If you were someone who didn’t vibe with the “survival” part of Don’t Starve, then Crashlands served as a pretty good alternative. However, the genre’s landscape is significant all these years later. Amid games with realm-hopping, monster-capturing and loot grinding – not to mention all the heavy hitters receiving extensive amounts of new content and updates – Butterscotch Shenanigans returns with Crashlands 2.

"Quests are still the backbone of the narrative, as you meet with new characters like Atlaa in Haarlipol, who initially dispenses you to various parts of the map to investigate the effects of the Withering."

On the surface, it feels like a worthwhile follow-up with highly improved and even more stylized visuals, highlighting the quirkiness of Woanope and its denizens. Combat is more strategic, even with some nagging issues, and there is an intriguing narrative to dive into. However, like its predecessor, Crashlands 2 is just that – light-hearted and survival-friendly but significantly below the genre’s heavy hitters.

Following her departure from Woanope, Flux is something of a celebrity for “saving” the planet. After years of media stints and appearances, she quits the Bureau of Shipping and ventures back to Woanope to reconnect with her beloved companions (with droid assistant JuiceBox in tow). Upon entering the planet’s atmosphere, a strange phenomenon affects her ship, causing it to crash yet again, but on a different section than the first game.

After meeting with Graal, whose house they, unfortunately, demolished in the process, Flux and JuiceBox learn of a strange Withering taking over various spots in the region. And who else should have their shady fingerprints all over the incident but the Bureau of Shipping? Thus our heroes set out yet again to save Woanope from whatever is occurring.

At least, eventually. Like the original Crashlands, the scenario is fairly open-ended and you have extensive amounts of freedom to explore. On top of materials, exploring nets Juice Gems for upgrading various stats for Flux, from passive regeneration to higher crit chance. It’s simple enough and gets the job done.

Quests are still the backbone of the narrative, as you meet with new characters like Atlaa in Haarlipol, who initially dispenses you to various parts of the map to investigate the effects of the Withering. They’re fairly straightforward, offering enough direction to unlock new parts and potentially discover new resources, but they’re not the most thrilling and the pattern of going somewhere, investigating, and then returning to Haarlipol wears out its welcome quickly.

"Combat features interesting wrinkles, like a brief charge before you attack, and dodge-rolling, which is nuanced enough to differentiate between avoiding an attack and getting scrapped, resulting in reduced damage."

Nevertheless, it’s necessary to gain access to new recipes, which you’ll need to craft more items. The open-ended nature of everything means having to figure out what to complete first to facilitate progression in other quests. For example, raising Graal’s comfort is essential to his Insights, the fancy name for research, and improving his cabin is one method to achieve that.

However, you can’t craft pillars, which are necessary to support walls, from the outset. Another quest that involves hatching an egg hinges on creating a cramped room, but, once again, you can’t do that without pillars. It’s only after visiting another NPC that you’re given the recipe and can thus progress further.

Is it the most challenging thing to figure out? Not really, especially when you’re forced to run down the list of quests due to certain aspects requiring Insight to unlock them and progress the story further. I don’t necessarily mind all this since the overarching narrative and trying to solve the mystery of the Withering is intriguing. Characters like Graal have some pretty decent nuance to them, and the moments of levity pair nicely with the silliness.

However, sometimes the silliness gets a bit too much. Don’t get me wrong – when I see it in the art style, be it in the expressions of creatures before they chomp on a plant or in some of the item descriptions, it works. Even seeing Flux twist herself while dodge-rolling can be humorous just for how random it feels. The dialogue also drew some genuine laughs, even if some conversations can get a bit winded. However, the number of times characters pause to emote with speech bubbles, like the video game equivalent of “That just happened” is a little too high. Not enough to completely dissuade me but enough to trip up the flow.

Combat features interesting wrinkles, like a brief charge before you attack, and dodge-rolling, which is nuanced enough to differentiate between avoiding an attack and getting scrapped, resulting in reduced damage. While it works in 1v1 or 1v2 encounters depending on the enemies, it gets a bit dicier when dealing with multiple foes with more elaborate attack patterns (that too on Normal difficulty).

"Crashlands 2, much like the original, should be viewed as sandbox crafting comfort food. It has its character moments and may pose some decent combat challenges, but it’s still very much in line with the original."

The gear progression didn’t feel super-optimal in the early going either, as I had a trinket, some boots and the same dual blades since the start to fend off against enemies. At least there is some incentive to exploit the environment and lure foes into hazards, even if it’s not the best long-term strategy. I also appreciate the nuance of each enemy’s design, right down to their attack paths (like the Amphy Charger and their bolt-like designs).

Crafting is also straightforward, though it feels like the practice of mashing the button continuously to make an item makes more sense for mobile. It would be nice if various items were divided into different categories or if there were filters for those that use specific materials. At least you can favorite recipes or archive them to avoid clogging up space.

It feels like a tad too many resources are required for some of the more basic items, but at least their cost reduces as you continually craft more, even if I’m not the biggest fan of this mechanic. The building interface takes some getting used to, especially when replacing different structures, but it works well enough.

