April 2023

Microsoft has announced May's Xbox Games with Gold lineup.

The draw here is Star Wars Episode I Racer, available 1st to 31st May. This is Aspyr Media's remaster of the popular 1999 PC and N64 original. It takes Phantom Menace's podracing sequence and turns it into a rock-solid arcade racer, featuring familiar characters and tracks set across the likes of Tatooine and Baroonda.

Meanwhile, Hoa is available 16th May to 15th June. This is a 2021 puzzle-platformer that features hand-painted art, lovely music and a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere.

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The Competition and Markets Authority has refuted Microsoft's claim the Nintendo Switch is capable of running a Call of Duty game similar to those seen on Xbox and PlayStation.

In its 415-page final report detailing its shock decision to block Microsoft's proposed $68.7bn Activision Blizzard takeover, the UK regulator addressed Microsoft's insistence it could get Call of Duty in its current form up and running on Nintendo consoles should the deal be approved.

"COD is currently available on two gaming consoles - Xbox and PlayStation," reads the CMA's report.

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Sega of America is currently "investigating and considering the options available" to the company, following the news earlier this week that a "supermajority" of its employees were planning to unionise.

As Matt reported on Monday, this union - which calls itself the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega, or AEGIS-CWA for short - aims to secure higher base pay, improved benefits, and a number of other goals.

In response, Sega of America's president and COO Ian Curran wrote a letter to all employees, addressing the formation of AEGIS.

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Hideo Kojima does like to share all of his goings on, over on Twitter. How else would we really know what Léa Seydoux is up to?

However, one of his more recent posts has caused quite a stir from his followers. Earlier today, the Metal Gear creator shared a picture of himself standing beside Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud (there was also a Kojima Productions mascot there).

For a bit of background, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud is president of the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS) and the Arab eSports Federation. He is also vice president of the Global Esports Federation.

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With every new edition, tactical strategy fusion series Age of Wonders has changed up exactly how it works - and Age of Wonders 4 showed its priorities as soon as it let me make a faction of mystical, arctic-dwelling wolf-riding dwarves.

After choosing a campaign, the first choice you make is whether to use a pre-made faction or customise your own. Where in Age of Wonders 3 you could alter your leader's appearance, your empire was functionally a combination of race and class - Orcish Theocrats, or Dwarven Dreadnoughts. Here, I find myself picking my way through a menu that feels a lot more like RPG character creation: choosing a body type (with swappable perks), culture, society, and early specialisations by way of that first Tome of Magic - and, of course, appearance customisation.

Culture, and your first Tome of Magic, determine the pool of units you get. A dwarven knight in a feudal society is the same as a human knight in a feudal society - but I can upgrade them very differently. But taking enchantments through the Tomes of Magic - whether its unit enchantments that apply to just support roles, or racial enchantments that apply to all dwarves in my empire - can take base armies down a very different route, especially with the ability to mix tomes of different affinities. Mixing Order and Nature tomes within a feudal culture feels distinctly different to mixing Chaos and Nature tomes within a barbarian culture. Even with a nature tree in common, it's druidic paladins versus primal hordes.

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Redfall, the vampire FPS from Deathloop developer Arkane Studios, is out in less than a week and to prepare players for what awaits, the team has released a new launch trailer aptly set to a cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun." 

It's a nice cover, and it goes quite well with what's happening in Redfall, Massachusetts, as a total eclipse has made it a haven for the game's enemy vampires. The launch trailer itself is more of what you'd expect from a Redfall trailer – vampires, cooperative action, special abilities, and plenty of FPS gunplay. Check it out for yourself below: 

The newest “Keeping Up With Star Rail” video on the Honkai: Star Rail YouTube channel centers on Seele. Aside from the host Owlbert, Bronya appears as a guest on the show to talk about the playable character. In the actual game, Bronya and Seele started out with an antagonistic relationship due to their different factions.

