Ambitious, Giant-Slaying Action Adventure Eternal Strands Announced for PS5 | Push Square

Harold Halibut is a bit like visiting an aquarium for the umpteenth time — yes, it's visually interesting, offering a glimpse into a submerged alien world, but once the initial intrigue is gone, you're essentially on a long, and quite dull, walk. This narrative-focused sci-fi adventure starts off with a promising premise and enchanting art style, but it doesn't take long before the facade falls to reveal what is ultimately a protracted and shallow game.

If Dave the Diver proves anything, it's that one shouldn't make judgements based on appearances. Not only does the loveable lead character exceed the expectations of his cohorts at every turn, but the game itself goes well beyond what it looks like. At a glance, this is a charming adventure about exploring the sea, catching fish, and running a sushi restaurant. It is all that, but it also refuses to settle, constantly evolving the experience in surprising and compelling ways.

Stellar Blade is just around the corner, with the eagerly-anticipated action game arriving exclusively on PS5 on 26th April. If the wait is proving too much to bear, we've been given a glimpse at some of the game's fearsome Naytiba, which will serve as climactic boss encounters in the game.

Warhorse Studios has today announced Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, a PS5 sequel to the 2018 original. Set to release later this year, you can check out the reveal trailer above. The studio says it is a «bigger, better, and more ambitious» title that the team has grown to more than 250 employees to create. The sequel is pitched as the «passion project» Warhorse Studios always wanted to make, and is now making a reality with the correct resources.

If you're looking for a quick and gorgeous game, one you can polish off in a couple of relaxed afternoons, Planet of Lana fits the bill. Previously an Xbox console exclusive, it's come to PlayStation now, and will speak to anyone who enjoyed the likes of Limbo or Inside.

Publishers PQube and PixelHeart, and Ganryu 2: Hakuma Kojiro developer Storybird Studio have announced Beyond the Ice Palace II, a sequel to the 1988-released side-scrolling action platformer game by Elite Systems. It will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam in 2024.

Sonic's influence on the gaming world has been well documented over the years, resulting in many attempts to recreate the 1991 classic's momentum-focused gameplay. In 2014, developer GalaxyTrail released Freedom Planet, an excellent 2D platformer that managed to invoke a similar exhilarating feeling with its emphasis on speedy platforming challenges. With its sequel, Freedom Planet 2, the team has pulled it off yet again, this time with additional gameplay tweaks.

One of PSVR2's best loved, and best supported, games is C-Smash VRS, a virtual reality revival of the Dreamcast cult classic Cosmic Smash. Launching last summer, the sci-fi spin on racket sports has enjoyed several post-launch updates that add new features and improve the experience. Soon, a major update will make the game accessible to many more players; it's getting a regular, flat version, playable on PS5 without a headset.

LUNARK developer Canari Games has announced Castaway, a 2D retro pixel art action adventure game coming to PC via Steam. A release date was not announced.

Yellow Brick Games, a studio consisting of quite a few industry veterans, including Dragon Age creator Mike Laidlaw, has unveiled its first game: Eternal Strands. The game, developed in Unreal Engine 5, is being made by a team of 68. Check out the reveal trailer below, courtesy of IGN.

Yellow Brick Games, an independent studio established by Dragon Age creator Mike Laidlaw and Ubisoft veterans back in November 2020, has officially announced Eternal Strands, its self-published single-player third-person fantasy action adventure game coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam. It will support English audio, and English and French text, with other languages to be announced. A release date was not announced.

Planet Zoo is at its best when things are going well. Some park building games thrive when they turn into disaster management sims and you're forced to frantically resolve crises before the whole thing comes crashing down like a house of cards. Planet Zoo ain't that.