Smash, slash, and shoot your way through a neon-noir city fueled by graphic novel action and hip-hop energy.
[May 19, 2026] – Experience a hyper-violent neon-noir underworld where every fight is a brutal performance and every bullet counts. Kusan: City of Wolves releases digitally for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on July 30, 2026 with physical versions also available for PS5 and Switch. Throwing you into the rain-soaked streets of Kusan as Jin, an ex-soldier turned gun-for-hire, tasked with protecting the city’s most dangerous cargo — a girl fitted with a city-grade atomic weapon.
As the hero of the story, Jin will go to any brutal lengths to save the girl at the center of a conspiracy that threatens to consume the entire city. Dash through tightly designed combat arenas with brutal precision, chaining gunfire, Quantum Blade strikes, parries, and split-second movement into stylish displays of violence. Every encounter in Kusan: City of Wolves rewards aggression, precision, and creativity, as you express yourself through combat on your way to stopping imminent oblivion.
Key Features:
Hardcore Top-Down Combat with Style: Master brutal and precise gameplay, where every movement matters and the style points are real.
54 Brutal Hand-Crafted Stages: Finesse your way through 54 intense stages spanning multiple chapters that include skill-based puzzles, challenges, and that sought-after S-rank for perfectionists.
Beastly Boss Battles: Face towering foes with distinct mechanics and high-stakes patterns. Learn, adapt, and execute to survive these cinematic duels that push timing and tactics to the limit.
Build the Perfect Killing Arsenal: Optimize and improvise. Chain kills and parries to reach a flow state that earns Bolts to upgrade the War Hand, unlock firearms and blades, and tailor loadouts to your playstyle.
Adrenaline-Fuelled Soundtrack: Immerse yourself in an adrenaline-fuelled score from hip-hop artist Loptimist, serving heavy doses of energy every step of the way.
Graphic-Novel Storytelling: Follow Jin’s missions through dynamic comic-panel cutscenes with sharp frames and cinematic pacing that tell a gritty tale of violence, corruption, and fractured loyalties.
Neo-Noir Atmosphere: Explore the rain-soaked pixel-art metropolis where Jin is ready to cross every line to save the girl.
Wishlist Kusan: City of Wolves now and sharpen your skills in the demo, available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, ahead of the game’s July 30 launch.
About CIRCLEfromDOT
Founded in 2018, CIRCLEfromDOT is a game developer studio. Their goal is to capture the dilemmas of life within their games. They strive to create powerful, immersive moments that resonate deeply, helping players experience life from a new perspective. Their vision is to deliver experiences that enrich lives and reach more players, ultimately contributing to a better world.
About PQube
PQube is a leading international creator, publisher, and distributor of interactive entertainment. The company’s teams worldwide are committed to publishing games they love by working closely with development partners and reaching consumers globally on all major gaming platforms.
Bellwright, Above The Snow, and Honeycomb: The World Beyond showcase the breadth of artistic visionaries from Poland
Los Angeles, CA – May 18, 2026 – Snail Games and its indie publishing imprint, Wandering Wizard, have made the strategic decision to partner with and publish three titles from Polish development teams to highlight emerging talent from the region. Studios included in this initiative are Above The Desk, creators of Above the Snow; Donkey Crew, the team behind Bellwright; and Frozen Way Games, who are currently developing Honeycomb: The World Beyond.
“At Snail Games we’ve been eager to support emerging game dev markets, and have seen tremendous creative talent and ideas coming from Poland,” said Hai Shi, CEO at Snail Games USA. “That’s why we’ve decided to partner with these three studios. Each offers wildly different visions of gaming, spanning the breadth of the industry. From an alpine resort tycoon game, to a medieval survival sim, to an exploration adventure about crossbreading alien life forms, we want to ensure that Snail Games and Wandering Wizard are ahead of the curve in supporting the wide range of regional talent from Poland.”
Donkey Crew’s Bellwright is a medieval open-world survival RPG that’s seen a very positive reception. Sales have recently surpassed 1 million units sold while still on Steam Early Access and it will be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles upon hitting its 1.0 launch.
