Carzy Zarx’s PC Gaming Emporium - Catch Up on All the Latest PC Gaming Related News

[JEMC]

Since it’s been a few days since the last news post and PCGamer does a lot of articles as of late, I’ve split them in two posts. In the first one I’ll keep the usual style, but in the second one I’ll only post the headline and link. Let’s begin!

Earthblade, the next game from the makers of Towerfall and Celeste, 'ain't coming out in 2024'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/earthblade-the-next-game-from-the-makers-of-towerfall-and-celeste-aint-coming-out-in-2024/
Earthblade, the next game from Celeste and Towerfall studio Extremely OK Games, is technically not delayed, because it didn't have a release date in the first place. We did expect it to be out this year, though, and the developers expected to at least have a firm launch date in place by now—but instead, Extremely OK director Maddy Thorson said in a new blog post that "this game ain't coming out in 2024."

Some of the biggest names in indie games are teaming up to put on a 'no fluff' showcase of new game announcements
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/some-of-the-biggest-names-in-indie-games-are-teaming-up-to-put-on-a-no-fluff-showcase-of-new-game-announcements/
French indie studio Evil Empire, which has spent the last five years working on expansions for roguelike sensation Dead Cells, prides itself on being a "triple I" developer: independent, but still big enough to make "world-class" games. Evil Empire likes the label so much, in fact, that it's spent the past few months organizing a new showcase with some other indie superstars, including the developers of Slay the Spire, Darkest Dungeon, Vampire Survivors, and Terraria. The Triple-I Initiative will be streaming on April 10 and will show off more than 30 games.

Diablo 4's 10K-word patch notes bless necromancers and curse barbarians for next week's season 4 PTR
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/diablo-4s-10k-word-patch-notes-bless-necromancers-and-curse-barbarians-for-next-weeks-season-4-ptr/
Diablo 4 is about to become a wildly different game. Starting in season 4 and onwards, every class, item, and progression system will work differently. Blizzard has released the over 10,000-word patch notes for all the changes you'll be able to test out in next week's season 4 playtest, or public test realm (PTR).

Bungie rolls back controversial plan to time-gate Into the Light loot [Updated]
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/just-weeks-from-destiny-2s-next-big-update-the-community-is-up-in-arms-about-how-its-weapons-are-being-released-it-shows-theyve-learned-absolutely-nothing/
We're less than two weeks away from Destiny 2's Into the Light update, and, for the most part, it looks like an enjoyable diversion—a fine way to keep Guardians busy as they wait for The Final Shape to release on June 4. The new, much requested horde mode should promote some build-crafting in the final months of this extended season. And the returning 'Brave' weapons are, on the whole, looking good—a selection of returning favourites, with refreshed perk pools set to create some meta-defining combinations.
Update: Bungie has put out a thread on X, responding to community criticism of its plans to slowly roll out the second batch of reprised 'Brave' weapons coming with the Into the Light update. You will now be able to collect the entire set as of April 30, giving players more than a full month to scoop the limited edition versions of whatever god roll perk combos they're chasing. The thread goes on to emphasise that the new Onslaught mode, from which these guns will drop, is going to have guardians swimming in loot. The news appears to have mollified players, which means we can reset the 'days since last Destiny 2 crisis' clock. Honestly, the hands have almost worn out at this point.

A demo for Final Fantasy 16 is reportedly coming to PC soon, as producer Yoshi-P says work on the port is 'going smoother than we thought it would'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/a-demo-for-final-fantasy-16-is-reportedly-coming-to-pc-soon-as-producer-yoshi-p-says-work-on-the-port-is-going-smoother-than-we-thought-it-would/
Earlier this month, Final Fantasy 16's director Naoki Yoshida (also known as Yoshi-P) revealed that the PC port of the acclaimed fantasy sequel is in its "final stages" of optimisation. Now, it's been reported that a demo of the RPG is coming to PC soon, with Yoshida stating progress on the port is "going smoother than we thought it would".

They fly now too? Helldivers 2 warns players that Automatons are developing 'aerial gunships,' so Super Earth is countering with 'our most effective anti-air weaponry'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/they-fly-now-too-helldivers-2-warns-players-that-automatons-are-developing-aerial-gunships-so-super-earth-is-countering-with-our-most-effective-anti-air-weaponry/
It was bad enough when Helldivers 2's bugs started to fly, but the latest Super Earth intel suggests something far scarier than Shriekers is on the horizon: Automaton aerial gunships.
That's according to the latest dispatch from Super Earth in the wake of Troost's liberation. The Helldivers community got the job done in record time, but there's no time to celebrate. In the course of liberation, the Ministry of Defense made a troubling discovery.
>> And they’ve already been seen in Malevelon Creek. At least there’s a new heavy machine gun. Oh, and there’s also a new balance update.

I'm obsessed with the bizarre 16th century inspired creature design in roguelike deckbuilder Hermetica
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/im-obsessed-with-the-bizarre-16th-century-inspired-creature-design-in-roguelike-deckbuilder-hermetica/
A naked man with a face covering its torso. A snail with a human head. And one that's half-nun and half…I don't know what.
(...)
So when I played a demo of roguelike deckbuilder Hermetica at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week, I was immediately enthralled by the enemy designs. Its art is also based on old European weirdness—the game is set in 16th century Toledo, Spain—and just about every creature in it is fascinatingly bizarre.

Coffee Stain set to publish a stylishly strange-looking new deckbuilder
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/coffee-stain-set-to-publish-a-stylishly-strange-looking-new-deckbuilder/
As We Descend, a pretty stylish-looking upcoming deckbuilder from new studio Box Dragon, will be published by Coffee Stain, the same folks publishing hits like Valheim and Deep Rock Galactic.

