With 2025 behind us, many services have already released their annual recaps, with the likes of PlayStation going live with its own wrap-up back in December. Though slightly later than others, Nintendo’s annual year-in-review is now available to view – including data stretching as far back as the Switch 1’s launch.
With 2025 marking the year that Nintendo finally released the Switch 2, the console maker’s annual recap this time round includes much more than just data on your past 12 months of gaming.
Though you can of course read about your most played games, player milestones, monthly breakdowns and more from the past year, 2025’s recap also allows you to go all the way back to 2017 when the Switch first launched to see a breakdown of whichever year you please.
Annual wrap-ups are always a fun time, which is why it is disappointing that Microsoft opted not to create their own Xbox wrapped this time round. Next year perhaps.
KitGuru says: What did your Switch activity in 2025 look like? What was your most played game? Between 2017 and now, which year did you play Nintendo games the most? Let us know down below.
The post Nintendo Switch 2025 year-in-review recap available now first appeared on KitGuru.The PlayStation 5 Pro arrived in November 2024 with the promise of being the definitive way to play console games, but its first year has been somewhat muted. While it is technically the most powerful console on the market, some still feel that its specialised hardware remains underutilised. A particular sticking point has been the initial iteration of PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), which, in many titles, has been prone to visual glitches and shimmering rather than providing a consistent “next-gen” leap in image clarity.
That narrative may be about to change. According to @Gust_FAN (via PC Guide), a reliable Japanese insider with a proven track record for accurately leaking the PS5 Slim and the Hyperpop collection, the PS5 Pro is scheduled to receive a major system overhaul this quarter. This update would include “PSSR 2.0”, which has been reportedly designed to fix existing image quality issues while also improving performance across the board.
Supposedly, PSSR 2.0 will have features similar to AMD's FSR 4, which makes a lot of sense considering the strategic partnership in place between AMD and Sony. This shift in upscaling logic aims to deliver a “double win” of higher image fidelity and improved frame rates. For some, the most exciting prospect is probably the push to 120 FPS, as titles that currently sit in the 70–80 FPS range on the Pro are expected to receive a boost to hit that mark.
The update also appears to focus heavily on legacy content. The leak suggests that PSSR 2.0 will provide a high-resolution boost for “traditional low-resolution games”, implying that backwards-compatible titles and classic games available through PlayStation Plus could see a visual upgrade at the system level. If successful, this feature could make the more expensive PlayStation Plus tiers slightly more attractive.
To ensure developers can make the most of this transition, Sony is reportedly preparing a suite of new debugging tools too. These resources are intended to help studios iron out issues and ensure that PSSR 2.0 doesn't have the artifacting problems of its predecessor.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
KitGuru says: The first year of the PS5 Pro has felt lacklustre for many. PSSR 1.0 was bold, but the visual “ghosting” did it no favours. If PSSR 2.0 can truly deliver FSR 4-level quality and a system-wide boost in resolution for classic games, the Pro might finally have the software backbone to justify its price tag.
The post PlayStation 5 Pro PSSR 2.0 is reportedly launching in Q1 2026 first appeared on KitGuru.Throughout 2025 we saw an increasing number of leaks and rumours surrounding Ubisoft’s long-awaited Prince of Persia The Sands of Time Remake, with recent reports claiming that the title is scheduled to launch as early as this month. While Ubisoft have yet to officially let the cat out of the bag, the ESRB has now published a rating for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake – indicating an imminent unveiling.
Ahead of the leaked launch date for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake (which is purportedly planned to arrive some time this month), the Entertainment Software Ratings Board [ESRB] has published an official listing for the long-awaited remake.
With a T for Teen rating, the Sands of Time Remake is said to include “Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, and Violence”. While we did not get too much in the way of gameplay details, the summary does feature a section which confirms that the game will include 2D side-scrolling elements – to some degree at least.
Though wholly expected, the remake is also confirmed to include puzzles, platforming challenges and a plethora of traps (including spike pits, wall-mounted blades and saws).
Despite being announced all the way back in 2020, we know very little about the Sands of Time Remake – especially in the wake of its development reboot. As such, it will be interesting to officially learn all about the project, likely in the coming days.
KitGuru says: Are you excited for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake? How different do you think it will look compared to the initial reveal? Will the wait have been worth it? Let us know your thoughts / hopes down below.
