For starters, a number of studios that were operating under the Saber Interactive label will be part of Embracer Group’s divestment. That will include 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks, New World Interactive, Nimble Giant, Sandbox Strategies, Mad Head Games, Fractured Byte, and Digic. In total, Embracer says its divested assets include 38 ongoing game projects, as well as “certain proprietary engine technology and game tools relating to the divested companies.”

However, a number of studios that were previously operating under Saber are not being divested, and will continue to be owned by Embracer Group. This includes Tuxedo Labs (as well as the ongoing development of Teardown), Demiurge Studios, Beamdog, 34 Big Things, Tripwire Interactive, Snapshot Games, Shiver Entertainment, and Aspyr Media.

Embracer is also retaining control of ownership of 14 projects that were previously under Saber Interactive’s oversight, including two that are being worked on as joint projects with Saber itself.

These 14 projects include 4A Games’ next AAA project (which is presumably the next Metro game), a “previously announced AAA game based on a major license”, an unannounced AAA title that’s currently in the concept stage of production, a new AAA multiplayer shooter based on an IP owned by Embracer, a new AA game based on an Asmodee-owned IP, a new AA game by 34 Big Things based on an IP owned by Embracer, and the entire back catalog and all future upcoming projects by Aspyr Media, Tripwire Interactive (including Killing Floor 3), and Zen Studios.

It’s also been confirmed that Embracer and Saber’s deal includes an option for the latter to acquire Zen Studios and Metro developer 4A Games, though licensing and publishing rights for all existing and future Metro titles will be retained by Embracer Group’s PLAION.

Reports had previously indicated that development of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake would continue at Saber Interactive following the deal’s completion, though that has yet to be officially confirmed.

Where titles in the genre have been a hotbed for innovation and experimentation (like Witchfire taking a page out of extraction shooters), Wrath: Aeon of Ruin follows a similar path in melding ideas from other modern genres with its old-school shooter foundations. Along with Quake, the most direct point of comparison for Wrath: Aeon of Ruin comes from FromSoftware’s Dark Souls franchise.

"Several of the game’s levels also pay quite a bit of homage to its inspirations"

Before we get to talking about gameplay, it’s important to talk about just how well Wrath: Aeon of Ruin nails its visuals. Quite clearly inspired by horror shooter games like the original Quake, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin features a heavy emphasis on dark cavernous levels with sharp contrast offered up by environmental lighting. For example, some of the upper levels of the map will have gigantic glowing crystals in its walls offering up much of the lighting in the stage, and the sewers will similarly feature bio-luminescence for its moody atmosphere. This combination of lo-fi visuals along with more modern visual techniques leads to a game where the atmosphere is spot on.

Several of the game’s levels also pay quite a bit of homage to its inspirations by effortlessly mimicking their visual designs while at the same time building on them. A big example of this is some of the game’s early levels walking a fine line between old-school medieval dark fantasy aesthetics, and some of its later levels feeling like they would be right at home as levels you would play through in Quake 2. Of course, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin doesn’t simply copy the styles of these older titles; it builds on them by making use of modern techniques that make impressive use of lighting, as well as more modern hardware and software allowing for enemy numbers that just wouldn’t have been possible back in the day. The fact that all of this was achieved while the game uses the modified Quake engine makes things even more impressive.

"The main weapons in the game aren’t exactly the most groundbreaking weapons out there"

When it comes to the core gameplay, the most unique aspect of Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is its save system. Seemingly inspired by Dark Souls, the save system needs you to either use up an item you find in limited quantities—the Soul Tethers—or find specific save spots that also heal you up, acting like the Souls franchise’s bonfires. This save system does quite a bit of heavy lifting when it comes to raising the stakes of just about any fight you might get into, since you’ll find yourself constantly wondering whether it’s a good idea to use one of your precious Soul Tethers. All of this is further compounded by the combat encounters in Wrath: Aeon of Ruin being surprisingly lethal.

