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

[JEMC]

Monday gaming news, part number two:

REPO 'literally saved semiwork as a studio' according to a new video published by developers
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/repo-literally-saved-semiwork-as-a-studio-according-to-a-new-video-published-by-developers/
In a recent video published by semiwork about REPO's first update, developers shared a little insight into how they've responded to the sudden success of their co-op horror game. As it turns out, its popularity took the team by complete surprise and in a way was the saving grace semiwork needed to continue as a game studio.

The Kingmakers system requirements show that the hardest part of running the game may be finding 80 GB free for the install
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/the-kingmakers-system-requirements-show-that-the-hardest-part-of-running-the-game-may-be-finding-80-gb-free-for-the-install/
The Kingmakers system requirements have just been revealed, and it is looking incredibly easy to run. Given how ambitious the game is, and the fact that it's built in Unreal Engine 5 despite those specs, I can only hope it runs as easily as it is to play.
>> 80GB isn’t that much compared to other games.

This underwater city builder had me more emotionally invested in my corals than SimCity does in my human citizens, and you can try it at the next Steam Next Fest
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/this-underwater-city-builder-had-me-more-emotionally-invested-in-my-corals-than-simcity-does-in-my-human-citizens-and-you-can-try-it-at-the-next-steam-next-fest/
I love metropolitan city builders, but once I'm done turning fertile riverside plains into a mess of eight-lane highways and coal plants, I can't help but wonder if I've maybe been a net negative for the world around me. When I saw Life Below on Steam—a city builder all about constructing reefs that opens its Steam description with "the ocean is dying"—I was flooded with the exact blend of guilt and intrigue I look for in my entertainment.

The Witcher 3 is getting 'one more patch' that will add cross-platform mod support
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-witcher-3-is-getting-one-more-patch-that-will-add-cross-platform-mod-support/
CD Projekt isn't quite finished with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt just yet. The studio announced today that it's got "one more patch" in the works for Geralt's big adventure that will add cross-platform mod support across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S through mod.io.

ZeniMax QA union reaches a tentative contract agreement with Microsoft including 'substantial across-the-board wage increases,' worker protections, and more
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/zenimax-qa-union-reaches-a-tentative-contract-agreement-with-microsoft-including-substantial-across-the-board-wage-increases-worker-protections-and-more/
Just two months after voting to authorize a strike action over stalled negotiations with Microsoft, ZeniMax Workers United-CWA has announced a tentative contract agreement that includes "substantial across-the-board wage increases" along with new minimum salaries for employees, protections against arbitrary dismissal, grievance procedures, and a new policy for game credits "that clearly acknowledges the QA workers' contributions to the videogames they help create."

If you're playing Elden Ring Nightreign solo, every merchant carries a revive item, you can carry two at once, and there are more solo QoL changes coming next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/if-youre-playing-elden-ring-nightreign-solo-every-merchant-carries-a-revive-item-you-can-carry-two-at-once-and-there-are-more-solo-qol-changes-coming-next-week/
Yesterday, FromSoftware put out an unexpected day one patch for Elden Ring Nightreign that already included balance changes for the roguelike soulslike. The patch notes were characteristically terse, but they've already overhauled the solo experience, and we can expect another patch next week with further adjustments.
But if you're playing Nightreign solo right now, here's the tldr: Most (all?) merchants now carry a Wending Grace item that revives you to full health when you die at a night boss. This is only in singleplayer, you can carry two at a time, and you should buy one whenever you see it.
>> Those future changes coming next week are the patch from the DSOG article.

Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic confirms layoffs: 'The landscape is shifting, and with it, so must we'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/yooka-laylee-developer-playtonic-confirms-layoffs-the-landscape-is-shifting-and-with-it-so-must-we/
Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games has laid off an undisclosed number of employees, confirming reports of cuts shared by former employees on social media over the past week.

Path of Exile 2 director says GGG is learning from its mistakes while supporting 2 games at once: 'If you want to lock the date, you can't lock the features'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/path-of-exile-2-director-says-ggg-is-learning-from-its-mistakes-while-supporting-2-games-at-once-if-you-want-to-lock-the-date-you-cant-lock-the-features/
When Grinding Gear Games first announced Path of Exile 2, it made a promise: PoE1 wasn't going anywhere, and development on both titles would continue in parallel. Ten months after the last Path of Exile league, it's clear that the studio bit off a bit more than it can chew, but game director Jonathan Rogers was optimistic in a new interview with YouTuber Talkative Tri this week that things are close to being back on track.

