CALLING ALL ANTI-PSYKOS AND ZANE FANS!

We have some great news for you - Slayers X is coming to Playstation & Nintendo Switch on May 15th!

Fight the psyko syndikate wherever you are on Nintendo, or take the fight to Playstation and show those mother flippers who the best slayer is!

Be sure to watch the reveal trailer if you haven't already, and make sure you stay to the end, you might catch a little surprise...

We're also running a speedrunning challenge and giving away 5 copies of the game - you can find out more from the Discord:

You can pre-order on Nintendo Switch now and grab yourself a little launch discount:

Thanks for all of your support in beating those cry baby psykos, U SLAYERS ARE THE BEST! We'll see you May 15th!

Playstation X is in its last cycle, gearing up for "Playstation X one" or better known as "PX1".

Xbox is renamed to "Game pass+" and they don't do hardware anymore, after "Playstation Infinity" (8) dominated the "Xbox one S XB Project Leopard", 9 to 1.

Steam is still on top and the Steam Deck 3 actually came close to dethrone Switch 4 due to the controversial law Nintendo forced upon every user. This law makes it possible to execute you through your government mandated Neuralink, if they find out that you used an emulator to play Tetris.

But most importantly, Switch 5 is announced.

And therefore Hollow Knight: Silksong is delayed so they have more time to prepare the game for the next console generation.

If you wish to support the Sony/Apollo acquisition of Paramount Global, one thing you can do is to send a letter of support to the Board. Let them know not only that you support Sony, but also what you believe to be a fair offer for PARA Bs / PARA As / Shari Redstone (premium).

Below is my letter you could use as a template when creating your own.

Dear Members of the Board,    

I am writing to you in support of the Sony/Apollo acquisition of Paramount Global as long as the special committee reaches an agreement to a fair buyout price. I am a member of a group of shareholders that holds over 2.3 million shares of PARA B common stock and a small number of shares of the voting PARA As.   

As an advid video gamer for most of my whole life, I can attest to you of the true value in a union of Sony + Paramount Global. Millions use the Playstation 4 or 5 as their means of watching a movie, playing a game, or communicating with their freinds. Through the video game console (Playstation Plus and Playstation Network), you can have Paramount+ streaming service along with PLUTO TV ready and available to the biggest video game and movie/TV show watching audience out there. The Playstation remains #1 in world wide sales and Sony is #2 in total global sales of Televisions as well. The distribution opportunities along with the synergies and the content power of combining Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures, with Paramount+ with Showtime is so incredible it rivals Netflix by a lot.  

As long as a reasonable bid can be reached, please vote yes for the Sony/Apollo acquisition offer. I recommend around $30 billion, with PARA Bs valued at least $24 a share would be fair and would provide Shari Redstone with a premium she may find acceptable for her voting shares. 

Thank you, 

Jeff MacMillan
PARA A 23
PARA B 7909

E-Mail to: ,     

Hello everyone!

We are KIWIWALKS, the game development studio with WitchSpring R located in Korea, and I'm Yeonju Kim, the localization director. I've been with the team since 2017, and I believe I can answer your questions about the game. Depending on the questions, I may deliver the words of Suyoung Jang, our Creative Director :) Thanks to the introduction by the mod, Vash, we're participating in this AMA.

Our latest title WitchSpring R was released via Steam in September '23, and it's set to launch on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox One on August 29, 2024.

WitchSpring R is a JRPG that tells the story of the growth and adventure of Pieberry, who is called a "witch" by the warriors and hunted as a witch.

It is a work that allows players to enjoy a game balance that achieves a perfect harmony between training, collecting, and adventuring, warm fairytale-like graphics, and a beautiful orchestral original soundtrack.

We're thrilled to meet many users from the community this time around. If you have any questions or anything you'd like to share with us, please feel free to let me know! :)

AMA Proof:

I'll be conducting the AMA for the day and will strive to answer as many questions as possible!

Please understand that there might be some questions that I cannot answer due to security reasons or if they're unrelated to the game. Your understanding is much appreciated.

We are 3.5 years into this generation which was supposed to be somewhat of a soft reboot for the brand, but clearly that has not been the case. Xbox has taken a lot of heat in the media almost consistently over this time period. Sales are down, Game Pass growth has fallen off. and many games that should have been bangers released in poor or incomplete condition despite many long delays. We are even seeing Xbox games on PlayStation hardware which would have been unheard of not too long ago.

Gaming in general seems to be in a really weird spot lately, but specifically feels much worse for Xbox.

How is this sub feeling about it right now?

Killer Klowns from Outer Space The Game is a new asymmetrical multiplayer horror experience based on the iconic ‘80s film. Developed by IllFonnic and Teravision Games, is set to be released in June 4 of this year!

You can PRE-ORDER the game or the DELUXE EDITION to play it a week early! Extra details and everything you probably want to know right here!

So I get to be a clown? 🤡

It is klown with a “K”, but YES! The game is a unique take on asym horror, with 3 Klowns against 7 Human citicens of Crescent Cove!

As KLOWN, your objective is to capture and harvest players to activate the Klownpocalypse, which is not fun for humans...

As HUMAN you need to run, hide and fight to survive and find a way out of town, hopefully starving the colourful aliens to death.

