Experience new story and multiplayer content for the first time with the game’s Steam Next Fest demo, coming February 6
STOCKHOLM – Feb. 1, 2023 – Hat-wearing video game publisher Raw Fury and solo developer Kenny Sun have revealed that Mr. Sun’s Hatbox, the slapstick roguelite platformer recently nominated for “Excellence in Design” at this year’s Independent Games Festival, will feature co-op and PvP game modes via local multiplayer and Steam Remote Play Anywhere at launch. Fans will have their first opportunity to experience these modes, as well as even more of the main story campaign, with the new Mr. Sun’s Hatboxdemo, coming February 6 as part of Steam Next Fest.
When the dastardly Mr. Moon and his troublemakers steal poor Mr. Sun’s hatbox delivery, it’s up to you as an honorable courier to get that hat back! Establish and upgrade your HQ, build up a crew of reformed hat thieves, and go on dangerously ridiculous heists to get the job done. Whether you opt for careful stealth or charge into combat guns blazing, you’ll make use of a closetful of diverse headgear and weapons to return the stolen package to its rightful owner.
As showcased in today’s latest gameplay trailer, each mission of the main story campaign can be played solo or by teaming up with a friend in co-op via local multiplayer* or Steam Remote Play Together. Players can also face off in head-to-head battles! Jump into the arena with swords, guns, stale baguettes and more in 1v1 or Last One Standing PvP modes.
Key Features:
Start small and build up a crew to take down the mischievous Mr. Moon and his cronies across a challenging variety of action-platformer missions.
Grow your base of operations to fuel even more daring feats. Build a brig to brainwash captives, a lab to experiment on your staff, and a black market to purchase illicit contraband.
Eliminate Mr. Moon’s minions, or capture them for your cause! Recruit a team of ex-crooks with an array of unique traits to use on future missions.
Collect over 50 hats with special properties, including Dynamite Headbands, Cardboard Boxes, Noise-Canceling Earphones and Jet Packs! Choose the best hats to complement your play style.
Play each mission solo or with a friend in co-op, then duke it out in 1v1 and Last One Standing PvP modes via local multiplayer and Steam Remote Play Together.
Colorfully vibrant retro pixel art design from Mr. Kenny Sun, creator of visually stylish experiences like Circa Infinity and Yankai’s Peak.
Mr. Sun’s Hatbox is available to wishlist now on Steam. For more information, visit www.MrSunsHatbox.com, and check out the latest new clips from the game on TikTok.
*Controllers required for local multiplayer.
About the Developer
Kenny Sun is an award-winning game developer based in Brooklyn, New York. He’s been making games since 2007 and has developed a wide variety of titles including Circa Infinity, Twinfold, and Tender: Creature Comforts.
Raw Fury is a boutique indie (un)publisher founded in 2015 by Jonas Antonsson, Gordon Van Dyke, and David Martinez. We do not care about genres or mechanics. We care about experiences and emotions. We want to help developers make magic.
Fish out of water stories are a great way to see how different characters will react to being placed in completely ridiculous situations and while the concept is far from new, it has seen quite a resurgence over the last decade. Most of these stories come in the form of “Isekai” that see a teenager or adult, either through death or mysterious transportation, find themselves transported from their normal humdrum life on Earth to a fantastical realm where they are given great powers that can shake the new world to its core. With Square Enix and Luminous Productions’ Forspoken players will find themselves firmly set in the most generic storyline possible with plenty of great magical powers and quick-footed parkour abilities at their fingertips.
Story
Frey Holland never had much of a chance at a normal life. Found abandoned as a baby in the Holland tunnel in New York she has spent her twenty years of life in turmoil leading to a life of crime that has culminated in a lengthy criminal record based around thefts. Frey manages to avoid being thrown in jail for her latest crime by a lenient judge who let’s her off with a slap on the wrist for the holidays but warns that this is her last chance. What little fortune Frey has is quickly used up as a street gang that had been pursuing her sets fire to her abandoned apartment, burning any chance of a better future away while also placing Frey and her cat on the street.
After giving her cat to her judge in hopes of giving it a safe home, Frey returns to where she was found as a child and before she has a chance to do something she cannot take back, a mysterious vambrace catches her eye. With the expensive looking jewelry offering a chance to set her life back on some sort of track, she quickly steals it only to find herself transported to the fantasy realm of Athia.Not only does Frey find herself trapped in this magical land but Cuff as it is called now speaks directly in her mind and has bonded with her, making it impossible to remove. Cuff explains that Frey’s mysterious transportation to this land has placed her in great danger as “The Break” has ravaged the land for some time turning almost every living creature into a monstrous shell of itself and forcing the few normal residents to take shelter within the last standing city Cipal. With the lands’ former rulers and protectors, the Tantas, twisted by the corruption into being its new torturers, Frey finds herself in a strange land with perhaps the only power and resistance capable of fixing the land and setting the people of Athia free from the Break.
