Rachel Watts has been playing Hades and Going Under, two roguelikes that take the sting out of loss (no, I don't mean the comic). That throw-the-keyboard feeling you get when a run with so much potential ends in another cheap death is the worst thing about permadeath, but these games both find ways to make failure fun. Even if it was those dang elite spreader witches in Hades who got me again.
Steven Messner has been playing Genshin Impact, the Chinese RPG that's hooked a surprising number of people. It borrows the climbing and gliding from Breath of the Wild to make exploring its open world feel freeform, and has character-swapping combat people seem to be into. It's wild that this is a free-to-play game with capsule-toy gacha mechanics.
Emma Matthews has been playing Warzone, where she's catching the subway. A fast-travel system is an interesting addition to the battle royale formula, especially when you have to clear the platform of enemies before a train will leave and take you away from the circle of doom. In the stations under Verdansk you're also safe from snipers, at least for a little while.
Tim Clark has been playing Hearthstone Battlegrounds with his new fave, a bite-sized fire elemental named Lil' Rag. This snackable fiery boy is a minion of Ragnaros the Firelord, and provides buffs when you play any other elemental. Like the Sellemental, a water-flavored cutie who adds another elemental to your hand when sold—hence the name.
Christopher Livingston has been playing Spelunky 2, living his life like a good homosapien by hanging with the cavemen. They're sort of enemies, but sometimes the cavemen run shops as well and will try to sell you a rock, which is adorable.
Enough about us. What about you? Have you remapped a joystick for Star Wars: Squadrons, or pushed through the jank to get to the Mount-and-Blade goodness of Sands of Salazar? Let us know!