The post Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake has been rated by the ESRB first appeared on KitGuru.Cybenetics Labs has unveiled a prototype ‘anti-melt' cable designed to address the infamous reliability issues of the 12VHPWR/12V-2×6 standard. This integrates proactive monitoring directly into the cable itself, aiming to provide a fail-safe for enthusiasts who want to avoid any potential melting or burning risk associated with flagship cards like the RTX 5090.
According to ComputerBase, the prototype is a native 12V-2×6-to-12V-2×6 cable with a small, low-profile inline box. This box contains the monitoring electronics and a status LED, avoiding the added bulk of screens or fans that can cause compatibility issues with large air coolers or tight cases. Because it is a flexible cable, it fits almost all Founders Edition and custom AIB layouts without obstructing the shroud or requiring awkward mounting angles.
Image credit: ComputerBase
Technically, the cable operates as an active circuit breaker. It monitors current and temperatures at both the GPU and PSU ends. While it features a USB-C port, this is strictly for data logging and configuration. The safety features, including a high-pitched buzzer and an emergency power-cut function, are fully autonomous. Once thresholds are configured via the software, the USB can be disconnected, and the cable will maintain its protection profile independently.
The cable is designed to distinguish between harmless transient spikes and dangerous sustained thermal runaway. Moreover, it allows users to configure thresholds for settings such as “Over Current Trigger” (default 8-12 A) and “Over Temperature Trigger” (default 80-95°C). The cable also has a dual-stage warning that, when a limit is breached, activates the buzzer for 10 seconds (default but configurable). If the condition persists, the cable cuts power to the GPU. Lastly, when connected via USB, the software provides updates every 100 ms, allowing users to export thermal and current data to Excel for long-term stability testing.
Although it looks useful, actual availability is currently uncertain. Cybenetics has not yet secured a mass-market distribution partner. It has been stated that there is a desire to sell the cable “close to cost” to improve the safety of the PC ecosystem rather than for profit. Currently, the cable also requires a native 12V-2×6 output on the PSU side, though a dual 8-pin version for older power supplies could be technically feasible if the project reaches production.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
KitGuru says: It is a sad indictment of modern hardware standards that we need a “smart cable” just to ensure our flagship graphics card doesn't catch fire. However, the Cybenetics solution is arguably the most elegant we've seen so far. We hope a production partner steps up soon.
The post Cybenetics’ prototype ‘anti-melt’ cable offers proactive GPU protection first appeared on KitGuru.Today we’re comparing three mid to high-end CPU air coolers: DeepCool’s AK700 Digital, CPS PCCooler’s RZ700D, and the Sudokoo SK620V. All three target performance-focused systems, but take slightly different approaches in design and features. We’ll be testing thermals, noise, build quality, and installation on Ryzen 9800X3D-based system to see which comes out on top.
Timestamps:
00:00 Start
00:54 DeepCool AK700 Digital
05:20 Accessories
06:12 PC Cooler RZ700D
09:40 Accessories
10:32 Sudokoo SK620V
16:16 Accessories
17:19 Installation of the 3 coolers
18:30 LCD screens and software
19:02 Thermal And Noise Output – testing
22:54 James Closing Thoughts
DeepCool AK700 Digital WH: Available late February 2026 – £54.99 MSRP
Specifications
CPS PCCooler RZ700D: UK availability expected February 2026 – £59.99 MSRP
Specifications
Sudokoo SK620V: Available now from Amazon UK, priced at £86.99 HERE.
Specifications
Test System Specifications
Testing Methodology:
We are primarily focusing on the performance of each cooler at 100% fan speed and also when locked to 40dBA noise output. We will focus on cooling performance using a manual overclock with all-core frequency and VCORE locked to 5.2GHz/1.3v (AMD) and 5.5GHz/1.3v (Intel) and Precision Boost Overdrive performance.
Acoustics
Looking at noise output first, it's immediately clear there are some big differences between the coolers. The Sudokoo SK620V is the quietest at 43dBA max, making it clearly audible under load but still well behaved and unlikely to draw unwanted attention in a closed chassis. DeepCool’s AK700 Digital WH pushes things a touch more at 45dBA, where fan noise will be more noticeable during sustained workloads, though it remains within what most users would consider acceptable for a high-performance air cooler.
Unfortunately though, the CPS PCCooler RZ700D stands out for the wrong reasons, registering a much higher 53dBA – it's hard to ignore even at a reasonable distance.