CD Projekt Red says the next Witcher game is 'not just repeating what was done before' as the dev team ramps up to over 400
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/cd-projekt-red-says-the-next-witcher-game-is-not-just-repeating-what-was-done-before-as-the-dev-team-ramps-up-to-over-400/
There are currently 627 developers working at CD Projekt Red, and as the studio revealed during its financial year 2023 earnings conference, 403 of them are now dedicated to work on Project Polaris, which is to say, The Witcher 4. (Thanks, RPS.) Meanwhile, the skeleton crew left to work on Cyberpunk 2077 updates has shrunk to 17, while its sequel, codenamed Project Orion, has a team of 47 and is presumably still in the early stages.
(...)
Nowakowski did, however, talk about the risks CD Projekt Red was taking by innovating in certain areas of the upcoming game. "Making [a] new game is always a creative risk," he said, "especially since we're trying to push new boundaries and explore new fields, do something we haven't actually done before." Though he called it "a pretty broad paintbrush stroke" he did attempt to explain what that meant. "Basically, I guess what I'm saying is you should not be expecting just a Witcher 3 in new clothing. I mean, of course we're building on the shoulders of what was done before and on the learnings of what was done before, but we will be adding new things, new elements, new gameplay elements, new mechanics that you have not seen in our previous games so far."
>> Also related to CDPR: they’ve experimented with IA, but it’ll be a long time before it matches NPCs created by people, and they don’t see microtransactions in singleplayer games.

Bandai Namco drops three free games, including one where you're a very messy dog ruining the house
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/bandai-namco-drops-three-free-games-including-one-where-youre-a-very-messy-dog-ruining-the-house/
There are few things better than a polished proof-of-concept free demo made by passionate game developers. I'm here to tell you that Bandai Namco has dropped three of those on Steam completely free and you can play them right now. One about a little chaos dog, one about a little robot, and one about boomerangs that you also ride the trails of.

Tweak your crazy spells in this tough, traditional roguelike wizard simulator
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/tweak-your-crazy-spells-in-this-tough-traditional-roguelike-wizard-simulator/
Rift Wizard 2 hit Steam this week, calling itself a "tough as nails traditional roguelike wizard simulator" and sporting the colorful graphics and complex pile of character builds to back that claim up.

100-player shooter Enlisted: Reinforced halts sales on Steam due to anger over pricing and a bug that 'completely breaks' account linking
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/100-player-shooter-enlisted-reinforced-halts-sales-on-steam-due-to-anger-over-pricing-and-a-bug-that-completely-breaks-account-linking/
Gaijin announced in January that its 100-player WW2 shooter Enlisted would be coming to Steam as Enlisted: Reinforced, an updated version of the standalone game that went into open beta in 2021. The early access Steam release finally happened on March 28—and later that same day, sales were halted due to a mix of technical problems and player dissatisfaction.

New multiplayer survival game features crafting, base building, automatic weapons and flying. The twist? Everyone plays as a bunch of ducks
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/new-multiplayer-survival-game-features-crafting-base-building-automatic-weapons-and-flying-the-twist-everyone-plays-as-a-bunch-of-ducks/
Just when you think you've seen every variation of survival game imaginable, along comes a game like Duckside. Developed by Tinybuild Riga, Duckside is a multiplayer survival sim in the style of Rust and DayZ, only everyone plays as a duck.

House Flipper 2 just became a platformer with a new 'The Floor Is Lava' mode, and no, it's not just an April Fools' joke
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/house-flipper-2-just-became-a-platformer-with-a-new-the-floor-is-lava-mode-and-no-its-not-just-an-april-fools-joke/
Long before videogames existed, some bored child, probably trapped in their house on a rainy day, invented an analog platformer with one simple rule: get across the room without touching the floor. Chairs, tables, cabinets, couch cushions, ottomans, anything that could be leapt to and stood upon became a safe space in a dangerous world. On that day, "The Floor Is Lava" was born.
Fast-forward to today and its legacy continues. First-person home renovation simulator House Flipper 2 has announced a new "Floor Is Lava" mode, and while it was cooked up to celebrate April Fools Day, it's no joke. It's an actual mode. Turn your house into a platformer, create a course through the lava using furniture, shelving, and other objects, and share your course with other players.

Botany Manor's lead designer assures players that this cozy game is clear and straightforward, 'there's not too much strain on the player'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/botany-manors-lead-designer-assures-players-that-this-cozy-game-is-clear-and-straightforward-theres-not-too-much-strain-on-the-player/
(...)
"We have put a lot of thought into this game because it has a very nice peaceful setting," May explains. "We didn't want the puzzles to be too challenging, but obviously also not too simple. I guess the challenge in this game comes from, how many clues there are to find, how many steps there are, how many things to keep in mind, and also how far things are spread out." 

We had another look at Still Wakes the Deep—and there's more than just slimy, stretched-out skin in the Beira D oil rig
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/we-had-another-look-at-still-wakes-the-deepand-theres-more-than-just-slimy-stretched-out-skin-in-the-beira-d-oil-rig/
We just had yet another look at the Beira D oil rig in Still Wakes the Deep during a digital ID Xbox showcase. This time, instead of just showing the silent aftermath of an attack, the protagonist Caz and his best bud Roy made a short appearance, along with some melted and stretched human flesh. 

This upcoming indie strategy game looks like Left 4 Dead in the style of XCOM
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/this-upcoming-indie-strategy-game-looks-like-left-4-dead-in-the-style-of-xcom/
If you've ever thought to yourself that what you'd really like is a turn-based tactics take on Left 4 Dead, the upcoming Dead Season might be just the thing. Unveiled today by Snail Bite Games—actually solo developer Pavel Kharev—the game promises unforgiving turn-based tactics in a world overrun by hordes of the undead.