Seele as she appears in Honkai: Star Rail resides in the Underworld of Jarilo-VI. She is a key member of Wildfire, which is the Underworld’s version of the Silvermane Guards. Her nickname is “Babochka,” which is the Russian word for butterfly. Though she and Bronya are from opposing factions, Bronya has a high opinion of her skills, which is evident in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNJyKHUNaPA

Seele is a single-target Quantum attacker who follows The Hunt path. Her gameplay revolves around her Resurgence Talent. With Resurgence, she gains an attack buff when she defeats an enemy and receives an extra turn in combat. Defeating an enemy on a Resurgence-given turn does not grant her another free turn, so Seele cannot monopolize the game. On the field, she can gain Stealth for 20 seconds, which hides her from enemies.

Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on mobile devices and Windows PC. The PS4 and PS5 versions of the game will come out later. Seele is a limited 5-star character in Honkai: Star Rail, which means she will not be in the gacha until she re-runs.

Within a little over a month since its debut, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key sold over 300,000 units. This makes it the fastest game from the Secret subseries to break that milestone. Gust also stated that the team has been delighted to read through players’ thoughts on the game.

Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key debuted on March 23, 2023 for Japan, with other countries getting the game on March 24. The sales figure takes into account all of the platforms that the game is on. As well, it calculates both physical and digital copies. Atelier Ryza 3 is the third and possibly final entry in the Secret subseries. As the game focuses on the theme of endings, it might be the last one in which Ryza is the protagonist. It plays very similar to other Atelier games, though it has the largest playable cast at eleven characters.

The Genshin Impact new Baizhu banner and Ganyu rerun banner are both about to begin on May 2, 2023. Ahead of that, the company shared which other four-star characters will be featured. We already knew Kaveh would appear. Now, we know Candace and Fischl will join him. There will also be an Epitome Invocation that includes the Amos’ Bow for Ganyu and Jadefall’s Splendor for Baizhu.

In both cases, the additional four-star characters appearing on both the Baizhu and Ganyu banners are good for causing elemental reactions with them in Genshin Impact. Baizhu is a five-star Dendro catalyst user, while Ganyu is a five-star Cryo archer. So combining Baizhu with the four-star Electro archer Fischl will trigger Quicken, while with Ganyu that pairing results in Superconduct. Baizhu and the four-star Dendro claymore-wielder Kaveh together results in Sprawling Greenery, while adding Fischl to that group causes Spread. Baizhu with the four-star Hydro polearm user Candace causes Bloom to happen, while Candace and Ganyu’s abilities causes the Frozen effect. There’s also the beneficial Hyperbloom reaction that could occur when Baizhu, Fischl, and Candace are in the same party and use their abilities.

Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the Baizhu banner and Ganyu rerun banner run May 2-23, 2023.

When Firaxis first unveiled their new tactical superhero RPG Marvel's Midnight Suns in August of 2021, its card-based battle system proved to be a point of contention among its audience, so much so that when the game was delayed a short while later, rumours started flying that the studio was going back to the drawing board on the game's combat and dropping the cards entirely.

"Hah, that was wishful thinking for some people!" laughs creative director Jake Solomon when I ask him at GDC how he felt about those rumours at the time. It's well-known now that the delay was simply about polishing the game rather than anything more drastic, but to Solomon's credit he does also concede that he was perhaps "a little naïve" at the time for thinking it would go down without question.

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I don't feel very strongly about Age Of Wonders 4. But I’ll be fair; it's definitely good.

I've enjoyed most of my time with it, and the parts I didn't were probably down to caning it too hard in too short a time. Such is that reviewz lyf. Played less intensely over a longer period, I imagine more of its intricacies becoming clear, and more custom playstyles emerging to encourage more replays and challenges. As it stands though, its generally high quality and interesting systems just haven't captured my imagination.

It is not unimaginative, though. Some of its playable races are the usual elves and goblins, but most have a twist, like the cannibalistic dwarves, gold-obsessed necromancers, or the "cursed toadlings" I picked almost reflexively: a people transformed along with their warrior Queen Charming. Each comes with a starting hero and traits for their cities units, plus a set of spellbooks that determine what research you'll have access to upfront.

