Blast away a carnival of nightmares in an action-packed FPS from Thomas Brush and 3D Realms
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – July 8, 2026 – Step right up! Saber Interactive’s 3D Realms publishing label and indie developer Atmos Games have revealed that Twisted Tower, theaction-adventure FPS set in an abandoned 1950s theme park straight out of your nightmares, will launch on August 18 for PC via Steam. Battle legions of corrupted fairy-tale mascots and overcome deadly traps and puzzles to climb the tower and uncover the dark secrets of the past.
This ain’t a small world after all…
From Atmos Games, the indie studio helmed by Thomas Brush, whose prior hits include Pinstripe and Neversong, Twisted Tower splices Disneyland and BioShock together to create a macabre world of mischief and mayhem. A funhouse of silly mascots may be looking for a hug from you, but you’ll have a wide range of wacky weaponry to blast them away in fast-paced, hard-hitting action. Survive the ascent through the resort’s many worlds, including unique paths to discover on new playthroughs, and see if you’ve got what it takes to save the love of your life at the top of the Twisted Tower!
Key Features
Explore an abandoned 1950s resort inspired by Disney World and BioShock
Battle corrupted fairy-tale mascots in bloody, punchy gunplay
Discover a mysterious and emotional story across five hauntingly immersive levels: the hotel, waterpark, clown casino, carnival forest, and space station
Wield and upgrade a toyish arsenal, including a whack-a-mole mallet, rubber-band pistol, dart-throwin’ Tommy Gun, fartin’ shotgun, bubblegum-spittin’ chain-gun, sniper slingshot, skull-poppin’ ray gun, and more!
Collect bizarre toys to unlock new ways to jump, dash, and grapple up the tower
Choose from a variety of unique paths for a new experience with each playthrough
Wishlist Twisted Tower on Steam today before it officially opens to visitors on August 18!
About Atmos Games
Atmos Games is an indie game studio led by Thomas Brush, dedicated to crafting personal, hauntingly beautiful story-driven games with a deep sense of atmosphere. The studio has released Pinstripe and Neversong and is now preparing to launch Twisted Tower. Featured by Time Magazine and The Washington Post, and having collaborated with Apple Arcade, Thomas Brush has been making games for over 15 years, shaping worlds that blend beauty with emotional depth.
About Saber Interactive
Saber Interactive is a worldwide publisher and developer consisting of 15 studios in the Americas and Europe. Creating games for all major platforms based on original and licensed IPs, Saber’s titles include Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, Jurassic Park: Survival, Turok: Origins, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, World War Z, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, Bus Bound, Docked, SnowRunner, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game and RoadCraft. Founded in 2001, Saber is known for two decades of development partnerships with leading developers and publishers, including producing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Nintendo Switch, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Crysis Remastered, and many others. Learn more at https://saber.games.
About 3D Realms
Redefining AAA – Action, Attitude, Adrenaline, 3D Realms has rocked the world for almost 30 years by publishing unforgettable, iconic games like Duke Nukem, Terminal Velocity, Shadow Warrior, Death Rally, Max Payne, and more recently, Ghostrunner, Ion Fury, Tempest Rising, CULTIC and RIPOUT.
Led by industry veterans, 3D Realms is a proud member of Saber Interactive, with a mission of publishing games for grown-ups. Unapologetic and uncompromising, we’re not afraid of being who we are and being damn good at it – for everyone’s benefit. For more information, visit 3drealms.com.
Test your luck against The Dealer and your friends on Xbox today
July 8, 2026 –How did you get here? It’s hard to remember.Buckshot Roulette is out now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Xbox on PC via the Microsoft Store for $2.99. It is also available on Xbox Game Pass for PC and consoles.
flashing club lights. industrial thumping. the stench of bodies and rust.
Buckshot Roulette is Russian Roulette with a 12-gauge shotgun. Critically acclaimed. Millions sold.
A door. A table. A man?
Enter the underworld and face off against the Dealer in a riveting single-player mode with multiple difficulty options, or play with up to four players in chaotic multiplayer.
Take your seat. Light a cigarette. Grab a controller and pull the trigger.
Double down, push your luck, or die trying. There’s no prize for second place.
