Looking for a new board game to shake up your next game night? Monkey Palace is one that's worth a look. This game brings the brick-building fun of LEGO into a board game setup as you, and up to three other players, are tasked with rebuilding the Monkey Palace with various LEGO pieces. If that's something that's caught your attention, we have good news: It's currently enjoying a 45% discount right now at Amazon.

Monkey Palace: A Lego Board Game for $22.06

Springtime is finally here, bringing new anime and manga to experience for the very first time. If you're searching for a new series to start or just wishing to collect some of your favorites, the Spring Shonen Special Bundle at Humble Bundle is a great way to dive into something new. This special bundle by Kodansha features up to 96 different volumes of manga from hit series like Fire Force, Noragami, and even Shaman King. Check out this bundle below, and don't miss your chance to start your Spring with a bang!

Spring Shonen Special Bundle by Kodansha

If you're looking for Anime Mania Codes now that the game has had a re-release, you're in the right place. We've checked high and low to bring you all the new codes for the Roblox experience, which will help you get closer to creating your dream team with your favorite anime characters.

Working Anime Mania Codes (April 2025)

The current and active Anime Mania Codes for this month are:

• MONEYMONEY - 5,000 Gold
• FIRSTFREECODE - 500 Gems

Expired Anime Mania Codes (April 2025)

As of this month, these codes no longer work:

• SORRY4DELAY
• ManiaIsBack
• REVIVAL??
• HotFixes
• YAKRUSFINALGOODBYE
• SORRYFORTHEBUG
• THANKSFOR150K
• NEWCODEISLIVE
• BIGMOMUPDATE
• BIGMOMUPDATE1

How to Redeem Anime Mania Codes

Anime Mania has a straightforward process when it comes to redeeming codes. You just need to follow these steps:

1. Open the Anime Mania Roblox experience
2. Look on the bottom left of the screen to find blue buttons
3. To the right of roll, and in the middle you'll find Codes
4. Press Codes and copy the codes from this article in there
5. Hit submit and enjoy your bonuses!

Why Isn't My Anime Mania Code Working?

If your Anime Mania code isn't working, it's usually because of two reasons. We test all codes before we upload them, so if you find one on here that doesn't appear to be a valid code, you may have typed it in incorrectly or accidentally included an additional space. Check for any extra spaces first, and be sure to copy the code directly from this article. Roblox codes are often case-sensitive, so the code will appear here exactly how it should be used. Alternatively, the code may have been expired. Typically, a Roblox experience will say "code expired" when this is the case.

How to Get More Anime Mania Codes

We check for new Roblox codes every day, so if you want to stay up to date with Anime Mania and code drops, your best bet is to check back here. If you want to hunt for them yourself, you can always visit the Anime Mania Discord server, or check out Yakrus on X.

What is Anime Mania in Roblox?

Anime Mania is a fighting game, where you'll curate a team made up of popular anime characters. Once you've selected your team, you'll choose your character and take on waves of enemy in an arena. You can freely move around and make use of special attack moves to keep enemies at bay.

Lauren Harper is an Associate Guides Editor. She loves a variety of games but is especially fond of puzzles, horrors, and point-and-click adventures.

After eight years, the Nintendo Switch is approaching its final days, and from its ashes will rise the Switch 2. But before you put away your Switch in the closet for one last time, you should make sure you haven’t missed your chance to play some overlooked gems.

While everyone with a Switch has probably played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and, of course, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there are dozens of other Switch games that still shine bright on Nintendo’s hybrid console that you may have heard of, but didn’t get around to play.

We get it, time is limited, budgets might be tight, and there are too many games. But go back and check out these Switch games before the Switch 2. You won’t regret it.

20. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

An origin story for everyone’s favorite demon-slaying witch, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a gorgeous puzzle platformer presented in a beautiful storybook art style. But fans of Bayonetta’s action combat will still find classic, button-mashing combos here too. Ultimately, Bayonetta Origins is a worthy addition to the series that may have been overlooked given its prequel nature and drastically different art style.

19. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

The Dynasty Warriors/musou-genre is a perfect template for all manner of crossovers, including The Legend of Zelda. While The Age of Calamity might not be considered canon to the events of the beloved Breath of the Wild, there’s something incredibly gratifying about taking on the role of either Link or any of the other Breath of the Wild Champions and defending Hyrule from thousands of invading enemies. If you’re a fan of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom but haven’t ventured into Age of Calamity, it’s worth a trip back in time.

18. New Pokemon Snap

For years fans have dreamed of a long-awaited sequel to the Nintendo 64 title Pokemon Snap. And they got their wish in 2021 with the New Pokemon Snap for the Nintendo Switch. It’s very much a situation where New Pokemon Snap gives you more of everything you loved in the original, from more Pokemon to take snapshots of to plenty of secrets hidden throughout the various biomes you’ll traverse. While the original N64 Pokemon Snap game has its diehard fans who no doubt eagerly played the sequel, new fans deserve to check out one of the most beloved and unique Pokemon spinoffs ever.

17. Kirby and the Forgotten Land

After 13 games, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the first fully 3D Kirby game in the entire series, and it takes full advantage of the additional dimension. While Kirby is still able to suck in enemies and objects to gain their powers, the new 3D environments are fully explorable, letting Kirby roam free for the first time. This makes new abilities like turning into a straight-up car especially useful for exploration. While Kirby has always been a reliable mainstay in the Nintendo stable, it’d be a shame to let the Switch era pass without playing one of the best Kirby games in the series.

16. Paper Mario: The Origami King

There’s a reason why the Paper Mario sub-series is so beloved. Between the charming art style and the puzzle RPG style gameplay that departs from the platformer action of the mainline Mario games, the Paper Mario series is for anyone who has a soft spot for unique aesthetics. And thanks to a fully explorable open world, The Origami King might be one of the most beautiful Paper Mario games in the whole series. While combat isn’t as satisfying as past games, The Origami King makes up for it with visual splendor.

15. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

We’ll scream it from the treetops until everyone finally listens – Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is one of the best 2D platformers of all time, and more people need to play it! It’s not for the faint of heart though, as Tropical Freeze’s fast-paced platforming challenges will test even the most hardened Super Mario players. You’ll frantically climb up crumbling icebergs, bounce across jiggly cubes of jello, and do so much more on DK’s quest to retake his home island. It’s rare – and extremely fun – to face this much difficulty in a Nintendo game, and Tropical Freeze makes it worth your effort by pairing its challenge with gorgeous graphics, an amazing soundtrack, and incredibly tight controls. All platformer fans owe it to themselves to try out this modern run-and-jump masterpiece.

14. Fire Emblem Engage

The most successful Fire Emblem game of the Nintendo era was Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but you shouldn't overlook the second Switch game, Fire Emblem Engage. Narratively, Engage isn’t as cohesive as Three Houses, but it makes up for it by bringing back fan-favorite characters from past Fire Emblem games through “the multiverse.” What’s more, tactics RPG fans will likely find Engage is actually more of a throwback to old-school SRPGs, with smaller maps for tighter combat situations and a difficulty that can ramp up to punishing levels if you’re feeling like you want to really test your strategic acumen.

13. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore

A Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem crossover but set in the backdrop of Japan’s idol music culture? Sign me up. While this might not be what anyone might have expected when it was announced Atlus would develop a Fire Emblem SMT crossover, the poppy, colorful mashup that we got deserves your time thanks to a breezy mix of Fire Emblem and SMT RPG combat and a bubblegum art style that’s worth the trip, despite the localization toning down some of the heavier themes around fame and fan culture.

12. Astral Chain

Astral Chain is one of those experiences that you need to play to truly understand its greatness, though anyone who has played any of Platinum's other action games will at least have an idea of what to expect. The combat is fluid and flashy and has enough variance when swapping between the summonable living weapons (called “Legion”) to keep things interesting from start to finish. Meanwhile, the bosses are challenging enough to test your mastery over each of these unique Familiars. Outside of the high-octane combat, you’ll be exploring the cyberfuturistic world and investigating incidents and solving cases. And then there is a whole Astral Plane to explore that is filled with platforming, battles, and puzzle challenges to overcome, and which feel almost like old-school dungeons from other Nintendo franchises. The only thing keeping Astral Chain from being more widely recognized is its exclusivity to the Switch.

11. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope

While Rabbid Peach might have turned heads as a funny meme, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is no joke. This strategy RPG that combines the world of Mario and Ubisoft’s Rabbids is pure fun thanks to the action-focused combat that lets you combine different characters and upgrades for some massive combos. Whether you’re a Mario fan who’s never played a Rabbids game, or more rare, the Rabbids fan who never played a Mario game, these two unlikely flavors turn out to be pretty great together.

10. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

Unlike Paper Mario: The Origami King, The Thousand Year Door is a ground-up remake of the beloved GameCube release. But as it’s one of the most beloved Paper Mario games in the whole series, its redone visuals, music, and gameplay improvements mean it’s now one of the best Paper Mario games of all time. Come for Mario’s swashbuckling treasure hunt to save Peach and the town of Rogueport, but stay for all the charm and gameplay excellence the Paper Mario franchise is known for. If you’ve never tried out one of Mario’s paper-based spinoffs, this is where to begin hands down.

9. F-Zero 99

F-Zero fans weren’t sure how to feel when the series’ long-awaited return after 20 years of dormancy was a 99-player battle royale, but F-Zero 99 surprised us all and – thanks to a healthy amount of post-launch content updates – has turned into a top-tier entry. Racing against 98 players is exhilarating, and even though some of F-Zero’s trademark precision is gone, it’s replaced by the thrill of slamming into your opponents to devastate their health bar while taking careful precautions to preserve your own. And strategically planning when to use the faster – but limited – Skyway can lead to incredible comeback finishes that get your blood pumping. F-Zero 99 wasn’t the game anyone was asking for, but it was somehow the one we needed to get the series back on track.

8. Pikmin 3 Deluxe

Pikmin 3 was such a delight when it was released; it had been nine years since Pikmin 2 and many fans wondered when the franchise would make a return. Thankfully it did and though it wasn’t the massive upgrade like we eventually got in Pikmin 4, the game looked great and was a fun addition to the franchise that expanded it in important ways. Pikmin 3 introduced two new Pikmin types (Rock and Winged), better controls of your non-Pikmin protagonists (all of which were new to the franchise), and a solid amount of extra content to sink our teeth into. This was all made even better with Pikmin 3 Deluxe on Switch, which added even more content, co-op for the story mode, and the Piklopedia, which was notably absent in the original release. Pikmin 3 in general is also one of the funnier entries in the franchise as the three leaders you control all have distinct personalities, and it was always a treat to see how they would describe Citrus Lumps (Oranges) or Cupid’s Grenade (Cherries). Pikmin 3 Deluxe may not be at the top of most Pikmin fans lists but it is still worth exploring to collect fruit and make that sweet sweet juice. No Pikmin collection would be complete without it.

7. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

It makes sense that Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was one of the first games Nintendo brought over to the Switch from the Wii U. This is a delightful, ingenious little puzzle platformer where Captain Toad must reach the end of the level without being able to jump. The reason? His backpack is too heavy. It’s not the most complex platformer, but every level is a delightful brain teaser, and great to play in short bursts and on the go. A perfect Switch game, basically. While the Wii U was full of overlooked gems in its own right, this is one of its biggest treasures that made its way to the far more popular Switch, and where it deserves its own recognition.

6. Game Builder Garage

No one talks about Game Builder Garage and it's such a damn shame. If something like this had existed when I was a kid, I would have devoured it, throwing myself fully into its interface and creating gobs and gobs of bespoke games to play and show off. Nintendo basically built a simplified game engine to teach people, well, how to build games. It's right there in the name! But it's not a coding tutorial, nor is it a simple level-editor like Super Mario Maker. You progress through Game Builder Garage by completing charming lessons on building different types of games and what those types of games involve, basically building algorithms with the charm of a Nintendo-created interface. If you've ever installed a game engine on your computer only to throw your hands in the air after a few YouTube tutorials, buy this game. Play it through. Build a few games in it. Then move onto something bigger. You'll be ready.