Above The Desk recently launched their tycoon game about alpine adventurers Above The Snow on Steam April 23rd, after winning Best PC City-Building Game at NYX Game Awards: Season 2 (2025). It was also nominated for Best Narrative Indie Game Award at Taipei Game Show (2026) and Best Polish Indie Game at Poznań Game Arena (2025). Above The Desk is currently attending Digital Dragons, Poland’s premiere gaming event, where they’re showcasing Above The Snow.
Frozen Way Games’ Honeycomb: The World Beyond is a gorgeous survival sandbox game set on an alien world, coming soon to Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series platforms. It puts players in the astro-boots of Hennessy, a pioneer forging an expedition on Sota7 – a mysterious planet that could hold the key to saving humankind back on Earth. Players will have to crossbreed plants and animals on their bioengineering journey across hazardous terrain. For Honeycomb: The World Beyond, Frozen Way Games has been working closely with NVIDIA, leveraging the company’s cutting-edge technology to enhance visual fidelity, refine performance, and deliver a more immersive experience ahead of release.
About Snail Games USA Snail Games is a leading global developer and publisher, known for delivering innovative, immersive gaming experiences across a range of genres and platforms. With a legacy of technological innovation and a focus on community engagement, Snail Games is shaping the future of interactive entertainment. snail.com
About Wandering Wizard Wandering Wizard is passionately committed to championing indie game developers. We provide a platform for fresh voices, revolutionary ideas, and daring experiments within the indie gaming realm. Embracing the inherent risks of indie game development, we partner with creators worldwide to enrich the global gaming community with inclusive, inspiring, and innovative gaming experiences. https://www.wanderingwizard.com/
About Donkey Crew Donkey Crew is an independent studio made up of talented, experienced developers from every corner of the world. Starting as a small team of passionate gamers working together within a large Mount & Blade modding community, the group grew into a professional company developing indie titles. Based in Wroclaw, Poland, Donkey Crew continues their journey as an indie developer while growing and expanding. www.donkey.team
About Above The Desk Above The Desk is an independent game studio built by a small but passionate team – a mix of seasoned industry veterans and bold new talent. We believe that this blend of perspectives, skills, and creative energy is our greatest strength. Our mission is to craft games that stand out with original ideas, engaging mechanics, and a sharp sense of humor. We don’t cut corners – we focus on originality, quality, and fresh takes on familiar formulas. https://abovethedesk.games/
About Frozen Way Games Frozen Way Games is a group of over 80 cheerful people from Cracow, Poland with a passion for video games. Gamedev is our lifestyle and philosophy, so there’s nothing better than seeing our creations bring a lot of joy to the community. frozenway.games
Demon Lord: Just A Block, the action roguelite where the world only moves when the player does, from solo developer YuWave and publisher Skystone Games, celebrates more than 1,000 favorable reviews to date, earning an “Overwhelmingly Positive” status on Steam!
Seize dominion over a colorful fantasy world as a freshly resurrected demon lord, well…just his head. Defeat a barrage of blockish enemies with quick parries and dodges, or methodically planned movements. Experiment with an endless array of silly, synergistic, or seriously destructive builds by mixing and matching hundreds of abilities and 14 different weapons with impressive powerups.
Decapitated and full of fury, slay formidable bosses with distinct mechanics based on classic puzzle games. Return to a lively throne room with loyal subjects and a collection of prized items such as weapons, skins, and more. Brave seven dynamic chapters and nine gradually increasing difficulty ascensions to reveal three distinct narrative endings.
Demon Lord: Just A Block is available now for $12.99 USD/€12.79 EUR with language support for English, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, French, German, Spanish – Spain, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese – Brazil, and Korean. Learn more about Demon Lord: Just A Block by visiting the official Steam Page, following @YuWaveStudio on social media, joining the official Discord community, and searching the hashtag #DemonLordJustABlock.
About YuWave
YuWave is a solo indie developer dedicated to bringing strange ideas to life in the form of games. The demo for their first commercially released title Demon Lord: Just A Block, received more than 10,000 downloads on Steam, with a 98% positive rating. YuWave is committed to creating simple games that are easy to pick up, yet rewarding to master through unique mechanics and strategic depth, even if just with a blocky head.
