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This Week (July 12 - July 18) |
Studios spent this week looking both backward and forward at once this mid-July. Palworld's full 1.0 launch reignited a player surge that rivaled its record-setting Early Access debut, while Ubisoft Philippines used its 10th anniversary to look back on the systems it helped craft for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. Meanwhile, Fortnite snatches another gacha collab with Arknights: Endfield, then Eclipse Glow Games is looking ahead to gamescom 2026, where Tides of Annihilation will get its first public hands-on demo, and Disney Sparklink Stars kept the hype train rolling with a steady drip of new character reveals.
Moving to the reviews side, Honkai: Star Rail's latest story chapter left players questioning everything all over again, and Denshattack! proved there's still room for a stylish new take on the Jet Set Radio formula. And Roger keeps its unique aesthetic with its Switch 2 re-release, and it's every bit the hidden gem it was the first time around.
Here's a quick look at some of the week's biggest gaming headlines.
Gaming News At A Glance
Tides of Annihilation Gets Its First Playable Demo at Gamescom
Palworld 1.0 Becomes One of Steam's Biggest Launches
Ubisoft Philippines Details Its Work on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Disney Sparklink Stars Reveals Idol Cast Inspired by Classics
Arknights: Endfield’s Operator Perlica Comes to Fortnite
Other News and Developments This Week
Review Roundup: July 12 to July 18
Full of Heart, Colors, and Style
⚫︎ Honkai: Star Rail 4.4
⚫︎ Denshattack!
⚫︎ and Roger
Other Reviews This Week
Memorable, Action-packed, but Still Needs Improvement
⚫︎ Chasing Kaleidorider
⚫︎ Hell Maiden
Gaming News At A Glance: Palworld's Big Comeback, Tides of Annihilation Heads to Gamescom, and Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced's PH Support
Tides of Annihilation Gets Its First Playable Demo at Gamescom
Eclipse Glow Games' Arthurian-inspired action-adventure title, Tides of Annihilation, is heading to gamescom 2026 in Cologne, where attendees will get the game's first-ever public hands-on demo at Hall 6, Booth B-050. Game Director Ary Chen and Lead Producer Kun Fu called the showcase a major milestone for the studio, describing it as the team's first chance to see how a global audience reacts to years of development work. A new trailer is also set to debut during gamescom's Opening Night Live broadcast on August 25, just ahead of the show floor opening.
Palworld 1.0 Becomes One of Steam's Biggest Launches
More than two years after its record-breaking Early Access debut, Palworld climbs Steam's charts all over again. The game's 1.0 launch pushed it to a 24-hour peak of over 855,000 concurrent Steam players, landing the game not one but two spots on SteamDB's all-time top 15 list. Pocketpair says the update overhauled almost every major system in the game, and the studio is recommending returning players start fresh saves to experience it as intended.
Ubisoft Philippines Details Its Work on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Ubisoft Philippines is celebrating its 10th anniversary with its biggest project to date, having taken the lead on key systems like Forts and Harpooning for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. The team reworked Fort takeovers to feel more consequential and rebuilt Harpooning around real-time physics, aiming to make both activities feel more responsive than their 2013 counterparts. The studio also relied on modern rendering tech to bring Kingston and Port Royale to life with small environmental details that weren't feasible in the original release.
Disney Sparklink Stars Reveals Idol Cast Inspired by Classics
Disney Sparklink Stars has been rolling out its Spark Rider cast one group at a time, with UPbeats! and aMazINC. now fully revealed as idol reimaginings of Mickey and Friends and Monsters, Inc., respectively. A third group, Endelore, was just revealed, with fans already piecing together its members' inspirations. Little is actually known about the game's actual mechanics or whether it'll release outside Japan, but the steady character reveals have kept the anticipation building for Disney fans.
Arknights: Endfield’s Operator Perlica Comes to Fortnite
Fortnite expands its lineup of gacha game crossovers with the addition of Perlica from Arknights: Endfield, who will arrive in the Item Shop on August 14, 2026. As one of Endfield's central characters and the first Operator players receive in the game, Perlica joins Fortnite's Gaming Legends series. While Epic Games has yet to reveal pricing or any accompanying cosmetics, many see it as another sign of Fortnite's growing interest in partnering with gacha franchises. Others see it as an opportunity for Arknights: Endfield to reach a broader audience.