5. Xenoblade Chronicles Series

Across four games, Monolith Soft has created some of the biggest, most beautiful open worlds ever realized on the Nintendo Switch. Xenoblade Chronicles 1, 2, and 3, as well as the spinoff Xenoblade Chronicles X, are what happens when you take old-school Japanese RPG sensibilities and marry them to modern-ish technology. The results are sweeping, operatic stories about warring civilizations, ancient gods, cool robots, and cooler swords, with a breathtaking open world to explore fully. Combined, the Xenoblade games will likely take hundreds of hours to finish… and it’ll be worth every minute.

4. Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe

Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe is the perfect counterpart to The Forgotten Land, which we already celebrated on this list. While The Forgotten Land is a 3D adventure primarily focused on single player, Return to Dreamland Deluxe is one of the pink puffball’s strongest 2D outings, with the best multiplayer the series has ever seen. Tearing through levels and enemies with four Kirbys on screen is a blast, and Return to Dreamland’s huge amount of levels and collectibles to find will keep you and your friends entertained for a long time. It might be the best way to introduce new gamers to platformers too, as you only fail if player 1 dies and players 2-4 can seamlessly drop in and out at any time. The Deluxe Switch version also adds an entirely new epilogue and a wide selection of returning subgames from across Kirby’s history, complete with achievements to chase and costumes to unlock.

3. Ring Fit Adventure

Unlike some of the other games on this list, Ring Fit Adventure was a best-seller for Nintendo. The question though is how many of you stuck with it through the very end and not just until you forgot about your New Year’s resolution? Well you better get back to it, because while it’s an ingenious way to get active, the actual RPG-element of Ring Fit Adventure is no joke. Using the fitness ring to venture forth and defeat a “bootilicious” evil dragon sounds absurd, but Ring Fit Adventure does its absolute best to keep you engaged every literal step of the way. Power up your character and your body in Ring Fit Adventure if you haven’t already.

2. Metroid Dread

The Nintendo Switch has quietly become the home to Metroid games. Between older Metroid games available on Nintendo Switch Online and a splendid remaster (more on that in a moment), Samus rules the Switch. Nothing showcases this more than the Switch’s original Metroid game, Metroid Dread. A throwback to the older, 2D Metroid games, this 2.5D search-action game breathed new life into the series by reminding fans just how scary these games can be, thanks to the terrifying E.M.M.I. machines that hunt Samus relentlessly through the claustrophobic corridors of Dread, earning the name and more. While Metroid might not immediately come to mind as an overlooked franchise, consider that Metroid Dread — while one of the best-selling Metroid games in the series — has only sold 3 million copies, which is less than games like 1-2-Switch.

1. Metroid Prime Remastered

With Metroid Prime 4 looking increasingly likely to be Nintendo Switch’s swan song (and maybe even a Switch 2 launch title), what better time to check out where it all started? But make no mistake, Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch isn’t just a simple re-release. The graphical overhaul needs to be seen to be believed.

Metroid Prime is one of the best video games of all time. Anyone who says different is just trying to get a rise out of you. Locked away on GameCube (and eventually the Nintendo Wii), this absolute classic seemed like it was destined to live on only in our fondest GameCube memories. But then one day, out of the blue, Nintendo said to us all "friends, today you can play a remastered version of one of our most incredible and important games, and you can play it on your Nintendo Switch." And wow, did they ever hit it out of the park with this one. It's not just some up-res version of the GameCube version, or even the Wii version. It's a proper remake, graphically upgraded to modern standards with tweaks to the controls and gameplay to make it feel right at home on the Nintendo Switch. Better still, unlike so many modern remakes, it was only $39.99! Unheard of in an era where games from the last generation get a shiny coat of paint and a $70 price tag. Everything that made the original special made its way to the modern era expertly. The sense of isolation, exploration, and tension all made the leap to HD brilliantly. And yet Metroid Prime Remastered was by all accounts a sales disappointment. Really, I'm just disappointed in you for not having played it. Yes, you.

These are our favorite Switch games that we think more people should check out before the coming of the Switch 2. Heck, with the Switch 2’s backward compatibility, it’s probably the best time to try them now and pick up the journey when the Switch 2 is released.

