merchant Archives

AppWizard

June 11, 2026

You can just bypass Fable’s ‘complex, nuanced’ reputation system with enough gold

The reboot of Fable features a 30-minute gameplay demonstration showcasing an innovative reputation system that influences player interactions with over a thousand NPCs. Players earn reputational adjectives based on their actions, affecting how NPCs perceive them. Choices such as sparing a life can earn titles like "merciful," while reckless actions may lead to a "reckless" reputation. Players can alter their reputation by paying a fee to a town crier, raising questions about the balance between gameplay challenge and convenience. The developers note that negative reputations, like "killer" or "criminal," will persist unless players invest time to amend them or pay for intervention. This duality reflects trends in RPG design, where the complexity of choices can conflict with the desire for a smooth gameplay experience. The mechanics of the reputation system promise nuanced interactions and varied outcomes based on player decisions.

AppWizard

June 10, 2026

Where Winds Meet is Out Today, With Exclusive XBOX Game Pass Benefits and a New Expansion on the Way

Where Winds Meet, a free-to-play Wuxia open-world ARPG, is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and cloud platforms. Since its launch last November, the game has attracted over 80 million players and has had two expansions. The game is set in 10th Century China and features six distinct regions for exploration. Players can customize their combat style with various weapons and martial arts skills, and take on roles such as a doctor or assassin. A new expansion, Hidden Mountain, was announced, introducing a mountainous region with new gameplay mechanics. The game supports Smart Delivery and is optimized for Xbox, featuring HDR support and upscaling for better visuals. Xbox Game Pass members can access the game and receive a starter pack of resources from June 7 to July 23.

AppWizard

June 7, 2026

Gothic Remake’s lockpicking system has broken me and I can no longer experience joy

Fraser Brown, an online editor at PC Gamer, attempted to rob a merchant named Fisk in Gothic Remake. He faced challenges with a lockpicking minigame that involved aligning sliders, leading to broken lockpicks and frustration. 1. In his first attempt, Brown failed to pick the lock on a chest, resulting in the loss of his lockpick but he had saved his progress. 2. In the second attempt, the merchant woke up, causing his character to stand up and alert Fisk. 3. During the third attempt, Brown faced another confrontation with Fisk, leading to his defeat. 4. In the fourth attempt, he tried a more aggressive approach, resulting in a chaotic battle and another defeat. 5. The fifth attempt ended with a game crash, but Brown persisted and eventually opened a chest, finding only mundane items. 6. In a bonus round, he successfully opened a second chest containing a bow, but was caught by Fisk, leading to a chaotic battle where he used the bow against the merchant and his allies.

AppWizard

June 5, 2026

Google Wallet just fixed the most annoying part of online checkout

Google is expanding digital ID support to select European Union member states this summer, following successful launches in Brazil, India, Singapore, and Taiwan. The company is introducing age verification features that require minimal information sharing, allowing users to confirm their age without disclosing sensitive personal details. This is done in collaboration with European banking partner Sparkasse. Additionally, Google Pay Direct Checkout will enable consumers to use payment methods saved in Google Wallet directly on merchant checkout pages, streamlining the process. Security enhancements have been made to authentication systems to ensure fast online checkouts while protecting payment credentials and personal information.

AppWizard

May 18, 2026

Hauntingly Beautiful Horror Game Gets Free Taster On PC Ahead Of Release

Black Omens: House of Crimson Silk is a horror game set in fictional Edo-era Japan, where players assume the role of Idate Chiyo, a junior investigator in the Tokugawa Shogunate’s Magical Arcane Division. The game features the Hon'iden Mansion, an abandoned estate rumored to be haunted, and involves solving escape room-style puzzles while using supernatural abilities to interact with the paranormal. A free demo is available for download on Steam and itch.io, and early player feedback highlights its atmospheric qualities. The game revolves around uncovering the mystery of a vanished merchant family, but a definitive launch date for the full version has not been announced.

AppWizard

April 25, 2026

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 celebrates first anniversary with new cosmetics, and it’s shipped over eight million copies

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 has celebrated its first anniversary, surpassing eight million players. Sandfall Interactive has released an update introducing new hairstyles for characters, available at specific merchants in the game. The update also fixes minor bugs, including an issue with character outfits and allows players to open rest points without interruptions. Official merchandise featuring characters is now available, and there is a 20% discount on Steam.

BetaBeacon

April 7, 2026

Top 6 Must-Play Games of April 2026: Sea of Stars, Annulus and More

Sea of Stars is an award-winning turn-based RPG that's finally making the jump to mobile.

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.

AppWizard

February 25, 2026

Numo Launches Bitcoin Tap-to-Pay App For Merchants

Numo has introduced a tap-to-pay point-of-sale app that allows merchants to accept Bitcoin payments without additional hardware, utilizing the Cashu open-source ecash protocol. The app is available for free as an open-source Android download, with plans for a Google Play Store release. It uses NFC technology for quick transactions, enabling customers to pay via a Cashu wallet interacting with an NFC tag on the merchant's device. Payments are settled in Cashu ecash, which can be automatically transferred to a merchant's Lightning address once a specified balance is reached. Numo also supports Lightning invoices and offers features like inventory management, payment history tracking, offline payment support, and tipping options. The app has no platform fees and is developed under the MIT license, aiming to simplify Bitcoin payments for merchants. Cashu employs blind signatures for privacy-preserving custodial payments and connects independent mints over the Lightning Network.

AppWizard

February 20, 2026

Obsidian was ‘surprised’ that Avowed players bounced off one of the RPG’s most important systems: ‘That frustration came through loud and clear’

Avowed's crafting system initially faced criticism for making upgrades mandatory, requiring players to gather materials for weapons and armor, which hindered exploration. In response to player feedback, Obsidian Entertainment implemented changes in an anniversary update, refining the progression system to allow for a more gradual experience. Custom difficulty modifiers were introduced, enabling players to adjust game elements like merchant prices and upgrade material costs. Additionally, workbenches were added throughout the game world, allowing players to enhance equipment without returning to camp, making gear acquisition and upgrades more accessible.