The Farming Simulator universe has grown: Farming Simulator 26 is now available on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. In this brand-new installment, publisher and developer GIANTS Software introduces farming challenges offering rewards alongside the relaxed, self-paced farming experience the series is known for, two new maps and more.
Rising to the Challenge of Farming
In addition to reaping what they sow, farmers are rewarded for completing weekly or seasonal challenges. Ranging from simple field tasks like cultivating, sowing, or harvesting, farmers are also encouraged to interact with the broader ecosystem – like delivering wheat to the grainmill, so flour can be produced in town.
“Fans have been eagerly awaiting new opportunities to grow and manage their own farm on the go,” says Boris Stefan, CSO of GIANTS Software. “With tons of engaging farming activities and new rewarding challenges, Farming Simulator 26 is not only the most comprehensive and relaxing mobile experience yet, but also the most gratifying. We can’t wait to see players dig in and enjoy it wherever they are.”
Authenticity, Depth & Variety
15 crops, farm animals, and more than 120 authentically digitized machines from renowned manufacturers like Case IH, CLAAS, DEUTZ-FAHR, Fendt, John Deere, KRONE, Kubota, Massey Ferguson, New Holland, Valtra, and others: Farming Simulator 26 offers plenty of choice.
New production chains, heavy trucks to transport the goods, baby animals, and more offer a variety of agricultural depth in a European and a North-American environment. With GPS-enabled machines and improved in-game tutorials, Farming Simulator 26 becomes more accessible as well.
The Nintendo Switch Edition of Farming Simulator 26 is available at selected retail stores and the NintendoeShop for Nintendo Switch. The mobile versions for iPhone, iPad, and Android™ devices are available in the App Store and on Google Play, respectively.
About GIANTS Software GIANTS Software is a globally operating game developer and publisher headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. Established in 2004, the company is known for creating the popular Farming Simulator franchise. With international teams, including offices in Erlangen (Germany) and Brno (Czech Republic), GIANTS Software develops and publishes simulation experiences worldwide. Beyond Farming Simulator, it is strengthening its position in the genre with Project Motor Racing and a global network of partners and industry ties. For more information, visit the GIANTS Software website.
About Farming Simulator With more than 40 million copies of the main series sold worldwide since 2008, the Farming Simulator franchise is leading in its genre. Available on all major platforms, the series features hundreds of authentic machines from renowned brands and offers compelling agricultural simulation with relaxing, family-friendly gameplay. It’s based on the powerful GIANTS Engine – built in-house to provide realistic physics, high-fidelity graphics, dynamic systems and extensive modding support. Visit farming-simulator.com for more information.
Kick Off Elliot’s Time Travelling Adventure in a New Demo Available on All Platforms
SYDNEY (May 19, 2026)– SQUARE ENIX released a free demo for The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, the brand-new action RPG from Team Asano, on Nintendo Switch™ 2, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam® and Xbox on PC. Players can begin their adventures in Philabieldia early, with save data carrying over to the full game when it launches on June 18, 2026.
Watch The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales – New Demo Announcement + Gameplay Trailer here:
This latest playable demo allows fans begin their adventures in Philabieldia, with all progress made in the demo carrying over to the full version of the title upon its release next month. Players who experienced the Debut Demo can look forward to several game updates based on player feedback, including an increase in Elliot’s base movement speed, a new difficulty level and various quality-of-life updates.
Physical and digital pre-orders for The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales are available across all platforms. Players who pre-order a digital and/or physical edition of the game will receive Elliot’s Departure Pack, which includes various in-game items that give Elliot an edge, including a Departure Brooch accessory, which increases the amount of currency and magicite fragments enemies drop, and Attack Up sword magicite.
In The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, the duo Elliot and Faie traverse a vast world across four ages, teeming with enemy hordes, hidden caves and ancient ruins. Elliot can wield seven weapon types—ranging from close-quarters swords to versatile chains and sickles that can reel in enemies. Each weapon is customizable through magicite, allowing players to tailor their combat style. Faie’s powerful Magic is formidable in and out of battle, whether she’s striking enemies, retrieving items from places Elliot cannot reach, or aiding in exploration.