Last year, IGN got an exclusive first look at Dark Horse's The Last of Us: Ellie bust, based on the iconic character's appearance in the original game. But where Ellie goes, her protector Joel usually isn't far behind. Now we can exclusively reveal Dark Horse's companion piece, The Last of Us: Joel with Brick Bust.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at this detailed The Last of Us collectible:

This bust is based on Joel's appearance in the original game, as he wields his trusty brick as a makeshift weapon in the postapocalyptic wasteland. Sculpting, prototyping, and paint were handled by Substance Model Works. Here's Dark Horse's official description of the bust:

Clutching the ever-reliable brick, Joel stands battle-worn yet determined, clad in his signature green flannel and weathered backpack. Whether used as a weapon or a well-timed distraction, the brick is an essential tool in Joel’s fight for survival. Joel stands 8.5” tall atop a concrete base riddled with bullet holes, cracks, and moss.

The Joel with Brick Bust is designed to pair with the now-sold-out Ellie with Switchblade Bust. Joel is limited to 1000 units worldwide and will be sold exclusively on the Dark Horse Direct website. He's priced at $149.99 and is slated for release between October and December 2025.

In other The Last of Us news, we've got a spoiler-free review of Season 2 of the HBO series. Reviewer Simon Cardy writes, "It was always going to be a challenge to adapt The Last of Us Part 2’s sprawling, twisting story into a television show across multiple seasons, and at the halfway point, the jury is still out on whether it will ultimately work. Season 2 of HBO’s Naughty Dog adaptation is not bad television, far from it. It’s incredibly well-made, often looks gorgeous, and is packed full of stellar performances. But the storytelling devices and choices made in terms of pace and placement for key events bump up against what works, ultimately not delivering the striking effect this story’s undeniable shocking events should. It’s good, just not a patch on its stellar source material (or its first season) so far."

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably also told yourself this would be the month you don’t buy more Pokémon cards. Same. And yet here we are, staring down another lineup of Elite Trainer Boxes and tins like they’re life choices we already regret but will definitely make again.

Scarlet & Violet sets keep dropping bangers, both visually and competitively, and unfortunately for our wallets, some of these boxes are actually worth ripping open.

Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin - 5 Packs

Argos is back with a fresh round of Switch 2 preorders back in stock today, April 8, in the UK, including not just the console, but games and accessories too. If you missed out last time, now’s your chance to lock one in without the faff.

Amazon UK has also confirmed it’s dropping the invitation system entirely—listings are expected to go live for purchase soon, or even later today, so it’s worth keeping an eye out. Nintendo’s own store is also expected to follow suit and will be sending out invites to buy today as well.

• See at Argos (BACK IN STOCK)
• See at EE (BACK IN STOCK)
• See at Amazon (LIVE SOON)
• See at Currys (LIVE SOON

Unlike in the US, UK preorders are still smooth sailing—no price hikes, no delays. For instant alerts on new drops, bundles, and restocks, follow @IGNUKDeals on Twitter/X or Bluesky and stay ahead of the pack.

Nintendo’s official UK preorders for the Switch 2 kick off today, but the console’s already proving tough to pin down. Retailers like EE, GAME, and Smyths have gone live early—only to sell out almost instantly. Scalpers are already circling too, with listings popping up on eBay well above RRP.

Things are even messier in the US, where delays and tariff concerns are adding to the chaos. Back in the UK, Amazon has dropped its invite-only system and will make stock available to buy soon. The upside? There’s no upfront payment—Amazon only charges when your order ships, so it’s a low-risk way to secure your console. Some users have seen a June 7 delivery estimate, but Amazon support says that’s just a glitch. Launch day delivery on June 5 is still the plan.

35% Off NSO Expansion Pack Memberships

GameCube games coming exclusively to the Switch 2's exclusive online library is one of the best features of the new console. To make those membership costs just that little bit easier, UK retailer ShopTo has NSO at 35% off right now, and there's an extra 5% when you use code SPRING at checkout. As you get your Nintendo Switch 2 preorders in, this is an absolute bonus bargain to consider.