While the enemies in Wrath: Aeon of Ruin don’t tend to be particularly smart, you won’t be seeing them use flanking tactic. For example, they do manage to pack quite a punch, and this includes even earlier enemies like the bog standard zombie can trap you into a corner and whittle your health down at alarming speeds. The game also has a tendency to throw an immense number of enemies at you, ratcheting up the tension quite considerably. Thankfully, the arsenal in Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is definitely up to the challenge of letting you fight your way through hordes of monsters.

While the main weapons in the game aren’t exactly the most groundbreaking weapons out there, most of them tend to follow the basic shooter formula of offering up a melee weapon, and then slowly escalating the firepower with a shotgun, the Fang Spitter (assault rifle), the Retcher (grenade launcher), and the Slag Cannon (rocket launcher). There are some takes on classic Quake weaponry in the game as well, like the Crystallizer, which essentially acts as a laser beam-styled weapon, and the Lance, which is basically this game’s take on the railgun. The most interesting weapon in the whole game, the Mace, essentially lets you absorb enemy souls that can then be used to power up future attacks. Nonee of the weapons feel particularly unique but on the other hand, they still fill out your arsenal quite well, giving you a wide range of options for any combat scenario you might encounter.

The uniqueness in offensive and defensive capabilities in Wrath: Aeon of Ruin come from the plethora of artifacts you’ll find throughout the game’s levels. These artifacts are essentially consumables that give you a unique offensive or defensive ability for a short time. These abilities range from simple things, like letting you get health off enemies you attack, or a stationary shield that lets you catch your breath in the midst of an epic firefight, to more interesting abilities which basically turns enemies against each other.

The crowning glory of Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is quite easily its level design. Made by developers that have experience in creating maps and mods for the original Quake, the level design in Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is where some of its most interesting ideas lie. Eschewing realistic and naturalistic level design, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin instead harkens back to shooters of old where the levels and zones didn’t need to make any sense when it comes to geography, instead focusing purely on providing players with challenging encounters and fun exploration. The game’s levels also make incredible use of vertical space, and will see you constantly hopping around from snow-covered ruins to complex underwater sewer systems filled with demons.

"The level design in Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is where some of its most interesting ideas lie."

The game also expects you to be hopping in and out of levels as you explore them, tapping into some of the ideas of the seminal Demon’s Souls. You’ll often find yourself locked out of a certain place, needing instead to go back to the hub world and explore a different level until you find the right key. While this has the potential to get overwhelming and complicated, the tight focus of the game’s various levels often ensured that I never really had the time to stop and contemplate what exactly I’m doing. I was too busy trying to kill things and stay alive, after all.

Wrath: Aeon of Ruin also keeps up with boomer shooter tradition by not really offering much in the way of a story. All you do is go around killing things, rinse and repeat. You’re not going to get any deep character-focused introspection here, and you won’t really care. You’ll be too busy taking down monsters, throwing potions, dying a lot, and going back for more.

Wrath: Aeon of Ruin wears its inspirations on its sleeves. Its use of old software technology to do incredible things is especially impressive, and the pedigree of the game’s level designers is constantly at full display. The game also has a well-rounded arsenal of weapons that, while far from unique, never feel dull to use. All of this is wrapped up in a boomer shooter that manages to look surprisingly unique in this day and age by tapping into classical art styles with its own flair.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is available on PC, and as a full title, it now features a host of new content over its early access period, including 3 new weapons, 4 new enemies, and other new content, including a fully implemented story that players can experience.

Players are put into the shoes of the Outlander in The World World. Following the guidance of the Shepherd of Wayward Souls, players are then thrust into a host of different levels where they must destroy monsters, and eventually face the remaining Guardians of the Old World.

A big influence on Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is classic shooter Quake. Built using much of the same technology as the seminal id Software shooter, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin puts its own spin on the boomer shooter formula by also making use of modern visual and gameplay techniques to enhance its presentation.