Both sides will have to cooperate with their teams and play their roles to increase the odds of a successful invasion or evasion!

Cool. Can I play it? 🤹

Not right now, but the game is available to pre-order for Steam (Windows), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PS5 along the option of a DELUXE EDITION. Also, preordering will let you start playing at May 28, a week before it’s official launch!

There is two EDITIONS? ⭐

PRE-PURCHASE EDITION:

All purchases of the game before June 3 will grant you:

1 Week to play in advance

2 Human Cosmetics (bath themed)

1 Klown Skin (Fast Food Jumpsuit 1/5)

1 Klown Character (Slim).

DELUXE EDITION:

This edition will still be available after launch, and it grants you:

2 Human Costumes (Mike and Debbie)

2 Klown Skins (Fast Food Jumpsuit 2/5 and 3/5)

1 Movie Klown Look (Bibbo)

The Digital Soundtrack of the Game

The Digital Art Book of the Game

Getting it before June 3 will also guarantee all bonuses of the PRE-PURCHASE edition!

I'm sold! Where do I get it? 🥨

The game is available digitally, with no current plans for a physical release.

Here is the links for each store page:

| |

Links also located on the side bar of the sub!

This is based on a real movie?🍿

Yes! It was an underated classic with a new found popularity on the internet! You can watch it right !

Anything else?🤷🏿

I think so. If there is any more valuable information I'm missing, please let me know. I will update this post with comments and news as it comes along until release!

If you're reading this, it's probably because you've decided to delve into the NieR (or Drakengard) saga and have some doubts about it. Therefore, the purpose of this post is to list the games, additional material, and content in order to clear up any doubts and avoid you of having to make the fifth post of the day about which game you should play first.  

-Disclaimer: The saga as a whole is full of stories and multimedia that is not easily accessible. Therefore, I ask you to mention anything missing to add it to the post in case I skipped it.-

Which game should I play first and which one is recommended?

For those who don't know, NieR games are a "spin-off" of the main saga, Drakengard.

Considering all the main games, the list by release date would look something like this:

• Drakengard (2003) - Playstation 2

• Drakengard 2* (2005) - Playstation 2

• NieR Replicant/Gestalt (2010) - Playstation 3, Xbox 360

• Drakengard 3 (2013) - Playstation 3

• NieR: Automata (2017) - Playstation 4/5, Xbox one/S/X, Nintendo Switch, PC

• NieR: Replicant ver.1.22474487139 (2021) - Playstation 4/5, Xbox one/S/X, PC

• NieR: Reincarnation (2021) - Cell phones  

And the list in chronological order of the saga:

1. -Drakengard 3

2. -Drakengard

3. -Drakengard 2*

4. -NieR: Replicant-Gestalt-Replicant ver.1.22474487139

5. -NieR: Automata

6. -NieR: Reincarnation

^{*Drakengard 2 is the sequel to one of the endings (A}) ^{of Drakengard 1. However, despite being canon, it is considered its own "alternate" continuity to the one that follows through Replicant and reaches Reincarnation, so for practical purposes and given my general lack of knowledge about said title, it will be omitted in this post.}

The creative process related to these games is quite simple: Yoko Taro, the director of almost all the titles mentioned above, had as his main objective to create videogames that are inherently linked to their condition as video games, either in the technical side with the gameplay or in the narrative side, and thus emphasize the feelings that the player can experience while playing them, whether positive or negative. This ranges from a fragmented story presented in various routes that must be replayed to understand the complete story, to meta-narrative situations that speaks directly to the player.

Beyond which mechanics have been consciously designed and which are the result of lack of budget and time, these ideas gave rise to games that do not stand out, at least for the most part, in the technical side (either gameplay or graphics) and rather the value of these titles lies in their narrative, their symbiotic relationship with the gameplay, and how strange, bizarre and unique can be at times.

Furthermore, although when analyzing the complete picture it is more than evident the direct and indirect relationship that the titles have among themselves (not only in terms of the story, but also of concepts that are repeated and evolve at the same time with the ideas of their director), they have been designed to be playable outside the order of release or even chronological order (at least for the most part).

The events that occur in each game have consequences in the future game. Although we talk about consequences on a large scale, not focused that much on characters we already know from previous titles. That is, beyond some references that may be more or less direct, each title can be enjoyed individually without the need to have played the previous one. Will playing it enhance your experience and your general knowledge of the events, and make you appreciate some moments in particular even more? Yes, and it's a resounding and gigantic yes. It can even make you appreciate entire games in a different way.

However, it is not necessary, and you are free to play them in the way you want. Do you want to play Automata first? Be happy. Drakengard first? Be happy too. Even, as stated by Yoko Taro himself, play only one route and consider the game finished. Enjoy them.

Just as each game can be enjoyed individually, that means that each game has a particular style that can differentiate it from the others. Although as I said before THERE IS a narrative with consistent ideas that are maintained throughout the games, each one stands out for something in particular (it can be attributed to Yoko Taro's creative need to not stay stuck in one style for too long).

While in Drakengard there is a dark medieval fantasy world with dragons and empires, in NieR Replicant there is a more realistic post-apocalyptic world with magic. While Drakengard 3 returns to medieval times with a much lighter tone and focused on the characteristic Japanese humor, NieR: Automata focuses on examining the philosophical condition and contradictions of humanity in androids and robots that are trapped in an eternal war.