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales will be available for Nintendo Switch™ 2, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam® and Xbox on PC on June 18, 2026.
About The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales introduces a fantastical adventure set in the world of Philabieldia—a savage land overrun by fierce beasts. When a mysterious set of ruins is discovered just beyond the protective walls of the Kingdom of Huther, humanity’s sole bastion, a young adventurer named Elliot and his fairy companion, Faie, embark on a perilous journey—one that will unfold across the fabric of space and time.
The duo Elliot and Faie will traverse a vast world teeming with enemy hordes, hidden caves and ancient ruins. Elliot can wield seven weapon types—ranging from close-quarters swords to versatile chains and sickles that can reel in enemies. Each weapon is customizable through magicite, allowing players to tailor their combat style. Faie’s powerful Fairy Actions are formidable in and out of battle, whether she’s striking enemies, retrieving items, from places Elliot cannot reach, or aiding in exploration.
About Square Enix, Inc.
Ranked as the #1 Publisher of the Year in 2025 by Metacritic.
Square Enix, Inc. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX and TAITO branded entertainment content throughout the Americas 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 209 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST, which has sold over 97 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS. Square Enix, Inc. is a U.S.-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
FINAL FANTASY, DRAGON QUEST, SQUARE ENIX, the SQUARE ENIX logo, SPACE INVADERS, and TAITO are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Square Enix group of companies. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Sydney, Australia – May 19, 2026 – Microids is pleased to announce the upcoming retail version of Lost Ember, developed byMooneye Studios, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series on July 2, 2026. In this breathtaking adventure game, a beautiful world hides the secrets of its forgotten past, waiting to be uncovered by you and your companion. Playing as a wolf, players will embark on an emotional journey and possess any animal they encounter to experience the world from entirely new perspectives and fulfil their destiny throughout the adventure ofLost Ember.
With the Wolf Pack Edition, Microids offers players and collectors a unique opportunity to discover the enchanting world of Lost Ember in a retail edition available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, including:
The Lost Ember game
The Legendary Souls DLC
The digital soundtrack
Wolf sticker
A 48-page artbook
About Lost Ember:
Explore the remains of a fallen world from fascinating perspectives! Slip into the role of different animals to uncover the fate of an ancient world.
Dive into deep waters, fly at lofty heights, dig underground as a mole or even climb steep cliffs with a mountain goat, there are lots of ways of getting around.
Experience the contrasting stories of the fall of mankind and the lush life in a world reclaimed by nature with a wolf as your main character and a determined companion at your side.
Explore the land, sea, and air, as you possess any creature you come across to experience life from a whole new perspective. Fly through gargantuan canyon valleys as a parrot! Tumble through the grass as a wombat! Swim through shimmering lakes as a fish! Your journey will take you from densely wooded jungles to lush rainforest canopies, to barren desert plains and archaic temples.
Ultimately, you’ll discover a tale of loyalty, despair, and betrayal, as echoes of the lost Yanrana culture come to life in a lush wilderness devoid of man.
Lost Ember: Wolf Pack Edition will be available on July 2, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series
About Microids
Microids is a French video game publisher founded in 1985 that has established itself as a key player in the international industry. By collaborating with renowned studios and creators, Microids delivers immersive experiences based on popular licenses, allowing players to embark on new adventures alongside iconic characters.
About Mooneye Studios
Founded in 2014, Mooneye Studios is a five-person outfit based in Hamburg, Germany. Its first title, Lost Ember was released in 2019 on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. The success of Lost Ember offered the team the chance to start publishing solo developers in addition to their own games. They’ve published Haven Park, Smushi Come Home and Farewell North while developing their next title IKUMA: The Frozen Compass and remastering their debut game Lost Ember, which is getting a physical edition for the first time.
Grab your rod and reel and experience the post-apocalyptic fishing adventure
NICOSIA, Cyprus – 19 May 2026 – DREADMOOR, the dark fishing adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world from developer Dream Dock and publisher Digital Vortex Entertainment, celebrates more than 200,000 wishlists by taking part in Steam Ocean Fest with the first public playtest, available today on Steam for PC!