Set in a dark fantasy world, Graven puts players into the shoes of an exiled protagonist that has been sent to a mysterious swamp. During the boat trip, however, it becomes abundantly clear that something is very deeply wrong with the swamp, and with nothing better to do, the protagonist decides to jump into the fray and figure out what’s going on. The plot in Graven isn’t going to win any awards by any stretch. It does, however, do an excellent job of giving you a vague objective that can be worked towards, while also creating an incredibly interesting world to explore.

The first thing that will jump out to anyone on starting Graven is just how well the game manages to meld its use of a classic low-poly art style. The art style is meant to evoke a certain nostalgia for games from the late 90s and early 00s, while at the same time making use of modern techniques for various aspects like lighting and level design. The use of modern technology isn’t particularly hard to spot either, since the game’s approach to level design, destructibility and lighting are very clearly making use of current techniques.

It’s thanks to these very visuals that the best thing about Graven becomes abundantly clear to anyone playing—the game knows how to lay down a thick atmosphere. Regardless of what you’re doing, be it exploring a small swamp town ravaged by a mysterious plague and beset by enemies, or underground ruins where the drainage system has been blocked off by piles of corpses, there’s always a level of dread that follows the player thanks in large part to the game’s excellent visuals and art design.

When it comes to gameplay, Graven has a lot more going on than you’d expect. Starting the game out with little more than a staff as a melee weapon and maybe a couple of health potions, Graven initially feels a bit like an RPG. The feeling grows deeper as you crawl into the depths of your first dungeon, where you’ll find your first “ranged” attack—a fire spell. This magic ability isn’t really a real attack, since its primary use is setting environmental objects on fire, and occasionally making enemies take a damage-over-time effect. It is at this point that it becomes clear that Graven might just have a problem with picking a lane and sticking to it.

Graven is trying to be several things—a simplistic open world-ish RPG complete with quest logs, side quests, and even an economy, a tough-as-nails boomer shooter with strange weapons and magic abilities, and even a dungeon crawler with puzzles that have to be solved with the use of the environment and the player’s own abilities. Unfortunately, it’s this lack of focus that makes Graven feel like a rather incomplete title.

"Graven has a lot more going on than you’d expect."

Let’s take combat, for instance. Graven has a host of different weapons available, like a crossbow, a powerful sword, and various magical abilities. Where the combat tends to fall apart, however, is the complete lack of reactions from enemies for anything other than the killing blow. Even the weakest of enemies, like zombies or skeletons, will barely react to being shot by a crossbow bolt, and wacking them with a staff does little more than push them slightly off-balance. The first fire spell you get is also guilty of this, with it being incredibly difficult if you’ve successfully managed to set someone on fire.

On the flip side, it’s not like you can level up and get better abilities to then be able to take on enemies in more destructive ways. Graven isn’t really an RPG, and your only real form of progression is through acquiring new weapons, spells, and potions by either going out in the world and exploring it, or by spending some of your well-earned gold at the nearest blacksmith or alchemist. The journal—an incredibly useful tool in any RPG to keep track of what you were doing—also manages to be little more than a to-do list. You’re not really going to get to make meaningful choices or pick up interesting side quests like you would in an RPG, and the best you can expect from the journal is that it might occasionally give you directions to your next objective.

Even the fact that messing around with the environment is supposed to be a pretty big deal in Graven is more of a surface-level idea than anything. You can’t really get up to immersive sim-styled shenanigans where you get the freedom to figure out your own unique solutions to problems presented by the title. Rather, Graven is strict about what kind of objects in the world you can interact with, and what you can’t. Furniture is an interesting example here, since you can freely use your staff to break apart just about anything you see inside a house, as long as it’s not a shelf. For some reason, shelves are completely indestructible. The world’s interactivity is ultimately in service of keeping the player bound to a linear path rather than offering any new, unique ways solutions to puzzles or combat challenges.