*click*
Buckshot Roulette is out now on Steam, Xbox, and Game Pass for PC and consoles. A Dealer plush is also now available to pre-order from Youtooz.
About Mike Klubnika
Mike Klubnika is an independent game developer based in Estonia. With a knack for sci-fi horror, Mike has spent the majority of their free time developing horror games that take place in alternate dystopias, attempting to immerse the player in handcrafted industrial environments through detailed mechanics and visual storytelling. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Boards Of Canada and Aphex Twin, Mike has also composed grungy backdrops that are featured in several of their games.
About CRITICAL REFLEX
CRITICAL REFLEX is an indie game publisher obsessed with genre-blending, rule-breaking, brain-melting games. We help devs polish the weird, sharpen the wild, and launch their projects loud. Known for titles like Buckshot Roulette, Lunacid, Mouthwashing and No, I’m not a Human, we champion the unforgettable experiences. Genre is a prison and we ate the warden.
About CR Channel
CR Channel is the CRITICAL REFLEX publishing label focusing exclusively on indie horror. Join the Discord here: https://discord.gg/FrzN8srBfy
July 8, 2026 | Horien Studio is excited to announce that Phantom Tower, a fast-paced roguelike action RPG combining hack-and-slash combat with deep dungeon crawling, will launch into Early Access on Steam on July 13th, 2026. The game has been in development for 4 years, and a demo is available now.
Adventurers from all over the world gather at the foot of the mysterious Phantom Tower in search of power and glory. Many have attempted the climb. None have reached the top. Will you?
The Tower does not care about your build. It does not care about your plan. It will throw hordes of increasingly dangerous enemies at you until you break, or until you find something powerful enough to fight back.
About the Game Phantom Tower is a fast-paced roguelike action RPG that doesn’t hold your hand. You pick one of eight classes, each with their own skills, elemental affinity and combat feel. Then you start climbing. The Tower gets nastier the higher you go.
Combat revolves around four elements: IGNIS, AQUA, TERRA, and VENTI. You can swap them into your skills even in the middle of a fight. Get the combinations right, and you unleash one of 16 reactions. You can freeze whole packs solid, spread Erode so enemies melt from the inside (it even jumps to nearby targets when they die), or chain shockwaves that bounce damage across the room.
Between runs, you’re crafting your loadout from over 200 pieces of gear, including 128 weapons across six types. The Soulbinder system goes deeper still; fix the stats you want onto your gear permanently and push a single stat all the way to gear level 99.
Keep climbing, and you’ll eventually find Tower Blessings. 47 of them. Artemis Descent sends arrows hunting after the highest-HP enemy on screen every time you dodge. Chain Quake ripples damage between enemies in a spreading shockwave. Stack the right ones, and your runs start to feel completely broken in the best way possible.
Every death teaches you something. Every run you come back stronger.
Key Features
Climb Mode (main campaign): progress carries over between runs as you push floor by floor
Survival Mode: choose your loadout, face infinite hordes. When you fall, it’s permanent
8 playable classes, each with unique skills, elemental affinity and combat identity
4 elements and 16 reactions triggered mid-fight
200+ pieces of gear including 128 weapons across six types
Embark on a thrilling new tabletop-inspired RPG adventure in the new update, available now on all platforms
BEIJING, China (July 8, 2026) | NTE (Neverness to Everness) has been updated to Version 1.2. “999 Nights” on all platforms, including Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Samsung Galaxy Store.
A New Adventure Has Begun In 999 Nights, the Appraiser and their friends are whisked away to a fantasy realm: the Warren Continent. It’s home to Fuzzy Village, built by whimsical little creatures called Fuzzies – and it has a dragon problem. The party’s quest: to help the villagers protect their home and slay the evil creature.
In this story, a four-member party consisting of the Appraiser, Mint, Iroi, and Shinku sets out from Fuzzy Village for the grassy plains of Warren. From the plains, they venture into distinct regions – volcano, ice field, and lakelands – battling different monsters along the way before finally reaching the Dragon Keep, where they will challenge the evil Crimson Dragon.
On the Warren Continent, each member of the four-person party has their own class. Defeating monsters earns EXP to level up your characters and boost their combat power, with a chance to receive gear and other kinds of items you can trade at the shop.
