Thanks, but we want to see the trailer, not the tools

Exclusive subscriber edition One of the most irritating

Tokyo rising

Japan’s long-running expo returns with a renewed, outward-facing urgency

Physical contact

From esports arenas to arcade bars, gaming is making a renewed push onto the UK high street

Staying Humble

The company known for its bundles has carved out a niche in publishing. Where will it go next?

MIXUP

Blending combat with cards (and pixels with polys) in Friends Vs Friends

Soundbytes

Game commentary in snack-sized mouthfuls

ARCADE WATCH

Keeping an eye on the coin-op gaming scene

THIS MONTH ON EDGE

Some of the other things on our minds when we weren’t missing typos and so on

DISPATCHES DECEMBER

Issue 376 Dialogue Send your views, using ‘Dialogue’

Trigger Happy

Shoot first, ask questions later

Alternate Reality

Notes from videogaming’s borders

System refresh

Familiar, but new: that’s the mantra Nightdive Studio

SYSTEM SHOCK

Rebooting the ’90s immersive sim with some hi-tech augmentations

PENTIMENT

Obsidian’s medieval mystery is a trove of novel influences

HUBRIS

A VR space adventure that’s reaching for the stars 

THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: THE DEVIL IN ME

Supermassive turns to a notorious serial killer for its season finale

DELIVER US MARS

A pair of pickaxes raises the stakes in this expanded sequel

MARS FIRST LOGISTICS

From Deliver Us Mars to Deliver On Mars

DRAGON QUEST TREASURES

Will this spinoff prove to be a hidden gem?

ROUNDUP

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM

BLOOD MOON

Striking Distance goes beyond Dead Space with the highly evolved survival horror of The Callisto Protocol

THE PRESERVATIONISTS

Digging through the archives with the people striving to safeguard videogame history

LARS WINGEFORS

Embracer’s CEO explains the story behind the company’s explosive expansion

DEATHLOOP

How the time-loop shooter won over Bethesda, players – and its own developers

MILESTONE INTERACTIVE

How Italy’s long-running studio moved from arcade racer to sim specialist and back again

PLAY

REVIEWS. PERSPECTIVES. INTERVIEWS. AND SOME NUMBERS

How appropriate

It’s perhaps fitting that, as we celebrate a

King’s Field

How FromSoftware’s very first game started a cycle that is still in motion

The Tomorrow Children: Phoenix Edition

A progress report on the games we just can’t quit

Splatoon 3

We open on a clear, blue sky –

Post Script

Why Splatoon 3’s singleplayer is a missed opportunity

Roadwarden

This engrossing fantasy RPG may be predominantly text-based,

Post Script

Why Roadwarden’s default difficulty is the best way to play

Steelrising

Developer Spiders Publisher Nacon Format PC (tested), PS5,

Metal: Hellsinger

Developer The Outsiders Publisher Funcom Format PC

Return To Monkey Island

Developer Terrible Toybox Publisher Devolver Digital Format PC

The Case Of The Golden Idol

Developer Color Gray Games Publisher Playstack Format

Sunday Gold

Developer BKOM Studios Publisher Team17 Format PC

The Excavation Of Hob’s Barrow

Developer Cloak And Dagger Games Publisher Wadjet

Tinykin

Developer Splashteam Publisher TinyBuild Format PC (tested), PS4,

Wayward Strand

Developer/publisher Ghost Pattern Format PC (tested), PS4, PS5,

Riley & Rochelle

Developer/publisher Sheinman Games Format PC Release Out now