Thermal Performance: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
With the fans running at full speed, the thermal results are quite tightly spread, especially between the two single-tower 7 heat pipe coolers. The Sudokoo SK620V leads the group at 59°C over ambient, delivering the strongest raw cooling performance when allowed to run at 100% PWM, thanks to its dual cooling tower design. The CPS PCCooler RZ700D follows at 61°C, putting it in the middle of the pack.
DeepCool’s AK700 Digital WH comes in just behind at 62°C, which is still fine but does trail the other two units on test today.
Looking at thermal performance with the fans noise-normalised to 40 decibels, the Sudokoo SK620V stays top, hitting 61°C over ambient,making it the most efficient of the three. The CPS PCCooler RZ700D falls back to 66°C over ambient, showing a significant thermal hit when the fans are throttled to maintain acceptable noise levels.
The DeepCool AK700 Digital WH lands in the middle at 64°C, which is fine but it can't match the efficiency of the SK620V.
AMD PBO workloads push CPUs to sustained maximum all-core boosts, so the differences between these three coolers do become more apparent. The Sudokoo SK620V delivers a delta of 60°C while maintaining an average CPU multiplier of 51.5x, higher than the other two coolers, so it's able to dissipate heat more efficiently and maintain higher clock speeds even under heavy multi-core loads. The DeepCool AK700 Digital WH follows closely at 61°C and a 51.4x multiplier, which is still solid but shows slightly higher temperatures likely due to its smaller single-tower design.
The CPS PCCooler RZ700D hit 64 °C with a 51.2x multiplier, the lower performance likely as a result of its single-tower layout. It's perhaps not a surprise but the size and designs clearly make a difference, given the SK620V’s dual-tower layout puts it towards the top of the chart, whereas the other two single-tower coolers come in below.
Sudokoo SK620V
Pros:
Cons
DeepCool AK700 Digital WH
Pros:
Cons:
CPS PCCooler RZ700D
Pros:
Cons:
KitGuru says: If you're looking for premium features, unique looks or no frills CPU cooling, one of these three should suit your requirements.
The post CPU Air Cooler Multi Review: DeepCool, CPS PCCooler and Sudokoo! first appeared on KitGuru.Thermalright has kicked off 2026 by introducing the new Frost Tower 140. The newly unveiled CPU cooler is a dual-stack giant designed to match the thermal dissipation of entry-level AIOs, featuring a unique asymmetrical fan configuration and a seven-heatpipe array to tame the latest high-TDP chips from Intel and AMD.
Standing 158 mm tall, the Frost Tower 140 (via Vortez) is one of the largest air coolers in Thermalright's current lineup. The cooler utilises 7x 6-mm-thick heatpipes branching out from a nickel-plated copper base. The cooling performance is driven by a specialised “push-pull” fan duo, with a TL-N12W-R9 (120 mm) fan at the front and a TL-N14DW-R7 (140 mm) fan at the centre. This smaller intake fan ensures better RAM clearance while spinning at up to 2,400 RPM and providing up to a claimed 85.35 CFM with a 2.95 mmH₂O static pressure. As for the 140 mm fan at the centre, it reportedly pushes up to 120 CFM at 1,850 RPM with a static pressure of 2.40 mmH₂O.
According to Thermalright, both fans are built for the long haul, featuring dual ball bearings and impellers made from Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP). Thermalright has also integrated silicone mounts and noise-dampening rings to keep the acoustics of such high-RPM fans in check.
The Frost Tower 140 is launching in three distinct aesthetics: standard, all-black, and all-white, with the latter two featuring colour-matched fins and heatpipes. Installation is handled by the SS2 all-metal mounting system, ensuring a secure fit across AM5, AM4, and LGA1851/1700 sockets.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
KitGuru says: Although pricing isn't known, Thermalright has historically underpriced the competition. With the Frost Tower 140, this trend will likely continue, even tho it uses LCP fans and a seven-heatpipe configuration.
The post Thermalright unveils Frost Tower 140 with asymmetrical fan config first appeared on KitGuru.Neat Corp's latest title is due out on Steam in February with a major new feature included.
The Norse mythology-based roguelite Crossings was originally planned to release simultaneously on Quest and PCVR on December 18, 2025. This seemed to be the case as late as December 10, 2025, when a post on the Crossings X account still promoted a dual platform release. A late change, however, saw the title launch only on Quest in 2025 and without the anticipated co-op feature.