That is if Frey can manage to stay out of her own way for any length of time without either blowing up at random people wishing to help her, making jokes during the game’s few meaningful moments, or simply acting genuinely unlikable throughout the first half of this roughly twenty hour journey that sees her uncaring almost hostile attitude eventually shift towards wanting to help those around her and making some effort to conquer her trauma. As such, one must wonder what the writers for Forspoken were thinking when it came to crafting Forspoken’s storyline as well as trying to develop the few actual characters in the story that have any meaning since the story is so incredibly bland and predictable that anyone even remotely familiar with isekai tropes or paint-by-numbers drama will be able to predict everything that happens throughout the game. Even major twists that are meant to be a surprise that would turn the story on its head are telegraphed and are not only quite obvious but not they aren’t even given time to actually sink in since the story is quickly rushed along or ruined by a bad joke.
It doesn’t help that while players will find various documents and other pieces of writing throughout Forspoken that try to expand a bit on the world’s lore, almost everything narratively happens in the form of lengthy lore dumps that are spaced between the open world sections of the game. This poor pacing gives everything a fairly rushed feeling to it even though players can spend hours running around and taking care of little objectives in the open world or taking on “Distractions” that serve as side-quests but only occasionally provide a bit of extra character building. As a result, only a few of the characters are given any time to really grow on the player and those that do see some development aren’t given time to actually shine with it. Of course there are also magical cats that players can tame and visit at any safe house which is always a plus. Otherwise nearly all interactions that Frey will have happen with Cuff.
Despite being bonded together, Frey and Cuff’s interactions with one another rarely comes off as playful banter. Whether players are in the middle of a story cutscene or simply exploring the world, Cuff will chime in with thoughts about what is happening, often either encouraging Frey to actually care about helping the people of Athia or poking fun at her while she curses at the drop of a hat. Occasionally these back and forths between the two can be rather entertaining but these moments are few and far between as most of their exchanges are cringeworthy at best. In fact, especially since Frey and Cuff have only so many interactions before they quickly begin repeating themselves, players have the option to adjust just how much banter they will actually hear between the two. This means players can completely silence the talkative treasure should they please and let Cuff only speak for story segments or even increase the dialogue above normal should they feel like a bit of a masochist.
Gameplay
As players enter the world of Athia they will find that their initial few hours will actually be rather limited and slow as the game takes far too long before it allows players to truly run free. These initial hours are slow and serve mostly as small tutorials to ease players into various aspects of the game, including how to use basic magical attacks and support spells together while dodging attacks, while also holding players’ hands through drawn out story sections. Once players finally get their first taste of freedom outside of the walls of the town of Cipal that is where things quickly begin to come together.
One of the most striking and standout elements in Forspoken comes in the form of its traversal system which is based almost entirely around freerunning and parkour. Right away players will find themselves easily able to sprint at high speed and leap over small obstacles and walls with ease before quickly gaining the ability to launch themselves further up larger walls and this is only the tip of the iceberg here. As players progress through the game and obtain additional forms of magic, Frey’s ability to navigate the world grows in leaps and bounds, providing her abilities that allow her to zip along tether points on mountains, float across gaps, surf across water, and much more. This parkour and freerunning aspect to move around the world is also only half of how enjoyable it can be to run around since this freedom of movement plays heavily into combat as well.
Whenever players encounter an enemy or group of enemies the camera will begin to focus on the foes with players being able to lock on to a target should they desire and one of the key concepts to fighting in Forspoken is staying on the move. Players can freely run around the battlefield blasting away at enemies using multiple types of magic, jumping into the air to dodge attacks or around an enemy while continuing the onslaught, and even attacks that do manage to land on Frey often don’t break her momentum and give players plenty of opportunity to strike back. It is interesting to note that Forspoken is not a hard game by any means on Normal difficulty so players can choose to opt for more difficult fights if they so please but Square Enix has also offered a number of accessibility options to make the game available for everyone. This includes the ability to auto-swap to support spells that aren’t on cooldown, decreasing or increasing the damage dealt to monsters or to the player, and most of all auto-dodging that, when briefly tested, saw Frey nimbly dodging every attack coming her way outside of Area of Effect blows from boss style enemies.