While some Nintendo Classics catalogues are unlocked with the base online subscription, you'll also need the Expansion Pack to play GameCube titles on Nintendo Switch 2. What's more, while you can subscribe to a monthly model for just Nintendo Switch Online, the Expansion Pack is only available on the 12-month plan, so make a note when purchasing. So, if you're the only Nintendo Switch players in your household, you can buy the individual Online + Expansion Pack plan for £24.55 or the Family Membership for £43.55 with the promo code SPRING.

No need to dig through digital shelves this week; some sick deals have landed across all major platforms, with prices low enough to make your backlog quake in fear. Whether you're into lightsabers, loot, or just causing utter chaos as a goat, there’s something here to tempt all types of bargain hunters.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating S.W.A.T. 4's 20th birthday. My lasting memories of this Irrational Games shooter are of no checkpoints, having to abide by strict "baddies have to draw first" rules, and the randomisation of hostages and enemies (skill, numbers, arsenal, and morale). The spiritual successor to this, Ready or Not, is well worth targeting.

• Switch Lite Console Hyrule Ed. (-12%) - A$299
• FC 25 (-62%) - A$35
• Mortal Kombat 1 (-60%) - A$24
• Goat Simulator 3 (-24%) - A$35
• Mysims: Cozy Bundle (-35%) - A$40
• Darkest Dungeon Ii (-20%) - A$48
• Bluey: The Videogame (-35%) - A$40
• GTA Trilogy Def. (-60%) - A$32

Expiring Recent Deals

• Bravely Default II (-35%) - A$52
• Persona 5 Royal (-35%) - A$66
• Persona 5 Tactica (-45%) - A$53
• Kingdom Come Deliverance: Royal Ed. (-41%) - A$48
• Sonic X Shadow Gen (-39%) - A$49
• Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports (-49%) - A$36

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Spoilers of course follow for The White Lotus Season 3 finale, “Amor Fati.”

Man, of course it wound up being Chelsea.

It’s become a tradition at this point for fans of Mike White’s HBO/Max series, The White Lotus. You spend the whole season trying to puzzle out who’s going to die, hoping certain characters won’t be the one(s) to get it, but in the end it’s the people who definitely didn’t deserve to go… who wind up going.

That’s not to say that any of the characters on The White Lotus actually deserve death. (Although some certainly need to face justice.) Sure, someone like Parker Posey’s Victoria Ratliff is hilarious but also awful, but often creator-writer-director White manages to evoke sympathy in us for even the seemingly most loathsome characters. (Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Saxon, the protein-shake-guzzling son of Victoria, is almost tragic in his final scene with Chelsea here, for example.)

But then there are the characters you love because they’re so, well, nice compared to most everyone else. And that’s where Aimee Lou Wood’s Chelsea came in this season. As the always smiling girlfriend of Walton Goggins’ troubled Rick Hatchett, Chelsea, in all her astrology reading, chipper chattering, and undefatigable love for Rick, seemed to have figured out something about the universe that evaded most of the other characters on the show. The episode title sums it up: “Amor Fati,” which as Chelsea describes it, means “you have to embrace your fate, good or bad. Whatever will be will be.”

Of course, Chelsea absolutely should not have been the one to take a stray bullet in the White Lotus finale, and of course that’s exactly what happened to her. Just as Murray Bartlett’s Armond was accidentally stabbed in Season 1 because of a dumb feud and Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya died in Season 2 in a ridiculous fall after she managed to take out all of her would-be assassins, Chelsea didn’t deserve to die. But she did. “Amor Fati.”

Anyway, while the big mystery of the season is always “who’s going to be murdered,” White basically showed his hand this time in the scene where Rick finally returns from Bangkok. He had headed there to try to put his inner demons to rest by confronting the man (Scott Glenn) who he thought had killed his father. Meanwhile, Chelsea had waited for him the past couple of episodes, fending off the advances of Saxon – despite being tempted otherwise at one point – because she loved him. The messed-up, kind of an a-hole (but not, and I quote Star-Lord, “100% a dick”) Rick seemed to barely notice her half the time in their relationship. But as Chelsea spotted him and ran to Rick on the beach, there was no denying that they were fated to be together. “At this point we’re linked,” Chelsea would later say, also during that Amor Fati chat. “If a bad thing happens to you, it happens to me.”

