2017’s Thimbleweed Park was a successful throwback to the LucasArts point-and-click adventures of yesteryear helmed by Manic Mansion co-creators Gary Winnick and Ron Gilbert (the latter of whom also created the Monkey Island series). Nine years later, the team at Terrible Toybox has announced a sequel.
Thimbleweed Park 2 once again stars Agents Ray and Reyes, who take on a murder mystery at the Edmund Mansion. In true “whodunit” fashion, each of the mansion’s quirky occupants is a suspect, and it’s up to you to investigate each person to deduce the culprit. Returning characters from the first game include Delores and Franklin Edmund, and Ransome the Clown. Unfortunately, Terrible Toybox has not released a trailer.
“Not really a sequel. Not really a prequel. It’s more Thimbleweed Park and just as weird,” reads the game’s Steam page. “And just like last time, in a town like Thimbleweed Park, a dead body is the least of your problems.”
The original Thimbleweed Park launched on March 30, 2017, following a successful Kickstarter campaign. The game was well-received, with former Game Informer editor Elise Favis giving it an 8.5 out of 10 in her review, writing, “Thimbleweed Park revels in its humor, and succeeds in its efforts toward better puzzle design. The narrative takes some twists and turns that didn’t always hit home with me, but I enjoyed the whimsical journey nonetheless. With its stellar characters and smart puzzles, Thimbleweed Park is a joy to play from beginning to end.”
Gears of War has been on a strange journey over the past seven years. 2019 saw the release of Gears Pop, a Clash Royale-inspired mobile game featuring Funko Pop Gears of War characters and the mainline canon entry, Gears 5 (dropping the “of War” – it’s cleaner). In 2020, spin-off Gears Tactics was released to positive reception, and it seemed the series was on track for consistent new games and worthwhile spin-offs. In fact, Gears 5 felt like the continuation of a new trilogy for the series. Marcus Fenix was still hanging around, but he was more of a supportive teacher than a frontline fighter. Gears 5 ended with the promise that the Human/Locust antagonist, Reyna, would return. But that was seven years ago, and she’s nowhere to be seen.
Last year, Gears of War: Reloaded brought the original game outside of the Xbox ecosystem to PlayStation 5. At the time, it felt like a continuation of Xbox’s efforts to spread its games across all platforms, but that has changed as Xbox leadership shifted its plans in destructive and unpredictable directions. Alongside the chaos of laying off thousands of Xbox employees, Gears of War: E-Day seemed like it was going to be a multiplatform game, until Microsoft insisted it wasn’t, despite since-removed assets appearing online showcasing PlayStation logos. It is now a proper Xbox (and PC) exclusive – potentially a starting line for more to come.
But beyond the industry aspects of the game and looking towards the fiction, Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel set 14 years before the first game. “Of War” has returned to the title, as have Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago. The two are trying to return to civilian life after the Pendulum Wars, when the Locusts emerge from underground and devastate humanity, forcing Marcus and Dom back into combat. The E-Day subtitle is a reference to Emergence Day, the infamous and destructive day the Locusts first appeared, and for longtime Gears fans, actually seeing the event is exciting, but that’s not what I had the chance to play.
Over the course of a few days, I spent time with E-Day’s online multiplayer modes playing rounds of the traditional eight-player multiplayer, as well as the new Horde mode. Returning to Gears’ Versus multiplayer is a shockingly nostalgic experience recalling the late 2000s era of Xbox Live. E-Day does not innovate in any radical way on the multiplayer I remember from those days, but I admit I would probably be frustrated if it stepped too far out of its comfort zone.
Taking cover and moving around, however, feels faster and more fluid than I recall. Sliding into and under cover feels good, and you can climb up and over higher ledges to get out of the way of fire faster. And I am happy to report that the chunky, dirty vibe of Gears where your enemies explode into absurd chunks of meat remains intact (even if your opponents don’t).
If Versus is the throwback mode, Horde is where I felt and appreciated more depth. Classes are not new to Gears of War, but choosing and focusing on the Assault, Breacher, Marksman, and Medic options gave me some sense of ownership over my character’s trajectory in the rounds I played. During my time, I focused on the Medic class, which at its starting line allows you to throw out an item that will restore health to those in proximity with a cooldown. There are also many unlockable, equipable mods to both support your individual character and your larger squad.
