Monthly Archives: January 2021

Sea of Thieves Can Now Run at 120 FPS on Xbox Series X

Season One of Sea of Thieves has officially begun, and with it comes a new 120Hz Performance mode on Xbox Series X that supports 120 FPS at 1080p. As detailed in the release notes for this big Season One update, it also notes that some TVs do not support 120Hz and HDR simultaneously, so HDR may need to be disabled from the console settings if players wish to sail the seas with 120 FPS. Seasons mark a new initiative for Sea of Thieves that will see new content added to the game every three months. In addition, a battle pass system has been implemented that will reward players throughout each Season. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/sea-of-thieves-seasons-explained-trailer"] Each season will have players progress through 100 levels of Pirate Renown, and rewards for both the player's pirate character and ship can be unlocked. Additionally, those who have reached the title of Pirate Legend will get specialized rewards as part of this new progression system. An optional, premium tier of the battle pass - titled 'Plunder Pass' - will be available and will offer even more unique rewards and exclusive items from the Pirate Emporium. This 120Hz update is just another improvement to Sea of Thieves following the arrival of the Xbox Series X/S optimizations that arrived in November 2020 and added faster load times and 60 FPS for Xbox Series X/S, and 4K for Xbox Series X. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/19/sea-of-thieves-review-2020"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Next Tomb Raider to Unify the Reboot Trilogy and Original Games

Crystal Dynamics has shared a bit of information on its next, currently unannounced Tomb Raider, saying it's "working to unify" the timelines of Core Design's original games and its own reboot trilogy that began in 2013. While the reboot trilogy told the origin story of Lara Croft becoming the Tomb Raider, the original games "featured a seasoned and confident adventurer," said game director Will Kerslake in a video posted to Twitter. The development team envisions "a future of Tomb Raider unfolding after these established adventures, telling stories that build upon the breadth of both Core Design and Crystal Dynamics' games, working to unify these timelines." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-tomb-raider-review-ever&captions=true"] Kerslake noted the difficulty of such a task given the franchise's 25-year history and asked fans to be patient as the studio works through development. "We don't have plans for a major game announcement in the near future," he said. Lara's latest adventure, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, was released in 2018. IGN's Shadow of the Tomb Raider review awarded it a 9/10 and called it a "powerful finale to Lara Croft's origin trilogy." In other franchise news, a Tomb Raider anime series, set after the events of Crystal's origin trilogy, is in development at Netflix. Tomb Raider's big-screen sequel, meanwhile, recently landed a new writer-director in Misha Green, showrunner of HBO's Lovecraft Country. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/01/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider-developers-react-to-48-minute-speedrun"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN.

Next Tomb Raider to Unify the Reboot Trilogy and Original Games

Crystal Dynamics has shared a bit of information on its next, currently unannounced Tomb Raider, saying it's "working to unify" the timelines of Core Design's original games and its own reboot trilogy that began in 2013. While the reboot trilogy told the origin story of Lara Croft becoming the Tomb Raider, the original games "featured a seasoned and confident adventurer," said game director Will Kerslake in a video posted to Twitter. The development team envisions "a future of Tomb Raider unfolding after these established adventures, telling stories that build upon the breadth of both Core Design and Crystal Dynamics' games, working to unify these timelines." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-tomb-raider-review-ever&captions=true"] Kerslake noted the difficulty of such a task given the franchise's 25-year history and asked fans to be patient as the studio works through development. "We don't have plans for a major game announcement in the near future," he said. Lara's latest adventure, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, was released in 2018. IGN's Shadow of the Tomb Raider review awarded it a 9/10 and called it a "powerful finale to Lara Croft's origin trilogy." In other franchise news, a Tomb Raider anime series, set after the events of Crystal's origin trilogy, is in development at Netflix. Tomb Raider's big-screen sequel, meanwhile, recently landed a new writer-director in Misha Green, showrunner of HBO's Lovecraft Country. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/01/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider-developers-react-to-48-minute-speedrun"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN.

