Issue 364

The creators of the excellent Ori games are moving onto a new genre with No Rest for the Wicked, but its excellent design sensibilities and beautiful art direction remain intact for this action RPG. We traveled to Vienna, Austria, to play the game and learn how Moon Studios’ geographically disparate team is creating its new, dark world.

Also in this issue

• The Rise Of Palworld – Palworld did not come out of nowhere – we’ve been expecting the release of the “Pokémon with guns” for some time – but its incredibly overwhelming success is something not even its creators saw coming.
• The Video Game History Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise owes at least some of its impressive and confusingly enduring success to its video game entries. We spoke with TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and others about the legacy of the Turtles in video games, and even look ahead to what’s next.
• Stellar Blade – We spoke with Korean developer Shift Up Second EVE Studio about its upcoming impressive sci-fi action title, Stellar Blade. We learned why making a game with an ending was a driving force for the team and how influential Nier: Automata has been on its development.
• Remaking Classic RPGs – 2023 was a banner year for new versions of classic RPGs, and more are on the way. We spoke with some of the developers behind these games to try and figure out why the trend has become so prevalent.
• Resident Evil Reinvented For VR – Three Resident Evil games have been ported to VR platforms. We spoke to members of Capcom about how it did it (most recently with Resident Evil 4 remake for PSVR2) and, perhaps more importantly, why it did it.
• PREVIEWS – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Dragon’s Dogma II, Alone in the Dark, Silent Hill 2, Judas, Princess Peach: Showtime, and more!
• REVIEWS – Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Persona 3 Reload, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, Helldivers 2, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Skull and Bones, and more!