If I could make a recommendation, it would be to approach each game willing to see what it wants to deliver individually without expecting it to meet your expectations based on the one you already played.

Unfortunately, beyond the narrative, something that tends to be repeated in the titles of the saga is that they have a somewhat mediocre and repetitive gameplay that, combined with the intentionally repetitive nature of the works, results in an experience that may not be pleasant or tolerable for many players.

It's usually recommended to start with NieR: Automata as the first game, especially for its more dynamic and refined gameplay, its story, and its measured repetition that is not as excessive as, for example, in Replicant, which is still a game from 2010 and the second from Yoko Taro. Replicant could be a more challenging game to get into due to its release date and mechanics, even considering its remaster-make. Not to mention Drakengard 3, and much less the first one.

However, Automata is the penultimate game in the saga if we count Reincarnation, so you would be at a fairly advanced point in the story and you may encounter seemingly disconnected things that will only make sense when you know what happened before, although as I said, nothing big or transcendent enough to ruin your experience. In fact, some people would even say that the mystery adds to the enjoyment of the game (myself included).

However, if you're interested in any other game before Automata, don't hesitate to at least give them a try. The rest of the games, specially Replicant and in my opinion Drakengard 1, are incredible in their own way, and yours truly prefers them over the tale of the sad androids (Automata < Replicant and DOD).

TL;DR: Play them in whatever order you want and keep an open mind to experience peculiar and different games, even within the context of the same saga.

What about the additional material?

After this long prologue, lets delve a bit deeper into each title and explore the additional material (in-game chronological order) related to it, while avoiding spoilers and focusing on providing helpful information.

However, before we begin, I would like to make a clarification, or rather give some advice. The saga is known for its lore, which is not only quite extensive but also spread across different types of media. Furthermore, much of what is detailed there is not always present and/or implied in the games.

This is to maintain that separation of titles so that they can be enjoyed individually and also to focus on the story that the game itself wants to provide, rather than what has already happened or what is in the background (Besides, there wasn't always a budget to include everything). It is advisable to approach supplementary material after finishing the game you have chosen. There may be some contradictions or details not well explained throughout the material. And above all, don't drive yourself crazy; it is not necessary to read absolutely everything if you're not interested. What's important is the game and the experience you take from it. The rest is optional, decorative, and a way to have fun while waiting for another game... or not.

Drakengard (2003):

Drakengard is a role-playing and action video game set in a world divided between two powers, The Union and The Empire, which is kept in balance thanks to seals. In the game, you control Caim, a warrior from The Union who harbors a deep hatred towards dragons, stemming from witnessing his parents' murder by an Imperial dragon. After his parents' death, Caim is left only with his sister Furiae, who is named a goddess and possesses a seal that must not be broken, even if The Empire attempts to do so. As Caim, the player must battle against the imposing Imperial hordes and uncover their plans for destruction. Along his crusade, he forms a pact with a dragon who despises humanity and encounters other twisted characters.

Side material includes:

Game guides, artbooks and media in general (Japanese):

Drag-on Dragoon Official Guide Book - Complete Edition:

Drag-on Dragoon Perfect Guide:

Stories/Novellas:

The Song of Fourteen Years:

Characters stories:

Drakengard (Videogame) takes place.

Drakengard (Java mobile phone game)

Drag-on Dragoon Judgment (cancelled manga, retelling of the game first mission)

Drag-on Dragoon Story Side (Novelization of the game, Japanese):

Drag-on Dragoon Magnitude Negative (Novelization of Route and Ending D):

During the development of Drakengard 3 the idea of ​​creating a remake of the original Drakengard, which would be called Drakengard 1.3, was suggested. Although the project was abandoned, parts that would belong to said remake were included in a Drakengard 3 guidebook in the form of a novel; now being part of an alternative continuity:

NieR: Replicant/Gestalt/Replicant ver.1.22474487139:

The game follows the protagonist in his attempt to find a cure for a rare disease, known as the "Black Scrawl", that his daughter Yonah has contracted (or younger sister, in the case of the Japanese version). Throughout the story, The protagonist will be accompanied on his adventure by a talkative and pedantic book called Grimoire Weiss, the foul-mouthed Kainé, and the young Emil, as he tries to find a cure for the Black Scrawl and understand the nature of creatures known as "Shades" that haunt the world and attack humans. This work includes elements from various video game genres, blending them into the primary action style of role-playing games.

The video game has several versions. Originally, it was designed for the player to control a young boy who would grow into a young man as the story progresses, and the relationship with the sick girl (Yonah) would be that of siblings. However, in an attempt to increase sales and appeal to the Western audience, the version of the game that arrived in the West was the one of an adult man and his daughter Yonah. This led to the Japanese PS3 version (Replicant) allowing you to control the boy/Young man and the Xbox 360 version (Gestalt) allowing you to control the adult. In the West, both versions were sold with the adult protagonist.

Beyond these changes, the story remains largely intact.

In 2021, an enhanced and extended version of the Replicant version of the game was released, which includes previously cut content from the game transformed into fully playable segments, improved gameplay, and polished graphics. This is considered the definitive version of the game.