Returnal Delayed to April 2021

Returnal, the PlayStation 5 exclusive from Housemarque, has been delayed from March 19, 2021 to April 30, 2021. Announced by PlayStation, SIE and Housemarque have chosen to move the release date "in order to give the team extra time to continue to polish the game to the level of quality players expect from Housemarque." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/13/returnal-combat-trailer"] Returnal was announced at the PS5 reveal event and is the next title from the developer of such games as Resogun and Super Stardust HD. This new game is a roguelike third-person shooter that sees you play as Astra space scout Selene as she is stuck in a constant loop of resurrection. Housemarque has also noted that Returnal will offer fast load times, and haptic feedback that will let players "feel the natural ambience of this alien planet as the controller mimics its environmental effects." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=returnal-game-awards-trailer-screenshots&captions=true"] Returnal also follows Housemarques comments that it was moving away from developing arcade-style games - like Resogun and Nex Machina - after poor sales. It looks like Returnal will still have the feel of many of Housemarque's previous games, but this marks a new direction for the studio. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Netflix’s The Sandman: Full Cast Revealed for the DC Series

With production well underway on the first season of The Sandman, Netflix has finally revealed the main cast of the DC adaptation. Tom Sturridge (Velvet Buzzsaw) stars in the series as Dream (aka Morpheus), ruler of the ethereal realm known as The Dreaming. The cast also includes two Game of Thrones veterans, with Gwendoline Christie playing Lucifer Morningstar and Charles Dance playing occultist Roderick Burgess. Narcos star Boyd Holbrook will play The Corinthian, a rogue nightmare-turned-serial killer created by Morpheus. Check out the slideshow gallery below for a look at all the cast members revealed so far and how they compare to their comic book counterparts: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflixs-the-sandman-every-actor-and-character-confirmed&captions=true"] We assume more casting announcements will follow in the coming weeks, as Netflix has yet to reveal other major roles like Dream's sister Death. The streamer also has yet to reveal a release date for the 10-episode first season. The Sandman is an adaptation of the DC horror/fantasy comic created by Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg and Sam Keith. Gaiman is executive producing the series along with Allan Heinberg and David Goyer. Heinberg is also serving as showrunner. Prior to Netflix greenlighting the series, The Sandman spent years in development hell, including a phase where Joseph Gordon-Levitt was attached to produce and star in a movie adaptation. “For the last thirty-three years, the Sandman characters have breathed and walked around and talked in my head," said Gaiman in a statement. "I'm unbelievably happy that now, finally, they get to step out of my head and into reality. I can't wait until the people out there get to see what we've been seeing as Dream and the rest of them take flesh, and the flesh belongs to some of the finest actors out there. This is astonishing, and I'm so grateful to the actors and to all of The Sandman collaborators — Netflix, Warner Bros., DC, to Allan Heinberg and David Goyer, and the legions of crafters and geniuses on the show — for making the wildest of all my dreams into reality.” According to Gaiman, the Netflix series will make significant changes to the source material, including updating the present-day setting for the 21st Century rather than 1989, when the comic originally debuted. Interestingly, The Sandman will mark the first time the DC Comics incarnation of Lucifer Morningstar has been played by a woman. That character was previously played by Peter Stormare in 2005's Constantine, Tom Ellis in the Lucifer TV series and Michael Sheen in Audible's audio drama adaptation of The Sandman. Though generally portrayed as male in the comics, The Sandman's Lucifer is an androgynous figure whom Gaiman confirmed was modeled closely on a young David Bowie. Unfortunately, despite the Lucifer series moving from Fox to Netflix, Christie's casting would seem to eliminate any possibility of the two shows coexisting in the same universe. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/15/netflix-saves-lucifer"] Are you happy with these casting choices? Let us know in the comments below. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Magic: The Gathering: 1993 Signed Black Lotus Sells For Over $500,000