February 13, 2026 is the launch of the Steam version of the game as well as the cooperative gameplay for both platforms, according to Neat, with cross-play supported between them.
Crossings previously dropped a limited-time demo version during the Fall 2025 Steam Next Fest this past October as well as an accompanying demo on Quest. The co-op feature will see players "cross paths with others" who "naturally and seamlessly appear in the same world" and "without speaking".
"Communicate with body language, combat, and attention," the game's official description explains on Steam. "Split apart or stay close—your journeys intertwine, but your destiny is always your own."
We've played versions of the game but the mechanic of impromptu teamwork appears fundamental to the full promise of Crossings, so we are holding back our review until the co-op mode launches on both platforms.
Crossings is out now for Meta Quest 3 and 3S for $9.99.
There are quite a few comments on the Steam page for USC: Counterforce and even Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN originally gave up on the game immediately, because the devs decided to make the…
Those who are fed up with the AI infestation in Windows 11 rejoice, for with a simple Powershell script you can remove all those unwanted features thanks to the efforts of…
Your enjoyment of Stellar Cafe comes down to two things: how you feel about AI in video games and how good of a conversationalist you are.
I've had some experience with AI-driven NPCs in games before, specifically in Skyrim (with mods) and former-social-VR-turned-MMORPG Riff XR. The difference with these two examples is that those games have much more to offer than said AI NPCs whereas Stellar Cafe lives and dies on the characters and your interactions with them. It makes for a unique experience that rolls credits before the fairly simple premise wears thin.
Developer AstroBeam's claim to fame is being helmed by Devin Reimer, one of the co-creators of Job Simulator, and Stellar Cafe feels very much inspired by that VR classic while taking the concept of sentient robot interactions to the next level. You play as, well, yourself, with James, your robot barista, asking your name and using it for the rest of the game. Having played dozens of games where the player can name the main character, only to watch voice-acted NPCs never actually say it, this was surprisingly an immersive touch.
After talking shop with James, you learn that James is throwing a party for Patch Day, an upcoming holiday, but the nine other RSVPs have only replied 'maybe.' James requests your help to find out why each robot is on the fence and convince them to turn that 'maybe' into a 'yes.' The rest of the game plays out like a linear sandbox. You progress through the robots in groups of three across three cycles (days), but how you solve their problems is entirely down to your creativity.
For example, one bot can't attend the party because they have to work at a job they hate and would rather quit. Through a series of prompted responses, you assist this bot in writing a resignation email. After that email is done, it gets sent to the supervisor who replies in short order. I played the first three scenarios in the game twice (including this one), using wildly different approaches each time, and the responses were indeed different. Another example is Captain (one of the few names I remember as I write this review) who needs your help to come up with a story pitch. The sky is the limit since your dialog choices and the responses are not pre-determined. I can see this game being played multiple times to see just how wacky of a response you can get from the robots.
Frankly, these characters felt more realized with better personality traits and voices than I've encountered in most VR games. I enjoy puzzle games in general and it was a trip to have the puzzle actually talk back to you. Having said that, a little goes a long way here. Each encounter can be completed inside 10 minutes and some of them landed better than others. I won't give any more specifics to avoid spoilers, but there were two in particular I could not wait to move on from. Also, there are one or two phrases that every robot says that got old pretty quickly.
Stellar Cafe Screenshots captured by UploadVR
Another unique part of the game is that it is entirely driven by your voice, including the movement. Utilizing your Quest's microphone, you instruct your AI assistant, Visor, to move you from location to location (the counter, the booths, and the tables) and of course you spend the entire time talking. There are physical interactions as well, with some bots having tablets to pick up and view, and of course, plenty of custom drinks from James.
All of the voice interactions work perfectly fine, but the tablets were a bit jittery at times. Stellar Cafe can be played with controllers or hand-tracking and the game suggests using the latter. Unfortunately, my Quest kept detecting my controllers, to the point where I had to turn on hand-tracking. That's not a shortcoming of the game itself but Meta's operating system, though I still wanted to point it out in case other players bump into it. There were also instances where I looked around the cafe during a conversation and the bot registered it as me shaking my head no, forcing me to redo a prompt or response.