When Frey isn’t jumping and flipping around the battlefield to avoid incoming attacks she deals out plenty of elemental damage on her own. Initially players will find their spells a bit limited as Forspoken does take a bit of time to unlock additional elements for players to use, lacking a proper melee ability until players complete the first major boss, but as players make their way through each main area in the game they will find Frey’s arsenal growing rather extensive. As players run around the battlefield they will be able to target Break-stricken enemies with a wide array of spells ranging from initially throwing rocks with earth spells to wielding a flaming sword or even raining down powerful finishing blows on an entire group with water magic.
Every spell that Frey unleashes is a visual spectacle and while many can be fired quickly for small amounts of damage, many spells have different tiers and special effects when a charged blow is unleashed. Alongside these active attack spells Frey can make use of a number of support spells that have their own cooldown timers that can range from healing Frey mid-fight to binding an enemy and more and her abilities grow even stronger in the form of powerful ultimate attacks that charge up as players deal damage. Slinging these spells is great fun and makes combat easily one of the best parts of the game, especially when combined with the great movement mechanics that make some battles truly feel like a dance of destruction. This is fitting as the game even has something of a “style” meter that rewards players with increased XP and item drops the more players chain spells together and attack enemies from the back and sides while avoiding incoming damage. Unfortunately some of these abilities do feel like they come a bit too late in the game depending on how much players spend in the open world compared to mainlining the core storyline and it is also worth noting that, outside of boss battles, the elemental weakness and resistance system rarely feels like it plays a factor in most battles as grunt enemies are often too easy and rarely get harder even in the final areas of the game.
The open world that players explore outside of the city of Cipal is vast in size but unfortunately also rather barren. There are some semblances of life as well as a few nice looking locales but these are rare occurrences in what is generally generic landscape filled with plantlife, ruins, or occasionally some colorful rocks and crystals in the rare interesting locations. The open world is filled to the brim with check-list style tasks that players can tackle and while some may not be reachable immediately, players will quickly find nearly every challenge within reach. These can range from simply taking down a group of enemies and opening a chest nearby, facing off against a an exceptionally powerful mutated foe, cleansing a shrine for a stat boost, and even exploring underground dungeons to obtain both powerful equipment as well as a bit of backstory about the world of Athia. Keeping an eye on where to go is an easy affair as players can not only place multiple waypoints down on the map but Cuff can be used to provide both a direct path towards Frey’s goal as well as scan the surroundings to uncover everything from collectable resources, mana wells that provide skill points when traveled over, treasures, and enemies that can be taken down in the area.
As players complete various side objectives in the world they will gather various pieces of equipment that Frey can wear. This includes cloaks, necklaces, and manicure types for her nails. Each piece of equipment can be improved using material gathered from the world to increase Frey’s health, defense, and the amount of damage she deals with certain spell types. Each piece of equipment can also be further customized to provide various other effects that unlock as permanent options every time the player obtains a new piece of gear with that effect automatically applied. This leads to plenty of fun customization but unfortunately players will find that there is, at least for now, no way to take their powered up character beyond the end of the story. Sure, players can return to the open world and travel around to clean up things they may have missed before finishing the game but unfortunately there is currently no form of New Game Plus which is a disappointment thanks to how late some powerful abilities are unlocked in the main story.
Visuals & Audio
Forspoken is something of a tale of two games when it comes to its graphical presentation. The city of New York is gorgeous looking while the main city of Cipal in Athia is fairly dull in design just like the open world that players will be spending most of their time in. There are a few locations that are a bit impressive looking but otherwise players will be spending most of their time navigating an incredibly dull open world filled with monsters that come in far too few varieties to remain interesting for long. Even the game’s character models are a bit on the hit and miss side as many main characters are gorgeously detailed but they often stand right alongside poorly detailed background characters. It also is worth noting that story sequences do not handle skipping dialogue well. This means if players are reading ahead of the spoken word, the game will stutter and jump characters around in incredibly awkward fashion. As for where Forespoken’s graphics shine, it all focuses around the magic. Zipping around enemies and unleashing flashy magical attacks looks absolutely amazing and, when playing in performance mode, the game flows perfectly fine with no slowdown. This includes everything from the smaller magical blasts to powerful super attacks that can fill the entire screen with explosive destruction that is a sight to behold.
The voice work in Forspoken is handled fairly well with all of the characters performed adequately enough and there are multiple language options available including a very satisfying Japanese voice track as well. There is a nice feature with the DualSense controller that has Cuff speak through the controller as well as in-game. The soundtrack also happens to contain some rather impressive tracks, including an exceptional main theme song that fits the game perfectly.