Previously only playable at in-person shows, Steam Ocean Fest represents the first chance for the public around the world to play the game from any safe port. The playtest includes several never-before-seen features, like the day/night cycle with nighttime tentacle attacks. Find the right frequency on the radio, use lockpicks to explore forbidden areas, refuel generators, solve water flow puzzles, and learn recipes with the Mastery system.
In a bayou ravaged by an evil plague, board a leaky fishing boat and scavenge to survive – and maybe even turn a profit! Explore the Submerged Lands to scout out the best fishing spots, but be on the lookout for the fearsome, mutated predators that make these waters their home. For a big enough fish, anything looks like bait.
Once your hold is full of mutant fish, head back to the bait shop that’s perched on the back of a gargantuan crab and sell your catch. Scavenge materials to use to upgrade your hull and fishing gear, sell your catches, then seek out deadlier prey to find the rare parts needed for specialty lures and pole upgrades.
“We’ve been hard at work making DREADMOOR into the dark fishing game of our dreams, and the player feedback we’ve received during our past playtests has been a huge part of making that happen,” said Rostislav Fedorov, CEO of Dream Dock Games. “This is just a first peek at what DREADMOOR has in store for the more than 200,000 people who have wishlisted, but once you’ve gotten a taste, well… you’ll be hooked.”
DREADMOOR is coming to PC via Steam in Q4 2026. For more information, wishlist the game, join the official Discord server, and follow DREADMOOR on X/Twitter for the latest updates.
About Digital Vortex Entertainment
Digital Vortex Entertainment is a new publisher made up of game industry veterans who have worked on titles such as Atomic Heart, Lost Ark, PUBG Battlegrounds, and more, not limiting themselves to specific genres or game formats, and always striving to create games they themselves would like to play. Digital Vortex Entertainment is part of Utmost Games.
About Dream Dock
Dream Dock is an independent game studio based in Kyrgyzstan and founded by three former colleagues who left their high-paying roles at top game companies to pursue a shared creative vision. Collectively, their experience includes six years at industry leaders such as Playrix, MY.GAMES, Saber Interactive, and Owlcat Games. With a portfolio that spans AA and AAA projects, the studio is dedicated to crafting original, emotionally resonant worlds. DREADMOOR, a fishing survival adventure, is their debut IP.
AG French Direct will return on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 6:00 PMCEST for a brand-new edition spotlighting French and French-speaking games. More than 40 titles will be featured during this online showcase, including world premiere trailers and game reveals, exclusive gameplay footage, developer diaries, and over 30 playable demos available around the event.
After reaching more than 950,000 views last year, the 2026 edition is set to be the biggest and most ambitious AG French Direct to date. Over the past several years, the event has established itself as the premier digital showcase dedicated to French and French-speaking studios. This year, more than 40 PC and console titles will be presented, ranging from indie projects to large-scale productions across a wide variety of genres, concepts, and artistic styles.
Several studios and publishers have already confirmed their participation, including:
Dear Villagers
New Tales
Rebel Pixel
ARTE France
Devolver Digital
Emeteria
Attaboy Interactive
Nine Dots Studio
Sunnyside Games
Wild Wits Games
The Game Bakers
NACON
And more
Among the highlights of this edition, the dreamlike Maseylia: Echoes of the Past by Sol Brothers will exclusively reveal its release date. Nocturnal 2 from Sunnyside Games will return with new gameplay footage featuring its fluid and expressive combat system, while Wonderfall by Attaboy Interactive invites players to explore a Paris transformed by sand.
Several developer diaries will also offer a behind-the-scenes look at game creation, including a focus on Le Cartel Studio, the team behind the offbeat party game Heave Ho 2. Red Art Games and Nextale Games will use the event to unveil their latest project. New Tales will spotlight several productions, including Fading Echo by Emeteria.
The gothic metroidvania Silent Planet – Elegy of a Dying World by Vertex Zero will reveal more details about its gameplay and dynamic environments. Numerous surprises and world premieres will round out the lineup.