Stellar Cafe uses a node-based teleportation system triggered by voice commands. 'Take me to the counter' as an example. The game can be comfortably played sitting down either with controllers or hand-tracking. There is no stick-based turning in the game and no motion vignettes since your movement is basically rooted to each node and matches 1:1 with your actual head movements. A great, accessible option for new VR users.
Stellar Cafe's full runtime is about 2 hours, including the ending. However, I can see players who enjoy the live AI interaction toying with the bots for hours on end. There were a few hiccups in the interactions, like sometimes James would make me a drink and deliver it to me, then tell me the drink would be ready soon. To the game's credit, I called James out on this every time it happened and he responded appropriately, apologizing and saying something about his timing circuits misfiring. Nicely done.
Visually, Stellar Cafe isn't exactly pushing the boundaries of standalone VR. If you've played any Owlchemy Labs game (Job Simulator, Vacation Simulator, etc.), it's about that level of visual fidelity. However, take your time and look around the cafe. There are a ton of little touches that show a level of care and sense of humor in the single-level game design. The television above James plays a rotation of news broadcasts, weather reports, a humorous riff on the Home Shopping Network, and more. I got a kick out of the employee of the month plaques too.
Finally, to address the elephant in the room: yes, this is ostensibly an artificial intelligence game. If you are uneasy or outright opposed to the use of AI in video games, Stellar Cafe is not going to change your mind. It's not a revolutionary step forward for the medium, but it is an interesting thought experiment into how this technology can be applied.
Stellar Cafe is a lighthearted, relatively short AI experience that wraps up its simple story before outstaying its welcome. I do wish it were longer, but what's here is quite enjoyable and worth a pickup as a glimpse into what feels like an inevitable future for gaming, especially social sim settings like this.
UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.
ASRock has introduced a new variant of its ASRock Taichi AMD RX 9070 XT. It's functionally similar to the company's existing Radeon RX 9700 XT, but this new card has a white colorway, with an added LCD display. The ASRock Taichi White AMD RX 9070 XT is otherwise clocked the same as the previous version of the card, but the updated looks and
Before we get started here, let's take a moment and explain the headline. You see, Rockstar's in a bit of legal hot water right now for terminating a group of employees in Scotland over purportedly leaking information about GTA VI into a non-company Discord. The only problem is that they were union members speaking in a union Discord. The
One of the bright spots for PC gaming in 2026 is the upcoming release of Valve’s Steam Machine, even if leaked pricing indicates it might not as affordable as many hoped. While official pricing is still unknown, the company shared in an interview with Game Developer that its verification process, which has been a boon for the Steam Deck alongsideCharacterBank set out to work on Knights of Fiona aiming to take what they learned from Ruinsmagus into a more expansive and ambitious role-playing game.
Part of that journey involves making it multiplayer.
“ Ruinsmagus was a full single-player experience when we launched it, and we heard a lot from players about wanting to keep playing and exploring that world, so creating this large world that players could keep visiting was our biggest goal with this experience,” explains Shuto Mikami, the CEO of CharacterBank, on the origins of this new title. “Plus, with that previous game, the actual gameplay is almost more linked to a shooter game in how you played it, and we wanted to create something that felt more like an RPG. Using magic that didn’t feel like shooting bullets, swordplay, bows, introducing these styles that allow the game to feel more like this genre.”
I jumped into Knights of Fiona for the first time in an exclusive demo at the studio’s offices in Kyoto, Japan, looking at their effort to build something that feels like a true, traditional RPG adventure. I can see similarities to the hub world of Ruinsmagus and this title, but this time the hub is one continuous and larger town that feels more alive, even in these early stages. We were still required to warp to some locations of the town, but that should change with further development.
Rather than feeling limited to just you and a very small cast of characters, you have a team of party members and a supporting cast each as visually distinct and personality-driven as the last. The train station, the main starting point for a lot of missions, has moving trains and a large space to explore.
It’s when jumping into the quests themselves that the distinctions and evolution of this experience compared to CharacterBank’s prior work becomes most apparent. As Mikami notes, the first thing that stands out in the gameplay loop compared to Ruinsmagus is just how much additional depth and variety exists in terms of combat. You have bows, swords of all sizes, mage staffs and more at your disposal, and not only does each class feel distinctly unique to one another, weapons within those same classes feel unique and can be further upgraded to improve their strength and suit your style.