Overall
Forspoken feels like the type of game that has so much potential but manages to squander it through poor writing and a dull open world filled with check-list style objectives. The writing in Forspoken is as generic and predictable as it comes but zipping around the open world and using Frey’s magical abilities to their fullest makes combat incredibly enjoyable. It is just a shame that players can’t take full advantage of many of her combat and traversal abilities till late in the game and must do so in a bland world that rarely makes the most out of what Forspoken has to offer.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Pick your party and fight your way through a cuckoo bananas post-apocalyptic world!
Calgary, Canada, January 31st, 2023 – SMART Technologies is proud to reveal that its wacky, strategic card battler The Last Kids on Earth: Hit the Deck! emerges from Steam Early Access on February 17th for $14.99. The post-apocalyptic world may have ravaged the population and society as we know it, but on the plus side there’s no homework, no parents, and no rules!
Based on the Emmy-winning TV series The Last Kids on Earth from Atomic Cartoons and Max Brallier’s best selling novels of the same name, The Last Kids on Earth: Hit the Deck! lets players inhabit the group of Jack Sullivan, and his friends June, Quint, and Dirk as they live in a tricked-out Tree Fortress of Awesomeness and fend off hordes of drooling zombies and giganto monsters from another dimension.
Following its recent major update, this 1.0 release adds additional playable characters, quests, cards, a crafting table, custom card creator, statistics, new enemies, gear, consumables, and more. The game was designed by a team of Wizards of the Coast R&D Alumni who developed the original MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers.
Choose two characters to use in tag-team combat using battle-card strategies in this cuckoo bananas post-apocalyptic world. Each character has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Abandoned foster kid and monster-slaying tough guy survivor Jack is great at teamwork and fights harder when his health is down. June is an expert at kicking zombie butt as she is adept at seeing monster intentions and evading attacks. Super-rad scientist Quint can choose his gear on the fly and is exceptional at using buffs and debuffs, while former bully Dirk is a super-strong monster-battling tornado who can shield anyone in combat.
Gather more than 50 pieces of gear, like Fridge-a-pult and the Scream Machine; collect from a pool of nearly 400 unique cards and add to your arsenal with cards you create! Boost your monster-fighting awesomeness with consumables like Atomic Cola and Sulfuric Stink Bombs. With over 30 quests that follow the events of the first book as well as new opponents and challenges, there’s never a dull moment in the town of Wakefield…after the Zombie Apocalypse!
Your options are further expanded with a crafting table where you can refill consumables, upgrade gear, and even create your own custom cards! With over 30 quests that follow the events of the first book as well as offer new survival experiences, there’s never a dull moment in the town of Wakefield!
“We were honored to work on the The Last Kids on Earth franchise, as we think its great writing, whimsical humor, and mischievous cast is immediately infectious, but we wanted to ensure that those unfamiliar with the series could get into game,” said Andy Cargile, Director of Game-Based Learning. “That’s why The Last Kids on Earth: Hit the Deck! features deep deck-building mechanics and combat, ensuring that fans of the genre will be enthralled by the adventure. We can’t wait for everyone to play the full release when it launches on February 17th.”
About SMART Technologies SMART Technologies has been innovating and advancing technology focused on the connections that matter since it invented the original SMART Board® in 1987. Its interactive displays and software solutions are trusted by teachers, students, and business leaders all around the world. SMART Technologies is currently working on its first video game with the card battler The Last Kids on Earth: Hit the Deck!
About Atomic Cartoons Atomic Cartoons, a Thunderbird Entertainment Group company, is an artist-driven, multifaceted studio that includes some of North America’s most creative animators, directors, producers, and writers. With locations in Vancouver, Ottawa and Los Angeles, Atomic produces content for partners around the globe, including the Emmy Award-winning The Last Kids on Earth (Netflix), and the Peabody Award and Television Critics Association Award-winning Molly of Denali (PBS) and Marvel’s Amazing Spidey and His Friends for Disney. Thunderbird and Atomic also have a division dedicated to global distribution and consumer products. Atomic is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @AtomicCartoons. For more information, visit www.atomiccartoons.com.
What would you do if you woke up in a psychiatric institution with sinister creatures chasing after you?
São Paulo, Brazil – February 1, 2023 –Imagine you wake up in a cell in the Triton Institute, an experimental asylum led by Dr. Matthew Simmons. Lately the clinic has been surrounded by rumors of abuse and inhumane working conditions and it seems that most of the staff has gone missing. All you know is that Dr. Simmons has been conducting research into the tripartite psyche on how to break someone’s id, ego and superego apart. How far has he gone?
Brazilian studio, United Games, invites you to embark on an intense and fully immersive VR adventure. Fractured Sanity is a single-player game developed exclusively for VR where all mechanics and puzzles are realistic and interactive. In this horror survival game you will engage in a thrilling story and uncover the dark truth about the clinic and how you got there.