New Limited boards: “Before the Dawn” and “The Lifeline” In Version 1.2, Scarborough Fair will run two Limited Boards in sequence: “Before the Dawn” and “The Lifeline”. Roll on them to obtain the limited S-class characters Shinku and Iroi, respectively.
“Before the Dawn” July 8 – 29 Shinku can come across as hard to approach on a day-to-day basis. But when she’s out on a mission, she proves herself dependable far beyond her years. Always the first to charge into danger and shield her teammates, this awkward dragon girl protects the people she cares about. As for social skills…well, she might need a little more time to find her footing there.
Shinku’s Basic Attack unleashes a string of up to five consecutive martial arts attacks that deal Cosmos damage, with careful attack management triggering a variant of her Basic Attack and building up her Defiant Spirit gauge, which lets Shinku enter her Rampage form. Shinku’s ultimate attack then sees her spend all of her Defiant Spirit to enter the Surging Crimson state, launching a multi-stage attack for massive Cosmos damage to the unlucky target.
“The Life Line” July 29 – Aug 19 Warm and approachable, Iroi puts people at ease the moment they meet her, earning their trust before they even realize it. Every pattern of her behavior lines up exactly with what people expect of a “perfectly normal girl”.
Iroi’s Basic Attack is Collaboration, where she summons her lambs for a string of up to five consecutive attacks that deal Anima damage, building Imagination on each hit. Hold Basic Attack and Iroi spends Imagination to charge up, unleashing up to three attacks based on her charge level. Meanwhile, Iroi’s Ultimate sees the gates of dreams swing open. If her Imagination hasn’t reached the required threshold, she opens the Dream of the Horned Gate, providing continuous healing to the whole team. If her Imagination has reached the threshold, she opens the Dream of the Ivory Gate instead, continuously damaging all enemies caught inside.
The Draco Alongside the new characters, a brand-new vehicle pulls up to meet Appraisers: the Draco. The Draco is a ride that breaks all the rules. Structurally, it’s nothing like a traditional motorcycle – it can strafe sideways, and while riding, your Appraiser can even make the whole frame lift clear off the ground! Aside from the player character, Shinku can also ride the Draco, too – with the bike taking on a unique appearance while she wears her “Dragonhunter” outfit
New Event: Shadow-n-Seek In Shadow-n-Seek, Appraisers take on the role of Hiders or Hunters in a game of hide-and-seek across Clement Academy. When a match starts, each Hider gets a random set of three objects from around campus and can transform into any one of them at any time, blending in while the Hunters comb the grounds.
Hiders can also plant a decoy at a given spot to fool the Hunters, while Hunters have a scan skill that can detect nearby Hiders and decoys. If the Hunters take down every Hider with their attacks before the time runs out, they win. On the flip side, if enough Hiders survive to the end, or every Hunter gets eliminated, the Hiders take the match.
New Event: Going, Going, Gone! In “Going, Going, Gone!”, you’ll head to the auction house alongside other Appraisers, relying on your own keen eye – or a little help from your companions – to win valuable collectibles when the gavel falls!
In this mode, Appraisers can invite character companions to join them at the auction, and each one lends a hand in a different way. Every lot up for auction differs in type (value, size, etc), with your companions revealing clues and helping you judge exactly when to make your move.
…And there’s more! More new mechanics are available in Version 1.2, including Riichi Mahjong, Decor Blueprint, brand new Sea Angler, and more! Details can be found in-game or via NTE’s official social media channels:
Gifts Galore! As ever, a new update also brings new rewards for players. Here’s a look at what’s available for redemption:
About NTE NTE is an ambitious and unique online RPG that takes place in the city of Hethereau — a vast, seamless open world rendered with the power of Unreal Engine 5, where humans co-exist with supernatural anomalies. Players will control a range of vibrant and dynamic characters, each with their own unique personalities and abilities, to explore the city and investigate these anomalies in episodic comedy-drama storylines.
Aside from the core story and RPG gameplay, players will also be able to take part in an ever-expanding roster of activities, including collecting, modding, and racing sports cars, buying and designing their own chic city getaways, and even running a business. Whatever you choose to do with your time in Hethereau, the experience will always be immersive, absorbing, and never-ending.
NTE is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android. More information is available via the NTE website.