The world's most expensive Magic: The Gathering card, Black Lotus has broken its own auction record, selling for more than $500,000. As reported by Polygon, a 1993 'Black Lotus' with a case signed by the card's illustrator Christopher Rush has sold for $511,100.00 on eBay. This is triple the price of a Black Lotus which sold for $166,000 in 2019. You can see the original listing here, which offers more details about the groundbreaking auction. The Black Lotus is one of the 'Power Nine', a set of highly-coveted Magic: The Gathering cards that are restricted or banned in competitive play, due to their incredible in-game potential. [caption id="attachment_2466590" align="alignnone" width="705"]The Black Lotus card in question. Source: PWCC The Black Lotus card in question. Source: PWCC[/caption] This particular card is from the Alpha, or Limited Edition Alpha set of cards, which is the first print run of the first core set of Magic: The Gathering cards, which debuted in 1993. So it's over two decades old, signed by the artist, extremely rare and in top condition according to PWCC Auctions, who call it "the single finest Alpha Black Lotus we've had the pleasure of brokering." "The fragile black periphery is free of common chipping or wear with four untouched corners and undeniably GEM MINT card stock," the listing reads. "The card is brilliantly aligned from all sides with some of the cleanest surfaces we’ve seen. Free of indentations or imperfections with elegant color and precise registration." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/magic-legends-official-deckbuilding-101-trailer"] In other Magic: The Gathering news, it was recently revealed that the game will receive a new comics run in April 2021, and we recently showed off a fresh look at upcoming RPG Magic: Legends and how it blends Diablo into the CCG mix [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Disney Plus Star Coming to the UK on February 23: Launch Line-Up Revealed

Disney Plus has unveiled the official launch line-up for its new Star service, coming to the UK on February 23. The streaming giant shared its "biggest content drop ever" on Thursday, as the company tweeted an image showcasing the huge catalogue of TV shows and movies that will be available on Star when it launches in the UK next month. The new entertainment section will appear alongside the existing tiles for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and Nat Geo in its own branded slot on the Disney+ app. In total, Star is launching with over 75 TV shows, more than 270 movies, and four exclusive Star originals, with new titles to be added weekly from a wide range of Disney-owned properties such as FX, 20th Century Studios, 20th Television, ABC, Searchlight Pictures, amongst others. Disney Plus is available for £5.99 a month for those in the UK, or you can opt for the yearly pass for £59.99, considerably less than the £71.88 monthly payments would end up costing every year. [poilib element="commerceDeal" parameters="slug=best-disney-deals-uk"] Check out the complete Disney Plus Star launch line-up below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/18/disney-plus-review-2019"]

Disney Plus Star TV Shows

  • According To Jim
  • Alias
  • American Dad
  • Animal Fight Night
  • Apocalypse World War I
  • Apocalypse: The Second World War
  • Atlanta
  • Big Sky (star Original)
  • Blackish
  • Bloody Tales Of Europe
  • Bloody Tales Of The Tower
  • Bones
  • Brothers & Sisters
  • Buffy The Vampire Slayer
  • Buried Secrets Of Wwii
  • Burn Notice
  • Castle
  • Code Black
  • Cougar Town
  • Desperate Housewives
  • Devious Maids
  • Drugs, Inc.
  • Family Guy
  • Feud: Bette And Joan
  • Firefly
  • Flashforward
  • The Fosters
  • The Gifted
  • Glee
  • Grey's Anatomy
  • Helstrom (star Original)
  • The Hot Zone
  • How I Met Your Mother
  • Inside North Korea's Dynasty
  • The Killing
  • La 92
  • Lance
  • Lie To Me
  • Lost
  • Love, Victor (star Original)
  • Mafia Confidential
  • Maradona Confidential
  • Mars
  • Modern Family
  • O.j.: Made In America
  • Perception
  • Prison Break
  • Raising Hope
  • Resurrection
  • Revenge
  • Rosewood
  • Scandal
  • Scream Queens
  • Scrubs
  • Sleepy Hollow
  • Snowfall
  • Solar Opposites (star Original)
  • Sons Of Anarchy
  • The Strain
  • Terra Nova
  • Terriers
  • Trust
  • Ugly Betty
  • Ultimate Survival Wwii
  • Valley Of The Boom
  • Witness To Disaster
  • Wwii Bomb Hunters
  • The X-Files
  • The 2000s: The Decade We Saw It All
  • 24
  • 24: Legacy
  • The 80s: The Decade That Made Us
  • 9/11 Firehouse
  • The 90s: The Last Great Decade?
  • 9-1-1
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/05/15/69-deadpool-2-easter-eggs-trivia-and-references"]