"Graven is quite strict about what kind of objects in the world you can interact with"

The general gameplay of Graven feeling incredibly weak and rather dull does quite a disservice to what is an otherwise very interesting looking game. I want to know what’s going on in this weird swamp, and I’m incredibly curious about what’s going in the rest of the world. The art design being top notch also doesn’t help matters, since despite how lovingly-crafted the dungeons in Graven might be, it doesn’t take long to realize that it has all been in service to a game with fundamentally unsatisfying gameplay.

On a very fundamental level, Graven feels like it’s going through something of an identity crisis. It tries to present this interesting dark fantasy setting in much the same style something like a FromSoftware title would, through the use of environmental storytelling. It also sometimes pretends to be a proper RPG with unique spells, a quest log, and even a character screen that doesn’t really give you any useful information aside from telling you how much gold you have. And then there are its attempts to be a classic fast-paced shooter in the vein of classic games. Sadly, none of these different ideas of what Graven is trying to be ends up being particularly successful.

Graven is one of those games where I really wish I could enjoy it. The world it presented, as well as its art style that feels like an excellent throwback to late 90s shooters were incredibly interesting. Sadly, none of its mechanics ever feel like the mesh together in a satisfying way, and the combat itself feels like it’s there out of obligation, rather than to present any real gameplay challenge that might be interesting or fun for the player.

This game was reviewed on PC.

As part of the update, players will be able to find new garments through the new levels and mission type. Enemies are also getting new toys, such as the new Geist module that allows monsters to turn invisible. The module can also be stolen by the player’s Pet Gun to give players a temporary cloaking device.

RIPOUT was released in Early Access back in October. The game is a co-op-centric sci-fi horror shooter that has players travel to different derelict spaceships in order to make their way to the end. Throughout their time exploring, players will uncover the game’s story, while also finding materials with which to upgrade their arsenal.

The Payload Update is the first part of the roadmap available on the game’s Steam page, with future updates focusing on new weapons and enemies, as well as new enemy types.

RIPOUT Payload Update Patch Notes:

System improvements and additional features

• Tutorial update – we have updated the tutorial steps with a new room purposed for practicing critter retrieval and using the pet on enemies
• We have added an animated outline around the hints text box
• Enemy dodge behavior – we have updated enemy behavior with the dodge feature. Now enemies will move more unpredictably and not go in a straight direction toward the player
• New music themes are added for different types of ship
• SFX orientation is improved for enemies and environment sounds. Now, the direction of those sounds should be clearer
• We have enabled the functionality to skip the Credits screen
• We have improved the weapon recoil system and weapon spread
• Added camera shakes on character landing
• Added camera shakes for Sidearms and Axe
• Added new blood hit effect on all enemies

Hotfix

• Major Bug Fixes
• Fixed an issue where the Pet doesn’t do damage on a weak spot if that weak spot is destroyed before the Pet attack is done
• Fixed an issue that locked a Player if escape was pressed in the mission complete screen
• Fixed an issue with Pet stuck on the enemy with a tentacle attached
• Fixed an issue where players can get locked in a black screen on Boss’s entrance
• Fixed an issue where a self-rescue token was not given to the players on the Boss level
• Fixed an issue with players getting Boss level in earlier sectors if they completed all quests

Minor Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue of the wrong name tag shown for the player locally
• Fixed an issue of Enhancement station always being available for clients
• Fixed an issue with FOV
• Fixed an issue with sidearm third person equip animation
• Fixed issue on Boss level – door was missing making the players fall outside of the map
• Fixed an issue with critters trying to go for windows and jump on them
• Fixed an issue with Pet turret animation stopping after the first fire was shot from the Pet turret
• Fixed an issue of one Critter taking two spots on the enemies
• Fixed a visual issue where we were showing requirements on the 5th sector – Boss level
• Fixed an issue of Enemies getting stuck in a corrupted resurrection station
• Fixed an issue of Enemies starting to spawn even if you destroy the corrupted resurrection station
• Fixed an issue of Hazard turret being available as a Pet target after destruction
• Fixed an issue where all enemies were jumping while ensnared
• Fixed an issue where boom bugs didn’t have any VFX on the explosion
• Fixed an issue with the escape menu that didn’t work on the input
• Fixed an issue where pressing escape in the mission complete screen locks the player
• Fixed an issue where a dead dotter critter fires projectile after death
• Fixed an issue where Soldiers could hit players through the security point door
• Fixed material and mesh discrepancies between Mimic and normal door
• Fixed an issue of Dotter hazard, Mimic chair, and Turret not showing damage indication numbers