Playing a new multiplayer shooter in 2026 that isn’t heavily inspired by Overwatch or Fortnite is almost odd (especially odd when you recall that Epic originally created Gears of War) but I admit it is somewhat refreshing. Plenty of games have figured out fun ways to innovate in the shadow of those juggernaut competitive multiplayer games, but my time felt both familiar and unique in 2026. I don’t know if it’s time to proclaim that Gears is back (I haven’t touched the single player yet), but I bet its multiplayer will stand out against the competition by sticking to its chainsaw guns.
The last time a new Onimusha game launched, it was 2006. But now, 20 years later, Capcom is just months away from the release of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and as a fan of those previous games, I’m stoked – doubly so after playing the game for several hours and interviewing the developers for the latest Game Informer cover, which subscribers can read right now.
Given the 20-year gap between Way of the Sword and the last release before it, 2006’s Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, I was curious about what success for this new game even looks like to Capcom.
An enemy from the first game alongside a similar enemy from Way of the Sword
“We’ve built this game with the intention of essentially creating a new swordplay experience – the pinnacle of swordplay action games,” producer Akihito Kadowaki tells me. “Just releasing [the game] and it being cool for [familiar] players is not quite enough. We want this to be accessible to as many people as possible. So, for people who are not familiar with action games, we want them to feel they can jump in, explore, and enjoy this kind of game. We created the modular difficulty settings for that – we have story, we have action difficulty settings, and even between those, you can change the settings [on a more granular scale].
“Hopefully, we get as many people to enjoy the action and see the game through to the end because there are a lot of people that do pick up these kinds of games and then they can’t see them through to the end because they’re too difficult.”
Kadowaki says that if the game can reach as many people as possible globally, introduce many new players to the action genre, and help them reach the end, the team would consider that a “big success for the series.”
I was somewhat happy to hear this answer, specifically in how it’s void of any talk of sales numbers. I’m sure there are those at Capcom with sales targets in mind, but I hope the publisher-developer isn’t expecting Onimusha to compete with its other franchises just because Onimusha is also technically a franchise. With a 20-year gap between releases, Way of the Sword feels more like a new series than a continuation of one, though it’s definitely still an Onimusha game.
To put some of what I mean in perspective, Resident Evil has surpassed 200 million units sold across its many games; Monster Hunter sits at 127 million copies sold; and Street Fighter at 59 million. Onimusha has just barely eclipsed 9 million, so if Capcom plans to compare it to the aforementioned heavy-hitters franchises, there’s no world where Way of the Sword lives up to expectations.
I’ll be diving deeper into Capcom’s return to Onimusha as part of Game Informer’s month of Way of the Sword coverage. We’ll be publishing exclusive gameplay and behind-the-scenes videos (including a Rapid-Fire Interview) on the Game Informer YouTube channel as well. Keep an eye on the Onimusha: Way of the Sword coverage hub so you don’t miss any of it.
In the meantime, here’s some additional Onimusha: Way of the Sword reading for you:
Souls-like action game Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is getting a sequel. Publisher 505 Games has announced a new development team that helms the project, led by the series’ director.
Less than a year after Wuchang’s release in July 2025, its development team, Lenzee Games, was reportedly disbanded in April due to a leadership dispute. The sequel will be led by Indolphinity, a new team founded by Wuchang creative director Xia Siyaun. 505 will once again serve as publisher. The announcement comes after 505’s parent company Digital Bros Group acquired the Wuchang IP in April.
“Through this partnership, 505 Games and Indolphinity reaffirm their shared belief in the long-term potential of the Wuchang franchise and their joint commitment to preserving the authenticity and cultural identity of the IP,” reads a press release. “All future creative development will remain firmly rooted in China through the close collaboration between the original creator and 505 Games, ensuring continuity of vision, quality, and execution.”
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Digital Bros Group will establish a new Chinese subsidiary in Chengdu to work closely with Indolphinity on the project. The sequel has no formal title, gameplay details, or release window.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers centers on a pirate named Bai Wuchang, who is afflicted with a supernatural disease giving her demonic abilities. Set during China’s Ming Dynasty, the action game scored a 7.75 out of 10 from Game Informer, writing in our review, “Wuchang: Fallen Feathers doesn’t reach the upper echelon of its stronger contemporaries, but it is a generally well-executed checklist of genre tropes with inventive ideas for combat customization and a unique form of dynamic difficulty scaling” 505 recently announced the game has reached over 5 million players in the year since launch.