At its core, Crashlands 2 evolves on the first game’s mechanics and visuals while offering tons of new content. The lack of survival elements, streamlined progression, quests, and colorful characters certainly provide enough entertainment, but the whole doesn’t feel significantly more special than the sum of its parts. Perhaps it’s because the formula feels fairly safe, sticking close to the series’ roots while iterating on it just enough to facilitate the new vision.

Hardcore fans of sandbox crafting titles may still find things a bit too simplistic and narrative-focused for their liking, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time. Crashlands 2, much like the original, should be viewed as sandbox crafting comfort food. It has its character moments and may pose some decent combat challenges, but it’s still very much in line with the original. And that’s fine, but I was left wanting for more.

This game was reviewed on PC.

The action RPG’s Xbox launch has been penned in for June, though a specific launch date has yet to be confirmed. On Xbox Series X, the game will feature support for 4K and 60 FPS, HDR, and ray tracing. In addition to the two current-gen titles, Zenless Zone Zero will also be available via Xbox Cloud Gaming, which means Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to play the game without having to download anything (as long as you have a good enough internet connection, that is). 

Alongside its Xbox launch, Zenless Zone Zero will also get its 2.0 update in June, which will bring new story content, a new area called Waifei Peninsula, and more. 

Zenless Zone Zero is currently available for PS5, PC, iOS, and Android.

Furthermore, Askiisoft revealed in the trailer description that the DLC is “finally nearing completion.” Zero’s story will continue as players learn more about his “murky past” through new levels. Fans can also look forward to new characters, gameplay mechanics and weapons (including the Plasma Blaster).

Though the DLC was initially touted to be half as long as the base game, it’s seemingly grown in scale over the past several years. Whether it arrives this year or not, it’s looking like a meaty experience for fans.

Katana ZERO is available for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. It was released last year for iOS and Android. At one point, it became the second fastest-selling title for publisher Devolver Digital and sold 500,000 units in less than a year.

In a thread on social media platform X, Poncle elaborated that the legal issue comes from the developer needing to share the information of the partners that it works with in order to enable cross-save. Because of this, chances of the feature ever making it to the PS4 and PS5 “are now very slim.”

“We’re sorry to say won’t be able to bring the Vampire Survivors Cross-Save feature to PlayStation 4/5 alongside our next update,” wrote Poncle on X. “Last month, we told everyone that Cross-Save would be available on PlayStation 4/5, PC, Xbox, Android and iOS alongside our next free [Vampire Survivors] update in April”

“But at last minute, we’ve run into a legal issue on PlayStation we weren’t aware of that requires us to share info on our partners that we’re unable to. The chances of Cross-Save coming to PlayStation consoles are now very slim.”

However, Poncle has said that it’s not completely impossible. Because of this, it is continuing to work with PlayStation to sort these issues out.

“We’re so sorry to build up any anticipation for this feature on PlayStation only to change plans at the last minute,” wrote the developer.

Despite problems faced in bringing cross-save to PS4 and PS5, other versions of the game – PC, Xbox, Android and iOS – will still be getting the feature in an update over the next few weeks. Even the Nintendo Switch version of Vampire Survivors will get the update in a later update. The Apple Arcade version might get cross-save too.

The PS4 and PS5 versions of Vampire Survivors were released back in August 2024. Alongside the base game itself, all of the DLC for the game was also released

The last major DLC released for Vampire Survivors was Ode to Castlevania, where Poncle collaborated with Konami to bring in some Castlevania-related characters, enemies and weapons to the game. The DLC was released back in November. Check out our coverage of the release for more details, including a trailer.

Sega has announced that Sonic Rumble is going to launch worldwide a month from now, on May 8. Each match in the title will pit 32 players against each other, and players will compete through platforming courses inspired by Sonic titles in a battle royale experience similar to Fall Guys. 

The game’s launch will also see the addition of progression mechanics (in the form of skills and skill slots) and a crews system to allow players to band together and play together. Check out the game’s release date announcement trailer below to get more glimpses of gameplay footage. 

At launch, Sonic Rumble will be available for PC (via Steam), iOS, and Android. 

It’s unlikely that the development team will reveal the next update since Special Program streams are meant for the same. Nevertheless, we should learn more about the hack-and-slash title’s resolution and frame rate on Xbox Series X/S alongside other potential features.

Stay tuned for more details and updates. Zenless Zone Zero is available for PS5, PC, iOS, and Android. Like miHoYo’s other flagship franchises, it’s a gacha game, though the post-apocalyptic setting of New Eridu and combat set it apart.

You can check out our review of the launch version, but it’s received numerous updates and improvements since then. Version 1.7 should launch later this month (adding new characters like Vlad and Vivian, so perhaps the Xbox version will coincide with the same.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is launching for iOS and Android on April 14, Ubisoft has announced. The game will feature new touch controls (which will be customizable) and gameplay customization options for greater gameplay comfort on mobile devices.

Players will also have access to toggles such as auto-parry, auto-potion, auto-hit, and more, while external controller support is also confirmed. Ubisoft also says the game will run “smoothly” at 60 FPS on “most recent phones and tablets.”