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When the Asus ROG Ally windows PC gaming handheld was originally revealed, it seemed like just another quick cash-in on the popularity of the Steam Deck. The specs turned out to be quite impressive, however, and now the price looks almost too good to be true. The Verge reports the Ally will only cost $700, just $50…

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Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon, the long-awaited next game in the FromSoftware series that most definitely isn’t a Soulslike, dropped its first gameplay trailer on April 27. The trailer comes along with an official release date: August 25 of this year.

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Horizon Forbidden West is one of the best-looking games of this generation - in fact, it won 'best graphics' in our awards last year. With abundant foliage, beautiful lighting, and stunning environmental detail, Guerilla Games' open world sequel was seriously impressive - but the Burning Shores DLC looks poised to be even more spectacular. A reworked cloud rendering system alongside PS5 exclusivity promises graphical enhancements above and beyond the base game experience. So how does Burning Shores raise the visual bar? And does the increased fidelity come at a performance cost?

It's important to know that Burning Shores takes place after the main story in Horizon Forbidden West, so you need an endgame save with a high-level character to complete it. Right after booting the game with the expansion installed, you'll be invited to the new area - which is about a third of the size of the main game. It's big and breathtaking, from the moment you arrive to the climactic end of the story hours later; the new content is a visual treat throughout.

Before we get into why Burning Shores looks so special, let's cover off the essentials. As with Forbidden West, Burning Shores is offered in 'favour resolution', 'balanced' and 'favour performance' modes. The resolution mode runs at 30fps but with a native 4K image, balanced mode runs at 40fps (ideal for 120Hz displays) at a checkerboarded 4K; performance mode runs at 60fps with a checkerboarded 1800p.

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Nine more games have been added to GeForce Now's cloud gaming library, including one of my personal favourites, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.

Fellow Resident Evil titles Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 (including Resident Evil Resistance), both in remake form, have also made their way into Nvidia's library this week.

"Survive against hordes of flesh-eating zombies and other bio-organic creatures created by the sinister Umbrella Corporation in these celebrated - and terrifying - Resident Evil games," the press release on the games' GeForce Now debut reads.

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Bloober Team and Anshar Studios have released a new Layers of Fear gameplay trailer to demonstrate the game's performance in Unreal Engine 5. 

Layers of Fear combines the experience of the first two Layers of Fear games, as well as both games' DLC, into one single game. It will also feature a new chapter called "The Final Note" that gives players an alternate perspective on the first game's story. Layers of Fear is being developed from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5. You can check out the game's performance, as well as its new mechanics and visual enhancements, in the gameplay trailer below: 

Layers of Fear will support Ray-Tracing, HDR, and 4K resolution. Plus, it uses Lumen global illumination (you might recognize the word "Lumen" from Epic Games' Unreal Engine showcase back in 2021), Niagara visual effects "to create particle effects in real time" and Action System Controls "to improve the development process and optimization of all gameplay mechanics," according to a press release. 

From Software, the developer behind last year's critically acclaimed Elden Ring, announced Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon at The Game Awards 2022. Now, less than six months later, we have a release date, and it's probably sooner than you expected. 

That's because Armored Core VI hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on August 25, 2023. From Software announced this out of nowhere with a surprise trailer today that runs more than three minutes long. It features plenty of flashy mech action and some teases about what might be going on in this beautiful (but distraught) sci-fi world. 

Check out the new Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon trailer for yourself below: 

As you can see, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is a drastic departure from the fantasy worlds of late that From Software has been creating, but this still looks decidedly From Software. And we can't wait to check it out in just a few months. 

Koei Tecmo updated Atelier Ryza 3 on all platforms, and the new patch adds a Legend Maximum Difficulty and a way to change the game’s background music (BGM). Both of these are free additions. All you need to do is update it on the PS4, PS5, Switch, or PC, and they’ll be available.