Michael Markie, who was the lead composer at 3D Realms, recently took to Twitter and confirmed that he had been laid off. Meanwhile, Scott Miller – the founder of 3D Realms, and currently the boss of Apogee Entertainment – said in a tweet that he had been told by “several sources” that both Danish studios had been hit with layoffs.

As per Miller, “core” developers at the studio have also lost their jobs, with “at least” half of both studios having been let go. Thus far, 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks, Saber Interactive, or Embracer Group haven’t made any official statements regarding the situation.

Embracer Group’s restructuring program has affected a number of its studios over the last few months. Volition and Free Radical Design have been shut down, while the likes of Crystal Dynamics, New World Interactive, Fishlabs, and others also having been hit with layoffs. Reportedly, Embracer is also looking to sell off Gearbox Entertainment.

For Christmas this year, I got laid off! 🥳

If anyone is looking for a level designer or audio please hit me up!

— Markie (@markiemusicpro) December 14, 2023

Several sources have told me this bad news… Sorry to hear about another drop of the axe by Embracer Group, this time landing on Danish 3D Realms. A lot of people, including core devs, will be looking for work asap. Hopefully they land jobs soon. This one hits me hard because I…

— Scott Miller – Apogee/3DR Founder☢️ (@ScottApogee) December 14, 2023

More and more sources have told me at least half the company (Slipgate/3DR) is laid off. We're looking at hiring at least 2-3.

— Scott Miller – Apogee/3DR Founder☢️ (@ScottApogee) December 14, 2023

The Early Access release of RIPOUT comes with quite a bit of content right out of the box, including a 3-player co-op mode, ability upgrades for the player’s Pet Gun, 10 monster types and 8 critters, 8 different types of Pet Gun types, and 9 Suits with different buffs.

The studio has released a content roadmap on the game’s Steam page. While the roadmap doesn’t include any release dates for future updates, it does give us a glimpse at some of the future content planned for RIPOUT, such as new mission types like Payload and Cover, as well as the addition of new monster types, weapons, and other equipment.

RIPOUT also features support for single-player, with its difficulty scaling up or down depending on the number of players in a team.

"If you are a fan of Ion Fury, you are going to find many cool connections between the two games. However, playing Ion Fury is not required in order to enjoy Phantom Fury."

How much of a connective tissue is there between Phantom Fury and Ion Fury? Are you treating this as a conventional sequel, or is it doing its own thing with a few elements carrying over from the previous game?

Basically, Phantom Fury is a new game that takes place in the same world as Ion Fury. The story takes place many years after the events of Ion Fury, so I wouldn’t call it a direct continuation. If you are a fan of Ion Fury, you are going to find many cool connections between the two games. However, playing Ion Fury is not required in order to enjoy Phantom Fury.

Phantom Fury seems to be putting a great deal of emphasis on the interactivity of its world and environments. Can you talk a bit more about that and how that will impact the gameplay?

From early on in the development, creating an immensely interactive FPS was one of our core goals. Everyone in our development team can chime in for ideas about interactivity, so over the course of the game we accumulated quite a big pool of interactive content.

Some of it is simple there for fun – a lot of small, cool details that I won’t spoil here, but also minigames such as a fully functional light gun arcade. In other parts, interactivity becomes part of the level progression, for example when players need to operate a crane to destroy obstacles. These sections give players a break from all the action, without becoming frustrating.

