Latest articles by Robin Valentine
My new roguelike obsession is a turn-based strategy game that makes you feel like a samurai John Wick
SLICE OF LIFE Shogun Showdown is one part Slay the Spire, one part Into the Breach, and one part Kurosawa movie.
4 things I hope RPGs and open world games learn from Dragon's Dogma 2
QUEST PRACTICE The quirky sequel isn't perfect, but it deserves to be influential.
Dinolords is basically Age of Empires with dinosaurs, and honestly what more could you want from an RTS than that?
NEWS The vikings are invading, and they've got a T-Rex.
This slick and experimental soulslike takes about 15 seconds to get you feeling empathy for a triangle
FIGHTING SHAPE Void Sols mixes up the formula with an abstract art-style, easy respecs, and an almost immersive sim approach to level design.
Even with the Dragonsplague, Dragon's Dogma 2 isn't as mean as its predecessor—but I love how faithful it is to the series' strange and unique identity
Dogmatic 12 years on, Capcom has stuck to its guns.
How to start a new game in Dragon's Dogma 2
START OVER There's no in-game option for it, so if you want a fresh start you'll need to find and delete your save.
Our top 10 Dragon's Dogma 2 tips for getting started
Arise Even the Arisen needs a helping hand.
With streamlined rules and an all-in-one box set, Fallout: Factions could be a perfect first step into wargaming
FACTION MAN The game, based on Fallout 4's Nuka World DLC, pits Raider gangs against each other in the ruins of a pre-war theme park.
This clever survival RTS has such a fun and in-depth building system that it's got me making little roofs to keep my soldiers dry when it rains
WALL FOR ONE Cataclismo lets you build your defences literally brick by brick, and it's a blast even if you're as bad an architect as me.
The next adventure from the developer of Ori and the Blind Forest is a gripping soulslike action-RPG with a survival game twist
REST ASSURED After 90 minutes with No Rest for the Wicked, I'm already in love with its enthralling visuals and deeply satisfying combat.
19 essential Balatro tips to make you a master of the blinds
HANDY Get to Ante 8 and beyond with these key strategies.
5 things you always think are going to be amazing in games but never are
DISAPPOINTED! From evil choices to infinite galaxies, there are some ideas that seem doomed to disappoint, no matter how cool they sound.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake isn't just needless, it's as creatively bankrupt as a remake can get
OH BROTHER Misguided changes to the visuals, cutscenes, and story make this a deeply disappointing release that's simply worse than its predecessor.
A Tomb Raider tabletop RPG wasn't an announcement I expected, but the more I think about it, the more I think it's a perfect combo
NEWS Tomb Raider: Shadows of Truth is being developed by the publisher of Blades in the Dark and Monster of the Week.
Taking on Helldivers 2's missions solo is like playing the world's scariest tower defence game
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE Diving alone may not be psychologically healthy.
Want more skateboarding and laser pistols in your D&D campaign? This year's ZineQuest is offering up a feast of weird and wonderful new adventures for tabletop RPG fans
NEWS There's even a new game for people sick of waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong to come out.
Forget Skull and Bones, there's another pirate game out on Steam this week that's plundered my heart with turn-based naval combat and pirate presidential campaigns
NEWS Tortuga - A Pirate's Tale is a more in-depth take on leading your own marauding fleet.
Deep Rock Galactic's first spin-off is out now in Early Access, and it's the best auto-shooter since Vampire Survivors
NEWS Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is already a complete and satisfying roguelike, and this is only the beginning.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's forgettable enemies, empty missions, and incongruous gun obsession prove why superheroes and live service do not mix
DEAD ON ARRIVAL Rocksteady's latest represents nearly a decade of work wasted on a combo that simply doesn't work.
This 'rustic fantasy' tabletop RPG couldn't feel more different to D&D: 'That sense of the hidden and the spiritual has just been dumped, and we want to bring that back to life'
MIST CONNECTION Legend in the Mist is a fantasy follow-up to the smash hit TTRPG City of Mist, and it's on Kickstarter now.
This drill-wielding platformer lets you dive through the earth like a dolphin torpedo
DRILL THRILLS Pepper Grinder is a speedrunner's dream, and there's a free demo on the way.
Kill whole camps of cultists with a single bullet in this psychic and psychedelic puzzle shooter
THE MIND KILLER Children of the Sun is a mind-bending combo of action movie flash and backwoods madness.
Bore Blasters' brilliantly silly arcade action finally combines the mining power of dwarves and helicopters
CHOPPER ORE And it's got a free demo on Steam right now.
