Blade Archives

AppWizard

April 17, 2026

Slay the Spire 2 patch notes arrive for all, meaning an easier early game but harder infinites

The latest patch for Slay the Spire 2 has transitioned from beta to the main game, introducing several enhancements. Players can now experience improved map generation, a more forgiving Act One, and five new Neow relics: Hefty Tablet, Neow's Talisman, Phial Holster, Winged Boots, and Neow's Bones. Elite enemies appear one floor later, and rebalancing has adjusted foes like the Skulking Colony and Byrdonis. The Act Three boss, Doormaker, has been redesigned with a unique setup and three phases: Hunger, Scrutiny, and Grasp. All five classes have been rebalanced, with new cards introduced, such as Not Yet, Blade of Ink, Regent's Arsenal, and Borrowed Time. Shop relic prices have been reduced, and gold-generating relics are no longer available for purchase. Ascension level six now features 'Inflation,' increasing card removal costs. The patch also includes new art, visual effects, a 'Phobia mode,' and Badges for achievements. Achievements and epochs cannot be unlocked during daily and custom runs, and the main and beta branches will maintain separate records. The patch 0.103.2 is now live for all versions of the game.

AppWizard

April 17, 2026

The Future Games Show Summer Showcase, FGS Live, and the PC Gaming Show have been confirmed for June, with the Showcase to feature ‘world premieres, exclusive trailers, and stealth demo drops’

Future has announced the return of its summer gaming events, including the Future Games Show Summer Showcase and FGS Live from Los Angeles on June 6 at 12 PM PDT / 3 PM EDT / 8 PM BST. The PC Gaming Show will follow on June 7. Both events will be available on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, X/Twitter, and Steam. Last year's showcases had a combined viewership of 41.9 million. Anticipated titles include Fable, Phantom Blade 0, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, and Grave Seasons, with Fable set to launch in Fall 2026.

AppWizard

April 3, 2026

Slay the Spire 2 adds end-of-run badges ‘to let you know what was unique about each adventure’ in latest beta patch

Developer Mega Crit has introduced a new feature called badges in Slay the Spire 2, which will highlight unique player achievements at the end of gameplay runs. The current balance of reviews for the game stands at 801 negative against 817 positive. Ascension 6 has been reworked to increase the cost of removing cards from the deck at the Merchant. The Blade of Ink card has been revamped to generate Inky Shivs, and the Borrowed Time card now offers increased energy gain. The Doormaker enemy has been adjusted for enhanced challenge, while Leading Strike has received buffs and other cards like Speedster and Untouchable have been slightly nerfed. The History Course relic has been adjusted for its X-value, and the Skulking Colony has been buffed to attack on all turns. New portrait art has been added for several cards, and improvements have been made to dialogue timings and speech bubble positions. Clarifications in card descriptions and updates to translations have been implemented. Various bug fixes have addressed issues from startup crashes to specific softlocks related to card upgrades.

BetaBeacon

April 3, 2026

Wine 11.6 Brings Android Driver Work, Game Mod Fixes

The Wine Project has released version 11.6, which includes improvements and bug fixes to enhance user experience. The update focuses on reviving the Android driver and improving VBScript compatibility. Gaming compatibility has been addressed, fixing issues in popular games like Minecraft Windows 10 Edition and Mount & Blade: Warband. For Linux gamers, the update resolves problems in Diablo IV and Cyberpunk 2077. Additionally, enhancements have been made for DLL handling in Gecko-based browsers and modded game setups. Compatibility fixes have also been provided for various applications like StarOffice 5.1 and PDF-XChange Editor. The source code for Wine 11.6 is available for download on GitLab, with binary packages for different distributions expected to be available soon.