About Perfect World Games Perfect World Games is a global gaming company specializing in game development, operations, and publishing. With a diverse product portfolio across MMO, open-world, action, turn-based, and other genres, the company has expanded its presence on multiple platforms, including PC, mobile, consoles, and VR. Leveraging its industry-leading in-house development capabilities, Perfect World Games is committed to delivering high-quality game content and experiences to players worldwide.
About Hotta Studio Hotta Studio previously developed the globally released open-world game Tower of Fantasy. Tower of Fantasy features a light sci-fi art style with anime aesthetics, and was created with Unreal Engine 4, providing players worldwide with a rich and diverse open-world gaming experience.
Embark on an immersive, digitally scanned replica of a 6,000 ton ocean liner full of nautical nightmares!
Pangyo, South Korea – July 8th, 2026 – Indie developer Influsion Inc. are proud to reveal that their upcoming first-person survival horror game SENARA: The Sacrament is launching on Steam July 30th. Set aboard a mysterious derelict cruise liner teetering on the edge of ruin, players must survive unspeakable horrors as they search for a means of escape. You can catch a glimpse of its nautical nightmares in the release date trailer below:
SENARA: The Sacrament puts players in the role of a new recruit of a religious organization with a massive 6,000-ton ship: the Senara. Upon setting sail you wake up to find the crew missing, while unspeakably horrors roam its steel corridors. Hidden cult rituals, forbidden truths, and survivors with their own agendas await you in the darkness. In a place where blind faith and salvation intertwine, you’ll be forced to make choices that go far beyond survival.
Hearkening back to classic survival horror design, SENARA: The Sacrament offers a massive escape room where you must solve puzzles and use limited resources to your advantage if you’re to get out alive. In order to get out of the Senara alive, you’ll have to ration your resources, make use of stealth, and make difficult decisions regarding when to fight or flee. Explore the complex, intertwined corridors of this structure based on a real ship, uncover hidden passages, and gather clues to find the key to your escape.
This unholy tale is open to interpretation with snippets of truth scattered across documents, objects, and conversations between characters. Depending on what you believe and how you interpret the clues, the story can unfold in entirely different directions. With multiple endings based on your choices, your decisions affect not only your escape but also the fate of the Senara and what truth comes to light.
Using LiDAR, photogrammetry, and Unity HDRP pipelines, SENARA: The Sacrament offers a scan of a real-life documentary-level accuracy 6,000-ton ship. This precise reality reconstruction naturally adds an ultra immersive, uncanny playspace for players to get lost in.
“SENARA: The Sacrament hearkens back to the golden age of survival horror, but with a modern twist,” said No-Jin Kwak, Director at Influsion Inc. “It retains the item scarcity, puzzles, and freeform exploration of the genre’s best entries, now enhanced with a state-of-the-art recreation of real ocean liner. We believe this adds a deliberately uncanny layer to its oppressive atmosphere, offering untold immersion to its nightmarish tale of high seas horror.”
About Influsion Inc: Influsion Inc. first launched the Stormborne series on mobile, capturing a console-like feel. With mobile shifting towards casual and ad-driven content, we realized our strengths were not fully utilized. In this time, Influsion conducted R&D on digital twins for industrial and marine training, consistently earning recognition from educational and research institutions for its ability to create highly accurate virtual environments. This has led to a focus on becoming a leading studio in the global premium horror game market, specializing in creating high-quality and immersive horror experiences. Infusion is currently working on the single-player survival horror adventure SENARA: The Sacrament and the co-op survival horror game SAVE, currently available on Steam Early Access.
Pigeon: A Love Story arrives 6th August for PC and mobile.
LONDON, UK – The wait is nearly over! Wristwork and Tiny Dragon’s needle-in-a-haystack simulator, Pigeon: A Love Story, will officially launch on August 6th, 2026 on Steam, iOS and Android!
Pigeon was an official selection earlier this year at London Games Festival and A MAZE Berlin, and will launch as part of the Tiny Teams festival, run by Yogscast Games, which celebrates small studios making big games!
Five Life-Sized Cities, Millions of Birds, One Soulmate
Forget Love Island, THIS is unmissable romance of the summer! Get ready to search for your soulmate pigeon, solo or with a friend, across five huge, life-sized cities, filled with a true-to-life number of pigeons. The full launch lineup includes London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, and Tokyo.
