ambiance Archives

AppWizard

March 29, 2026

The Medium is just $3 in this new Humble Bundle, so don’t miss your chance to grab this bargain

A new gaming bundle called the Heroines Bundle has been released by Humble Bundle in celebration of International Women's Day, featuring six games led by female characters, including the standout title The Medium. The Medium is a psychological horror game that focuses on atmosphere, narrative depth, and a dual-reality mechanic, allowing players to navigate both physical and spiritual realms. The game follows Marianne, a medium dealing with trauma and identity in an abandoned resort. The bundle is priced at approximately £16.18, or £2.70 per game, and will be available until April 8. A portion of the proceeds supports the Girls Make Games Scholarship Fund. Other games in the bundle include Sorry We're Closed, Eastward, ANNO: Mutationem, Cabernet, and Ereban: Shadow Legacy.

AppWizard

March 28, 2026

Mojang hired a “cow whisperer” and “real animal voice actors” to record new Minecraft animal noises: “The cows started to speak to him immediately”

Minecraft's latest update, Tiny Takeover, features new animal sounds created with the help of "real animal voice actors" to enhance authenticity. The update includes an overhaul of baby mob sounds, with recordings of kittens, wolf puppies, foals, piglets, and baby chickens, as well as new sound variants for adult animals. The reception of update 26.1 has been mixed, with some players criticizing it as a "low effort marketplace add-on," while others defend the developers' efforts. The Minecraft development team remains optimistic about future updates and the abundance of ideas available for the game.

AppWizard

March 14, 2026

Eldritch Katamari-like In Full Bloom has me fattening up an all-devouring blob creature, and it’s eerily therapeutic

Entithy is a small, Play-Doh-like sphere created by Obleak Games, characterized by its cuteness and insatiable appetite. The game "In Full Bloom" combines Tamagotchi-style nurturing with Katamari-esque consumption, where players care for Entithy and guide its growth. The game features a darker thematic approach with a soundscape that evokes unease, and an art style inspired by Tim Burton. Players start with Entithy in a sandpit, feeding it various items like bugs and decayed food to help it grow. As players progress, Entithy evolves, developing teeth and the ability to consume more substantial food. The demo concludes before fully exploring Entithy’s potential, leaving players curious about its future growth. The demo is available on Steam, with a full release expected in 2026.

AppWizard

March 12, 2026

This horror game where you’re a conscious nuclear missile boasts ‘one handed mouse only controls’, leaving me with assumptions that proved incorrect when I had to saw my own limbs off

The game Brainshell is set in an alternate reality in 1963 where human intellect has replaced computers amidst an out-of-control nuclear arms race. Governments use propaganda, brainwashing, and body modifications to create a sentient nuclear missile. Developed by a Finnish team, the game features gameplay that involves manipulating archaic levers and navigating a grotesque maze of flesh. Players experience a tense atmosphere with low survival odds, and the protagonist has a psychological aversion to clean water. The soundtrack is described as capturing a voice of madness, featuring warped brass instruments. Players face graphic scenarios, including the need to sever their own limbs with a rusty hacksaw, highlighting the game's dark themes.

AppWizard

March 2, 2026

Why I love Diablo 2, Act 1

Diablo 2's Act 1 features haunting landscapes that evoke nostalgia and adventure, connecting players to the original Diablo through familiar settings like Blood Moor, graveyards, and the monastery. The environments draw inspiration from classic horror films, offering a cinematic quality. Players can explore various points of interest or venture into hidden dungeons. Combat includes diverse enemies such as corrupted rogues and goatmen, with an engaging soundtrack enhancing the experience. Returning to Tristram reveals its destruction, with the blacksmith Griswold transformed into an undead figure. The Catacombs serve as a nod to the first game, filled with rat men and gargoyles, creating an atmosphere of mystery and danger.