Firing an arrow, for example, requires a full-bodied, two-handed pull back of the bow. Aim and fire with the assistance of a guide for the arrow’s flight path, which allows us to attack from a safe distance countered by the slower nature of these weapons. Using swords of all sizes has a distinct feel and heft despite the typical limitations of the virtual form that makes it impossible to differentiate the weight of a virtual object, instead built into how you swing these weapons and approach combat. If magic can feel the closest to the combat of Ruinsmagus, the way you aim and the various spells that differ between staffs allow for a degree of control and variety. Even then, more than just swinging aimlessly, you have multiple actions assigned to various buttons for varied attacks, and everything from positioning to learning attack patterns is important for victory.
The game further encourages you to switch between these weapons, not just because of the weapons themselves but everything to do with upgrades and passive abilities that support your loadout. These come in the form of cards received randomly as rewards after each quest as well as from the in-game shop. These cards will also impact passive abilities that can improve base strength and introduce additional augmentations to your weapon’s abilities. You can further merge weapon cards to improve the level and experience of weapons beyond merely using them in action to essentially craft new weapons, and place passive cards in open slots to give you an edge in battle. The rarity and power of these cards increases based on difficulty chosen for each quest, with encouragement to revisit quests to get these abilities.
Gameplay focuses on fun over realism in combat and mechanic design, he explains. “We brought in the real weapons to try so we had an idea of how we wanted to replicate the feel of them in the game. That being said, one of the things we were considerate about was that, when we were designing for the sword and the bow, was that it wasn’t too technical. We want to make sure this is accessible for casual players and people who just want to jump in and experience this world.”
Which is important when creating a multiplayer experience you can play with friends. Another distinct characteristic of Knights of Fiona is that this is an online game at its core. All quests are taken on as a party, whether CPUs or online with friends, and you can engage in proximity voice chat and explore the hub world together also. Playing the game with just a few of the developers at their offices, lots of the fun of the experience was derived merely by exploring and talking amongst ourselves, just as much as it was fighting through hordes and large boss fights.
How you approach missions varies wildly based on your party and the quest itself. Playing through most of the first chapter including its finale during our session, we experienced the story as we saw off the first major threat, going from fighting early low-level hordes in open fields as we learned to gain the trust of the town to fighting off against the game’s first boss, an angry fire-breathing dragon. This set-piece is a clear statement of intent for the team’s ambition as we rush through waves of enemies and projectiles on the burning bridge that enters the town, only to come across a large bright-red dragon with eyes intent to kill, breathing fire and shaking the world with every attack. With a group you can split duties and distract the dragon, while alone you’re faced with a battle of wits and agility, not just strength.
It’s impressive, but only a small idea of what’s to come. Enemies of world-ending, literally titanic proportions are being teased, to such a scale that simply looking up at them in VR makes you feel like an ant, and I can barely even speculate how you would overcome their might. It’s promised to be longer but varied in setting as you trek out on a globe-trotting adventure in order to save it, even if your home in Gallia remains a hub. All with a rich cast of characters to support you along.
While the core story will have a definitive ending, it’s possible to replay missions on new difficulties for new weapons and ability cards, and while the team haven’t confirmed definitive plans at this stage, they’re open to the idea of much more.
According to the game’s director, HOI, multiplayer and online elements are about more than merely keeping players coming back, but creating something that can stick with people. Talking about their hopes for the game, they noted, “I want people to finish this game and think, I want to spend more time in this world, I want to get to know these characters more, about their relationships, what other adventures they may go on and the like. I want people wanting to learn more about this world. Lately, as soon as a game, a manga or an anime has finished, it’s forgotten by the next weekend, which is a little sad considering the love and work that went into it. Whether on their own or with other players, we want people to keep coming back to experience more in this place.”
In an introductory prologue, we arrived in this place unaware of the dangers it was soon to face in the oncoming war. Its people are losing hope, and that’s where you come in. You end up entrusted with leading the resistance to this fight by the leaders of Gallia, including some of its ruling figures like the large, tree-like Kelnund and Leonhardt, make allies with the knight Geisenberg, and find support from characters in the town like the purple-skinned alchemist Nebulous Babbege.