With regards to the Legend difficulty level in Atelier Ryza 3, Gust and Koei Tecmo didn’t explain how it will affect enemy strength and playable characters. However, it did remind players that once the patch is applied, they can change to it at any time. To switch, head to the options menu. Then, go to the Difficulty section under Game Settings. You can then select Legendary from there.

[caption id="attachment_960992" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Koei Tecmo[/caption]

As for the BGM, you can find this option when Ryza visits her desk at one of her Ateliers in Atelier Ryza 3. The Diary menu, which also allows you to change characters’ outfits, now allows you to choose which music will be played. When the free Atelier Series Legacy BGM Pack appears, you can access its songs here. That is expect to launch by June 2023.

The Fate/Grand Order Arcade collaboration event in Fate/Grand Order is now live, with three new Servants that players can get. Sodom’s Beast/Draco and Locusta are in the gacha, and Setanta is a free welfare Servant. The gacha for the event will run from April 26, 2023 to May 17, 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=044xrQEJxis

Sodom’s Beast/Draco marks the debut of a playable Beast-class Servant. As a warning, players must complete either the event story or an interlude quest in order to unlock Sodom’s Beast/Draco’s third Ascension look in battle. She resembles Nero Claudius, though her personality is a lot more abrasive and ruthless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv7AWIpVkAw

Locusta is a 4-star Assassin Servant who can inflict the Poison debuff on enemies with her skill. In history, Locusta was a poison-maker who worked for Nero. Nero hired her for assassinations, as well as to teach other people her craft. BLACK, who designed other Servants like Jason, was the artist for Locusta in Fate/Grand Order.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U639WI8Siiw

NIS America announced The Caligula Effect 2 will also be heading to the PS5. The company revealed the JRPG from FuRyu will show up on the console in Fall 2023. An exact release date isn't available yet, but physical copies will also be available for $49.99. There's also a reminder trailer to help people see what's going on.

As in the original The Caligula Effect Overdose, The Caligula Effect 2 will involve PS5 owners being stuck in a virtual world with a sort of AI Vocaloid virtuadoll called Regret in charge of it. Everyone within is essentially in high school forever. Your avatar will join the Go-Home Club to try and end this simulation, though Regret's Obbligato Musicians will attempt to stop you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h0auqEip0k&ab_channel=NISAmerica

This means both The Caligula Effect games will be on the system by the time 2023 ends. Back in February 2023, NIS America announced a The Caligula Effect Overdose port. That will launch on the system on May 30, 2023, so people would have enough time to likely finish the first game ahead of the second.

In addition to revealing the release date, Bandai Namco opened up pre-orders for the Armored Core VI Collector's and Premium Editions on its official storefront. The product listings note you can get both versions for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam. While a standard copy will be $59.99, the Collector’s Edition is $229.99 and the Premium Edition is $449.99. Both come with the Melander C3 G13 Special Customization Tenderfoot pre-order bonus that unlocks the Melandar C3 parts and emblem early and provide a special decal.

The Armored Core VI Collector’s Edition comes with fewer items. You get a copy of the game for your desired platform and a Steelbook case to hold it. There are sheets of stickers based on iconography from the game, as well as a set of four pins based on it. A digital copy of the soundtrack and physical art book are included. People also get a 19cm tall Armored Core figure.

The Premium Edition is nearly identical. The difference is that the Armored Core figure here comes with a garage to display it. That is a 32cm additional accessory for displaying it.

Here's a closer look at how both the Armored Core VI Collector's and Premium Editions.
[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="960997,960996" link="file"]

Once again, HoYoVerse sent out a warning about people using Twitter to access its games. The first such warning happened back in February 2023. Now the company took to the Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact 3rd, Honkai: Star Rail, and Tears of Themis accounts to warn about using the Twitter account login feature with all four games. Notably, it told players again to tie accounts to email addresses. This time, it cautioned that the process should be completed by April 29, 2023, as that's when Twitter API will get more restrictive.