The release date for Fractured Sanity will be announced soon. It’s a dream come true for the developers at United Games to finally be able to share their game with the world.
Gabriel Marques, co-developer at United Games commented: “Ever since I was 14, when I first read an RPG Maker magazine, I’ve been dreaming of making games for a living. Now, with our first release, I feel like I’ve taken the first big step towards that goal.”United Games co-developer Gustavo Longhi added:“Two years ago I wouldn’t have dreamt of developing games, it always seemed so hard and complex to me. Looking back on this process and releasing our first game might be the biggest accomplishment of my life so far.”
About United Games Started in 2016 as a side project from Gabriel Marques, United Games was a studio focused on making small mobile games, Advergames for other companies and educational videos. Around 2019 United Games started to focus on VR games and when Gustavo Longhi – Gabriel’s longtime friend – joined the team, they started working on Fractured Sanity, an Immersive Horror Survival game. In September, the team participated in VRJam, the biggest game jam dedicated to VR, where they got 2nd place over 100 games with a brand new idea called Cards of Destiny. In October, United Games went to BGS (Brazil Game Show), the biggest game event in Latin America, and got high recognition from the crowd and journalists as the only indie studio presenting VR games. Both games had big lines of people wanting to play and received very positive feedback. Now in 2023, they intend to release both games, and find their place among the greatest VR studios.
Sydney, Australia, February 1st, 2023: We interrupt whatever it is you’re doing for a Bikini Bottom special news report! Recent reports from our fish on the ground have described the scene as wild, claiming that the news “SpongeBob SquarePants – The Cosmic Shake is now available” has thrown Bikini Bottom into disarray: Innocent citizens and beloved landmarks have disappeared into strange, magical portals!
Officials are asking the population to stay calm and have come out with an official statement: “Notorious Bikini Bottom residents SpongeBob and Patrick are on the case!” Of course, this leads us to several questions:
Will our heroes brave the many dangers of the fantastical WishWorlds? Will they rescue their friends and bring them home safely? Will fancy moves and even fancier costumes prevail?! And will the Chum Bucket serve something edible for a change?
To our friends SpongeBob and Patrick, all this announcer fish has to say is: anchors aweigh, brave heroes, Bikini Bottom is counting on you!
If you want to learn more, check our footage directly from the scene:
Watch the newSpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Launch Trailer on YouTube:
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is out now on PC, PlayStation®4, Xbox One™, and Nintendo Switch™.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is out now for Nintendo Switch™, PC, PlayStation®4, and Xbox One.
Since its launch on July 17, 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has reigned as the most-watched animated series for 22 consecutive years, while generating a universe of beloved characters, pop culture catchphrases and memes, theatrical releases, consumer products, a Tony award-winning Broadway musical and a global fan base. SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the most widely distributed properties in Paramount International history, seen in more than 170 countries, translated in 29+ languages, and averaging more than 100 million total viewers every quarter. SpongeBob SquarePants was created by Stephen Hillenburg and produced by Nickelodeon in Burbank, Calif. The character-driven cartoon chronicles the nautical and sometimes nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, an incurable optimistic and earnest sea sponge, and his undersea friends.
About SpongeBob SquarePants – The Cosmic Shake Wish-granting Mermaid’s Tears in the hands of SpongeBob and Patrick… What could possibly go wrong? Sure, the very fabric holding the very universe very together could come very undone, opening up portals into Wishworlds full of knights, cowboys, pirates, and prehistoric snails. But that’s nothing everyone’s favourite sponge can’t handle – with the right cosmic costume! Everybody do the Cosmic Shake!
Features:
Unlock classic and new platforming skills like the Fishhook Swing and Karate Kick
Don more than 30 F.U.N.tastic costumes like SnailBob and SpongeGar
Travel to 7 distinct Wishworlds like Wild West Jellyfish Fields and Halloween Rock Bottom
Experience all the buddy movie banter with SpongeBob’s permanent companion Balloon-Patrick
Meet all your favourite Bikini Bottomites from the series, voiced by their original actors
Enjoy the in-game soundtrack featuring 101 songs from the series, including Sweet Victory
About Nickelodeon Now in its 43rd 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.
THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE FREE DEMO AVAILABLE NOW ON PLAYSTATION 4 AND NINTENDO SWITCH
Enjoy a Selection of 30 Songs Featured in the Full Game, including Legendary Tracks from FINAL FANTASY VII and FINAL FANTASY XIV
SYDNEY (Feb 1, 2023)– Today, SQUARE ENIX released a free demo for the upcoming rhythm-action title, THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE™, through the PlayStation® Store* and Nintendo eShop. Players can try their hand at a selection of 30 beloved songs and have their save data carry over to the full game, which launches on February 16, 2023.
