and characters with retelling the old story in both a recognizable and satisfying way...some of the time. In between all of the great character moments, and exciting action of the battles, the game manages to muddle the big moments of the original game, more often than not. Major moments from FFVII are often presented in a tonally inconsistent way with the original, or even move from one tone to the next in the same scene - giving major moments no time to breathe. It is an extremely long game with so many things to collect and see, yet it somehow never makes adequate time for the moments that really matter in the narrative - moving at breakneck speed from somber goodbyes to slapping butts all within the same cutscene. I am not particularly averse to change, or having a new spin on old material. Much like with music covers, I don't think it's worth doing unless you've done something new with the material. So, for me, it's not that things are different - it's how they've deviated that confuses me so frequently. Which, in retrospect, is a shame. I do believe there is a great game in here somewhere . For all the narrative faults, there's so much to love. The soundtrack, with over 400 songs, is a phenomenal blend of arrangements of old songs and new material. The combat is fast, fun, and flashy. The characters, voicework, and cutscenes are some of the best I've ever seen in a game. So why, then, does this feel so hollow in the end? Fun and flashy, the combat absolutely delivers. My major grievances are with just a few elements of the game: Overwhelming side content, and main story presentation. The side-content, in particular, really wore on me as I played through the game. Mountains of filler collectibles and towers litter each map - all of which distract from the actual good and fun things you can do. Unfortunately, you need to complete everything in order to do all of the sidequests and get many of the good moments and content in the game. You need to pick those leaves, and hit those towers, and collect that trash in order to get your best materia, or unlock the character quests. All throughout that, Rebirth throws minigame after minigame at you. There seems to be a bespoke minigame for about 40% of the quests in each area. This sounds like a cool idea in theory, but most are really underdeveloped. Some have bad controls, some are broken mechanically, and most are just plain boring, but you have to do them all. You want to have a moment with Aerith? You better play this boring ass mushroom picking thing we threw in here, buddy. For the story, there's a lot more to love. Great action, voices, characters, and emotional moments throughout the game kept me engaged and wanting to see more. Not just the retreads of the original FFVII, either. The original beats of the story end up being some of the best moments. They give us a deeper understanding and appreciation of the characters and world that just wasn't possible back on the Playstation, but they fumbled the major incidents from the original game in ways that had me asking ' why ' more frequently than I would like. The final moments of the game are especially baffling. I feel like I have a good grasp on what happens, what they're going for, and where they're taking it for the next game, but I do wonder how a new player (one who has not played Final Fantasy VII before) takes all of what is happening in. The individual areas in Rebirth are massive. To me, it's not just that the ending is intentionally confusing/misleading - it's that it takes a major bite out of the events, in general. So much of the messaging is lost in these moments, all so they can save them for the next game in the installment. This was frustrating enough that I began to question whether we really needed 3 parts at all. So much of this game was tedious in terms of the actual gameplay experience - could it have been condensed into a better game? By the end of this project we will have spent 10 years and what we get is a retelling that can realistically only land in one of two places: A fundamental change of the events that took place in the original FFVII , or a significantly worse, bloated, retelling of the original narrative. To be honest, I'm not really sure where I want them to land here. It might be more exciting to have them do something drastically different in terms of outcomes, but I don't really have faith that this team could pull off anything satisfying. Landing on the original plot, would be nice because it's an all-time classic, but then I wonder what the point of all the plot ghosts and rainbow worlds and other nonsense over the last 10 years was for. So when I sat down to review this game, I had to think about how I could possibly score it. It is often a lot of fun, but is maddening to me in so many ways, as well. As I ruminated on the things I liked and didn't like, I quickly realized I couldn't score it at all. It became impossible for me to really take this work on its own merits. Every scene or mechanic was, in one way or another, chasing the ghost of a game that came out in 1997. The story, in particular, was impossible for me to decouple from the original work and the major impact it had on me at a vulnerable point in my life. Rebirth , then, has once again given me a valuable reminder that the cycle of grief can manifest in so many different ways. Only this time, it's dealing with the death of my time with the Final Fantasy VII universe. I will probably not play the next game. My frustration with the game and its errant retelling has really soured me on the project as a whole. I just have to accept that this game, and this trilogy, was not meant for someone like me. There are so many other people who get the chance to play this game (and the others in the trilogy) without their expectations or experiences colored in the way mine are, and I truly hope they enjoy it. In the end, I can take some comfort in the fact that my memories of my original experience will stick with me forever. Final Fantasy VII is a core part of my gaming identity, and even if I don't necessarily count it among my favorite games, it came at the perfect moment in my life. The original Final Fantasy VII , much like that box of art supplies from my uncle, will always be there for me, just waiting to be picked up whenever I need it. Photo credits: Square Enix

