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The game follows the adventure of a lone woman as she makes her way through the final days of a mysterious and ancient world. As well as platforming, players will come up against elaborate puzzles and deadly creatures throughout a number of environments, such as abandoned villages, snow-capped mountains, haunting forests and massive subterranean ruins.

“We’re fortunate to have such an amazing team of artists, designers, and other game industry professionals who have contributed to many of the biggest AAA IPs working on Stela,” said Shyang Kong, Co-Founder, SkyBox Labs.

“Stela’s atmospheric soundtrack, gorgeous yet grim visuals, and brain-teasing gameplay will deliver a cinematic platformer experience delightful to fans of the genre like ourselves while inviting newcomers to join us as aficionados.”

It will also be making its way to iOS devices as part of the Apple Arcade subscription service, and a PC version is set to arrive early next year according to SkyBox Labs' official site, though the game’s Steam page still lists a 2019 release.

Stela is out 17 October on Xbox One with an RRP of $19.99 (or regional equivalent).

Let us know what you think of the game below or over in the forums.

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ENDED: Butcher giveaway

30/9/2019

The winner of our Butcher giveaway is Michal K!

by Sam Sant

We're welcoming October with a giveaway for Butcher, Transhuman Design's ultra-violent and uber-challenging 2D shooter, on Steam.

Before we get to the spooky centre of our October giveaways, settle into the mood with this "blood-soaked love letter" to the classics of its genre. Not only is the dark and gory aesthetic hellish, but so too is the difficulty, as is immediately denoted by the game's tagline: "the easiest mode is hard".

Yikes! If you're looking to tap into your inner sadomasochist in time for Halloween, enter via Gleam below to be in with a chance of winning.

If you aren't drawn as our pain-loving winner, you can still subject yourself to torment by purchasing Butcher for £6.99 on Steam.

Good luck!

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ENDED: Cat Quest giveaway

23/9/2019

Congratulations to Freddie Johnson on winning this week’s giveaway!

by Sam Sant

PCube and The Gentlebros' cutesy feline-focused RPG, Cat Quest, is up for grabs on Steam in our latest giveaway!

Cat Quest - perhaps to nobody's surprise - casts players as a cat on a quest to rescue their sister. You'll travel the fantasy realm of Felingard, which is styled as though it were a ye olde overworld map, in search of her whilst stopping to delve dungeons, grab loot and combat enemies.

With sequel Cat Quest 2: The Lupus Empire right around the corner, now's a great time to dip a paw into the open-world RPG series that's fit for anyone crazy about kitties. (It's also a final bastion for carefree fun before we switch over to the horrifying Halloween giveaway season!)

Be sure to enter via Gleam below if Cat Quest sounds like a purrfect addition to your Steam library. If you aren't drawn as our winner, you can crab a copy for £9.99 from Steam.

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Terminator: Resistance announced with a trailer

23/9/2019

Developed by Teyon and published by Reef Entertainment, Terminator: Resistance is a single-player first-person shooter, which features an original story based on the 1984 film and its sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

by Chris Brand

Set in a post-apocalyptic version of Los Angeles, almost 30 years after Judgment Day, the game expands upon the Future War between man and machines. Our protagonist is one Jacob Rivers, a soldier in the Resistance Pacific Division.

Though Jacob is a lowly private, he comes to discover that he has been marked for termination by SKYNET. You'll be taking on iconic enemies from the franchise, including the T-800, as well as some that are new to the Terminator universe. Thankfully, Jacob has backup from a motley crew of survivors, each with their own motivations and backstories. Your actions throughout will impact their survival and determine the ending you'll get.

A range of plasma weapons can be used to "run and gun or sneak and hack" your way around LA, collecting scrap as you go to trade and craft. Jacob can be further enhanced by levelling up your skills as you complete story missions, rise through the ranks of the Resistance and take on side quests to help your friends and shape the future of mankind.

Terminator: Resistance will launch 15 November in Europe and Australia on Xbox One, PS4 and PC via Steam. Those in North America will have to wait until 3 December.

What do you think of the trailer? Let us know below or over in the forums.

COMMENT ON THE FORUMS

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Overwatch’s Lego-inspired Bastion’s Brick Challenge limited event now available

19/9/2019

Blizzard have revealed a new LEGO-themed limited-time event for their multiplayer shooter, Overwatch, called Bastion’s Brick Challenge.

by Liam Andrews

The event began on 17 September and concludes at the end of the month on 30 September, during which time players can earn up to twelve LEGO-themed rewards through playing the game and watching select Twitch streams. Three victories in either Quick Play, Competitive Play or Arcade sees players rewarded with two player icons, while six games gets you two new sprays and a total of nine victories earns participants the legendary Brick Bastion skin.

You can also pick up LEGO-themed rewards by sinking a few hours into participating Twitch streams, though you’ll have to link your Blizzard account to your Twitch account first. The video above helpfully shows what steps you need to take in order to do just that.

Once you’re up and running, watching two hours’ worth of selected streams gets you a D.Va spray, four hours Tracer and Widowmaker player icons, while six hours sees viewers receiving two sprays and two player icons for Hanzo and Genji.

Will you be trying to collect all the rewards on offer? Let us know below or over in the forums.

