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This Week (Aug 16 to Aug 22) |
Halfway through August, and the news shows no sign of slowing down with Gamescom just around the corner. This week brought a mix of long-awaited updates and unexpected developments, from Kingdom Hearts 4 finally showing more of its gameplay to Ananta resurfacing after nearly a year away. Elsewhere, Astrae Oratio opened applications for its closed beta, Silver Palace passed 10 million pre-registrations, and Palworld continued to make waves with both its trading card game and a potential No Man’s Sky collaboration.
The reviews this week were just as varied, with games showing plenty of ambition across different genres. Some impressed us with their combat and atmosphere, while others struggled to make their best ideas work. There was plenty to enjoy across the board, though nearly every game came with a few problems of its own.
Nonetheless, here’s a quick look at some of the week’s biggest gaming headlines.
Gaming News At A Glance
ANANTA’s Comeback Is At Gamescom 2026
Arknights: Endfield Is Getting a Busy August
Tsurugihime Opens Applications For Closed Beta Test
Kingdom Hearts 4 D23 Trailer Shows Off New World and Release Window
Silver Palace Reaches 10 Million Pre-Registrations
Other News and Developments This Week
Review Roundup: August 16 to August 22
Some Good Games, and One Really, Really, REALLY Bad Game
⚫︎ Mortal Shell 2
⚫︎ The Sinking City 2
⚫︎ Agefield High: Rock the School!
Other Reviews This Week
Gaming News At A Glance: ANANTA and Arknights: Endfield at Gamescom, Kingdom Hearts 4 Release Window at D23, Tsurugihime Closed Beta Coming Soon, and Silver Palace 10 Million Pre-Registers
ANANTA’s Comeback Is At Gamescom 2026
NetEase has confirmed that the open-world RPG will appear at Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25, its first major showing since TGS 2025. The game has received little more than occasional artwork since then, so fans have been waiting a long time for something substantial.
What comes next is still unclear. Rumors point to new gameplay, a look at ANANTA’s cities, and possibly a release window, but NetEase has confirmed none of these details. The announcement, though, has brought comparisons to other anime-styled open-world games, with some fans excited to see ANANTA return and others questioning what it can offer in such a crowded genre.
Arknights: Endfield Is Getting a Busy August
Arknights: Endfield is heading into the second half of August with several new events in tow. The game will return to Gamescom from August 26 to 30 with two booths, where attendees can take on boss challenges, compete in speedruns, and check out developer talks and live performances. It will also be coming to Steam, with the new store page now open for wishlists ahead of an unannounced release date.
Moreover, the game's Perlica crossover with Fortnite is already live, with the outfit available in the Item Shop until August 21. Players can also earn it through a qualifying Endfield purchase made through the Epic Games Store, though some players have reported issues with the redemption requirements.
Tsurugihime Opens Applications For Closed Beta Test
Tsurugihime is giving players a small window to try its combat ahead of Early Access. Studio Fahrenheit 213 has opened applications for a closed beta on August 25, with only 100 spots available. The test will focus specifically on the game’s action, including invincible dashes, directional blocking, and aerial combos.
The combat test also gives a closer look at what Studio Fahrenheit 213 is building around Yosuke Shiokawa’s latest project. Tsurugihime follows Arche through a 100-day countdown before a battle that could determine the fate of her world, with player choices shaping her progression and eventual ending. Applications remain open until August 23 through the game’s official Discord.
Kingdom Hearts 4 D23 Trailer Shows Off New World and Release Window
Kingdom Hearts 4 finally has a release window. The extended D23 trailer confirmed that the game is targeting late 2027 and showed more of Sora’s exploration of Quadratum and the first Pixar world based on Coco. Sora enters the Land of the Dead with Miguel and Héctor, complete with a new Keyblade and a Día de los Muertos-inspired look.
The trailer had more to show beyond Sora’s side of the story. Donald and Goofy are searching for answers from Hades, while Mickey investigates a way to reach Sora, with all three confirmed as playable characters. There is also a surprise appearance from Riku at the end.
Silver Palace Reaches 10 Million Pre-Registrations
Silver Palace has crossed 10 million pre-registrations following the end of its second closed beta. The Dichotomy test ran from July 23 to August 13 and was the game’s largest playtest yet, with more than 40 hours of content, a new male protagonist, eight new characters, and an expanded open world. A third closed beta is already confirmed for players who took part in Dichotomy.