Nintendo has released an extended deep-dive video showcasing Pokémon Pokopia’s upcoming free Dive update and paid Bubbly Basin expansion. We also know both updates arrive on August 5.
As previously announced, a free update lets Ditto learn the new Dive ability from newcomer Manaphy. Dive lets players explore underwater indefinitely, allowing them to build just about anything below the waves, with various water Pokémon joining you along the way. Players will first need to complete the “Raise the Environmental Level” mission in Bleak Beach and learn the moves Jump and Surf to trigger the free update content.
On the same day, Pokémon Pokopia’s Expansion Pass, a three-part paid DLC pack priced at $34.99, introduces Part 1 – Bubbly Basin, a new abandoned town lying beneath the ocean. Upon arrival, players meet Popplio and begin the usual process of building habitats to attract new Pokémon to restore the submerged village. New buoyant blocks allow you to construct floating houses (which can be decorated with new ocean-themed furniture) and other buildings. When it gets dark, Chinchou can use its electricity to power light sources and other electronics. Bubbly Basin features a deeper, pitch-black area you can only explore by relying on glowing coral. What lies at this depth remains a mystery for players to discover.
The video also teases the second piece of Expansion Pass content. Part 2, arriving later this year, will add Pokémon accessories. The roadmap also shows Part 3, which introduces another town, to launch in 2027. These DLCs will not be sold separately, so you’ll need to purchase the full Expansion Pass to play them. Buying the Expansion Pass also gives owners the Dynamic Ditto print recipe, obtained by visiting the “Downloadable Content” option in the main menu, as well as 30 rare Pokémetal ingots. You can grab the ingots either by entering a serial code sent to the registered Nintendo Account email after buying the Expansion Pass or by using the in-game Mystery Gifts feature. Those using the code have until August 31 to claim it, and, once they have it, September 30 to redeem it.
Pokémon Pokopia is now available on Switch 2. You can read our review of the game here.
Psychonauts developer Double Fine Productions was among the five studios spun off from Xbox as part of its ongoing restructuring, and while it (thankfully) avoided closure, the divorce has forced the team to make cuts. Specifically, the studio has announced the departures of 23 staff members.
In a post shared on social media, Double Fine head/founder Tim Schafer writes, “As a small, tightly-knit team, these actions are not taken lightly. Only the survival of our studio would ever make us consider such a painful action. Our transition to becoming an independent company also means becoming a size that we can sustain.” Double Fine states it is working with affected staff “as best we can” during their transition.
Double Fine was granted independence from Xbox alongside South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games earlier this month; both studios retained their IP and game catalogs as part of the split. Xbox also spun off three other studios; Ninja Theory and Undead Labs were sold to unspecified buyers, and Arkane Studios’ fate remains up in the air as it undergoes mandatory consultation in France.
Double Fine’s most recent release is the pottery-themed multiplayer party game Kiln, which launched in April. Under Xbox’s ownership, the team shipped Psychonauts 2 in 2021 and Keeper in 2025.
Minigames were more abundant in previous generations of games, and considering all four previously released Onimusha games launched between 2001 and 2006, it’s no surprise they featured these gameplay tangents. Onimusha: Warlords featured Oni Spirits; Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny featured the Puzzle Phantom Realm, The Man In Black, and Team Oni minigames; Players could play the Genma Puzzle Space, Oni Target Practice, and Adventures of Heihachi minigames in Onimusha 3: Demon Siege; and finally, Onimusha 4: Dawn of Dreams featured just one minigame in Arena.
While these minigames might be relics of game development past, I was still curious if Onimusha: Way of the Sword would continue the lineage when it launches this September. Director Satoru Nihei quickly shattered my hopes and dreams, stating I won’t find any “minigames that you associate with” previous Onimusha games. “We really wanted to focus on the swordplay action there, so we didn’t put any extra time into minigames,” he says.
