Welcome to the last week of April and this week's major release is based on a popular comic and animated series, but we'll let you figure out which one. The week kicks off with some big white trolls, followed by what is said to be a spiritual successor of Garry's Mod—for those of you that are old enough to remember that one—and a rat project that seems to involve magic. Next up we have a huge turn-based grand strategy game and we end the week with a new take on chess that somehow is a rougelike. Don't forget to check out the additional new release this week as well.

Invincible VS / This week's major release / Thursday 30 April
Invincible VS is a brutal superhero 3v3 tag fighting game set in the Invincible universe, where you can battle to the death as a team of fan-favorite characters in iconic locations. Unleash bone-breaking combos through fast combat and smart defensive tactics to leave a trail of blood and destruction. Land vicious Super moves and Ultimates to leave your opponents in a mess of blood. Steam link

V Rising is one of those indie games that found a niche and excelled at delivering what its player base asked of it, earning a Very Positive Steam user review score of 89%. That being the case, players have been clamoring for a sequel or its successor. In a recent blog post, however, Stunlock Studios revealed that it would not be making a sequel to V Rising, stating that "the journey to Dracula is a complete one as it stands." Instead, the game studio is working on a new game in the same universe as V Rising, although it's still early days, so it did not share much else about the game.

Being that the new Vampire game will still take place in the same universe as V Rising, it seems logical to conclude that it will be a spiritual successor, but Stunlock also calls the new game "our most ambitious project yet in our 15-year history of making games." Not much else has been revealed about the successor to V Rising, but the studio has also commented that the new game is being designed around the studio's ambitions, commenting that "while the core workings of V Rising are strong and have allowed us to construct a wonderful bastion of dark Vampire delights, that foundation can also be limiting." This suggests something more than a few extra mechanics, better graphics, a longer story, or a bigger world, and the game studio later said that "Our next game will invite you to explore your darkest whims in a world of greater depth, danger, and mystery than ever before," suggesting that there will be more to it than the current survival RPG genre V Rising slots into.

After all the hype from the announcement, we've seen your questions—and we love the enthusiasm. We've put together this FAQ to answer some of the most common questions we've been getting about SAMSON. From pricing and platforms to gameplay and tone, this should give you a clearer picture of what kind of experience we're building.

How much will the game cost?
As an independently developed and published title, we don't have the overhead of a large organization—just the core development team. This gives us the freedom to set our own price. At $24.99, we hope players will be encouraged to give it a try and discover an experience that truly punches above its price point.

Hunted Cow Games, the Scottish indie studio behind one of the longest-running browser MMORPGs in gaming history, today announced Fallen Sword II, a cross-platform RPG inspired by their cult classic that has captivated millions of players since 2006. The game is set for release in Q3 2026 on PC and mobile platforms, and is available to wishlist now on Steam.

A Legacy Forged in Scotland
When Hunted Cow launched Fallen Sword from their tiny Elgin office in December 2006, the team could never have predicted its meteoric rise, gaining over 250,000 players in just three months. By the end of its first year, over one million adventurers had signed up to explore the world of Erildath.

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic (FotoR) was unveiled at The Game Awards, last week. Prior to introductory events unfolding in Los Angeles, the games industry rumor mill had generated speculation about various "Knights of the Old Republic" (KotoR) remake or reboot projects. Days ago, Lucasfilm and Arcanaut Studios unveiled a spiritual successor—many attendees and stream watchers were surprised by the collaborators' teaser trailer. Long-time franchise fans were happy to see Casey Hudson—a former BioWare veteran—introduce his latest project. SW: Fate of the Old Republic's game director has worked on a number of popular titles, including: Knights of the Old Republic (2003), Jade Empire (2005), the original Mass Effect trilogy (2007 to 2012), and Anthem (2019).

Predictably, well-known figures weighed in with skeptical opinions and predictions. Jason Schreier—of Bloomberg fame—a very recently booted up development cycle: "Lucasfilm says the studio (Arcanaut) was founded this year, which means that 2030 is an 'optimistic' guess. Maybe it'll be a PlayStation 7 game." Schreier's expertise—as a journalist and author—mostly covers the making of modern AAA titles; usually mega expensive and time-consuming affairs. In theory, FotoR's development team "has it easy" due to their game being a "narrative-driven single-player action RPG," rather than a huge open world experience. In a response seemingly directed at outsider estimates, Hudson commented: "don't worry about the 'not till 2030' rumors. Game will be out before then. I'm not getting any younger!"

Blades of Fire takes place in an age of petrified steel. An all-powerful witch queen's spell turns all the world's steel into stone, apart from that wielded by an army of brainwashed minions who once served her father. This one small technological twist changes everything for this unique fantasy world. Granted a legendary hammer, Aran de Lira is the only one who can forge new weapons and fight back, becoming an unwilling hero on an unlikely quest. MercurySteam's much-anticipated follow-up to Metroid Dread, Blades of Fire is a brand-new IP that aims to reforge the action adventure genre with strategic combat, the debut of a rich sword-and-sorcery fantasy world, and a deep weapon forging system that hopes to deliver unlimited customization. Each weapon you forge is one-of-a-kind, ready to carve out its own destiny. You don't build a character—you build an arsenal. We recently played the opening stages of Blades of Fire and spoke to the team about how they're reforging the action adventure and making players think about weapons from a fresh perspective.