Other News and Developments This Week
⚫︎ I SHALL NAME THE DEAD, Tiago Rech's New Horror Adventure, Launches Early 2027
⚫︎ Disney Sparklink Stars' Endelore Features Beauty and the Beast-Inspired Idols
⚫︎ Path of Exile 3.29 Overhauls a System That Hasn't Been Changed in Almost Two Decades
⚫︎ Astrae Oratio Closed Beta Test Applications Open This August
⚫︎ Aether Gazer CN To Keep Servers On for 5 Years Without Charging Any Money
Review Roundup: July 12 to July 18
Full of Heart, Colors, and Style
This week's reviews focused on games with well-thought-of designs and spirit, while having their ups and downs, both literally and metaphorically. Honkai: Star Rail's latest story chapter update kept its momentum with sharp twists and heartfelt beats, while the quirky Denshattack! carved out its own identity in a genre that's been under the radar for a while. And Roger, meanwhile, proved to be just as memorable on its Switch 2 re-release as it was on its original 2025 debut.
Honkai: Star Rail 4.4
Honkai: Star Rail's 4.4 update continues Planarcadia's story at its most compelling yet, layering twist after twist onto Himeko and the Trailblazer's race against time without ever losing its flow. Sharp pacing and well-earned character parallels make the finale hit especially hard, even as a few technical hiccups and missed narrative beats keep it from being flawless.
Denshattack!
Denshattack! wears its popping Jet Set Radio inspirations proudly while still carving out an identity of its own. The game combines high-speed train grinding with stylish trick chaining and a soundtrack that matches its neon-soaked style. With how engaging its gameplay is so far, the story mostly feels more secondary, but that balance is exactly where the game shines brightest.
and Roger
And Roger's Switch 2 re-release doesn't add much beyond new controls and localizations, but it didn't need to. This quiet, minimalist visual novel about love and communication still delivers one of the most affecting hour-long experiences around, with its restrained visuals and audio design saying more than dialogue ever could.
Other Reviews This Week
⚫︎ Digimon UP Review - First Impressions | Digimon Fans Deserve Better Than This
⚫︎ WabiSabi SushiDerby Review | It's Huge Fun in Bite-Sized Bursts
⚫︎ The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu Review - First Impressions | The Lovecraftian Shooter You Didn’t Know You Wanted
⚫︎ Echoes of Aincrad Review | How to Make Sword Art Online Feel Dead
⚫︎ D-topia Review | Not Quite The Imagined Utopia
⚫︎ Moss: The Forgotten Relic Review - First Impressions | Whimsical Storybook of Your Dreams
Memorable, Action-packed, but Still Needs Improvement
For games still in development, we were presented two different action-packed games still finding their footing, yet each had already left a strong impression. Chasing Kaleidorider's second closed beta proved that a lack of genre focus may actually work in its favor, while the '90s-styled Hell Maiden showed that reimagining a literary classic through roguelite combat can pay off when the writing actually understands its source. Neither game is complete, but both are shaping up to be worth keeping an eye on.
Chasing Kaleidorider
Chasing Kaleidorider is a gacha title that refuses to sit still, taking high-speed motorcycle combat, deliberate resource management, dating sim elements, and a conspiracy-driven mystery story all at once. This second closed beta test showcases that the game’s constant genre-shifting is oddly one of its greater strengths. Still, it’s messy and doesn't always justify its own choices, but that unpredictable, handmade charm makes it stand out from more calculated, trend-chasing releases in the ARPG gacha titles space.
Hell Maiden
Hell Maiden reimagines the aftermath of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy as a bullet heaven roguelite, following a genderbent Dante who falls from Paradise back into Hell and teams up with a reimagined literary cast. There was a lot to like in the game’s genuine grasp of the source material and its flexible, experimentation-friendly build system, backed by striking '90s anime visuals and strong voice work. Though some crashes and UI rough edges are still present, as expected this early on, the game's identity and gameplay loop already make it a promising foundation.