Side material includes:

Game guides, artbooks and media in general:

Grimoire NieR (Japanese, old models from the original game):

Grimoire NieR Revised editions (English, new models of the remake):

Yonah's diary that came with the original soundtrack:

The full english version of the script of the game which came with the Snow White collector's edition.

Drama CD:

Stories/Novellas:

The Sky of the end:

Report#1 (Devola):

Report #2 (Popola):

Politicians:

White troops:

The Stone Flower:

Drama CD: (From "Nier: Presentiment" To "The Boy, the Girl, and the Weapon #6")

The Two Of Us:

And then there were none:

Report #3 (Devola and Popola):

Project Gestalt Outline Document 3:

Nier: Replicant's  Prologue takes place.

Report #4 (Devola):

The Promise of a Thousand Years:

1,412 years time-skip

Witches Sabbath:

A Little princess:

The Red and the Black:

The Magic Mountain:

NieR: Replicant's  Main game starts

NieR Replicant Ver. 1.22474487139 Project Gestalt Recollections - File 01 (Game novelization)

5 Years Time-skip

The Little Mermaid: (Original version of this part of the game which was not included in the final product)

Strait is the gate:

NieR: Replicant Ver. 1.22474487139 Project Gestalt Recollections - File 02 (Game Novelization)

NieR: Replicant's route D takes place.

Around the world in eighty days:

Lust:

The Lost World: (Original Route/Ending E)

The Lost World appendix Ver.1.22474487139:

The Space War: (1:30:39)

An official comic from the Gestalt version of the game that contradicts the established lore:

A funny alternate reality where everyone are students at a school:

Drakengard 3:

Drakengard 3 is set before events of the original game. Six goddess-like sisters known as Intoners have brought peace to the Earth with their power to manipulate through song. But, as you can probably guess, this harmony doesn’t last – the elder sister, Zero, attempts to murder her siblings with help from the dragon Mikhail, and it’s your job to find out just what’s going on. Can you unravel the mystery of Zero and learn her true intentions?

Featuring the series’ hallmark hack-and-slash action, cracking weapon combos and hordes of enemies – you can also harness the power of your dragon to charge, bite and trample your foes, smash up buildings and generally cause mayhem.

Side material includes:

Game guides, artbooks and media in general :

Drag-on Dragoon 10th Anniversary Box (Includes Novel Prelude, Visual Artbook, World Inside, etc...):

Drag-on Dragoon Utahime Five (Prequel manga):

Drag-on Dragoon 3 Story Side (Game novelization, almost like a Route E):

Drag-on Dragoon 3 The Complete Guide (Japanese):

Drag-on Dragoon Shi ni Itaru Aka (Sequel manga to Ending A):

Stories/Novellas:

Zero: A Rain to End and a Flower to Begin:

Drag-on Dragoon Utahime Five

Michael - The Gone-Away:

Five - My Favorite Things:

Dito - This Ugly World:

Four - Family Portrait:

Decadus - Everything Is for You:

Three - My Dear, Sweet Little Dolls:

Octa - The Joy Of…:

Two - Today’s Meal:

Cent - The Jewel within My Palm:

One - Visitors:

Drakengard 3 starts (The DLCs are stories featuring each one of the sisters and Zero. Each DLC is a prequel to the main chapters of the game.).

Mikhail - Our Mistake:

Accord - Weapon Tales:

Drakengard 3 Ending A takes place.

One (brother) - Mirror, Mirror:

Drag-on Dragoon Shi ni Itaru Aka.

Drakengard 1.3:

Drakengard 3 ends.

Drag-on Dragoon 3 Story Side: (Route E. This leads directly to Drakengard 1).

NieR: Automata:

It narrates the story of androids 2B, 9S, and A2, who fight to reclaim the dystopian world ruled by machines that have invaded earth.

Mechanized aliens have invaded Earth, forcing humanity to abandon it. In a final attempt to reclaim the planet, the human resistance sends an army of android soldiers to defeat the invaders. The war between machines and androids becomes increasingly fierce. A war that will soon reveal the truth about this world...

In 2023, an anime adaptation of the video game titled 'Nier: Automata Ver1.1a' was released. Although it mostly follows the narrative faithfully to the original game, there are some changes that make it different enough from the original work.

Side material includes:

Game guides, artbooks and media in general :

NieR: Automata - World Guide (Mostrly just an artbook):

NieR: Automata - Strategy Guide:

NieR: Automata - YoRHa Boys (Novel and Stage Play):

NieR: Automata - Short Story Long:

NieR: Automata - Long Story Short (game novelization):

YoRHa: Pearl Harbor Descent Record (Manga, Novella and Stage Play):

Various concerts with narrations that expand the lore. (Memories of puppets, Voice from the verge, The End of Data)

Final Fantasy XIV collaboration.

Japanese Script books:

Stories/Novellas:

The Fire of Prometheus:

Project Yorha:

Pearl Harbor Descent Record (Manga, Novella YoRHa - VER 1.05, Stage Play)

A Much Too Silent Sea:

YoRHa Boys (Novel, Stage Play, Yorha Girls):

(At some point during the timeline) Small Flowers:

Memory Cage:

Lies:

Memory Thorn:

A Repeating Prayer:

Orbital Bunker Observation Diary:

NieR: Automata starts.