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Farfetch’d is getting a Galar exclusive evolution in Pokémon Sword called Sirfetch’d

18/9/2019

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have revealed a new Galar region evolution for the leek wielding Pokémon, Farfetch’d, which will be called Sirfetch’d.

by Liam Andrews

Sirfetch’d, a fighting type Pokémon with the Steadfast ability, appears exclusively in Pokémon Sword and rather appropriately comes armed with a large sword-like leek, as well as shield made of the same material. Players must put Farfetch’d through “many battles” in order to unlock its noble evolution.

As well as vegetable-based weaponry, Sirfetch’d also has an exclusive move called Meteor Assault, which you can see in the trailer above. This signature attack sees Sirfetch’d charge its opponent with its leek at great speed, but while it’s said to be “devastatingly powerful”, it also leaves the duck Pokémon “unable to take action” immediately after using it.

Here’s a bit more on Sirfetch’d’s background:

“In battle, Sirfetch'd uses the sharp stalk of its leek as a lance and the thick leaves as a shield. It maintains this leek over the span of many years and treasures it more than anything. When its leek finally withers, Sirfetch'd will leave the battlefield and retire from battling entirely.”

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are out 15 November on Nintendo Switch.

What do you think of the latest addition to the Galar region? Have you already picked your starter Pokémon like we have?

Let us know below or over in the forums.

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ENDED: Headlander giveaway

16/9/2019

Dan Rooney is our giveaway winner this week!

by Sam Sant

Has there ever been a zanier respective developer/publisher pairing than Double Fine Productions and Adult Swim Games? Probably not. The outcome of their collaboration is Headlander and you could win a Steam key.

This psychedelic Metroidvania game is said to be the "ultimate head trip", on which you'll combat retro robots in an out-of-this-world 70's sci-fi adventure. In this dystopian, futuristic vision of the past (trippy, right?) all of humanity has transferred its consciousness into "imposter" bodies ruled by one central computer. You play as a floating head that can take control of these bodies and that's pretty much nuff said, to be honest...

If you've always wanted to be a flying decapitation victim, enter via Gleam and your wild dream could come true. If not, it'll cost you £14.99 on Steam.

Good luck!

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Civilization VI: Red Death is a free Battle Royale mode available now on PC

11/9/2019

Firaxis have released a new Battle Royale mode for their turn-based strategy game, Civilization VI, as a free update for PC users.

by Liam Andrews

The multiplayer mode, called Red Death, pits twelve players against each other in a free-for-all race to escape a growing storm of radioactivity that’s engulfing the map. Players can choose from eight post-apocalyptic factions with their own perks and buffs, such as units that heal faster or are resistant to water, as they compete to be the last faction standing when the evacuation ship arrives.

As a free update, Red Death is available to all players who own the base game on PC. There’s no word on whether the mode will be making its way to other platforms.

Faraxis also revealed details about the mode’s somewhat unorthodox origins:

“The game mode began as a tongue-in-cheek April Fools joke from the Multiplayer Engineering Lead, Bradley Olson. He scripted the basic gameplay and added it to the game for an April 1 build, hoping the team would find it amusing,” reads the press release.

Unfortunately, nobody actually noticed a Battle Royale mode lurking in the game’s multiplayer. But, despite the rocky start, the mode was well liked by Olson’s fellow developers once they got their hands on it, and the original concept was soon expanded upon with features and extras before getting a post-apocalyptic makeover by the studios’ art team.

“Red Death came together in a different way than we usually develop scenarios and content for Civilization VI. While this is not the way a typical design comes to fruition, the on-the-fly creative collaboration coming from all the members of the team that led to this release was an incredible experience for all of us.”

Let us know your thoughts on the new mode below or over in the forums.

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Rebel Cops is a new strategy title from THQ Nordic and the creators of This is the Police

10/9/2019

Weappy Studios and THQ Nordic have announced Rebel Cops, a new 15-hour game inspired by their cops vs gangsters strategy series, This is the Police.

by Liam Andrews

The game is set within the fictional town of Ripton, which has been overtaken by a ruthless crime lord called Victor Zuev. Town officials, powerful businessmen and the majority of local law enforcement are all under Zuev’s influence, save for a small rag-tag band of honest cops determined to protect the beleaguered citizens of Ripton and take down the Zuev empire.

Rebel Cops features the same XCOM-like, turn-based tactical combat first introduced in This is the Police 2, along with the series’ familiar squad and personnel management.

Despite living outside the ‘law’, your squad are still police officers, so players are given plenty of non-lethal weapons and perks - such as the unlockable ability to arrest people from further away - in order to peacefully takedown criminals.

Should things go south, enemies can be taken down with a single shot to the head, whilst other injuries can cause them to bleed out quickly, though the same rules also apply to cops under your command.

Your teams’ diminished status means that firearms, equipment and ammunition are harder to come by, so players must therefore search the large sandbox levels for items of value that can either be sold on the black market or used.

Players can gain credibility and better relationships with merchants by completing side missions for the Ripton townsfolk, but excessive civilian deaths, or failure to successfully complete a mission can cause trading difficulties or even allies to turn on you.

Rebel Cops is out Tuesday, 17 September on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch and PC with an RRP of $9.99 / €9.99.

What do you think of the spin-off? Let us know below or over in the forums.

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ENDED: ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West - Premium Edition giveaway

9/9/2019

Congratulations to Arti Khodas on being drawn as our ENSLAVED giveaway winner!

by Sam Sant