Check out the announce trailer below for your first look at gameplay footage. Pre-registrations are open now on iOS App Store and Google Play Store. Players will also be able to get a taste with a free trial.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is currently available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Read our review of the game through here.

The trailer gives a low-down on the epic story of SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered. It kicks things off by talking about two men whose destinies are going to end up shaping the events of the world by the time the game is over. The main protagonists this time around are Gustave and William Knights.

Both of the men come from different walks of life, with Gustave being an heir to a throne, albeit with his family considering him as not having any talent. Despite being referred to as “good-for-nothing”, Gustave will take up his sword to take part in violent wars going on around the world.

William, on the other hand, is an adventurer who is just out in the world, looking for his path forward in life. Things start for William in the wake of the death of his parents, and will end up bringing him close to more cosmic forces.

The story of SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is described as being an epic historical tale. Players will get to experience the story through different perspectives as they jump back and forth through time with both protagonists.

Further setting the two characters apart from each other are the combat systems in the game. SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered features three distinct styles of combat, each suited to a different character. Throughout their time, however, both characters will end up learning new abilities to take down stronger foes.

SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered also has new content when compared to the original, including new events that players can discover.

MLB will also be taking a big step in marketing eBaseball: MLB Pro Spirit, complete with logos for the game being promoted on its official website, as well as the upcoming MLB Tokyo Series shows at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

eBaseball: MLB Pro Spirit will feature a realistic take on the sport of baseball, and will be coming to iOS and Android. The game will feature the ‘Star Watch’ system, which allows eBaseball players to vote for a ballplayer depending on the theme of any given month. Baseball players voted through the system will then show up in the game, complete with power-ups based on their real-world baseball performance.

“We are pleased to announce this strategic partnership with MLB,” said Konami president Hideki Hayakawa in a statement on the press release. “For over 30 years, we have provided entertaining and immersive baseball video game experiences in Japan and are happy to partner with the league to share those experiences with a greater audience.”

“Konami has been innovating video games for nearly half a century and entertaining sports fans with their unique offerings for decades, but with this highly integrated partnership we can help take eBaseball: MLB Pro Spirit to another level and deliver a truly outstanding experience for fans,” said MLB’s deputy commissioner of Business and Media Noah Garden. “Konami’s focus on evolving their consumers’ experience through technology and innovation aligns with our priorities at MLB, making them an ideal partner. We look forward to collaborating throughout the season to promote this fun, new game and highlight our many talented players around the world.”

While eBaseball: MLB Pro Spirit is currently under development for smartphones, no release date for the title has been announced so far. Considering Konami’s and MLB’s plans on how it will handle ongoing baseball seasons, however, we expect the title to hit iOS and Android devices relatively soon.

eBaseball: MLB Pro Spirit will join Konami’s other sports game that primarily targets iOS and Android devices – eFootball. As its name might imply, eFootball focuses on the sport of soccer, and has been under continuous development since its original release all the way back in 2021. This largely stemmed from the game facing plenty of criticism at the time, which ultimately led to Konami issuing an official apology for the state of the game. Originally released on PC and consoles, eFootball is currently also available on iOS and Android.

When asked whether games like Pokémon Go will see things like advertisements or obstructive game mechanics, like an energy bar that drains every time the game is played, with more energy being available for purchase, Steranka said no. For context, these kinds of things are present in many smartphone games, especially if they’re free-to-play.

“If there’s one takeaway that I would love for people to have from this conversation, it’s that definitively no, that is not happening in Pokémon Go – not now, not ever,” Steranka said.

“Again, Scopely really recognises how unique this game is, and they’ve told us themselves that they would be foolish to try to change the recipe of what’s made this such a huge hit and a success. So yeah, absolutely not. We will not be building into our games any type of obtrusive ads or anything like that.”

“I just really want to reiterate Scopely as a company, the way that they operate is they give all of their teams the agency to make the decisions that’s right for their games. And that is not something that we feel would ever be right for Pokémon Go.”

Steranka also said that, while Scopely will be running the development team for Pokémon Go, the game will not be selling any of the data it collects from players to third parties. He reiterates that the only reason Pokémon Go needs a player’s location data is to make sure that the game runs properly.

“We do not sell player data to third parties, full stop,” said Steranka. “We only leverage location data to operate the game, and we store any location data needed to operate the game on US-based servers, and we follow all of the incredibly strict regulatory best practices to protect that data as best as we can.”

Scopely’s acquisition of the development team behind Pokémon Go, along with the teams working on Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now, was announced earlier this month. Alongside the development teams, Scopely has also acquired the licenses to run these titles.

As for Niantic itself, the company plans on continue running its own AR games, namely Ingress Prime and Peridot. The company plans to spin off its technology-based holdings into a new company dubbed Niantic Spatial Inc. This company will be helmed by Niantic founder and CEO John Hanke.

In a statement released alongside the announcement of the acquisition, Scopely told Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now players that it admires the audience that the titles have built up, and that Scopely wants to continue supporting the developers in making the games how they want.

“We believe our partnership with the Niantic games team – who will all join Scopely through this acquisition – will further enable them to achieve their exciting long-term goals, which are designed first and foremost with you in mind,” said the company.