Each city will have notable landmarks to discover, rooftops to land on, and millions of pigeons to try and woo as you search for your true love rock dove.
Playable Today: The v1.1 “Rooftop” Demo Update
While players wait for the launch, the updated Steam demo (v1.1) can be enjoyed right now! Responding directly to player feedback asking for an opportunity to rest their wings, Wristwork has implemented a brand-new rooftop landing mechanic
Players can now land on specific rooftops across the London demo map. Far from just a cosmetic feature, this update introduces a new exploration layer, actively encouraging players to seek out and discover every secret landing zone hidden across the urban skylines.
The updated demo is available to download for free right now, and players can wishlist Pigeon: A Love Story ahead of its August 6th launch via the Steam Page.
About Tiny Dragon:
Founded in 2024, Tiny Dragon is a boutique, independent marketing agency and video game publisher based in London and Montreal. Driven by curiosity, care, and commitment, Tiny Dragon specialises in helping exceptional, unique indie titles navigate the modern landscape to find their ultimate audiences. For more information, visit www.tinydragongames.com.
Thirteen years ago Ubisoft released an Assassin’s Creed game that was remembered more for one of its secondary focuses rather than its primary focus of furthering the franchise’s plot between assassins and templars and the strange supernatural elements surrounding them. Instead, the main focus many fans took from the game was the fact that it delivered perhaps one of, if not the best, pirate games at the time, delivering ocean-based combat, cannonfire exchanges, and boarding followed by slaying captains for their treasures, unlike anything fans of the genre could have hoped for. Since then, no game has managed to capture that level of pirate enjoyment despite some attempts from Microsoft at a more cartoonish version and even Ubisoft themselves delivering something of a slimmed down style of pirating in Skull & Bones.
Now though, after being one of the worst kept secrets in the industry for quite some time, Ubisoft has finally decided it is time to give fans what they have been hoping for, a complete remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Now sporting the new name of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, supported by a new graphics engine, reworked and expanded storyline, and modernization efforts, is this still the same game pirate fans loved but even better?
Story
Just like with the original release, players will follow the story of Edward Kenway, a pirate that is seeking to make himself a fortune in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy and return to his homeland a rich man capable of living a life of luxury once everything is said and done. Unfortunately for him, the pirate ship he’s working on comes afoul of a fleet of British vessels and the ensuing chaos results in the sinking of all ships. Kenway manages to survive and make his way ashore only to find that an Assassin carrying a unique artifact has also washed ashore. After a brief back and forth and eventual killing of the wounded Assassin, Edward assumes his identity only to find himself embroiled in the feud between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order, since the man whose identity he stole was a traitor defecting to the Templars.
Ultimately discovered, Kenway manages to lead a prisoner’s rebellion on a small fleet of ships and take control of a ship as its captain, naming it the Jackdaw and sailing for Nassau to meet his fellow pirates as they seek to form a new fleet of free men, eager to take the riches of the Caribbean for themselves and sharing a chunk of the pie, including famous names such as Blackbeard and James Kidd. From then on, Kenway seeks to set his sights on the mystical sounding Observatory, an ancient relic rumored to be able to spy on anyone. Knowing that this item will be of immense value and the many parties of particular wealth seeking to obtain it, it sends Edward’s pirate senses a tingle that the object will fetch an insane value if he can locate it first, even if it means joining some unsavory sorts along the way. Though considering the company that Kenway already keeps, that’s not saying much.
In many ways Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced remains almost the same throughout a large portion of the first half of the game as the core storyline is mostly unchanged. The only significant change is the fact that all “real world” segments of the game have been removed and the only hint that players are even inside of the Animus are glitched videos players can trigger and track down through exploration. This is a large improvement overall since while Black Flag always did have a place in the grander storyline, it also felt the most isolated as well, meaning simply removing these sequences do nothing to harm the game and if anything improve it immensely as it keeps the pace flowing at a steady and enjoyable rate. It is interesting to note that there are now “What If” scenarios that can be triggered in certain locations thanks to the Animus that act as if different events had played out for Kenway, a brand new inclusion to the story.