This is no Juno, boy! No Juno! My first impressions of Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog  were almost entirely predicated on the visuals. The gorgeous pixel art and anime-inspired aesthetic are captivating, awakening a sense of nostalgia for many of the great mecha series of the past. But The Gun-Dog  goes beyond a simple nostalgia trip, forging its own path and telling a story worth exploring. Much like the stories it draws inspiration from, this title never shies away mature themes or heavier subject matter, such as PTSD. Publisher: Astrolabe Games, Meridiem Games Developer:   Space Colony Studios Platform:  Played on PC (Steam) Availability:  Released on February 19, 2025 for Windows PC (Steam), Linux (Steam), PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Invisible and insidious, PTSD lingers within the minds and hearts of many military veterans. The shadows cast by the pain of days gone by scrape and bite, gnawing away at the afflicted’s very being until they become thin in spirit. Some who are unable to find reprieve instead find an escape, preferring an end to their life over the continued suffering they would have to endure. Thankfully, the protagonist in Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog  is not one such person. The security officer (whom you name) instead suffers from flashbacks and anxiety, opting to avoid recollection or reminders of the events that take place within the opening scene. PTSD is a hard thing to get right in a game. Presenting it in a way that both communicates the gravity of the subject matter while maintaining playability to the game must be a difficult task. Whether or not Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog  handles that delicate balance in the optimal way is hard to say as my understanding of PTSD is all second-hand, but it is clear that there is care put into its portrayal here. Frequent small reminders or nods in dialogue, flashbacks, and even animations pop up throughout the game’s run, allowing you to feel the weight of the opening incidents on your character without ever becoming overbearing or the focal point of the entire game. While the PTSD is not front-and-center of all dialogues or actions you take, there is just a tickle in the back of your mind — a gentle guiding hand that informs the player character's mentality. In many ways, I find that lighter touch is to the game’s benefit. As a visual novel, much of the appeal is in roleplay opportunities and how you as an individual navigate any specific encounter or scene. A more heavy-handed approach may have taken some of that away from the player. Instead, the flashbacks or reminders come either as a consequence of your choices and the routes that they lead you to, or as part of otherwise unavoidable scenes. How much you let PTSD guide your actions is in many ways left to the player. I was pleasantly surprised by the branching dialogue in Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog , and the way those choices lead to entirely different character interactions or outcomes down the line. This is not uncommon in visual novels, of course, but the mix of immediate reactive differences and long-term effects was nice to see, making each of my choices feel like meaningful moments rather than just buttons to press to move on to the next scene. Stories from Sol: The Gun Dog has such an incredible visual flair. Of course, like most games in the genre, the gameplay itself is exceedingly simple and straightforward. There are no complicated button combinations to mess with, difficult puzzles to solve, or intricate mechanics to navigate. Instead, the gameplay entirely revolves around a few simple menu items which you can use to interact with a given scene. It lies firmly within that middle ground between old 80s and 90s graphic adventure games and modern visual novels in that regard. Not quite enough interactivity to call itself a point-and-click adventure, but with enough elements to keep you engaged throughout. Those gameplay elements are not the only thing reminiscent of the titles of yesteryear. Every element from the art style to the music conjures memories of a time long past. There’s an obvious love for mecha anime and manga baked into this thing, with the ships, uniforms, spacesuits, and mobile suits bearing heavy resemblance to something you may see in something like Gundam . The beauty of the pixel art here cannot be overstated, either. Captivating scenery and character portraits litter the game, and you can get a clear sense of a character just by looking at their artwork; different poses, body language, outfits, and expressions effectively communicating what each person is about. While the scenery and style might evoke memories of anime titles such as Getter Robo or Armored Trooper Votoms , I actually see the DNA of Capcom titles like Mega Man and Cyberbots . And that’s just in “Vivid” mode. Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog  actually has 3 distinct art styles to choose from: Doujin, Studio, and Vivid. The audio also features chiptunes that wouldn’t feel out of place on an MS-DOS title or other era appropriate games, either. There’s nothing particularly complex about the music here — simple tunes that run on a short loop — but each track fits exceptionally well in the scenes they are used in, helping to set the mood for any given moment. I am fond of many of the songs, but I think some of the more repeated tracks began to wear on me as they saw continued use. The audio and art carry much of the load in terms of eliciting nostalgia or recollection of its inspirations, but I also feel similarities between the more thematic elements, as well. As I wrote this review, I began to watch Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam  (inspired in no small part by Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog ), and the themes of horrors of war come through in many forms in each title. Reluctant participants, PTSD, and loss are all touched upon in The Gun Dog . It would feel a bit reductive to simply say that the game is just like one title or another, as I feel Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog does a great job of carving out its own identity, but it also feels so reverential to those