Jan Dolski made a lot of decisions to end up where he is in life at the beginning ofThe Alters, stranded on a dangerous planet with the rest of his crew deceased. His entire existence has led to this point: escaping an abusive father, dropping out of university, breaking up with the love of his life, and signing up for an intergalactic mission. The Alters doesn’t pull its punches with how precarious Jan’s situation is, and with access to a mysterious and powerful material called Rapidium, a potential lifeline becomes apparent....

After you play a great video game, you may have the urge to recommend it to others. Sometimes, this is easy; just explain the basic premise of the game without spoiling anything, and you are good to go! Not every game can be easily explained, even if it’s worth playing. Here, you can take a look at some of the best games that are often recommended, which can be difficult to explain....

Quick Links Finally, theNintendo Switch 2has arrived in all its glory. However, with gamers finally getting their hands on Nintendo’s highly anticipated follow-up to the Switch, there is a heightened desire for console cleanliness. But what is the best way to keep your console looking as good as the day you bought it? In the case of cleaning electronics, less is often more. This guide will provide you with advice on how to clean every component, the materials you should use, and even the best way to keep the screen streak free....

A big part of the fun inSoulsgames is how gleefully they lean into friction. These titles aren’t afraid to make youworkfor your victory. While most fans respect that aspect, the lengthy boss runbacks are a little more divisive. Bosses in these games are hard enough as is. Thelastthing you want to be thinking about while sweatily gripping your controller is how horrific the trip back will be if you die. I’m here to dive into the most fiendish examples of the boss runback across all FromSoftware’s Souls games....

Few narratives are as confusing asKingdom Hearts.There are many plot points and characters to follow here, after all. But the truth is that Kingdom Hearts' plot isn’t that hard to understand. The actual problem lies in how scattered each piece of information is across many different games that used to be on entirely different consoles. Still, playing that many games in sequence would require a lot of time, so it helps to read a bit about the more confusing aspects of the story that are partially explained across games....

Video games are a dynamic type of medium. They have grown from the first arcade cabinets to a storytelling medium that rivals novels and films. While often times you see the lore through cutscenes or dialogue, sometimes games hide the lore a bit. Whether it’s deeper in the game itself through assorted collectiblesor through supplementary media, the lore of a video game can be surprisingly deep, leading to people spending hours collecting and connecting the bits of info a game gives you about its world....

Summary The video game console industry is a harsh landscape. Once a titan that was outselling even Nintendo, Sega exited the market on the verge of bankruptcy and was only saved by a $695 million gift from chairman Isao Okawa. For every console that’s a smash success, there are several thatnever got off the ground. The trouble is that some consoles can fail even if they’re worthy of success. Whether it’s due to bad timing, poor marketing, or limited consumer outreach, some consoles simply never made it when they should have....

Indies are the future. If we’ve learned anything fromXbox’s recent pooing of its proverbial bed, it’s that triple-A game development is unsustainable. Or, at least,Xbox’svision of it is. That’s whyI’ve cancelled my Game Pass subscription. But we already knew this, right? Indie games have always been great, and we at TheGamer always make a point to champion them. Personally, I recently took part in a BlueSky trend where you named your past five Games of the Year....

Quick Links With so many different racers to choose from,Umamusume: Pretty Derbyreimagines historic race horses as adorable anime girls, each with specific goals and dreams to achieve in their racing careers. Each girl can be built differently, playing to their strengths to reach their ambitious and heartfelt goals. Mejiro Ryan is a boisterous, powerful umamusume who can’t wait to show off her power and speed. We’ll help you train her to perfection so you can win any race she enters with ease....

Quick Links 9 Kingsis a deceptively simple little Roguelite that has a lot of mechanics tucked into what seems, at first glance, to be a small package. It’s a game that has you making a lot of important decisions at a regular click, and where one bad move can be the difference between survival and death. Royal Decrees don’t come around nearly as often as many other mechanics in 9 Kings, but they have just as much impact as things like cards and placement....

Quick Links Tracking down ingredients inTainted Grail: The Fall Of Avalonpresents a challenge, especially if you’reaimlessly wandering around in search of carnationsor something. While most alchemical and food-based ingredients are found one by one in various locations and inside objects, Etherbloom is a bit different. As you might expect, Etherbloom is a naturally grown plant found in Tainted Grail: The Fall Of Avalon, but you don’t need to harvest it in small numbers....

Quick Links With the Tides of Terraria update,Palworldhas introduced a wave of Terraria-themed content—great news for fans of both games. But the update isn’t just about Terraria crossovers; several new Pals have also been added to the game. While some of these new Pals appear on previously existing islands, others can only be found on newly introduced mini-islands. Palumba is a perfect example—a tropical, dinosaur-like Pal best known for its constant dancing....

Quick Links Elden Ring Nightreignbrings back some of the oldtalismanswe know and love from the original title. However, getting them in Nightreign is not so easy this go around. The ones you want, you can never seem to find. And the ones you find, you can never really keep. Thankfully, if you know where to look and you check enough times, you’ll probably find that key ingredient you’ve been looking for....