Another addition to the story are a number of expanded missions including side missions that help provide more world context, entirely new characters that can and will join Kenway’s crew and have some wonderfully rough personalities making them fit in perfectly with a rough and tumble pirate crew and while we won’t spoil who, a certain girl happens to be one of the best of them all. It is also worth noting that extra story content has been added for Blackbeard and even Bonnet, helping to further expand some of the greater pirate names that surrounded Kenway on his journey through the Caribbean. Unfortunately the title does not feature any of the extended DLC “Freedom Cry” from the original game but the addition of extra main story content, expanded side-quests, and even post-game content help make up for it, especially if this happens to be the player’s first time through Kenway’s pirate adventure since they can get to experience the great highs and the devastating lows that come from living a life of greed without fear of potential consequences.
Gameplay
Now while the storyline is mostly intact with expanded content, the gameplay has been given almost an entire overhaul across the board with some of the biggest elements involving the game’s melee combat, stealth system, and of course, ship combat. One of the key aspects that Ubisoft avoided with Black Flag Resynced was making it another “RPG” with numbers going up upon every little bit of gear. Yes, players will be able to purchase or upgrade their standard sword and pistol combo through shops or quest rewards and even upgrade Kenway’s various pouches and health by hunting down specific animals and skinning them, but the core combat is all about rhythm and reflex.
Any time players enter a melee against a soldier of any kind or even just another pirate they will be able to perform light and heavy attacks, block, and of course parry. Players can even parry an enemy and leave them wide open for an instant execution. Every enemy is shown to have a certain “guard” meter that when depleted will either leave them wide open for a combo attack or finisher. Red glowing attacks must be dodged at all costs though since they cannot be blocked. Interestingly enough, players have a number of useful tools on hand very quickly, with many tools and tricks arriving far earlier in the game. FOr example, players can sweep a foe’s legs out from under them with a kick and execute them, duse a rope dart to tug them in for a heavy blow or even hang them from above in a stealth takedown, or straight up whip out one of Kenway’s pistols and fire a barrage of bullets into enemies, slaying them outright or stunning them for a finisher.
This creates something of a dance of death and avoids the annoyance of having to chip away at enemy health. In fact, regarding stealth takedowns with the player’s hidden blade, any assassination is an instant kill no matter what. Bigger foes go down the same as a small one and double assassinations are immediately available. This means players can drop down into a large guard unit with a double assassination, pop a smoke bomb, and assassinate every coughing guard in the group before the smoke clears, leaving nothing but bodies in their wake.This is also helped immensely by the fact that players can actually crouch now whenever they want, something that was absent in the original game and make sneaking quite a bit easier.
Another major change is the fact that tailing missions or eavesdropping missions no longer are instant failures should the player be caught, something that is a massive improvement over the original game as it felt overly punishing at times, especially in regards to a certain swamp mission. Now instead players will need to either go in swords flashing or find an alternate route into a fortress or to obtain the information they need rather than finding out the information through simple eavesdropping or following a target. While some purists may find this lack of a failure state a problem, the annoyance factor far outweighs the new ability to brute force an objective if need be. Especially since those who still want to play stealthily can still easily do so.
The naval combat in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced feels just as impressive as the day we left it and even more so thanks to the fact that every aspect of sea exploration and combat has been improved. Nearly every weapon on the Jackdaw now has unlockable alternate fire modes such as “Heated Shots” from the broadside cannons that can set ships ablaze, enhanced Mortars, and more. As mentioned earlier, the recruitable Ship Officers provide the Jackdaw with special abilities as well once they join the crew such as increased ramming speed, better bracing efficiency, and more. Players can still battle ships and choose to scuttle them for minor rewards or board them and fight until they surrender for everything aboard.
It isn’t just other ships players will need to worry about on the waves either as the weather system has also been given a complete overhaul. While various things such as rogue waves and the occasional water spout were an issue before, these situations arrive far more often and look absolutely incredible in Black Flag Resynced. Players will notice the wind getting rougher, the Jackdaw slightly harder to control accurately, all before the rain starts pouring and lightning strikes can batter the ship, damaging it, all while hurricane style water spouts can spring up as well, making even a quiet voyage a potentially dangerous one if players leave port unprepared.