Lies (Pascal):

(Forest Kingdom) Beasts of Slaughter:

(At some point) Recollections of Emil: (Ending Y)

Route C Starts.

Voices from the verge:

Precious Things:

Ending E takes place.

Long Story Short (Game novelization):

Farewell:

The End of Data (Summary):

(At some point) Final Fantasy XIV: YoRHa Dark Apocalypse.

NieR: Reincarnation:

A girl awakens on a cold stone floor. She finds herself in an infinitely vast place filled with buildings that touch the very sky. Guided by a mysterious creature who calls herself Mama, she begins to explore her new surroundings. To reclaim what she has lost —and atone for her sins— she sets off on a journey through this place of unknown creation. ...A place known as The Cage.

It is an action role-playing game for mobile devices developed by Square Enix and Applibot. In 2024, support for the game was discontinued, and the servers were shut down.  

If you're looking to experience the game's story, I recommend you SeafoamLouise's guide, which details all the game's content and the best way to enjoy it:

Or visit the game's section on Accords Library:

That would be all for now. It's likely that I'll keep updating the post with more findings or providing further details on some sections. I want to express my gratitude to Accord's Library website for essentially providing all the information in this compilation; it's truly the best source of information for the saga. I still remember when searching for information was nearly impossible and was more like solving a puzzle with pieces scattered all over the internet in the form of posts, PDFs, and videos.

My sole objective was to throw some light on the timeline to make reading things easier and less convoluted. Also, I'd like to thank the Nier and Drakengard Fandom Wikis, as well as TheArk Wiki, for their contributions to this community.

Glory to mankind.

I am a console gamer, I game solely on PlayStation 5. I would like to dip my toes into over gaming for a lot of indie games and non console games.

I do not however want to drop a lot of money into a PC.

With a lot of hand held devices out there right now. I also do not want to spend a lot of money on hand held as I will only be playing on it from time to time.

I am looking to get some advices on the steam deck and if it’s worth the investment right now?

I dont know when SteamDeck 2 will be out.

Should I wait?

Is it a worthy investment for a part time/casual PC gamer?

Any advice/feedback or input would be great before my purchase.

Thank you everyone in advance who replies!

Game Information

Game Title: Crow Country

Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (May 9, 2024)

• PlayStation 5 (May 9, 2024)

• PC (May 9, 2024)

Trailer:

Developer: SFB Games

Review Aggregator:

Critic Reviews

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Crow Country doesn’t exactly rewrite the playbook for survival horror. It leans pretty heavily on those that came before it. However, what it builds on top of the foundation is extraordinarily impressive. This is easily one of the best horror games I’ve played, and it doesn’t even seem like it’s trying that hard. It maybe lacks some of the more psychological themes that have made others stick firmly in my memory, but the playfulness and confidence of Crow Country more than make up for that. It’s definitely worth a visit.

- -

Crow Country is one of the best experiences of the year so far, and we think it will be talked about in the same tones as last year's Signalis for its sheer creativity and efforts to reignite passion for the survival-horror genre.

- -

The nostalgia that Crow Country brings forward is purposeful and effective, while keeping a strong atmosphere and a challenge for those who love the survival Horror genre. A few missteps can't keep this game from becoming one you'll want to replay right away.

- -

As reductive as it sounds, when it comes to delivering a classic survival horror experience, Crow Country is a good “one of those.” Familiar elements and tropes are well executed, and the succinct runtime of five to six hours is perfect for its smaller scope. I had fun reliving the genre’s golden years through Crow Country’s eyes; playing it feels like relaxing under a warm, blood-stained blanket.

- -

Fans of classic survival horror games don't need to think twice about picking up Crow Country. The game is a love letter to old-school horror titles from the 90s, and is one of the better attempts at recreating the feel of PS1 horror on modern platforms. It's a short, but sweet adventure with solid replay value and fun puzzles that perfectly captures the feeling of playing an old horror game on a PS1. The optional Exploration mode, which does away with combat to let players focus entirely on puzzle-solving, means that even horror fans who don't like 90s-era survival horror combat and ammo management can safely pick up Crow Country and have a great time.

- -

Video Review - Quote not available

- -

Filled with great puzzles and an engaging world, Crow Country is a well made recreation of how you remember classic 90s horror games. It's familiar enough to feel authentic but different enough to keep things mysterious.

- -

This lushly detailed game with a chunkily retro polygonal protagonist is a gorgeous homage to landmark titles of the past

- - Spanish -

A great love letter to the origins of 32-bit survival horror. Well-thought-out puzzles and nostalgia with some humor and horror make this a short experience, but very satisfying, especially for veterans of the genre.

- -

A no-fat riff on the early days of survival horror that knows just what to streamline and what to keep pleasingly obtuse.

- -

Though appearing a touch derivative at first glance, Crow Country breaks from tradition in a number of smart ways, delivering a well-rounded, memorable experience that cements it as one of the better survival horror throwbacks of recent memory.

- -

Crow Country is a quaint compilation of survival horror's many time-tested tropes, from its tank controls to its labyrinthian network of corridors. For all it loads into a relatively small package, it pays homage to its roots within an irresistible framework from the antiquated era once befitting the original PlayStation.