inspirations that I think it would be a mistake not to mention it. Someone without knowledge of those older anime, manga, and video games could certainly still play this game and get a lot out of it, but knowledge of the classics enhanced my appreciation for what the game was doing and the ways in which it deviates from many norms. Captivating scenery and character portraits litter the game, and you can get a clear sense of a character just by looking at their artwork; different poses, body language, outfits, and expressions effectively communicating what each person is about. The ways in which Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog handles its story beats and moment-to-moment dialogue is impressive, and the writing as a whole is a strong point for the title. The Gun-Dog  relies on language to describe each scene beautifully and efficiently without bogging the player down with jargon or technical terminology, barring a few exceptions. For example, in one case, the Chief was explaining how the engines worked and she went into some detail about how the engine uses Higgs boson particles to shift space in a field around the ship; the reaction and over-explanation is used for comedic effect, but you get a real sense of how passionate the Chief is about these systems, and how knowledgeable she is. It’s this character writing, in combination with the excellent art and other elements, that really elevate Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog  into a special place. The characters and story are archetypal on their face, but dig a little deeper and the game might just surprise you. The Gun-Dog ’s ability to tell earnest and heartfelt stories while managing to tackle difficult subjects keep this from ever feeling like a derivative work, placing the title squarely in homage territory. Put it all together with branching storylines and player choice, and you have a recipe for an excellent adventure. Verdict Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog  is a brilliant and engaging visual novel with clear inspiration taken from mecha anime, manga, and video games from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Despite the almost overwhelming nostalgia the visuals and music may invoke, the title manages to stay fresh and exciting all the way through. Utilizing the visual novel format to wow the player with its stunning art and clever writing, The Gun-Dog never shies away from its mature subject matter — tackling themes of PTSD, love, and loss — and is all the better for it. Image Credits: Taylor Rioux and Space Colony Studios

The Spire Doesn’t Sleep… It has been nearly eight years since the early access release of Slay the Spire , and five since its full PC release, but I am still finding myself playing it after all this time. Last night, as I lay in bed trying out some new strategy in deckbuilding, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of amazement that the game remains so captivating so far beyond its initial release. It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the game that it is widely considered one of the best deck-building video games ever made, if not outright the best. It is certainly the most influential — in recent memory, at least. In the eight years since its first release, I’ve never really managed to put down my thoughts on it. So, what makes Slay the Spire  such a monumental achievement and influential project? Publisher: Mega Crit, Humble Bundle Developer:   Mega Crit Platform:  Played on PC (Steam), Mobile (Android) Availability:  Released on Jan 23, 2019 for Windows PC, MacOS, Linux; May 21, 2019 for PS4; June 6, 2019 for Nintendo Switch; August 14, 2019 for Xbox One; June 13, 2020 for iOS, and February 3, 2021 for Android. Slay the Spire  is best described as a deck-building roguelite dungeon crawler. Using one of four distinctive characters, you’ll make your way through floors of enemies, bosses, and events in order to reach the top of the spire. As you advance, you’ll need to build a deck based around each character's unique properties, facing increasingly difficult enemies along the climb. Managing your health, money, and deck space will be fundamental to finally reaching the top, but each new encounter will bring new trials, giving you valuable experience to learn from — even if you never make it to your final destination on any individual run. Immediately upon starting a run you are given a choice by the game’s narrator and guiding force, Neow. What those exact choices entail vary run-to-run, but they can involve trading health, gold, or even your starting relic for some other boon. From here you must choose a starting path, with your map showing you the sequence of encounters to be had on each trail. The legend on the right-hand side of the screen gives you an idea of what each encounter icon means, but to fully understand, you will need to engage with the various types of rooms you can explore. Enemies are small foes that offer prizes upon defeat, while elites are souped-up monsters that drop an additional relic on top of the normal encounter loot. Merchants offer a way to buy or offload cards and relics, while “Unknown” can be anything and everything under the sun, except for a rest point — including choose-your-own-adventure type events that can confer some sort of benefit or detrimental effect without combat.  Core gameplay revolves around a very simple concept. Your character has a set amount of energy to use per turn (base 3), and each card in your hand (base 5) uses a set amount of that energy as noted on each card. Once you have played your cards and ended your turn, the enemy takes their turn, where they do a single action that is telegraphed above their head. If you win your combat encounter, you will be rewarded with cards that you can choose to add to your deck, money to spend in shops, and other possible goodies.  