Audio & Visuals
Utilizing the ever upgraded Ubisoft Anvil engine, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is practically transformed in parts of the Carribean, seeing large locations now look extremely detailed and lush with vegetation where it was rather lacking before. The character models have all been given a rework and look as impressive as one would hope for a modern day game, all while retaining the same style of artistic impression that the original game had, meaning fans can still enjoy the same rough looking crew and gang of pirates Kenway associates with, only with more details and a bit of a glow-up. As for the seas, the oceans are just wonderful. Sailing along in shining blue waves in the day is gorgeous and watching whales breaching the surface as players travel along has never looked better. Underwater segments are also incredible looking as the coral and diving bell make every wreck and hunting expedition look outstanding, making this a true showcase of what Ubisoft can do when they put their minds to it.
The voice work throughout the game is also handled exceptionally well and players will be glad to hear that alongside the various bits of background music through missions and exploration on foot, the game not only sees the return of all of the classic sea shanties that players have come to know and love but the addition of many more to track down across the land. To top that off, players can now even cycle through the songs while sailing, giving their crew an order on what song they’d like them to sing next rather than hope they pick a favorite.
Overall
It took over a decade but fans can finally enjoy Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced in a way that far outpaces the classic in practically every way. While some story segments have been removed and it does lose a bit of its placing within the grander storyline as a result, the more self-contained elements of Kenway’s journey are expanded alongside modernized and refined combat both on foot and on ship. Combine this with a massive graphical overhaul and the fact that players no longer are forced into instant fail stealth missions and this pirate game has more to love and then some, though die-hard fans may be a bit annoyed at certain missing elements or stricter restrictions that were previously in place.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Outright Games, in collaboration with Nickelodeon, has announced that PAW Patrol: Dino World will launch on Nintendo Switch 2 on October 2, 2026, bringing the prehistoric adventure to the platform with enhanced visuals for an even more immersive gameplay experience.
In PAW Patrol: Dino World, launching on July 31, 2026, to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, players join Chase, Marshall, Skye and more fan-favourite pups on Dino Island in an all-new story-driven adventure inspired by season 13 of PAW Patrol and the upcoming PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie. Players explore various regions, complete rescue missions and help prehistoric friends in need through accessible, family-friendly gameplay designed for young audiences.
Across the island, players restore balance to environments affected by Mayor Humdinger’s actions, including a vibrant Jungle region where they replant Plumvines, clean up pollution, repair bridges and rescue stranded dinosaurs as the world gradually returns to life.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version will feature a range of technical and visual upgrades, including improved textures and graphics, increased foliage and map decoration density, extended draw distance and enhanced visual effects. It will also support local co-op and GameShare, allowing players to experience Dino Island together in new ways.
PAW Patrol: Dino World launches in Australia and New Zealand on 18th September, on Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5, and October 2, 2026, on Nintendo Switch 2.
About Outright Games:
Outright Games is a global video games publisher with a focus on bringing quality family entertainment to a worldwide audience. Founded in 2016, Outright Games has established its place in the market delivering engaging interactive games of beloved entertainment licences globally. Outright Games brings stories and characters to life with titles including favourites such as Peppa Pig: World Adventures with Hasbro, DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos with Warner, Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova and Paw Patrol: Grand Prix with Nickelodeon, and DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of The Nine Realms with NBC Universal. With an Outright Games title there will be fun for all the family to enjoy.
Nickelodeon, now in its 46th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location-based experiences, publishing and feature films.
Nickelodeon is a division of Paramount, a Skydance Corporation (Nasdaq: PSKY).
Get a first glimpse at the nightmares lurking with Angel in this POSTAL franchise spinoff
Running With Scissors, developer of the infamous POSTAL series played by millions, today unleashes a new trailer for Flesh & Wire, a dark and violent return to POSTAL’soriginal theme and setting
Feast your eyes on this first look at the antiheroine’s feline companion and otherworldly creatures lurking in a nightmare world brimming with secrets.
Meet Angel, a normal college student with her whole life ahead of her, and Solomon, her loyal sphynx cat. In a sudden muzzle flash of horrific violence, the two find themselves swept up in a waking nightmare of blood, conspiracy, and retribution. Pursue all-consuming vengeance as the duo seeks answers, no matter the cost. Go on a bloody tear, crossing paths with law enforcement, the National Guard, and a sinister cult that will stop at nothing to prevent Angel from finding the truth – and how it all connects to franchise protagonist the Postal Dude.