- -

It’s truly impressive what SFB Games has accomplished with such a small team. If you like 90s horror games — Resident Evil especially — then you owe it to yourself to try out Crow Country.

- -

Crow Country puts more emphasis on puzzles than the survival part of survival horror, but it's a well-observed love letter to the genre with great attention to detail all over the place. It's somehow equal parts charming and creepy.

- -

Crow Country might not be a new genre-defining title, as its aspirations in both scares and scale are reasonably modest. It is, however, an excellent journey into a deftly rendered setting, and it's hard to find significant fault with its intimate understanding of what makes this sort of thing tick. Crow Country is an assured love letter to the original crop of classic survival horror titles, but what really matters is that it's a delightful new entry in its own right.

- -

Given the sheer amount of hints and instructional text plastered all over its environments, Crow Country is tuned to be approachable and readily digestible. You’ll never find yourself desperate for resources or racking your brain over a fiendish puzzle. Even the old-school tank controls are optional, mapped to the D-pad just in case any players feel compelled to experiment before going back to the analog stick. These decisions are hardly out of step with the pleasantly nostalgic presentation, but they also ensure that the game succeeds far more as a puzzle object than as a horror freak-out. For better and for worse, Crow Country goes down smoothly.

-

Crow County is a wonderful love letter to the survival horror releases of the 90s that captures the essence of the era perfectly. The best part of all? It’s not afraid to embrace some modern ideas to make the experience more intuitive and accessible for all players. Between the wonderful old-school visuals, the intriguing storytelling, the exciting combat scenarios, and the clever puzzling, Crow Country will really hook fans of the survival horror genre in from start to end. And if you enjoyed its inspirations back in the day? It’ll feel even more special to play.

Game Information

Game Title: Animal Well

Platforms:

• PlayStation 5 (May 9, 2024)

• Nintendo Switch (May 9, 2024)

• PC (May 9, 2024)

Trailer:

Developer: Billy Basso

Publisher: Bigmode

Review Aggregator:

Critic Reviews

- -

Animal Well delivers a gorgeous art style paired with unique gameplay and an uncompromising vision

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Animal Well kept me captivated from start to finish and long after. Fans of Metroid-likes NEED to play this.

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Animal Well is a refreshing twist on the Metroidvania formula. Its tight platforming and clever puzzles make each exhilarating trek to distinct regions a blast. Although the retro-inspired art direction and odd presentation may not resonate with everyone, the originality and charm that imbues the game make this trip to the absurd a must for fans of the genre.

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Uncover secrets, evade dangers, and embark on an eerie journey in ANIMAL WELL. Billy Basso has crafted a dark neon aesthetic and enigmatic gameplay that delivers a Metroidvania unlike many others. The mystery and cryptic puzzles won't be for everyone, but those who enjoy a challenge and a good platformer will be rewarded with a haunting adventure.

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It’s one I’m grateful I experienced knowing so little, and urge anyone else sitting on the fence to wholeheartedly embrace until the darkness and biologically fueled light sources of its world envelop you in your beautiful, if slightly chilly, new home.

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Animal Well's deep secrets and arresting atmosphere will suck you down the rabbit hole.

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Animal Well is sure to be one of 2024's surprise hits. It's Metroidvania gameplay plays second fiddle to a seemingly endless mystery

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Explore a bright vision of subterranean nature in this astonishingly rich Metroidvania.

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Teeming with life, secrets, and charm that surprise and delight, Animal Well held my full, undivided attention

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Animal Well delights with its non-traditional approach to Metroidvanias, combining unique items with a reactive and surreal world that's full of surprises.

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Without giving anything away, it suffices to say that this rabbit hole goes a long way down, and if Animal Well is a Metroidvania, it's so much more besides.

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Animal Well is a stunner of a metroidvania, usually charming but frequently creepy, mysterious but by no means unapproachable, and filled from top to bottom with secrets that are always satisfying to uncover.

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Animal Well is one of the most interesting indie games that has been released so far in 2024.

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Animal Well is a beautiful, multi-layered puzzle box that’s both fun to simply play around with, and an utter delight to slowly crack open, secret by secret.

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Developer Shared Memory's stated goal is "to craft complete experiences that will be playable long after the world loses its internet connection," and screen after screen, Animal Well excels in delighting your eyes and giving your brain something to stew on. It's a riposte against a culture of post-launch updates in favour of a meticulously crafted, singular vision with potentially years' worth of discoveries baked in. By all indications, Animal Well delivers on that long-term promise and does so with a one-of-a-kind elegance.

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Even though it drops a few balls while juggling all these mechanics together, such as the boss battles. Still, ANIMAL WELL is a brilliantly put together game that I'd highly recommend to anyone who wants to get lost in a small but intricately designed game. I am quite convinced that both designers and players will be delving down deeper into this well over the coming years.

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A sleep-destroying puzzle metroidvania of baffling depth, Animal Well may go down in history as one of the genre's best.

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Despite its confusing fast travel system and misbehaving yo-yo, Animal Well is a bizarre yet brilliant neon-bathed adventure, characterized by tricky puzzles, intense platforming, and a host of cute animals - almost all of which are out to kill you.