To watch the official THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE Demo Launch Trailer
In the free demo, players can test out the game’s single player content** and experience various popular songs, including:
“Opening – Bombing Mission” from FINAL FANTASY VII
“Blinded By Light” from FINAL FANTASY XIII
“Torn from the Heavens” from FINAL FANTASY XIV
“APOCALYPSIS NOCTIS (Uncovered Trailer)” from FINAL FANTASY XV
Plus much more…
The free demo was announced through a special livestream hosted on the official SQUARE ENIX Twitch channel earlier this week, and featured Ichiro Hazama, the game’s Producer, along with Masanobu Suzui, Series Director, and Tsukasa Okayasu, Director, from indieszero Co. Ltd. To watch a recording of the livestream, visit: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1723315481
Featuring 385 FINAL FANTASY tracks in the base game, the Digital Deluxe and Premium Digital Deluxe Editions include music from various SQUARE ENIX series, such as NieR, SaGa, LIVE A LIVE, OCTOPATH TRAVELER and more. With three game modes to enjoy and over 100 FINAL FANTASY characters, players can form their dream music battle party, and by using both local and online multiplayer play modes, with additional DLC to explore following the game’s launch, players have plenty to look forward to as they embark on a colorful and musical journey.
THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE will be available for the PlayStation 4 (PS4) console and Nintendo Switch system on February 16, 2023. For more information, visit: https://square-enix-games.com
* Due to backwards compatibility, the PS4 consumer demo is playable on PlayStation (PS5) consoles. ** Local co-op is playable for select songs in the Music Stage mode; online multiplayer will be available in the full version of the game.
About Square Enix Ltd. Square Enix Ltd. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX and TAITO branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix group of companies. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 173 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST, which has sold over 85 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
2023 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Developed by indieszero Co., Ltd. LOGO ILLUSTRATION: 2022 YOSHITAKA AMANO
THEATRHYTHM, FINAL FANTASY, DRAGON QUEST, NieR, OCTOPATH TRAVELER, SQUARE ENIX, the SQUARE ENIX logo, SPACE INVADERS, and TAITO are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix group of companies. “PlayStation,” “PS4” and “PS5” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo Co., Ltd. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Get Triple Rewards on Hardcore Telegram Missions – Plus, Double Rewards on Free Roam Missions and the Trade Route Free Roam Event, Valentine’s Day Bonuses, and More
Those willing to test their limits in Hardcore Telegram missions this month will receive generous compensation for their efforts. Meanwhile, additional profitable opportunities are abound on the frontier with Double Rewards for Free Roam Missions and the Trade Route Free Roam Event. Plus, lovers and loners alike can benefit from a host of Valentine’s Day bonuses.
3X RDO$, Gold, and XP on Hardcore Telegram Missions
Take on a Free Aim only challenge against highly skilled enemies in Hardcore Telegram missions. Show your tenacity to earn Triple Rewards on missions in A Tough Business and Skelding’s Contract telegrams.
2X RDO$, Gold, and XP on Trade Route
Opportunity lurks around every corner … this month is a particularly fortuitous time for Traders to show off their unique set of skills in Trade Route, a Trader Free Roam event doling out 2X RDO$, Gold,and XP.
Valentine’s Day Bonuses
Play Red Dead Online this Valentine’s Day to receive 5 Chocolate Bars, 1 Brandy, and Pink and Black Oakley Boots, all itemsbefitting the holiday’s romantic mood. Spread the love by emoting to another player and receive an Offer for 50% off any Established or Distinguished Role Item. All Rewards and Offers will be delivered within 72 hours of completion.
2X RDO$, Gold, and XP on Free Roam Missions
Carry out assassinations, rescue and escort captives, and more in Free Roam Missions — acquiring skill, respect, and 2X RDO$, Gold, and XP along the way. Take on missions solo, or with a Posse for a 30% XP bonus — which applies to Free Roam Events and Bounties throughout the month, too. All Persistent Posse creation fees are waived during this period, so gather ‘round the campfire with some friendly faces.
Community Outfit
Love is in the air so there’s no better month than February to look sharp and dress the part. This outfit inspired by BreadBoxin is sure to turn some heads. Valentine isn’t just the capital of The Heartlands, after all. Procure the needed pieces for this look from participating Tailors or the Wheeler, Rawson & Co. Catalogue all month long:
2X RDO$, Gold and XP on the Ember of the East Blood Money Opportunity
Knowing where to look is only half the battle in the pursuit of the coveted Ember of the East — a ruby too beautiful to remain hidden away in the hills of Annesburg for only Senator Ricard to enjoy. Locate and loot the gem for 2X RDO$, Gold, and XP.