Disney Plus Star movies

  • The 13th Warrior
  • 42 To 1
  • 9 To 5
  • Adam (2009)
  • The Air Up There
  • The Alamo (2004)
  • Anna And The King
  • Annapolis
  • Another Earth
  • Another Stakeout
  • Anywhere But Here
  • Arachnophobia
  • Australia
  • Bachelor Party
  • Bad Ass
  • Bad Company (2002)
  • Bad Company (aka: Tool Shed)
  • Bad Girls (1994)
  • Bad Times At The El Royale
  • Baggage Claim
  • The Banger Sisters
  • Be Water
  • Beaches
  • Before And After (1996)
  • Belle
  • Beloved (1998)
  • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
  • Best Laid Plans
  • Big Trouble
  • Billy Bathgate
  • Black Nativity
  • Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation ...
  • Boys Don't Cry
  • Braveheart
  • Breaking And Entering
  • Bringing Out The Dead
  • Broadcast News
  • Brokedown Palace
  • Broken Lizard's Club Dread
  • Brothers In Exile
  • Brown Sugar
  • Bubble Boy
  • Bulworth
  • Bushwhacked
  • Can't Buy Me Love
  • Casanova (2005)
  • Catch That Kid
  • Cedar Rapids
  • Chain Reaction
  • Chasing Papi
  • Chasing Tyson
  • Choke
  • The Clearing
  • Cleopatra (1963)
  • Cocktail
  • Cocoon: The Return
  • Cold Creek Manor
  • The Color Of Money
  • Come See The Paradise
  • The Comebacks
  • Commando (1985)
  • Con Air
  • Conan The Barbarian
  • Confetti
  • Consenting Adults
  • A Cool Dry Place
  • Cousin Bette
  • Crazy/beautiful
  • Crimson Tide
  • The Crucible
  • Cyrus
  • Damien - Omen Ii
  • The Darjeeling Limited
  • Dark Water
  • Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
  • The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)
  • The Day The Series Stopped
  • Day Watch
  • Deadpool 2
  • Dead Presidents
  • Deceived (1991)
  • The Deep End
  • Deep Rising
  • Deion's Double Play
  • The Devil Wears Prada
  • Devil's Due
  • Die Hard 2
  • Die Hard With A Vengeance
  • Double Take
  • Down And Out In Beverly Hills
  • Down Periscope
  • Dragonball: Evolution
  • Dreaming Of Joseph Lees
  • Drive Me Crazy
  • The Drop
  • Duets
  • The East
  • Ed Wood
  • The Edge
  • Encino Man
  • Enemy Of The State
  • Enough Said
  • Evita
  • Exodus: Gods And Kings
  • The Fab Five (2011)
  • Far From The Madding Crowd (2015)
  • The Fault In Our Stars
  • The Favourite
  • The Final Conflict
  • Firestorm (1998)
  • The Fly (1986)
  • For The Boys
  • Four Falls Of Buffalo
  • French Connection Ii
  • The French Connection
  • From Hell
  • Gentlemen Broncos
  • A Good Day To Die Hard
  • Good Morning, Vietnam
  • The Good Son (1993)
  • A Good Year
  • The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • The Great White Hype
  • Grosse Pointe Blank
  • Guilty As Sin
  • Gun Shy
  • The Happening
  • Here On Earth
  • High Fidelity
  • High Heels And Low Lifes
  • Hitchcock
  • Hoffa
  • Holy Man
  • Hope Springs (2003)
  • I Heart Huckabees
  • I Love You, Beth Cooper
  • I Origins
  • I Think I Love My Wife
  • Idiocracy
  • In America
  • In Her Shoes
  • Independence Day
  • Independence Day: Resurgence
  • Inventing The Abbotts
  • Jennifer´s Body
  • The Jewel Of The Nile
  • John Tucker Must Die
  • Johnson Family Vacation
  • Jordan Rides The Bus
  • Joshua
  • Just Married
  • Just Wright
  • Kingdom Come
  • Kissing Jessica Stein
  • Kung Pow: Enter The Fist
  • Ladyhawke
  • The Ladykillers (2004)
  • Last Dance (1996)
  • Le Divorce
  • The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen
  • The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
  • Live Free Or Die Hard
  • Looking For Richard
  • Mad Love (1995)
  • The Man From Snowy River
  • Margaret
  • The Marine
  • Marked For Death
  • The Marrying Man
  • Martha Marcy May Marlene
  • Mash
  • Max Payne
  • The Maze Runner
  • Medicine Man
  • Melinda And Melinda
  • Metro
  • Miami Rhapsody
  • Miller's Crossing
  • Moulin Rouge (2001)
  • My Father The Hero
  • Mystery, Alaska
  • The Namesake
  • Nature Boy
  • Never Die Alone
  • The Newton Boys
  • Night Watch (2006)
  • No Mas
  • Nothing To Lose
  • Notorious
  • Office Space
  • One Hour Photo
  • Oscar And Lucinda
  • The Other Woman (2014)
  • Our Family Wedding
  • Out To Sea
  • Pathfinder (2007)
  • Phat Girlz
  • Phone Booth
  • Planet Of The Apes (1968)
  • Planet Of The Apes (2001)
  • Pony Excess
  • The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  • Post Grad
  • Powder
  • The Preacher's Wife
  • Pretty Woman
  • Primeval
  • The Puppet Masters
  • The Pyramid
  • Quills
  • Quiz Show
  • Ravenous
  • Rebound
  • Renaissance Man
  • Revenge Of The Nerds Ii: Nerds In Paradise
  • The Ringer
  • Robin Hood (1991)
  • The Rocker
  • Romancing The Stone
  • Ruby Sparks
  • Runaway Bride
  • Rushmore
  • Ruthless People
  • The Savages
  • Say It Isn't So
  • The Scarlet Letter
  • Sea Of Shadows
  • The Secret Life Of Bees
  • Separate Lies
  • The Sessions
  • Shadow Conspiracy
  • Shallow Hal
  • Shining Through
  • The Siege
  • Signs
  • Simon Birch
  • A Simple Twist Of Fate
  • The Sitter (2011)
  • Six Days, Seven Nights
  • Sleeping With The Enemy
  • Solaris
  • Someone Like You
  • Soul Food
  • Spy Hard
  • Stakeout
  • Starship Troopers
  • Stoker
  • Summer Of Sam
  • Super Troopers (2002)
  • Surrogates
  • Swing Kids
  • Taxi (2004)
  • Terminal Velocity
  • Thank You For Smoking
  • There's Something About Mary
  • The Thin Red Line (1999)
  • Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  • Three Fugitives
  • The Three Stooges (2012)
  • Titan A.e.
  • Tombstone
  • Toys
  • Trapped In Paradise
  • Tristan & Isolde
  • Up Close & Personal
  • V.i. Warshawski
  • Veronica Guerin
  • The Village (2004)
  • Von Ryan's Express
  • Waiting To Exhale
  • Waitress
  • Waking Life
  • The War Of The Roses
  • The Watch (2012)
  • The Waterboy
  • The Way Way Back
  • What's Love Got To Do With It
  • When A Man Loves A Woman
  • White Men Can't Jump
  • William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
  • Win Win
  • Woman On Top
  • Working Girl (1988)
  • The X-Files
  • The X-Files: I Want To Believe
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=hidden-gems-on-disney-plus-11-classic-movies-to-watch&captions=true"] There has been no announcement yet on the Star rollout and launch line-up in other countries. However, the Disney+ subscription price is increasing in the UK from £5.99 to £7.99 per month, or £59.99 to £79.90 per year. This price change will come into effect six months on from the Star launch, on August 23, for current subscribers whilst new subscribers will have to pay the inflated price from February 23. If you're looking to fill up your watch list with even more next month, check out our full rundown of everything new on Disney+ in February 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Keanu Reeves Cyberpunk 2077 Sex Mod Removed, CDPR Clarifies Stance on Modding Models of Real People