A dedicated Steam page will accompany the event, bringing together a selection of the games on display. For the first time, more than 30 playable demos will be made available to the public, giving players the opportunity to discover certain titles ahead of their release. A pre-show lasting around fifteen minutes will kick off the evening with promising and inspiring student projects.
The conference will once again be hosted in French by Salomé Lagresle, a well-known presenter and journalist in the French scene. A familiar presence at gaming events and broadcasts, she will guide viewers throughout the announcements and introduce the featured studios. New for this edition, AG French Direct will also feature a full English voice-over by Ryan Highley, known for his performances in Nioh 3 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, making the event more accessible to an international audience. This evolution reflects the show’s ambition to provide greater visibility for French and French-speaking creations to players around the world.
AG French Direct 2026 will be broadcast on Wednesday, May 27 at 6:00 PMCEST on ActuGaming’s official YouTube and Twitch channels as well as through several event partners. The conference will also be streamed in China on Bilibili with Chinese subtitles available. More information will be shared soon on ActuGaming.
Watch AG French Direct 2026 on YouTube on May 27, 2026 at 6:00 PM CEST.
AG French Direct is an event dedicated to showcasing French and French-speaking games through a conference packed with exclusive announcements and new trailers, followed by interviews and never-before-seen demos. The next edition will take place on May 27, 2026 at 6:00 PM, featuring an incredible lineup of games, and will be available for the first time in both English and Chinese.
In the meantime, watch the replay of the 2025 edition: AG French Direct 2025 Replay
Scavenge the wasteland, build the perfect deck, and fight to keep humanity alive.
T’BILISI, GEORGIA — The wasteland is finally complete. After an extensive Early Access journey shaped by community feedback, The Dead Await officially launches into Version 1.0 today on Steam and the indie.io Store for $12.99 USD, with a launch discount of 35% available for a limited time
Developed by Shotx Studio and published by indie.io, The Dead Await blends open-world survival, caravan management, and strategic deck-building combat in a brutal zombie apocalypse where every decision can cost lives. Players lead a group of survivors across a collapsing world filled with abandoned cities, desperate factions, hidden bunkers, and relentless undead threats, scavenging for resources while trying to hold their fragile caravan together.
Survival in The Dead Await is about far more than fighting zombies. Every expedition becomes a risk-reward calculation as players balance hunger, dwindling supplies, sanity, injuries, and the constant threat of losing survivors permanently. Carefully constructed decks shape combat encounters and playstyles, allowing players to experiment with powerful builds, weapon combinations, perks, and tactical synergies while adapting to the dangers of the wasteland.
Version 1.0 dramatically expands the game with the arrival of Act III, introducing new settlements, underground facilities, elite enemies, random events, bosses, quests, and explorable regions across the world. From the dangerous streets of Hope to the mysterious depths of Hell-0 and Zone 99, the final act pushes players deeper into the apocalypse than ever before.
The 1.0 launch update also introduces major new progression systems designed to reward long-term survival. Players can now unlock character skins, complete Z-Tasks for permanent rewards, spend Z-Coins in the newly added Z-Shop, and store valuable gear inside the Vault Safe system shared across save files. Meanwhile, the new Arena mode in Last Haven challenges players to survive increasingly deadly encounters in exchange for rare rewards and bragging rights.
As survivors grow stronger, so does the world around them. The level cap has increased, allowing players to unlock powerful new builds, weapon mods, equipment, and expanded progression opportunities. New bosses, elite enemies, quests, recipes, loot drops, and faction rewards further expand the late-game experience and create even more ways for players to shape their journey through the apocalypse.
The wasteland has expanded, the final act has arrived, and survival just became even deadlier. The Dead Await Version 1.0 is available now on Steam and the indie.io Store.
There have been many different twists on creating a “soulslike” game and while many have failed to find their own footing, choosing to lean too heavily on the signature features of the genre and the games that made it famous, others have managed to launch themselves into quite a surprising level of success through innovation and storytelling. Few of these however happened to come from an indie developer and that just so happens to be what Kristala is, an indie soulslike developed by Astral Clocktower Studios. Looking to combine a few different elements from other games in the genre and adding a feline twist to things, is this cat ready to land on all fours or is it a bit too flea bitten to recommend?