AppWizard

February 23, 2026

Pirates VR: Jolly Roger Graphics Comparison – PC VR vs Quest

Pirates VR has been released on standalone VR platforms a year after its initial PC VR launch. The game has received significant updates since its original review in 2025, including improvements to combat mechanics, motion controls for swimming, and enhanced enemy AI. Players can now toggle dialogue from a parrot companion, and new narrative elements have been added. The Quest version uses optimization techniques like Application Spacewarp and fixed foveated rendering, which affect performance and visual quality. The introductory scene showcases advancements in graphics, with dynamic lighting and improved environmental details. While some graphical quality has been reduced, the overall experience remains immersive, with better water rendering compared to other Quest titles. The game is priced at .99 on Steam and PlayStation VR2, and .99 on Meta Quest 3/3S.

AppWizard

January 6, 2026

‘Stranger Things’ has arrived in ‘Minecraft’

Minecraft has collaborated with Stranger Things, introducing 49 unique skins and a new map. The game allows players to experience the 1980s ambiance and embark on quests in Hawkins, encountering iconic moments from the series. Players can choose from characters like Eleven, Dr. Brenner, Vecna, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Suzie, each with unique abilities. The Stranger Things Minecraft DLC is available for .99 but is not accessible to Nintendo Switch users. The Duffer Brothers have drawn inspiration from classic video games for the fifth season of Stranger Things, and there are speculations about a secret ninth episode following the finale.

AppWizard

January 6, 2026

I thought I was crazy for thinking Fallout 4 feels like a perfectly crisp fall day, but that’s exactly what Bethesda was aiming for after a ‘field trip’ to a national park: ‘I was like, this is what our world needs to look like’

Fallout 4 features a more vibrant and cheerful atmosphere compared to its predecessor, set in a post-apocalyptic world. The Commonwealth is designed to evoke a sense of hope and the possibility of rebuilding, contrasting with the grim Capital Wasteland. The game's autumnal aesthetic, characterized by a bright sun against a clear blue sky and grey landscapes, was a deliberate choice by art director Istvan Pely. He emphasized themes of hope and rebuilding while maintaining a sense of melancholy, stating that the world should still feel lifeless despite humanity's efforts to recover. The design team drew inspiration from the late fall season, reflecting the devastation of the nuclear fallout on nature. Pely and studio design director Emil Pagliarulo found the creative process of reimagining cities transformed by catastrophe enjoyable.

AppWizard

December 29, 2025

“Triple-A is in crisis” and games “don’t have staying power because they’re bad,” says ex Gears of War director and Painkiller creator

Adrian Chmielarz, founder of Astronauts and People Can Fly, discusses the current state of the gaming industry, noting that 2025 is expected to be significant as indie and double-A games gain prominence. This year's Game of the Year nominations highlighted a balance between indie titles and high-budget games, with Metacritic's top-rated games including Hades 2, Expedition 33, and Blue Prince. Chmielarz emphasizes the rise of double-A games, attributing it to changes in the industry that allow developers to bypass traditional publishers due to platforms like Steam. He points out challenges for new releases in maintaining visibility, citing Theorycraft Games’ Supervive as an example of a quality game that struggled to stand out. Chmielarz also notes a lack of immersive single-player shooters in the market and criticizes the focus on gunplay over atmosphere in many indie games. He expresses enthusiasm for Witchfire's dark fantasy aesthetic and its emphasis on fun gameplay.

AppWizard

December 22, 2025

Skateboarding games had a huge 2025, but it was the controversial Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 that I couldn’t put down

The author discovered Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 this year, which changed their perception of the franchise. The series, once popular in the late '90s and early 2000s, has seen a decline in the PC gaming community. The author had previously only played Tony Hawk's Underground 2. The remake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 in 2020 showcased the series' peak design. The environments in 3 + 4 are integrated into urban landscapes, including a college campus, an airport, and Alcatraz Island. Some fans were unhappy with the removal of the open-world structure in THPS 4 and the introduction of forced timers. The reimagined levels in the remake play well, with new maps like the Waterpark and a pinball machine level. Despite its release in July 2025 being overlooked due to its changes, the remake features impressive animations, a refreshed soundtrack, and modernized graphics. The author believes the remake serves as a great entry point for newcomers to the series.