One of the best puzzle games on Steam just got its first update in 11 years and is also verified for Steam Deck: 'We couldn't resist including some visual, aural, and input adjustments'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/one-of-the-best-puzzle-games-on-steam-just-got-its-first-update-in-11-years-and-is-also-verified-for-steam-deck-we-couldnt-resist-including-some-visual-aural-and-input-adjustments/
Have you played The Swapper? If not, you should swap whatever you're doing right now for playing The Swapper. Originally released back in 2013, it's a sci-fi puzzler that hinges on your ability to create clones of yourself, which then mimic your every movement. From this simple concept, The Swapper produces some delightfully brain-tangling puzzles, and a story that probes the question of personal identity with discomforting acuity. Oh, and it's all wrapped in eerie, Claymation-based art that still looks beautiful today.
But not beautiful enough, according to developers Facepalm games. Over the last week or so, Facepalm has been steadily uploading a sequence of updates to The Swapper's beta-build, culminating in the game's first proper Steam update in 11 years. "The original purpose of this release was addressing bit rot that had accumulated over the years," writes Facepalm in a Steam blog. "But we couldn't resist including some visual, aural and input adjustments that make the game feel a bit smoother."

This game about being trapped on a spaceship overgrown with a jungle that wants to eat you is basically Project Zomboid in space, and it looks absolutely terrifying
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/this-game-about-being-trapped-on-a-spaceship-overgrown-with-a-jungle-that-wants-to-eat-you-is-basically-project-zomboid-in-space-and-it-looks-absolutely-terrifying/
My favourite type of video game can be summarised as "something has gone wrong in space". Whether it's a shooter, immersive sim, strategy game, or kart racer, I'm always up for a game that's about dealing with a horrible problem in the most hostile environment of them all.
And wow, does Dandelion Void understand the meaning of the word "horrible". The pitch is you're trapped aboard a derelict generation ship that has, in the unknown expanse of time since your ship departed Earth in the late 20th century, been completely overgrown by extraterrestrial rainforest. Unlike most games set in abandoned spaceships, this jungle thrums and thrives with new life. On the face of it, this doesn't sound too bad, until you discover that life is rabidly hostile toward anything with fewer than seven legs.

Planet Coaster 2's latest update introduces crime and punishment to your theme park, adding pickpockets, vandals, and security guards to stop them
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/planet-coaster-2s-latest-update-introduces-crime-and-punishment-to-your-theme-park-adding-pickpockets-vandals-and-security-guards-to-stop-them/
I've always believed Planet Coaster 2 to be a better game than it's typically given credit for. But one issue I have with the sequel, and indeed, the series in general is that your park visitors are a bit dull.
(...)
Perhaps this is just what Disney adults are like, but either way, it doesn't make for a particularly engaging group of people to manage. Where's the friction? The complaints? The drama?
Well, update 5 for Planet Coaster 2 adds a bit of that in, sprinkling a criminal fraternity among your visitors. Now, pickpockets will prowl along the pathways of your park, aiming to fleece the pockets of other visitors. On top of that, parkgoers who are especially dissatisfied with your park will no longer just sulk. They'll actively engage in vandalism, booting over bins and kicking in benches. There's that rebellious spirit I'm after!

It's not just you: Elden Ring Nightreign's matchmaking is taking forever if it works at all, and there doesn't seem to be a fix⁠—aside from queueing with a full group
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/its-not-just-you-elden-ring-nightreigns-matchmaking-is-taking-forever-if-it-works-at-all-and-there-doesnt-seem-to-be-a-fix-aside-from-queueing-with-a-full-group/
First reported by Eurogamer, FromSoftware has acknowledged long matchmaking times for Elden Ring Nightreign despite having 2 million players and counting. The studio's initial suggested fixes are not particularly helpful, especially on PC, and the best solution right now is really just queueing with a full team of three.

Atomfall is getting a spooky DLC set on an offshore island that also lets you blast pretend pirates with a blunderbuss
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/atomfall-is-getting-a-spooky-dlc-set-on-an-offshore-island-that-also-lets-you-blast-pretend-pirates-with-a-blunderbuss/
Atomfall wasn't as good as it could have been when it launched in March, mainly due to its barebones combat and anaemic stealth and survival systems. But I nonetheless enjoyed exploring Rebellion's eerie take on the Lake District while unravelling the mystery behind the catastrophe at the Windscale Power Plant. I'd be more than happy to ramble through a little extra of that world, and it just so happens that more Atomfall will wash up on the Cumbrian coast next week.
The Wicked Isle DLC adds a whole new offshore region to Atomfall's map. Named Midsummer Island, this area unsurprisingly plays on the folk horror elements of the original. Expect to encounter a lot of druids and at least one wicker man, as well as new locations like a ruined abbey, and a pub called the Jolly Angler.

This gravity-defying dungeon crawler is basically Legend of Grimrock meets Portal, and while the trailer had me dizzy, the demo made me feel like a genius
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/this-gravity-defying-dungeon-crawler-is-basically-legend-of-grimrock-meets-portal-and-while-the-trailer-had-me-dizzy-the-demo-made-me-feel-like-a-genius/
There were a bunch of excellent-looking puzzle games revealed at this week's Thinky Direct, including a new mystery game from one of the designers of the Case of the Golden Idol, and a time-loop based "Metroidbrainia" (a portmanteau that caused me physical pain) which swaps out tool-gathering for puzzle-solving. The game that really stood out to me, however, was He Who Watches, a gravity-defying "dungeon puzzler" that's most easily summarised as Legend of Grimrock meets Portal.