AppWizard

April 2, 2026

Shinji Mikami’s next game was just stealth-announced in a YouTube video and it sure looks like the creator of survival horror is back doing what he does best

In 2023, Shinji Mikami founded a new studio called Unbound, marking his third studio creation after PlatinumGames and Tango Gameworks. Unbound recently launched its website, attracting the attention of Shift Up, a Korean publisher, which announced the complete acquisition of Unbound. Mikami emphasized the importance of nurturing young talent and expressed confidence in creating a "masterpiece of a game." Unbound currently has around 50 staff members and is expanding its workforce for an upcoming project. Mikami conveyed his enthusiasm for the creative process and addressed gamers, asking them to wait a little longer for the game's release.

AppWizard

March 30, 2026

Death Stranding 2’s PC port pushed it past 2 million copies sold

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach sold 425,000 copies on PC in its first week and has a total of over two million copies sold, combining sales from PlayStation 5 and PC. The game launched exclusively on PlayStation less than a year ago and transitioned to PC in nine months, making it the fastest exclusive to do so. Sony is reportedly adjusting its strategy for PC releases, with live-service games moving to PC while single-player titles are expected to remain exclusive to PlayStation 5.

AppWizard

March 27, 2026

There’s nothing ‘euro’ about ‘eurojank,’ says Stalker dev—after all, what are some of the 2000s’ best RPGs if not beautiful all-American jankfests?

Many gamers are attracted to "eurojank," a term describing beloved but imperfect games that emphasize creativity and ambition, such as Stalker, The Witcher, and Mount & Blade. The 2004 RPG Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines remains popular due to fan patches, highlighting its lasting impact. Andrii Verpakhovskyi, a designer from the original Stalker series, mentioned his fondness for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines and Arcanum, both created by Troika Games, which had ties to the Fallout series. The discussion around eurojank encourages appreciation for the quirks and imperfections that make these games memorable and foster community among players.

AppWizard

March 2, 2026

Sony Will Reportedly Lessen the Number of Games It Brings to PC Moving Forward

Sony's strategy for porting PlayStation exclusives to PC is shifting, with a potential move towards keeping single-player titles exclusive to consoles for longer periods. The focus may now be on live service games rather than traditional single-player experiences. While Sony continues to port select titles to PC, player engagement data shows mixed results; games like Horizon Zero Dawn, Spider-Man Remastered, and Ghost of Tsushima achieved high peak concurrent players, while others like Horizon Forbidden West and Last of Us Part II had lower peaks. HellDivers 2 has outperformed other titles in Sony's PC offerings. Sony's relationship with the PC gaming community has been strained due to initial registration requirements for the PlayStation Network, which were later reversed. Upcoming console exclusives, such as Marvel’s Wolverine, suggest Sony may prioritize hardware sales over PC releases.

AppWizard

February 27, 2026

Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier thinks Sony might pull the plug on Playstation’s PC ports, putting Wolverine fans in a bind

Jason Schreier has suggested that Sony may be distancing itself from the PC platform, potentially reserving high-profile single-player titles for its console. He indicated that Sony might be backing away from releasing exclusive console games on PC, raising concerns about sequels to popular titles like Ghost of Tsushima not being available on PC. The announcement of Wolverine's release date did not mention a PC version, supporting the idea that it may remain exclusive to Sony's console. While single-player experiences on PC may be declining, Sony is continuing to focus on multiplayer games, with titles like Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls and Horizon Hunters Gathering set to launch on Steam. Recent successes in multiplayer games like Helldivers 2 have reinforced this strategy.

AppWizard

February 22, 2026

Monster Hunter rival Wild Hearts might have been left to die, yet I can’t help but love it

Wild Hearts, developed by Koei Tecmo's Omega Force and published by EA, was released in February 2023 but faced performance issues that affected its reception, earning a score of 7/10. The game features innovative mechanics, including a unique weapon system and the Karakuri system, which allows players to summon structures for strategic gameplay. It showcases captivating creature designs, merging animal traits with nature. As of July 2025, it was released on the Nintendo Switch 2, but performance issues persisted, with only 55% positive ratings on Steam. The game is available through EA Play, Game Pass, and frequent sales, often up to 90% off.