Essentially, the same sort of Twitter account login warning appears on the Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact 3rd, Honkai: Star Rail, and Tears of Themis accounts. Here's the Honkai: Star Rail one as an example.

IMPORTANT: "Login With Twitter Account" Service Adjustment Notice

Bandai Namco revealed the next Armored Core game is coming soon. The Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon release date is August 25, 2023. There's also a new trailer to go along with the announcement, showing off what to expect from the FromSoftware game. There's also a new Armored Core VI gameplay trailer.

Here's how the new Armored Core VI gameplay footage looks. The trailer begins with what seems like the opening the opening movie. It notes that a ship is approaching Rubicon, and Walter says to send the “dog” down. This person heading down to the surface is Augmented human C4-621. From there, we get to see the actual fights on the surface.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khP047JyVXM&ab_channel=PlayStation

The last time FromSoftware and Bandai Namco revealed details about the game was in February 2023. Producer Yasunori Ogura discussed the resources being used and different kinds of robot parts players will have access to in this entry. That announcement did note that there will be a single player story, a multiplayer online arena, and the sort of difficulty people would expect from a FromSoftware game.

The Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon release date is August 25, 2023. It will come to the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC.

Armored Core 6: Fires Of Rubicon is dropping into action on August 25th, developer FromSoftware have announced. Last December, the studio most famous for Dark Souls and Elden Ring announced they were returning to their mecha action roots, and we now have the first gameplay trailer showing off those chunky mechs and huge explosions. Take a look below.

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For me, developers Deconstructeam are the GOAT at fleshing out characters through the subtle art of conversation. Whether it’s revealing the dark secrets of corporate espionage from the mouths of loose-lipped employees after a cocktail or two in The Red Strings Club, uncovering the cut-throat life of a hitman as he arranges beautiful bouquets in Eternal Home Floristry, or unravelling the personal philosophies of an old man who claims he can speak to God through a radio in Interview With A Whisperer, their games are detailed portraits of complex people. And after playing through an hour-long preview build of the team’s next game, the fresly unveiled The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, I can already tell that this adventure is one of their most complex portraits yet. This time, folks, we're dealing with divination, cosmic gods and sweet, sweet revenge.

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The now legendary Elden Ring streamer known as Let Me Solo Her has done the seemingly impossible and completed a Malenia-only run of FromSoftware’s giant RPG. Over the last month, Let Me Solo Her has been using a mod to replace every single enemy in the game with the boss who brought them fame - the ultra-tough Malenia - and you can now watch the full playthrough of ‘Elden Ring But Everything Is Malenia’ on YouTube.

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May is on the horizon and that can mean only one thing: Star Wars Day of course. To celebrate May the 4th (be with you), Amazon Prime are giving away 15 games to subscribers over the next month, with the flight combat sim Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D leading the pack of freebies. Every single Thursday a new batch of free games will be available to claim, so take a look at the lineup below.

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Did you know most people don’t actually finish video games? A game like Elden Ring can sell 20 million copies, but if you look at the trophy completion percentage, only a little under half of the people who bought the game on PlayStation actually saw it through to the end. There are a lot of reasons for this, many of…

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None of the Star Wars Jedi: Survivor ports are doing so hot right now. But reviewers who have been playing the PC version had additional problems with how it performs on their machines. The framerate is neither consistent nor up to standard with what players might expect from a AAA game, compared to console versions…

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Update 4/28: The Twisted Metal teaser trailer is now live, giving us our first look at Anthony Mackie's gun-toting vehicle as well as a shot of Sweet Tooth. Check it out below. 

Original Story: The live-action Twisted Metal TV series got its first poster today, courtesy of IGN, ahead of a teaser trailer scheduled to drop later today. The upcoming adaptation of the classic PlayStation car combat series is set to premiere this July. 