Story
The world of Ailur lived in darkness until Six Kristals fell from the heavens and awoke the feline race, enlightening them and transforming them into the Anagativa. Favoured by the Kristals, each clan found different sources of strength that helped establish order even as the abandoned skaven, unblessed by the Kristals, the Kotakaya, raged war. Eventually, the clans found peace through the assistance of one gifted “cub” that would bring them all together as one, and now every year another six are chosen to continue on the Raksaka’s mission, only this time things are far more dire as a twisted curse has begun taking over the land, warping everything from the land itself to transforming harmless creatures into deadly abominations.
With the player’s chosen character, it will be up to them to complete their mission as the chosen Raksaka in an effort to clean the taint sweeping the land and potentially purify the Kristals before it is too late. With the guidance of one of the blessed Kristals personally assigning the player the task to continue their search, a view many have yet to see in generations, it appears that all will rely on whether or not the player can push through the abominations blocking their path and save what they can.
Kristala‘s storyline is a fairly predictable one, filled with endless moments of darkness and despair with only a few bright lights still shining in the darkness but it at least does what it can to help flesh out the events of the world a bit more than just letting players put clues together through vague item descriptions. Instead there are various small towns and locations with actual NPCs players can talk with as well as notes to discover and even “memory fragments” of other failed Raksana, all of which add extra clues and bits of lore to the world. This does mean that there is still quite a lot of the story that players are meant to intuit for themselves, especially in the latter half, but having actual NPCs to work with certainly helps.
That’s true of course only if the NPCs work properly though. Throughout the game players can obtain a number of side-quests that offer various rewards including money, vital means of transport, upgrade items, and other elements as well as bits of the story. The problem is that, as of this writing and numerous patches, a few of these NPCs remain glitched and since the title relies on an auto-save system, there is no way to try and “unstick” a bugged character or side-quest. On a few occasions, dying and restarting did help reset the glitched NPC while another, required an entire hard-reset of the game. As for the blacksmith of all characters, they are entirely locked out of properly being used as of now outside of quest-driven collectables triggering interactions.
Gameplay
When it comes to gameplay, Kristala offers an extremely unique experience for a soulslike as it takes numerous different factors into account and also offers something that many games in the genre don’t. A difficulty setting. While the game does have a recommended difficulty (hard), players can choose to play it on normal or even easy if they so wish. It is also worth noting that this difficulty level can be adjusted at any time during the game though doing so will void any achievement based on difficulty level. It is also interesting in the way that the game does include a “dynamic” style of difficulty separate from these levels. This means that enemies will adjust slightly to how good, or bad, the player is performing. Winning multiple fights in a row or countering enemies with properly timed parries might mean that the next set of enemies might just attack a little faster or vary up their swing times to try and catch players off guard while dying a few times might see their field of vision narrow, allowing easier stealth kills.
This is another element that helps set Kristala apart, the ability to heavily focus on stealth. As players traverse the world they will find that many locations where battle can take place will have patches of high grass, ledges that can be jumped onto or ropes to walk across, and, since players are literally cats, they can sneak quietly through and along these pathways to target their prey. While players can sneak attack and instantly kill almost every standard enemy by crawling on all fours and targeting them while within range, other, larger enemies, aren’t as easy. These enemies can initially only be targeted through aerial takedowns and usually don’t kill these larger foes in one blow, though players can follow through their stun animation to finish the job. At the same time, other enemies can similarly be annihilated through aerial finishers. Though given the buggy nature of the game, players always need to be careful with an aerial takedown as countless times throughout Kristala we found our character not only doing zero damage to an enemy targeted in this manner, it also locked us in a frozen animation unable to attack or dodge, needing to take a hit to properly fix the bug.