How much variety can players expect from Phantom Fury’s roster of weapons? Can you give us an idea of roughly how many of them are going to be completely new ones?

There’s around 20 weapons in this game – some of them are fan favorites from Ion Fury, many are completely new. On top of that, upgrades allow players to customize their weapons even more, so overall there’s a crazy amount of variety and options available to players.

"We are first and foremost an action-focused FPS, so our progression mechanics are all designed around making combat even more fun."

What can you tell us about the customization and progression mechanics in the game and how extensive they will be?

We’ll show more of that in the not too distant future. What I can say right now is that we are first and foremost an action-focused FPS, so our progression mechanics are all designed around making combat even more fun. But to us it’s important to not lose focus on what this game is at its core.

Like Ion Fury, Phantom Fury is also obviously looking like a throwback to older, classic first person shooters. How much of that defines the game’s design and gameplay? How do you look to strike a balance between that and ensuring that the experience still feels modern?

I’m not too concerned with referencing a specific time period with our game. We are following simply what we would like to play. Many of us grew up with shooters in the 90s, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t playing any newer games. For us, the most important aspect is to make the action feel as satisfying as possible, and that’s what we center our design decisions around.

Roughly how long will an average playthrough of Phantom Fury be?

Our core estimate is around 8 hours. However, depending on how much time you spend with all the interactive content, progression systems and exploration, you should be able to get even more playtime out of it.

"Our intention is to get the game on as many platforms as possible, but this is something that we will be able to know as we progress with the development since we are fully focused on the PC version right now and our resources are also not infinite."

What was behind the decision to not announce the game for previous-gen consoles, especially seeing as the game is coming to the Switch as well?

Our intention is to get the game on as many platforms as possible, but this is something that we will be able to know as we progress with the development since we are fully focused on the PC version right now and our resources are also not infinite. We decided to give priority to the next-gen platforms, simply because they are… newer, but we will have more announcements regarding console versions in 2023!

Today, we will be looking at yet another similarly promising game from developer Pet Project Games – RIPOUT. RIPOUT is a co-op survival horror game that takes heavy inspiration from the likes of Prey and G.T.F.O. to create an experience that’s equal parts horrifying and an adrenaline-pumping thrill ride that’s bound to captivate legions of FPS fans from all over the world.

RIPOUT is set in the year 2084, a futuristic dystopia where humanity has to fend off aliens species for the survival of its race. You see, humans have lost the safe haven that is Earth and now the aliens who attacked the planet have followed the remaining survivors to space. There’s an entity by the name of Sanctuary that somehow holds the key to banishing these aliens – and you take upon the role of one of the last remaining soldiers on this very important quest to save the world.

The premise is simple, and seems pretty rooted in the standard tropes that come with a futuristic dystopia and post-apocalypse. Of course, most would agree that an action game like RIPOUT doesn’t necessarily need to focus its efforts on delivering a memorable narrative – as the central selling point is most certainly the core gameplay. That said, the game is also brimming with personality – thanks to its dark and dreary aesthetic and majestic spaceship architecture, and terror-inducing enemy designs. On the topic of art direction, one of the most interesting things about RIPOUT‘s art style is how it manages to create a horrifying vibe with its environments without resorting to extensive use of darkness. Sure, there are plenty of dark corners in the game’s many environments – but the game retains a decent level of visibility regardless. It’s highly reminiscent of Prey’s art style in that context, thanks to a brilliant combination of contrasting colors like red, green, brown, and grey, among others.

Now coming to the gameplay side of things, RIPOUT is a first-person horror game and plays exactly like one. You need to be tactical with your movements and shooting to make it out of most encounters alive. That said, RIPOUT is certainly unique in the fact that it’s a bit more fast-paced than something like Prey but also not as fast-paced as something like Shadow Warrior. As such, its mediocre pace of gameplay also lends a unique charm to it that makes it stand out amongst the ever-increasing crowd of first-person shooters.