Everything about this game impresses — there's a clarity and focus that few titles ever achieve. The increasing difficulty of these enemies necessitates some tinkering with your available cards, but other factors go a long way to help, such as relics that bestow innate abilities or effects. The puzzle-like quality of each altercation offers additional lessons, as enemies have mostly set attack patterns that can be learned and worked around. Once an encounter is complete, you’re put back on the map to choose your continued path. That simple conceit belies the absolutely absurd depth of this game. The visual style is a superb, as well. All of the characters and environments have a simple, almost cartoon-like appearance, but every enemy or card is visually striking, with marked differences between each one to keep them easily discernible from one another. Visual indicators for buffs, debuffs, enemy actions, and every other aspect of the game are clear, allowing you to absorb a ton of information at a glance. This helps keep things moving, as having to highlight and read every icon as you play could very quickly become tiresome. Luckily, there’s no limiting timer either way, so you can take your time planning your next move. Each character not only has their own skillset or innate strengths and starting cards, they all have distinct card pools to draw from in the rewards. With 75 distinct cards per character, and a total of 178 relics available to the player (including some character-specific ones), the possibilities for building your deck are endless. Pathway and enemy variance, rotating boss types per floor, and RNG-related encounters all add to the fathomless pool of choice laid bare in front of you. This is even further exacerbated by gameplay settings such as Ascension level, which introduces some additional negative modifier per level, and other game modes like the daily climb, which is a challenge mode with unique run modifiers and score-tracking. All of this is to say that no matter how many times you play, you’ll never have the same run twice (unless you use a set seed and deliberately make the same choices). Pathway and enemy variance, rotating boss types per floor, and RNG-related encounters all add to the fathomless pool of choice laid bare in front of you. For some, the magnitude of depth may be daunting, like an insurmountable wall of stuff  to sift through in order to win, but I think that the volume of choice presented to the player right out of the gate may be among Slay the Spire ’s most compelling aspects. There is always something to be gained from a run, whether it's unlocking new cards or relics to play with, learning enemy movesets, or even just figuring out how everything works together or how best to manage your health and cash. Every loss helps you learn, every choice taken is a thought experiment unto itself. It’s just so damn compelling. I’m at the point now where I am familiar enough with the game to not have to read card text or relic information to know what I’m going to do on any given turn. Having beaten Ascension 20 with each character multiple times, there are no more cards, events, or relics left to discover. For me it's more about experimentation, opening myself up to the possibilities laid before me and diving into trying something new, intentionally.  After such a long time from release, I almost can’t believe that I’m not tired of Slay the Spire.  Every run brings something unique, and I feel like I’m still learning what works and what doesn’t, how best to optimize a run, and how to challenge myself in new and interesting ways. A fantastic mix of simple to understand systems and impossibly deep decision trees makes this one a never-ending joy to engage with. It's not surprising to me that so many titles have looked to this game as an inspiration over those eight years. In fact, I think we may end up looking back on Slay the Spire as the single most influential title since Dark Souls . Verdict Slay the Spire  is simply the best roguelite deck-builder out right now. Easy to understand systems combined with deep and thoughtful gameplay decisions make the game simultaneously easy to play and difficult to master. While it may be a deeply challenging title, especially on higher difficulties, making your way through each floor remains delightfully satisfying. It’s a masterwork that has spawned countless imitators and exactly zero equals. Image Credits: Taylor Rioux and MegaCrit, LLC

The beginning of Quantum Witch  sees your character Ren on a quest to find her missing faer. While the village of hus is quite small, some might struggle to find the locations of all the faer in the area. Here are the locations of the three missing faer in the village of Hus. Faer #1 The first faer can be found at The Crossroads, which is the first zone to your left once leaving your starting home. From the entry point, just head left until the path splits into an upper and lower section. Take the lower road and your faer will be waiting for you. Just interact with it and it will head on home. This little guy is ready to go home. Faer #2 The second faer can be found at the Pool Temple. To reach the temple, take the upward route at The Crossroads and examine the door. This door will lead you to the Thorpsteads, but if you examine the doorway again, you’ll see the option for Pool Temple.  Once you reach the temple, just head right until you see a person standing at a stall. Speak with the vendor here, and your faer will reveal itself. No need for further action — your fuzzy friend will find its way home. They're a troublemaker, but they're your troublemaker. Faer #3 To get the final faer in Hus, Hus Town Square. To reach the square, head back to the crossroads from the way you came. Once you reach The Crossroads, run all the way left and you’ll end up in the square. Here, you’ll need to speak to Princess Nectarine near the shell stall. On the base version of the game, the process is a bit more complex — once you’ve run through her first set of dialogue, talk to her again and she’ll tell you to return to the stall at night. If you follow her instructions, your final faer will be waiting for you — just speak to it and send it home!  In the most recent patches of the game, simply speak to princess Nectarine and ask about your faer. The faer will immediately appear and send itself home. I wonder if the shells are knockoffs, too. Once you have all three of the faer in Hus, you can go ahead and move onto other parts of the game. There are quite a few smaller interactions in the village to get through, but if you’re looking to move on in the story, you’ll need to find Helgrind path. If you’re having trouble, here’s a small guide to help direct you.