Speaking of combat, that is where Kristala is both interesting and troubling at the same time. As just mentioned, stealth can be a great way to thin out enemies in an area but should all else fail or players come across a foe they can’t stealth kill, then it’s combat time. While there are many different weapons available throughout the game, each carrying a unique skill that can be triggered at the cost of MP, there are only three types of actual weapons, Sword and Shield, Greatsword, and Claws. Regardless of what weapon type the player has equipped they can dodge incoming attacks, including perfect dodges that line enemies up for counter attacks, and even parry incoming blows that drastically reduce an enemy’s stagger gauge. Every attack on an enemy, especially if they are blocking, depletes this gauge and will leave an enemy stunned and ready for a, most often than not, finishing blow.
When players create their character at the start of the game they will be able to select from one of three different clans of magic that will dictate the path that they will be able to utilize spells from. But the interesting element here is that rather than relying only on the refillable at the respawn points MP tool, which works exactly like the player’s healing item, players can earn MP by dealing damage to foes at the same time. This encourages an aggressive playstyle since offense can generate MP which can then be used to further buff the player’s ability to withstand attacks, dish out ranged damage, or more depending on what spells they have learned.
That being said, the way that the upgrade system works in Kristala is something of an issue. While players will earn “kris” points and eventually gain an unlosable point to level up a stat at their respawn point, magic and skills come from consumable collectables found from completing side-quests or defeating optional foes. Kris Pearls must be used to unlock spells and require a certain “stat” requirement at the same time to be used efficiently in battle. Similarly, Tiger’s Eye gems must be used to unlock various feline abilities such as faster stealth and agility elements, including being able to assassinate larger targets and more. Alchemy is another feature that requires collectables and is further used to improve things such as the player’s healing items. As for the blacksmith, as mentioned before, it appears to still be bugged and unusable at this time.
Thankfully players can find plenty of stat resetting items throughout their exploration which allows for plenty of changes if they find a new set of equipment or weaponry that fits them better or might need to adjust their stats to fit a new spell, keeping plenty of room for customization open. Unfortunately alongside the already mentioned bugs, there are a number of others that cropped up persistently throughout our time with the game. The title’s lock-on system, even with adjustments to turn off extra assists, is miserable and will often target foes not even in combat, players trying to maneuver around the environment can get themselves stuck in the level geometry quite easily and while there is a “unstick” option in the menu, it simply resets players back to the spawn which can be devastating if they are deep into a location. One good note is that falling into water or other hazards doesn’t instantly kill the player, only drops their health a good portion and just like any good feline, these cats don’t take any kind of fall damage.
Audio & Visuals
Kristala is something of an odd game when it comes to describing how it appeals graphically. On one hand, it seems to capture the essence of an Xbox 360 era style of design while offering plenty of impressive looking locales to explore through and a decent amount of enemy variety. On the other hand, that doesn’t really seem to be the level of quality that the team was looking for either here. The character models for the feline characters are rather impressive looking and there is a great level of variety to the few weapon types and armor players can obtain, but it just never quite reaches beyond that level. Feeling stuck in the past, but not intentionally so like many indie developers aim for. It is also worth noting that on the Xbox Series X not only does the game have significant load times but even when loaded properly textures can fail to load in entirely or pop-in at an alarming rate. That is if it doesn’t decide to randomly crash in the middle of exploring a zone.
Surprisingly nearly all of the speaking NPCs in the game have voice work and it is handled quite well, though the player themselves is reduced to standard grunts and groans. The only issue is that characters will often start talking the second players approach them, even if they happen to be just running by either in a town or during a side-quest, meaning that players will need to skip their dialogue every time it repeats itself. As for the soundtrack the title features an impressive collection of background music that actually does wonders to help the exploration of the various areas as well as the intensity of some boss battles.
Overall
Kristala is an ambitious project and it certainly shows. There are a lot of unique ideas here mixed in with those that anyone familiar with the soulslike genre will recognize and the game does do its best to try and keep things interesting. With a solid enough storyline and engaging combat, Kristala works, until it doesn’t. Between constant bugs, the occasional crash or user-interface hanging for so long the game must be closed entirely, glitched NPCS, poor lock-on, and a lack of overall variety despite build depth, this soulslike still feels like it could have used more time with a flea bath and a good combing to smooth out the various bugs and issues clinging to its fur.
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