Your main weapon for survival against the many alien species is a trusty Pet Gun. A weapon that’s equal parts companion and a full-fledged arsenal of destruction, the Pet Gun is easily one of the most creative weapons we have seen in recent games. The gun can morph into several shapes and forms – from a standard pistol to a shotgun to a grenade launcher to even a flamethrower. Of course, each weapon type serves a vital purpose in the combat proceedings – as you will be changing weapon types on the fly to suit your needs. Additionally, you can also throw the sentient pet gun at your enemies, dealing area-of-effect damage and culling the herd in the process.

The developer has also stated that players will have the option to customize their pet guns according to their playstyles, although it isn’t known exactly how that would pan out. Furthermore, players might also have the option to harness the power of enemies. If you look closely, you can see enemy tentacles hanging off the player’s left shoulder multiple times in the gameplay – which could indicate that they can be turned into a weapon.

And on the topic of enemies, RIPOUT has an interesting implementation of enemy types. Unlike most games that have a set amount of enemy types, RIPOUT will feature enemies that can reconfigure themselves according to the situation at hand to give players a challenging experience at all times. For instance, small enemy bodies may combine to form a bigger enemy that has a larger pool of health and deals more damage with every blow. At the same time, the enemy biomass could also re-shift to strengthen a certain body part – allowing it to be used as a stronger weapon. It’s easily one of the more interesting aspects of the game, and we can’t wait to see how this idea pans out with the full release and how this affects the moment-to-moment gameplay.

RIPOUT is a roguelite in that its levels are procedurally generated by a random generation algorithm. While there are a select number of mission types where objectives will presumably remain constant, the actual architecture of the environments and level layouts will change with every subsequent run. Completing these missions would most likely net players some currency that can be invested in making one’s character stronger than before, allowing them to take up challenges of higher difficulties and fine-tune their pet gun to their own needs. Developer Pet Project Games states that the average mission duration length would be anywhere from 10-20 minutes which should make these bite-sized missions highly replayable.

While players can go through the game solo, RIPOUT is meant to be played in co-op. We don’t know how many players can play together in a single session, but the developers have stated that it would be limited to small teams. In co-op play, players will have to play off each others’ strengths to have a shot at survival. The trailer showcases multiple instances of this, such as one player distracting a giant monster towards themselves while another shoots down the weak spots on the enemy’s back. Pet Project Games has also stated that the difficulty will scale according to the number of players in a single session, so players should expect to be up against a decent challenge regardless of their strength in numbers.

It’s currently in development for PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS5 with a target release window of 2022. While it’s a pretty ambitious release window for a game that’s just been announced in an official capacity, we are keeping our fingers crossed for the time being.

There’s still a lot that we don’t know about RIPOUT, such as how the progression works or the many types of missions that players will be taking part in. However, the core premise of this roguelike co-op horror shooter is certainly promising. RIPOUT has more than a couple of neat tricks up its sleeve, and we are hoping that it manages to deliver a compelling experience that’s worth all the hype and anticipation – and then some more.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Details on it have been scant since then, but the developer recently shared an update on what is going on with the upcoming expansion via a post on the game’s Steam page. Voidpoint assured that the team is currently hard at work on the expansion, and that though there have been some delays that has resulted in pushing back the release beyond the initial projections, they are committed to not sacrificing the game’s quality to hit deadlines. The developer says more news will be revealed soon.

Additionally, Voidpont has also confirmed that the expansion will feature 13 new levels, one completely new weapon, new inventory items, and several new enemy and ammo types. Arrange Mode, a remix of the original campaign with mirrored levels and modified enemies and item placement will also be introduced, along with a brand-new skill level 5 that increases the difficulty even further.

The developers also shared new screenshots from the upcoming expansion, which can be checked out down below.