There’s something about the way White shoots that moment of Chelsea rejoining Rick on the beach. It’s just the one shot, which lasts about one second, of Aimee Lou Wood running towards the camera, but her joy at seeing him and his reaction to her cinched for me that she (and probably they) were doomed. She’s too pure to make it out of this place.

The actress telegraphed her fate a bit when IGN’s Michael Peyton spoke to her and The White Lotus cast at the start of the season: “Chelsea gone wrong could be Tanya. There is that overtrust. But she's got more robustness, so I feel like she wouldn't go down that route hopefully.” Uh, sorry Aimee…

By the climactic scene where the shoot-out teased in Episode 1 finally happens, we learn that Rick and Chelsea indeed are both killed. Chelsea catches that stray bullet – we don’t even see it happen, just her lying thereafterwards, and as Rick carries her body away, he’s shot from behind and falls into the surrounding pond. Both of their bodies float on the surface of the water, side by side, and yep, they’re together forever. Somehow, I think Chelsea would have wanted it that way.

Chec kout Best Buy's best gaming laptop deal of the week. Right now the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 RTX 4060 gaming laptop is on sale for just $1,199.99 shipped after a $400 off instant discount. This is a great price for a 14" gaming laptop that weighs in at about 3 pounds, boasts a gorgeous high-resolution OLED display, and features premium build quality.

$400 Off Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop

I’m not entirely convinced Dogubomb didn’t develop Blue Prince as a personal gift to me, specifically. This exceedingly clever puzzler mixes together a shortlist of my top game genres and concepts: First-person puzzling with a straightforward facade that hides a seemingly bottomless pit of secrets, roguelite runs that perfectly balance permanent improvements with the growth of your own skills, drafting mechanics that capitalize on the best parts of deckbuilders without the baggage that comes with actually being one, and even tile-based map building reminiscent of my favorite board game, Carcassone. Even if there are things in that pile of Tom Stuff that don’t excite you as much as they do me, the combination comes together beautifully. I’m still rabidly peeling back the layers of this onion after dozens of hours, but I’m already certain Blue Prince has secured its place as an all-time puzzle great.

You play as Simon, a teenage boy who has inherited the stately mansion of his well-respected and somewhat eccentric great uncle, but may only claim that inheritance if he can figure out how to navigate the ever-shifting halls of the estate in order to find a hidden 46th room. It’s a fairly simple setup at the start (apart from the whole M.C. Escher shifting house thing), and while there are plenty of helpful tips scattered around for you to find, you are largely just set loose to see what you can piece together for yourself. It’s a great foundation, because while you don’t always know what the next step may be, your goals are always clear enough that I never felt like I was just wandering around in the dark.

You probably will feel like you are wandering around in circles from time to time, though. The meat of Blue Prince is the drafting mechanic you use to explore the house: You start each day with a limited number of “steps” that are spent whenever you go through a door, and each time you open a new one you are given three options for which of the mansion’s many unique rooms will be on the other side. That means you are filling out the nine-by-five room floorplan differently every single time, connecting doorways and trying not to hit dead ends as you find helpful items and invaluable clues along the way. It may sound like nothing too outside the box, but it’s a real delight to slowly gain mastery over this system.

Some rooms are just simple hallways, while others play more varied roles that are split into colored categories based on type. For example, purple bedrooms often give you additional steps when entered, yellow shops can sell helpful items if you’ve picked up enough coins to buy them, and red rooms have negative effects (like obscuring your draft options) that could throw a wrench in your plans. Certain rooms may only appear when specific conditions are met, too, such as when you are drafting on the edges of the house or once you get deep enough in. It was fun to figure out which should be my go-to rooms early on in order to set myself up for success later, gathering items like keys to unlock doors or gems that can be spent to draft special rooms, and then using that prep work to make targeted dives toward a room or lead I was eager to hunt down.