3X RDO$ and XP on Featured Series
Line your pockets for the frigid winter with Triple Rewards on all modes in the Featured Series. Go solo in Name Your Weapon, or team up to succeed in Hostile Territory, Team Shootout,and Plunder.Test your endurance in various Races, as well as Make it Count and Hardcore Public Enemy modes.
Featured Series Calendar
Jan 31 – Feb 6: Team Up Series: Hostile Territory, Name Your Weapon, Plunder,and Team Shootout
Feb 7 – Feb 13: Race Series: Race, Open Race, Target Race,and Open Target Race
Feb 14 – Feb 20: Bow and Arrow Series: Make It Count and Target Race
Feb 21 – Feb 27: Hardcore Public Enemy Series
Weekly Bonuses
Jan 31 – Feb 6: Play with a Persistent Posse this week to receive the Tiltham Hat in black
Feb 7 – Feb 13: Play Call to Arms with a Persistent Posse this week to receive the red version of the Daventry Jacket
Feb 14 – 20: Complete any Blood Money Opportunity with a Persistent Posse this week to receive a pair of silver Concho Pants
Feb 21 – Feb 27: Play the Featured Series with a Persistent Posse this week to receive red Woodland Gloves
Monthlong Rewards
Complete Destroyed by Grief to receive an Offer for 50% off a Camp Tent
Craft an item at your Campfire to receive an Offer for 40% off the Fast Travel Post
Place Top 3 in any Race to receive the Subtle Wave Emote
2X Gold and XP on Call to Arms
Frontier outposts are at risk as foes attack from all avenues — defend these regions in Call to Arms and take on waves of enemies for 2X Gold and XP this month.
Discounts
30% off – Kladruber and Race Horses
30% off – Camp Dogs and Camp Themes
40% off – Saddles and Improved Saddles
40% off – Revolvers
40% off – High Velocity Ammo
50% off – Pants
50% off – Skirts
Prime Gaming Benefits
Red Dead Online players who connect their Rockstar Games Social Club account with Prime Gaming will receive a gift consisting of 5 Gold Bars. Players will also receive the Rulfo Boots in red, Marshall Coat in black, and an Offer for 40% off a Deluxe Campfire, now through March 6.
Today, we announced that the Xbox Wireless Controller – Deep Pink, will soon be available in Australia and New Zealand!
Available from February 10, the Xbox Wireless Controller – Deep Pink will be priced at AUD $94.95 and NZD $109.95 respectively across leading retailers.
The Xbox Wireless Controller – Deep Pink features sculpted surfaces and refined geometry for enhanced comfort during gameplay, as well as textured grip and a hybrid d-pad, letting you elevate your game just like our entire range.
Fans eager to get their hands on the controller can pre-order now at the Microsoft Store.
Get a First Glimpse at the Next Opus of the The CrewFranchise and Register to Get a Chance to Participate in the Insider Program Starting February 1
Sydney, Australia –February 1, 2023— Today, Ubisoft announced that the The Crew franchise will enter a new era with its next installment: The Crew™ Motorfest. The game will be available in 2023 on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, as well as Windows PC through the Ubisoft Store and Epic Games Store. Players will also be able to access the game through a Ubisoft+ subscription on PC and Amazon Luna*.
Welcome to Motorfest! This one-of-a-kind festival will let players enjoy the best experiences car culture has to offer. Motorfest will allow car lovers to fulfill their ultimate action driving bucket list through a series of tailor-made races, themed events and other unique challenges. Whichever way players enjoy cars and driving, there is something in there for them.
The Crew Motorfest has settled down in one of the most breathtaking and vibrant places on Earth: the island of O‘ahu in the Hawaiian archipelago. This is the perfect playground to let players have fun together with their vehicles: racing through the city streets of Honolulu, going down the ashy volcano slopes, adventuring deep in the lush rainforest, drifting along the curvy mountain roads or just chilling down on the sunny beach. On their own or with their crew, they will be able to explore the entire island behind the wheel of hundreds of the most legendary vehicles.
This is just the beginning! Players can expect more details about the full Motorfest program in the coming months.
The development team at Ubisoft Ivory Tower is committed to offering the most exciting and meaningful experience possible for all players. To do so, some of the most engaged players will be able to get behind the wheel early through the Insider Program, starting today, February 1. This closed test, split into different phases, will help the development team gather feedback to ensure an optimal player experience at launch and beyond. The first phase of the Insider Program will be limited to PC in order to allow for quick iterations. During the final phases, this closed test will open up to consoles. Register now to get a chance to join the Insider Program – www.thecrewgame.com/insiderprogram.