Twisted Metal is being developed by Peacock and stars Anthony Mackie as protagonist John Doe, a “smart ass” delivery driver who transports supplies between settlements in a post-apocalyptic America. He has no memory of his past but gets a chance at a better life by making one special delivery across the dangerous landscape. 

Sony announced that the PSVR2 will be available in local stores soon. The headset had previously only been available through Sony themselves as part of the PlayStation Direct program.

https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1651571903574966275

Sony did not specify which retailers will carry units. At the time of writing, only the UK retailer ShopTo confirmed that it will be stocking the headset from May 12, 2023. Other retailers in other countries have yet to confirm availability.

PSVR2 released on February 22, 2023, as an exclusive for the PS5. It’s an upgrade on the original PSVR featuring new controllers built around the features of the DualSense, such as adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. It also boasts stronger eye tracking and headset feedback, along with 3D audio.

PSVR2 launched with more than 30 compatible games within its first month, including the flagship launch title Horizon: Call of the Mountain. Other games compatible with the system include Tetris Effect, Kizuna AI and Gran Turismo 7. Resident Evil Village also received a free update alongside the release of PSVR2 that added a VR mode specific to the headset. PSVR2 is available for $549.99.

PSVR2 is now available for PS5, and will become available in local stores as retailers announce availability.

An official The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch microSD memory card is being released by SanDisk. Released in partnership with Nintendo, the 1TB microSD features a design based on the Hylian crest. It is officially licensed for use with the Nintendo Switch. It releases on May 12, 2023, alongside the game itself. It will retail for $149.99 and is now available to pre-order on Amazon.

The microSD card comes with 1TB of storage and boasts write speeds of up to 90MB/s and read speeds of up to 100MB/s. These speeds may vary during actual use.

The microSD card could be useful for players of Tears of the Kingdom. The game is currently listed on the eShop as being roughly 16GB in size. That’s about half the standard internal storage space – 32GB – for the base Switch model and the Switch Lite.

Here's how it will look:
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="961009,961010" link="file"]

It’s not the first official Nintendo Switch microSD memory card SanDisk released. Previously, the company offered licensed Super Mario cards with Super Star and Super Mushroom designs. It also released an Animal Crossing design. SanDisk will also put out a 64GB microSD card featuring a Yoshi egg design on the same day as the Tears of the Kingdom card.

When new playable characters join Genshin Impact, HoYoVerse holds web events to "introduce" them, and the one for Baizhu is Herbal Remedies. It is now available online for players until May 3, 2023. During it, your goal is to figure out how to make medicines alongside the doctor. If you complete all three prescriptions, you can get 2 Mystic Enhancement Ores, 3 Nagadus Emerald Fragments, 40 Primogems, and 20,000 Mora.

How to complete the Genshin Impact Herbal Remedies web event

The event begins with Changsheng warning Baizhu not to work too hard and wear himself out, and he then mentions getting a new apprentice to assist him at Bubu Pharmacy. From there, you’ll need to click the Prescription button to check the medicines you need to make for Uncle Tian, Master Lu, and Hongdou. Images for the three ingredients needed appear. There’s also an option to unlock additional “special” prescriptions via experimenting with the ingredients you have.

The Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes strategic puzzle RPG from Capybara Games and Ubisoft is getting a Switch, PS4, and PC Definitive Edition from Dotemu. There’s no release date, beyond “coming soon.” The company shared a trailer showing off some of the updates, such as the new character portraits, and confirming there will be DLC and the 1v1 and 2v2 online multiplayer.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes features characters from the Academy, Haven, Inferno, Necropolis, and Sylvan factions, each with their own traits and abilities. You match their units to unleash attacks or erect barriers to both damage your opponent and protect yourself. Both the campaign and multiplayer involve working through these sorts of matches and puzzles to survive and succeed. The Definitive Edition adds the I Am the Boss DLC and new Euny the Archdruid boss. It will also look better, with visual enhancements, and all 15 characters get new character art.

Here’s the first trailer for the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98cOgxfUa4Q&ab_channel=Dotemu