The actual “puzzles” take on a variety of different forms within those rooms, but all of them are as entertaining as they are devilish to solve. Some have very straightforward math or logic problems, there are a few literal puzzle boxes to find, and others require a slightly more complicated combination of button pushes or lever pulls to solve whatever that room is doing. But fully self-contained challenges like that are side dishes to what Blue Prince truly has to offer, and the most interesting stuff feels closer to incredible first-person puzzle games like Return of the Obra Dinn or Outer Wilds. It asks you to really look at the world around you, take notes on what you find, and then use that knowledge to make connections where you can – and it does so in that expert way where something can feel completely cryptic at the outset and then brilliantly achievable when you finally crack it. That might mean looking through documents to find the combination to a safe, decoding why certain objects are where they are, or using the function of a specific room to get past an obstacle somewhere else.

That last part can lead to the only real point of frustration I found with Blue Prince, however, which is that the best-laid floorplans of house mice and men can come crashing down with a few bad draws. Don’t get me wrong, there are very real and effective ways to help mitigate the randomness of which rooms are offered to you – both in terms of learning what to prioritize and when you should or shouldn’t take risks, as well as in permanent upgrades I won’t spoil that can make future runs more consistent. But, plain and simple, sometimes you will need a room that lets you turn left, do everything in your power to set yourself up to get it (including collecting dice that let you reroll the rooms you draw), and still be as stuck as Zoolander when you’re ultimately given your options. Those bad breaks are infrequent, but it still stings when an otherwise-good run ends because you just never saw the room you were looking for.

(Tangentially, I also really wish you could save and quit mid-run without having to cut your progress short by ending your current day entirely, or at the very least that opening the menu stopped the in-game clock from ticking. Runs can often stretch over an hour, which makes dipping in and out of Blue Prince a hard proposition – though this is only really a problem since I was playing on a desktop PC, as consoles and even the Steam Deck would let you suspend it if you need to go do something else.)

Thankfully, any pain from that randomness is mitigated by the fact that there is just so much to discover here that a given run is rarely a waste of time. You may not have been able to draft that specific combination of rooms you were after or reach that certain square you wanted to, but odds are you still entered some new rooms along the way, and doing so almost always added to the growing list of mysteries I have jotted down across a pile of handwritten notes. “Beating” Blue Prince took me about 15 hours, and getting to that 46th room is absolutely a satisfying puzzle to solve on its own, but I also have far more goals now than I did when I first set out. There are safes to open, doors to unlock, books and letters to read, clues to decipher, and loads of lore to uncover.

It’s impressive how all of these optional puzzles are woven into and around the path of the “main” one – some are hiding in plain sight from the first minute, just waiting for you to realize they are important, while others drop an unassuming string of crumbs in your way that lead down a deep and unexpected rabbit hole when followed.

Blue Prince was an incredibly difficult game to talk about with friends who were also playing because the randomness of the drafting mechanic, combined with your own personal sense of curiosity, can send two players down very different paths. One time when I was around five hours in, I excitedly mentioned I’d unlocked something to a friend who had already played 40, only to learn they hadn’t even found that thing yet. And yet, this fractal abode doesn’t frustrate by randomly withholding things either, because clues can often be found in multiple forms or places; Once again, you’re always making progress toward something.

As you do get deeper, Blue Prince’s initially light-touch story also begins to shift more directly into the spotlight. Discovering more about both your character’s great uncle and the larger history of their family starts off as a little fun set dressing, but it eventually becomes as rich and compelling a reason to keep playing as any puzzle. The worldbuilding here is doled out with a patience I’m not used to seeing, with tons to learn about your relatives, the manor, and the nation it’s located in, but none of that is ever forced down your throat. That made anything I could glean about important historical events or complex geopolitics feel like a win that would almost always help me solve future mysteries, not just some “lore” to read about in books or letters and then move on from.

Still avoiding spoilers like laser tripwires in a Mission Impossible trap, that story and its themes smartly tie into your actions in a way few games are able to pull off so successfully. Piecing together the messy history of an extended and sometimes estranged family is rarely a linear process - Simon wanders through the house he has suddenly inherited finding bits of information told from conflicting points of view, and often in the entirely wrong order. Trying to make all of the right connections as he goes from a boy simply solving a fun puzzle so he can win a prize to one who understands the real reward this mansion holds reflected my own journey with Blue Prince, which is the sort of subtle brilliance you don’t see in many games.

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