For more information about The Crew Motorfest, please visit thecrewgame.com and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/thecrewgame.usa, on Instagram at instagram.com/thecrewgame, on TikTok at tiktok.com/@thecrewgame and on Twitter at twitter.com/TheCrewGame or #TheCrewMotorfest.
For the latest news on The Crew Motorfest and other Ubisoft games, please visit news.ubisoft.com.
*Ubisoft+ on Luna requires account linking and a Multi Access plan. Territorial restrictions apply.
About The Crew™ Motorfest Developed by Ubisoft Ivory Tower, a studio based in Lyon, France, The Crew™ Motorfest lets players fulfill the driving bucket list of their dreams in one of the most exhilarating and vibrant open worlds ever created. Motorfest is a car-culture infused festival organized in one of the world’s most breathtaking locations: O‘ahu, one of the main islands of the Hawaiian archipelago. On their own or with friends, players can explore this galvanizing tropical playground behind the wheel of hundreds of the most legendary vehicles ever built. At every corner of the island, the festival offers infinite opportunities for pure fun, all forms of driving challenges, and invites them to explore incredible landscapes: from big city streets to volcano slopes, lush rainforests, idyllic beaches… They are free to follow the roads or forge their own path!
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a creator of worlds, committed to enriching players’ lives with original and memorable entertainment experiences. Ubisoft’s global teams create and develop a deep and diverse portfolio of games, featuring brands such as Assassin’s Creed®, Brawlhalla®, For Honor®, Far Cry®, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon®, Just Dance®, Rabbids®, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six®, The Crew®, Tom Clancy’s The Division®, and Watch Dogs®. Through Ubisoft Connect, players can enjoy an ecosystem of services to enhance their gaming experience, get rewards and connect with friends across platforms. With Ubisoft+, the subscription service, they can access a growing catalog of more than 100 Ubisoft games and DLC. For the 2021–22 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated net bookings of €2,129 million. To learn more, please visit: www.ubisoftgroup.com.
CLEVELAND — Jan. 31, 2023 —STRAYLIGHT, the first-person cosmic VR platformer built for comfort and speed from developer Dr BLOC, swings out of Early Access with new content and into the 1.0 launch today for the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, Valve Index, and the HTC Vive.
Soar through a sea of stars on a journey of cosmic proportions. Use your own movement to power your STRAYLIGHT beams and swing yourself through beautiful galactic playgrounds, using momentum and razor-sharp reflexes to volley around ancient monuments and deadly obstacles.
Powered by the custom-built “Fling Engine” physics system built from the ground up for comfortable movement, STRAYLIGHT minimizes common VR discomforts such as vertigo and nausea during gameplay. Push the limits of reaction time and speed to make split-second decisions on the path to the finish line. Get into the swing of things while building momentum, and use high-risk, high-reward maneuvers in record-breaking runs to become the fastest in the galaxy.
The 1.0 launch brings a bevy of new features for all skill levels. Enjoy overhauled visuals, a new storyline and additional characters. Float at a relaxing pace in Zen mode perfect for VR newcomers, or compete against the clock across 11 base levels. For the VR veteran thrill seekers with hair-trigger reflexes, test your skills in 11 all-new “hardcore” challenges. Blaze past previous performances and your own best runs, and venture off the beaten path in search of hard-to-reach cubes to unlock bronze, silver and gold Ghosts.
“Racing the Ghosts is the most exciting new addition to the game,” said Benjamin Barr, Co-Founder, Dr BLOC. “Being able to chase your own best time, and trying to beat our own developer-recorded runs, transforms the game from an exciting solo experience to a truly competitive one.”
Swing through the stars to the tunes of a completely original progressive synth-wave soundtrack written and composed by award-winning video game music artist Rob ‘88Bit’ Kovacs. The full DMCA-free, stream-friendly soundtrack will also be released through Emperia Records on Vinyl and is available now on Spotify, Youtube, Bandcamp and all other major streaming platforms. https://Lnk.to/straylight
“With our custom physics engine, gamers who are typically avoidant of movement in virtual reality will get a chance to try it with minimal discomfort,” said Daniel Seery, Co-Founder, Dr BLOC. “We can’t wait for VR newcomers and seasoned VR veterans to get their hands on STRAYLIGHT, set speed records and experience the beauty of a comfortable virtual reality environment.”
STRAYLIGHT is available now on Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, Valve Index, and the HTC Vive for $19.99.
Dr BLOC is an eclectic group of filmmakers, coders, musicians and writers united by their love of VR and classic platforming games. They hail from Cleveland, Ohio.