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Animal Well is stunning and mysterious, a visual treat that offers open-ended and thought-provoking exploration. The total lack of explanations may put off part of the audience, but those who are willing to see how deep the iceberg, or rather the pit, goes, will have a lot to enjoy in this surrealist metroidvania.

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Animal Well is an extremely rewarding game — if you're willing to lose yourself in it. The sort of mysteries it's hiding go well beyond finding collectibles, giving you a rich and detailed world to unpack. If you have the patience and the curiosity, it's absolutely worth plumbing its depths.

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A gorgeous and immensely absorbing metroidvania platformer that is both easy to get into and dense with secrets.

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Animal Well is one of the strangest metroidvanias I’ve played in a lot of very good ways. It’s pretty, funny, and scary in its atmospheric visuals and audio. Its platforming is also very satisfying and makes you feel good when you figure out how to use your tools properly to solve a puzzle. There are also secrets a plenty and a post-game to explore, as well. It's also just interesting to me that you don't directly fight with enemies and instead use your tools to work around them. The main double-edged sword here is the complete lack of context and hand-holding, which makes Animal Well charming and mysterious, but can make it difficult to keep track of what you were doing or where you should be going next. Nonetheless, if you want a solid and quirky adventure that will put your reflexes and puzzle-solving to the test, Animal Well is an absolutely fascinating journey.

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Video Review - Quote not available

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Animal Well is a game that promised platforming and puzzles and has managed to absolutely nail both in execution. Platforming fans will have an enjoyable time reaching the credits and will be content to set it down while puzzle gamers will be enamored by the depth that Animal Well has been able to achieve. You won't get more satisfied by a game solving puzzles like these.

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This is a game best played alongside friends who can go in without any expectations and work through obstacles together. Don’t expect to be able to solve everything on your own, but at the same time, do everything you can not to ask for help. If you can be comfortable with contradictions like that, you’ll find a lot to love in Animal Well.

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Animal Well is a fantastic breakout title from both a new developer and publishing studio. Fans of Fez and Tunic will feel right at home jumping into this well.

Hi everyone,

can anyone recommend me any other great open world games for Playstation 4 or 5 that are mostly realistic, i.e. non-fantasy? My problem is that the only games that I ever really enjoyed were the RDR and GTA series. And amongst them, RDR and RDR2 are the ONLY games that I ever finished on PS. And by the way, what I enjoyed most in RDR was not the story, but riding around in the wild west, finding things, all the small quests and random encounters (and catching people with the lasso and throwing them on the train rails ;-).
In GTA I spent quite some hours trying to stop the damn train with a 747 or trying to amass a million of cars to create a traffic havoc, so it's these creative sandbox moments that get me, not the fighting or the story. Actually, my dream is that you manipulate all the elements in an open world, i.e. destroying walls, forming things, but not in a Minecraft way (too much fantasy/abstract for me)

What I tried already, but somehow did not really enjoy: Witcher 3 (too much fantasy and I HATE it when enemies don't die from ONE well-placed hit), Fallout 3 (interesting but not sure what I didnt like here), Cyberpunk 2077 (a large but dead and empty open world), Days Gone (I really liked that one, but too many zombies, just too hard), haha can you believe it I even tried Snow Runner!!

My problem is that I can't stand fantasy settings, so please no magic, no spells, no zombies, no cliche monster/dragons/whatever this is all called.
However, what I DO like now and then is a certain level of mystery, like you could experience in old-school 1990s Lucasarts classics like Indy and Monkey Island (yes I am >40yrs old). And to be honest, the games that I truely enjoyed most as a child were SimCity2000, C&C Red Alert and Lemmings, but these kind of games are not suitable to be played sitting on the sofa with your PS4/5 and projector.

Thanks for ANY great advice!
MerryMeatballs

Last year Xbox alone had 18000 players on the Spring Mayhem leaderboard. This year there are only 20000 players on the joint leaderboard from BOTH Xbox and PlayStation who have an actual score.

I'm pretty convinced that they're just milking what's left of the game, all the power creep and the ramped up battlepass system.. half the items in the game can't be crafted and the gameplay is just terrible. Surely no new player would even consider playing this game for more than a week at the most.

I load up the game and play 5-10 matches and just stop playing, win or lose the gameplay is just awful. I remember when W + M1 was more of a joke than anything but now it's literally the best way to play, the best and most effective way to play the game is to barely put any thought into it.. add camera steering and you could literally play this game with 2 keys and a cursor.

Devs must not want player retention, instead settling for the small whale population and short term income instead. Even translating the Russian side of the forums (I had a link but it got the post hidden) they seem to complain about the same shit we do and how all the decisions are awful for the game and it's gameplay so it's not just that they don't listen to the English side of things.. they just don't listen to anyone.

Every match is just a clusterfuck of ramming and spamming, a huge arsenal of weapons and items and it's all made redundant.

Hi all,

So I just learned about this whole debacle while at work, and I plan on not returning to the game for a while so I figured I go ahead and see if I can delete my PSN account that I had made months back during the first weeks of launch through the game.

I ran into some issues that will require some finessing with Sony support, for best result: call their line rather than using their chatline, better result that way, and be cordial.