The latest test has drawn praise for its story, visuals, and open-world traversal, though performance remains a concern. Players have reported stuttering and frame drops during exploration. Its investigation system, controller support, and combat, meanwhile, have received more mixed reactions. The game’s gacha economy has also yet to be fully tested.
Other News and Developments This Week
⚫︎ The Blood of Dawnwalker's Map Gives Witcher 3 Vibes, But It Won't Play Like One
⚫︎ Genshin Impact x Crunchyroll Collab Hands Out Exclusive Gadget Pet for Version 7.0
⚫︎ Kernel Hearts First Releases on Fortnite With New Fernet Skin
⚫︎ Phantom Blade Zero's Deep Dive Reveals A 66 Day Permadeath Mode
⚫︎ Palworld Official Card Game Restocks Amidst Shortage and Announces a Second Edition Print Run
⚫︎ Palworld and No Man's Sky Collab Might Just Happen
⚫︎ Control Resonant Delays Physical Release Despite Going Gold
⚫︎ Astrae Oratio Closed Beta Test Applications Now Open Until September 21
⚫︎ Crystal of Atlan x The King of Fighters '98 Collab Adds Mai Shiranui Boss Fight on August 27
⚫︎ Silent Hill: Townfall's New Gameplay Trailer Puts Its CRTV Front and Center
⚫︎ Lord of Mysteries CN Launch Overwhelms Servers and Tops CN App Charts
⚫︎ RuneScape: Dragonwilds Hits Consoles and Xbox Game Pass Along With a Giveaway
⚫︎ Black Myth: Zhong Kui Reveals 15 Minutes of New Combat Gameplay and Story
Review Roundup: August 16 to August 22
Some Good Games, and One Really, Really, REALLY Bad Game
Our reviews this week ran the gamut, with some games getting the important things right and others struggling to keep their best ideas together. A few stood out for how well their strongest elements came together, even when there were obvious flaws elsewhere. Others were harder to recommend, with problems that reached deeper than a few rough edges. One, however, had us wondering how it made it out the door. One, however, had us wondering how it ever made it to release in the first place.
Mortal Shell 2
Mortal Shell 2 is a horror-heavy soulslike that puts you in a world where almost everything is hostile. Its combat is fast and satisfying, with the lack of a stamina bar giving fights a different rhythm from most games in the genre. The world itself is just as important, filled with grisly enemies and architecture that can make even a simple walk through an area feel unsettling.
There’s plenty to like here, but the experience starts to drag as it goes on. The combat remains satisfying, though repetitive areas and a thin selection of builds make progression less exciting than it should be. Its presentation does a lot of heavy lifting, but the game doesn’t quite have enough behind it to make it recommendable for its price.
The Sinking City 2
The Sinking City 2 is a survival horror game steeped in Lovecraftian horror, with investigation and combat at the center of its experience. Its story takes familiar ideas from the mythos and builds something of its own around them, though the world itself carries much of the game’s atmosphere through its detailed environments.
Most of it works remarkably well. The story puts its own spin on the mythos. Combat and investigation give the horror more substance than simple scares, and the environments are packed with details that make the world deeply unsettling. A few bugs and some leftover progression systems keep it from being perfect, but there’s little else to complain about.
Agefield High: Rock the School!
There’s a reason games like Bully are still so popular to this day. Being a teenager is stupid, messy, and sometimes funny as hell, and Bully understood how to turn that into a game. Agefield High: Rock the School! goes for that same kind of school-life flavor, but its suburban setting feels empty once you actually start exploring it.
The game itself is a mess. Its story has little direction, the gameplay is riddled with bugs, and its mechanics rarely feel like they belong together. The uncanny character models and awful voice acting don't help either. There is obviously effort behind the game, but it never comes close to turning that effort into something worth investing in.
Other Reviews This Week
⚫︎ S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope Review | Back to the Zone, Better Than Ever
⚫︎ Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots [Master Collection Version] Review | Finally Free And Better Than Ever
⚫︎ Starsand Island Review | Has the Foundations of a Great Escape, Only to Feel Disappointingly Rushed
⚫︎ Brigandine Abyss Review | It’s a Good Strategy Game With a Few Too Many Problems
⚫︎ Brigador Killers Early Access Review [First Impressions] | It's A Non-Stop Violent Insurgent Shooter