A Cyberpunk 2077 mod that allowed players to swap models and have sex with characters based on real-world likenesses such as Keanu Reeves has been removed. The mod let players swap characters into explicit sex scenes who usually shouldn't be there, such as Keanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand and the game's antagonist, Adam Smasher. In a statement issued to Eurogamer, CD Projekt Red said that they broadly permit modders to "tweak the game at will and have fun" when it comes to the characters the studio has created for the game, but for the characters based on real people, the studio is taking a different stance. "When it comes to models of real people whom we've asked to participate in the game, we kindly ask you to refrain from using them in any situation that might be found offensive if you don't have their explicit permission." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/07/cyberpunk-2077-review"] Permission will have to be sought from the likeness (and other "concerned parties") before modders and players create or use these explicit mods, or else they will be taken down. CD Projekt Red clarified further, telling Eurogamer "our most important rule regarding user-generated content, game mods, in particular, is that it can't be harmful towards others. In the case of model swaps, especially those that involve explicit situations, it can be perceived as such by the people who lent us their appearance for the purpose of creating characters in Cyberpunk 2077." The model swap mod is no longer available and, clearly, any future iterations of such mods will be promptly removed by the studio. Just yesterday, CD Projekt Red began releasing official modding tools for the community to tinker with. In other Cyberpunk news, the game today received a hotfix to tackle a new game-breaking bug, and the game reportedly saw the biggest digital game launch of all time, despite huge controversy around its release. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Olija Review