Here's what happened, and what I've learned:

I tried using their online chat support function and chatted with a support agent to see if I can delete my account.
The 1st agent was not able to access my account, due to my account failing a security process. I asked for clarification and see what could be done on my end to have the account meet their security process requirement. What I've been suggested to do is to either provide a PS4 or PS5 serial number or make a purchase through the PSN Store to create an Order number. I clarified that this account was made through PC and I do not own any PlayStation consoles. Unfortunately, I was given the same response with no way around.

Unable to provide the former, and absolutely refusing the latter, I asked them to give an escalation contact or create a ticket. I was given a phoneline and promptly gave them a call, talking to a 2nd agent.

The 2nd agent was much more helpful and gave me the breakdown of the security process. For them to access the account and delete it, we'll need one of the 3

1. A Purchase history from the store

2. A verified PS4/PS5 Serial number

3. A verified credit card number, ending in 4 digits.

if all of this fail, they will not be able to do delete your account. You can imagine where the PC users who made PSN account straight from HD2 fall in this infinite loophole. (No console S/N, no purchase history from store since the game was from Steam, and no credit card number, since that info is on Steam).

As a workaround, my email was considered to be used in error, and an escalation ticket was created going to upper tier support with response time around 3-5 business days.

This seems to be the only way for us folks who have created PSN account through HD2 on Steam, and it can be a lengthy process as their support lines will no doubt be flooded with other users trying to close out their account. Hope this detail helps you guys on PC, good luck.

As ever...it's news time! Just a few things I've seen that I thought may be of at least some interest here.

Emulation:

. Less on-topic for out sub is the fact that (apparently) the Mig Switch is also targeted, but regardless we see one thing from this (or at least...I kinda do). To me the guesses out there that Nintendo's Switch successor which will have backwards compatibility with the current gen's games has an architecture very similar to that of the Switch now. Killing Yuzu puts those who knew it best at a disadvantage for any exploit or emulating what might come next. My guess anyway.

...and everything else, on your Steam Deck. removed Yuzu from being automatically installed, but instead replaced it with Ryujinx. As things stand, Yuzu or Ryujinx, you'll still have a great experience with either.

has a great blog article for their 10th anniv 'progress report'. The main takeaway is that this is the last progress report of the 5.0 era.

PC Games:

You'll have seen

• Fallout 4's GOTY ed. 'next gen' update is out (and crappy - my advice is stick to the previous version for now. This one is more aimed at consoles than PC's, and in our case, Steam Decks).

• RDR2's Ultimate ed. (build 1491.50) has been cracked by Razor. This is important as it allows the user to have access to the latest mods, use FSR, DLSS (for where you can). There is no content changes to the game - only what I listed above.

• Star Ocean: The Second Story R has had its Denuvo protection dropped by Square. Seems to be the typical 6 month contract they had with Denuvo for this one, so...rejoice! This is a great JRPG!

• Sand Land: Deluxe ed. is out. No protection, just...its out. For anyone who loved Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball) this will be important to you.

Things I have posted here:

• - for downloading from game sites (and the internet in general). I pinned a comment afterwards with a little detail on VPN and torrents, but will edit as I find time to be more detailed!

• - so you've got a ton of great recommendations on games in this post, if you're looking what what to play next!

• - a little light, perhaps, but it really is all you need to know

• - you can always post a q and I'll try answer, despite the day of it being over, if you'd like. I'm also wondering what to do next for an AMA. I have a few people in mind, but if you have any suggestions...by all means...suggest them. Maybe an AMA each month or few weeks might be nice to break up the typical 'this game won't work, how can I make it work?' posts!

• - both were kind enough to my request to do one, and they still drop by. So I'm sure there's a slight chance if you have any questions for them, they may be kind enough to answer in there!

Things of interest that I can't really put anywhere else, but are still very fucking cool:

• - made by a user here , this update no longer requires Steam to restart. Still waiting on the last approval from the Decky Loader overlords to be in the main store via Decky Loader, but...congrats! I adore this.

• - this post has all the info, so may as well just link it here. But what it boils down to is Playstation forcing users to make an account with them, in order to play it on Steam. Does this mean Playstation is just after the data of the users in order to make some money? Yes. Yes it does. Data collection yet again rears is disgusting head and ruins something nice. - funny how a game which shipped with kernel level anticheat 'requires' Sony (with it's history of fucking lax security and breaches) to keep them safe from cheating. Fucking. Data. Mining. Money. Making. Bullshit.

• We literally wouldn't have any of the devices you're reading my words on right now if it weren't for this. Super interesting article for those with the interest!

• was released into the wilds. This is another with little fuss. I'm unsure whether wants to be tagged by a pirate on a pirate page, but that ship has sailed...so to speak.

We are growing:

• Welcome to everyone new here. 16.1K people want to be a part of this...the rest visit without clicking that 'join' button! If you're new, check out our guides, make a post, No matter what, this is the place for you:

I just did a search on the main of popular posts of the last month, in case I missed anything. The sub is fucking awful. Literally post after post after post of just...a Steam Deck. I understand that this is what happens to every sub with a specialized subject, but I see very fucking little in there nothing in there being done to change that up by the mod team. Just makes me sad.

And again, as ever, if you have spotted anything interesting that is even vaguely relevant to piracy or Decks, post it here!

Adore all of you, I really love running this place. It makes me happy, so, hope this might have something interesting in here for you guys.