Bummer, but, as any Onimusha fan knows, the Phantom Realm is a bit of a minigame itself in these games. As far back as Onimusha: Warlords, you start on a floor in the Phantom Realm and demons/Genma/Oni arrive to kill you – you must kill them all, collect the potential rewards that drop, and advance to the next floor. Reaching and completing the final floor comes with a powerful reward.
When I ask Nihei if the Phantom Realm is in Onimusha: Way of the Sword in this capacity, he looks at producer Akihito Kadowaki beside him, they smile, and then he says, “Hmm, we’ll see.”
While not confirmation, it’s exactly the kind of cheeky answer that tells me I might be onto something, so I’m choosing to let the copium flow through my veins.
I’ll be diving deeper into Capcom’s return to Onimusha as part of Game Informer’s month of Way of the Sword coverage. We’ll be publishing exclusive gameplay and behind-the-scenes videos (including a Rapid-Fire Interview) on the Game Informer YouTube channel as well. Keep an eye on the Onimusha: Way of the Sword coverage hub so you don’t miss any of it.
In the meantime, here’s some additional Onimusha: Way of the Sword reading for you:
The first major expansion for Nioh 3 has a release date and trailer. Titled Hell’s Rising, the expansion takes players to a new time period and landmass while introducing new weapons, abilities, and more.
Hell’s Rising arrives on August 19 and sees players travel to 1651 Edo during the Keian Era to deal with the fallout of the death of Takechiyo, Nioh 3’s protagonist and the future shogun. Players team up with Yagyu Jubei, a one-eyed swordsman, and Rodrigo, a Spanish envoy, to solve new mysteries centering on the Spirit Stones.
The new Keian Era map features new human and yokai enemies and a fresh Crucible. Players can take them on using the new hoko and shield weapons for both the Samurai and Ninja styles, allowing them to attack using the short spear hoko and defend with the shield, which can also be tossed at threats.
Additionally, Hell’s Rising adds the new equipment category called the Hundred Demon Realms Picture Scroll. Defeating enemies sometimes causes them to drop a picture scroll as rare loot; equipping it requires winning an automatically generated battle tied to that scroll. These battles are replayable and allow players to change the scroll’s special effects while strengthening it too.
Hell’s Rising also adds a new extreme difficulty unlocked on the third playthrough called the Enlighted One’s Journey. This setting makes it so certain enemies receive a random curse buff that makes them stronger but rewards players with divine-rarity loot upon defeat. You can also improve character builds with divine-rarity Grace set bonuses and other special effects.
Hell’s Rising will be available for all versions of Nioh 3 on August 19. It is the first of two story expansions planned. The second DLC, Bloody Insurrection, is coming at a later date. For more on Nioh 3, be sure to read our review.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters this week, and Insomniac Games previously announced it would be adding Tom Holland’s new suit to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 in a free update to mark the occasion. That update goes live today, and it also introduces a second new suit along with a couple of quality-of-life features.
In addition to Peter’s Brand New Day suit, the update adds Spider-Man’s costume from the upcoming tag-team fighting game Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls. Additionally, the game will receive support for Enhanced PSSR on PS5 Pro and a Power Saver mode.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is available on PlayStation 5 and PC. Check out our review of the game here. You can read more about Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls in this deep-dive feature.
Xbox is currently suffering a major service outage, days after PlayStation was hit with a similar issue. Services such as booting up digital games, logging into your account, and browsing the Xbox Store are said to be affected.
The service was first reported last night, July 26, at 11:10 p.m. ET. As of publishing, Xbox is still working to resolve these problems, according to the Xbox status page, which was last updated at 2:48 p.m. ET.
Four features are affected across Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and backwards compatibility. We’ve listed them below along with the official descriptions of their issues.
Account & Profile: You may not be able to sign-in to your Xbox profile, may be disconnected while signed in, or have other related problems. Features that require sign-in like most games, apps and social activity won’t be available.
Store & Subscriptions: You might not see a game you’re looking for in the Store right now.
Games & Gaming: You may have problems playing your digital games right now.
Apps & Mobile: You may have problems launching apps.
These outages may not affect everyone equally; to test the outage for this story, I logged into my Xbox account on my Series X and booted up several games, both owned and downloaded from Game Pass, without problem. Still, this situation is worth keeping an eye on if you’re planning to jump into your Xbox over the next couple of hours.