Like all great short stories, Olija manages to do more with less. Its characters are roughly drawn and very pixelated, but they build strong bonds that resonate and create real stakes. The caves, ruins, and dark corners of the world exude an ominous, foreboding mood that permeates every turn. And the action, a mix of quick-moving combat and light puzzle-platforming, steadily and consistently finds new ways to keep you on your toes. Olija takes exactly as much time as it needs to tell its story and show you everything in its bag of tricks.

Olija follows Faraday, a shipwrecked lord trapped on a hostile chain of islands called Terraphage. Facing all sorts of magic, dark oozing blobs, and people who want him dead, the lost lord seems doomed, but he quickly finds a weapon to turn his fortune: a legendary magic harpoon that he can throw and either teleport to its location or summon back to him. To get home and, optionally, save his crew, Faraday explores the islands of Terraphage, defeats a hidden evil, saves a queen--you know, hero stuff.

Though it boils down to a clichéd hero's quest at the most essential level, Olija teases a lot of narrative out of a small amount of exposition. Faraday has a small retinue of recurring companions and acquaintances he meets on his journey, including a ferryman who brings him from island to island and shipwrecked sailors of Oaktide, a floating shantytown. While Faraday is silent, his companions speak to him, and you can sense the bond that forms between them. Their spoken tone softens and they grow more familiar as Faraday integrates into their lives. Those connections anchor Faraday's journey with a human connection that resonates beyond the plot, and gives you a reason to see things through.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Olija Review

Like all great short stories, Olija manages to do more with less. Its characters are roughly drawn and very pixelated, but they build strong bonds that resonate and create real stakes. The caves, ruins, and dark corners of the world exude an ominous, foreboding mood that permeates every turn. And the action, a mix of quick-moving combat and light puzzle-platforming, steadily and consistently finds new ways to keep you on your toes. Olija takes exactly as much time as it needs to tell its story and show you everything in its bag of tricks.

Olija follows Faraday, a shipwrecked lord trapped on a hostile chain of islands called Terraphage. Facing all sorts of magic, dark oozing blobs, and people who want him dead, the lost lord seems doomed, but he quickly finds a weapon to turn his fortune: a legendary magic harpoon that he can throw and either teleport to its location or summon back to him. To get home and, optionally, save his crew, Faraday explores the islands of Terraphage, defeats a hidden evil, saves a queen--you know, hero stuff.

Though it boils down to a clichéd hero's quest at the most essential level, Olija teases a lot of narrative out of a small amount of exposition. Faraday has a small retinue of recurring companions and acquaintances he meets on his journey, including a ferryman who brings him from island to island and shipwrecked sailors of Oaktide, a floating shantytown. While Faraday is silent, his companions speak to him, and you can sense the bond that forms between them. Their spoken tone softens and they grow more familiar as Faraday integrates into their lives. Those connections anchor Faraday's journey with a human connection that resonates beyond the plot, and gives you a reason to see things through.

Continue Reading at GameSpot