Getting revenge on the Postal Dude won’t be easy. Beyond the armies standing in her way, Angel has to deal with her own darkness – inner demons born out of an act of wanton carnage that upended her life. Press forward through real-world enemies and into the Dreamscape, where locations like the Megachurch turn into a new world shaped by fear and rage. Within the Megachurch’s Dreamscape location known as Deception, ungodly bosses like the Heavy lie dormant, festering with anguish and terror.
“Angel is the first time we’ve introduced a new protagonist to the POSTAL series, and she’s already resonating with both new and long-time fans,” said Vince Desi, founder of Running With Scissors. “Her story taps into the darkness that characterized the first game in the series, and today’s new trailer gives our community a first look at Angel’s feline companion, and the atrocities awaiting in Dreamscape.”
Flesh & Wire will be launching on PC via Steam, GOG, and PlayStation 5 in 2027. For more on Running With Scissors and the POSTAL universe, check out the official website, and follow Running With Scissors on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Discord.
About Running With Scissors
Founded in 1996 and still defiantly independent in Tucson, Arizona, Running With Scissors makes the games your mom warned you about. Best known for the long-running POSTAL series—an unapologetic blend of dark satire, slapstick ultraviolence, and free-speech mischief—RWS has steered the franchise through bans, cult fandom, a Hollywood adaptation, and more than two decades of community-driven mayhem. With a mantra of “pure, politically incorrect entertainment,” the studio continues to self-publish on PC and consoles, stream weekly dev shows, and license fresh spins on the POSTAL Universe.
Battle the forces of darkness through demonic Rifts and explore a new region in Farever’s first major Early Access update
BORDEAUX, France – July 7, 2026 – The first major update for Farever, the online multiplayer action RPG set in a vast fantasy open world from developer Shiro Games, launches Wednesday, July 15, on PC via Steam Early Access. ‘The Nightling Invasion’ introduces all-new mechanics, daunting challenges, and a treacherous area to explore.
The mystical world of Siagarta needs heroes now more than ever. Mysterious portals known as Rifts manifest all across the land, creating pathways to the demon-infested realm of Niflel. Assemble a daring party, don the best gear, then venture into the Rifts to survive increasingly challenging waves of demonic enemies from beyond the veil.
Join groups of up to 15+ players to take on Farever’snew world events and battle minor, major, and primordial terrors. Earn Demonic Souls to exchange for exclusive rewards like exclusive mounts, fearsome weapons, and powerful runes.
Once the trials beyond the rifts have settled, explore Ramburg, home to the forbidding stronghold of the Crimson Rams. Navigate the Lower City, meeting the monks, zealots, soldiers, and inquisitors who reside within.
Dash across rooftops and through secret passageways to unearth the secrets of Ramburg and its terrifying High Inquisitor Chakram, located in the grand Cathedral. Conquer two new dungeons with one of Farever’s four starting classes, and power up to a new level cap of 25.
“The Nightling Invasion is a massive addition to Farever, with a new region, new dungeons, world events, and so much more,” said Quentin Lapeyre, Game Director. “Our team will only continue to expand the magic-infused world of Siagarta, so look forward to even more depth, formidable challenges, and ambitious updates throughout 2026!”
Farever is available now in Early Access on PC via Steam for $19.99 and English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese language support. For more information, follow Farever on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram, and follow Shiro Games on Bluesky.
About Shiro Games
Shiro Games is an independent Bordeaux-based studio founded by video game veterans Sebastien Vidal and Nicolas Cannasse to bring new innovative games to life. Its popular Viking strategy game Northgard released on Steam in 2018, and sold more than five million units. Wartales, its tactical RPG set in an alternate medieval world, has sold more than a million units since its release in April 2023.
Shiro Games released two titles into early access in 2026 after each game acquired hundreds of thousands of wishlists, the online multiplayer action RPG set in a vast fantasy open world Farever, and the space exploration and building game SpaceCraft. Shiro Games has two unreleased titles in production, its ruthless survival FPS and top 100 wishlisted unreleased game Frostrail, and its city-building auto-battler Northgard Battlegrounds being developed by Funday Games.