With characters, each design is as distinct as they are intriguing, soaked in a visual design conveying a history beyond what we are privy to in this adventure. Lots of time was spent on the design process before a line of code was made from design to even assigning characters their own Myers-Briggs-style personality types, HOI explains. “I often find that if you think about the story and create the world before you think about its characters, you end up creating characters that feel like gods in their world, which isn’t a good thing. So the first thing we would consider with every character is what is their personality, what are their motivations, what are their desires, what or who do they love, things like that.
“For example, we’d consider the role that a character is expected to take upon, how they feel about that role, the pressures elsewhere, things like that. The characters would be born from considering their internal emotions based on the life they have around them. Who could they talk to about these things? What are their more immediate problems and concerns? When it came to thinking about the setting, well, Gallia is a very medieval-inspired setting, so we considered philosophies of the time, what would the internal political debates of the location be, what sort of world and ruling would we have here, what does class division look like in this setting, we’d consider all of this from the earliest stages.
“Then we would bring in the designers. Maybe we would have some rough sketches of the settings, characters and ideas, but the designers would help to brush them up and help build them out further, or the designers would create it all from scratch based on the original designs. We also have a bigger cast, which helps. In Ruinsmagus, we had Iris as our main character, but she also had to be a guide for the player, she had a lot of roles to fill. Fiona started in this place, but with more characters we could think more about how she would react to different things and then give her deeper character development from there.”
Another distinct characteristic of Knights of Fiona is that this is an online game at its core. All quests are taken on as a party, whether CPUs or online with friends, and you can engage in proximity voice chat and explore the hub world together also. Playing the game with just a few of the developers at the office, so much fun was derived just by exploring and talking and having fun in this area. While the core story will have a definitive ending, it’s possible to replay missions on new difficulties for new weapons and ability cards, and while the team haven’t confirmed definitive plans at this stage, they’re open to the idea of new stories, time-exclusive skins and more to support the online service and to keep the game as something to return to with friends.
Even in this early stage, the game feels alive. The opening hub town includes lots of areas to explore and create your own fun. While not currently active due to the game not yet launching to the public, community integration in the town hall exists in the form of a notice board to allow fanart shared in Discord with players.
Currently in place of fan art are doodles from the staff, and you can see the love for these characters in all the fun sketches made by the team (with particular love for my own early favorite Nebulous Babbege). You can feel the love for this game, this world, and what it means to the team behind it in all the subtle details in the town and world, the care and refinement in card art for weapons and abilities and in the art in the town, and how much it means. For director HOI creating the story, he mentioned that one of the key inspirations was the challenge and responsibility of creating a new game and the expectations, something that weaves its way into the world and ideas driving Knights of Fiona.
Beyond simply being something new and much fun to play through even at this early stage, you can feel that this is the game that CharacterBank as a studio have been working toward for some time. It brings across ideas from much of their other works, builds beyond what they were able to achieve in Ruinsmagus, and charts ambitious ground for RPGs in VR. To support post-launch additional content the team is launching a Kickstarter campaign.
With everything considered, it's a tall order. If the team can fully deliver on all of its ideas, we could be in for something truly special.
Back when the VR space was beginning to see a renewed rise, Facebook (now Meta) went all-in on the technology, dedicating Billions to the production of VR hardware and software. While the Quest platform has succeeded in many aspects, the platform has failed to make the company mountains of cash and so unfortunately two of the most notable VR studios under their wing (Twisted Pixel and Sanzaru Games) have now been seemingly shut down.
Taking to Twitter, a former designer at the studio Twisted Pixel wrote: “I've just been laid off. It appears the entire @twisted_pixel games studio has been shut down. @SanzaruGames too.”
For the uninitiated, Twisted Pixel is the studio behind last year’s well-received Deadpool VR. Designed as a Quest exclusive, the project released just a few months ago on the 18th of November and went on to be nominated for Best VR game at the TGAs. Twisted Pixel Games were acquired by Meta back in 2022.
Sanzaru Games meanwhile were acquired by Meta all the way back in 2020 as part of the company's early VR efforts. The studio was known best for creating Asgard’s Wrath, generally agreed to be one of the best VR titles around.
Both Sanzaru Games and Twisted Pixel were great studios which still had plenty more to offer in the VR space. It’s a shame to see Meta ending these studios before they are able to achieve their full potential.
KitGuru says: What did you think of these two studios? Is Meta completely abandoning VR? Let us know your thoughts down below.
The post Meta have reportedly shut down studios behind Deadpool VR and Asgard’s Wrath first appeared on KitGuru.
Connexion