Closing the circle
It was a long path to get here for Enric Alvarez, MercurySteam Co-Founder, CEO, and Game Director. Just as the age of iron and steel was preceded by 2,000 long years of the Bronze Age, Blades of Fire is the culmination of a 24-year journey, a period the Madrid-based studio spent sharpening their skills and burnishing a prestigious reputation. In 2001, the founding members of MercurySteam worked at Rebel Act. The studio only released one game: Blade of Darkness, a PC cult classic sometimes regarded as a precursor to the Souls games for its minimalist storytelling, challenging stamina-driven combat, and a dark fantasy world beyond redemption. The influence of Conan and The Lord of the Rings (pre-Peter Jackson adaptations, as The Fellowship of the Ring came out that December) was strong, pairing exhilarating sword-and-board action with epic grandeur. Perhaps too ahead of its time, Rebel Act closed its doors after Blade of Darkness failed to find a sufficient audience.

Steam Next Fest is here and we're thrilled to have you join us to play the first-ever public demo of Stormgate! The Steam Next Fest demo includes full access to the current closed beta phase, codenamed "Elephant." (Each Stormgate playtest build is named after a classic RTS unit, in alphabetical order.) Here are some key insights into the current game state and what you can look forward to during the playtest.

How to Play With Friends
While our party system is still under construction, you can easily play with friends by creating custom games, either public or private, and sharing the Lobby ID. Crush that smack-talkin' Major Galt together in our 3P co-op map, WRECK HAVOC!

Ken Levine (Creative Director, Ghost Story Games), creator of the BioShock series, unpacks how Judas will be an experience where players influence how relationships and the story unfold: "Characters have always been the driving force in every game we've ever made. Whether fighting beneath the ocean to assassinate Andrew Ryan or escaping a city in the sky with Elizabeth, these personalities have always been at the heart of our stories. But what if you could choose between who to befriend and who to stab in the back? With Judas (coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S), we wanted to craft an experience where these decisions and how the story unfolds is up to you. Because you, as Judas, are the driver of every event in a story with a new cast of characters to get to know—and change—in ways you haven't experienced before in our games.

In Judas, we give you a whole new world to explore: the corridors of the Mayflower, a spacefaring city whose citizens are trained to spy on one another and tear each other apart for the slightest offense. Where machines control every aspect of business, art, and government. The ship's leaders tried to turn you into something you're not: a model citizen. And you sparked a devastating revolution to tear it all down. Do you want to fix what you broke or leave it all to burn? That's a decision only you can make."

Greetings Lampbearers. We're a little over two weeks away from the launch of Lords of the Fallen. Soon, the great adventure across the brutal realm of Axiom and its nightmarish counterpart Umbral will be upon us all. We know anticipation continues to rise, so as we await the impending return of Adyr, here's an epic and in-depth overview of what you can expect on 13th October (see below). In it, we cover the game's unique dual realms mechanic, its extensive character customization, seamless co-op multiplayer, and a whole lot more. We can't wait to see you in Mournstead in a couple of weeks.

Hexworks, a CI Games studio, invites players to embark on an epic journey across a vast and treacherous world when the highly anticipated, dark-fantasy action-RPG, Lords of the Fallen, releases worldwide on Friday 13th October, 2023. A spiritual successor to the original 2014 title, the upcoming game acts as a full reboot for the franchise, and is available to pre-order on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

We, Envision Entertainment, are thrilled to announce that Pioneers of Pagonia will launch into Steam Early Access for PC December 13, 2023 and our first Closed Alpha will take place in September! You can soon get your hands on the game by signing up for the newsletter for a chance to participate in the first closed alpha test due next month. The first public demo will release in early October shortly before Steam Next Fest. Wishlist the game on Steam to get notified! We are super excited to hear what you think and hope you will love Pagonia as much as we do!

About Pioneers of Pagonia
In a world of countless islands populated with scattered villages, you travel and lead your people as a visionary to forge alliances with the inhabitants, after helping each other and gaining their trust. Send out your pioneers to discover untouched soil, find hidden resources and explore secret places. Enjoy the fantastical and inviting world of Pagonia, where your carefully considered decisions cause thousands of bustling inhabitants to satisfy your orders. Every transport of goods, manufacturing process and discovery your people make is comprehensible and presented with lovely animations in this ultimate game world simulation.

Homies, it's time! Trepang2 is OUT NOW on Steam and GOG! We can't believe we're finally typing out those words. What a rollercoaster of a journey for the devs here at Trepang Studios. Thank you for the endless support and determination to help us see Trepang2 through to release, we thoroughly appreciate every single one of you.

Please don't hesitate to share your feedback with us, we're so excited to see what you think of your voyage with the relentless Subject 106. Enjoy the carnage. Enjoy reprimanding those that have the gumption to contend with your abilities; your unwavering, unadulterated focus to getting the job done. Retribution awaits…BREAK. THE. CYCLE.

Subject 106 breaks free from his chains to unleash mayhem - June 21st on Steam! It's time to break the cycle. Trepang2 features high-octane, first-person gun-fu gunplay and puts players in the shoes of a newly enhanced super soldier on a mission of death, destruction, and revenge.

Broken out from a government black site by unknown allies and removed of their memories, they'll be hunted by their captives and an even more otherworldly foe, and will have to arm themselves with an arsenal of devastating weapons and learn how to handle their newfound superhuman abilities to survive the onslaught, all the while unravelling a deadly conspiracy.

Galacticare is a hospital management game in a weird and wacky sci-fi universe. In a colorful world rife with death and disease, design and manage perfectly functioning hospitals orbiting volcanic planets, deep-space graveyards, and psychic alien deities! With an offbeat narrative that twists together a ragtag group of eccentrics, the game takes you on a journey beyond managing a hospital.

From your assistants - a dejected AI bureaucrat and Medi, a tireless janitorial robot - to the variety of consultants you'll hire and bring along on your journey, the characters will grow beside you as you progress deeper through the story.