Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, and today, our writers share what they’ve been playing over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been playing because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with what I’ve been playing over the past month.
Kyra’s Board Games
JinxO is a goofy party game in the vein of Sixes. Each player has a dry erase marker and board and try to match other players’ answers to bizarre questions. “Name an animal that looks like it’s drunk.” “Where on your body would you hide a weapon?” If you match with at least one other person, you circle your answer (gain one point). If you match with only one other player, you gain a star (three points). Players also receive points for circling every square in a row or column (kind of like Tic-Tac-Toe), and whoever has the most points wins. Fast, silly, and replayable, JinxO is a great icebreaker game. I can see kicking off a gaming convention with JinxO.
I love Tenby. It packs a lot of “game” into a small box, and Tenby rewards players who pay attention to small details. Look at the game’s cover (above). The number of smiling clouds, seagulls, specific doorways, benches, lampposts, flowers, and chimneys pictured could score points. Tenby has charming artwork, but that artwork serves a purpose. I may need to chain those smiling clouds for more points. And I like how Tenby determines play order. The game uses an action deck. Each card is numbered from 1 to 36 (I think). The higher the number on the action card, the better the action, but the later in the round you’ll be able to take that action. I liked that in Kingdomino; I like it in Tenby. I love building my own cozy streets in the Welsh town, Tenby.
Container is an AllPlay remake of the 2006 board game of the same name. While it does a great job of streamlining the original, there’s a lot going on in Container. When I played it at a convention, it took over thirty minutes for the teach. Just the teach. Yikes! The game box says Container takes 90 minutes. We had a full player count (five), and it took far longer than 90 minutes. But enjoyed my time with Container. AllPlay has a knack for putting highly strategic games into small packages. Container is no different. Make no mistake, Container is a heavy Euro game. I came in second (almost a tie), but I don’t know if deserved that placement. Resources are brutal in this game. I felt like I was underwater most of its runtime. You will take out loans. But you’ll need to time when you take out loans well.
I’d love to try Container at a smaller player count and play with gamers who already know how to play. I’d like to skip the teach.
Kyra’s Video Game
I’ve been getting back into Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and I almost wanted to start over from the beginning. There’s a lot more to Monster Hunter Stories 3 than I remembered. Yikes! I’m not even sure where I was in the story. Anyway, the game is still a joy to play. The art style differs from the core games in the Monster Hunter series. The art fits Monster Hunter Stories 3’s vibe of a bizarre Monster Hunter/Pokémon mashup. Don’t let the cute artwork fool you. Monster Hunter Stories 3 holds a lot of strategy. You need to know when to switch monsters, which attacks work best and where you should target them. This is the biggest reason why I’ve thought about restarting the game. I like the the unexpected strategic depth.
Those are all the games I’ve been playing. Lets see what Skye has been playing.
Skye’s Video Games
Astro’s Playroom doubles as a love letter to classic PlayStation games and a guide to core components of the PlayStation 5. Astro’s Playroom takes you inside your console to not only highlight what it’s capable of but also provide you with references to classic PlayStation titles that will make your heart flutter. Astro’s Playroom nods to various games like Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, Ape Escape, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Final Fantasy VII, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, Silent Hill 2, God of War, The Last of Us, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Ghost of Tsushima, and that’s barely scratching the surface.
Honestly, part of the fun of Astro’s Playroom is going through the various levels to see how many references you can spot. If you get a PlayStation 5 and have been with PlayStation for years, I trying Astro’s Playroom.
I finally got around to playing Death Stranding. I can see why so many folks were impressed with the game. Putting aside the bizarre premise which adds a lot of intrigue, Death Stranding is unique in its mechanics. As the post-apocalyptic deliveryman Sam Porter Bridges, your job is to make deliveries across the ruined United Cities (that’s right, Cities) of America, locate the President’s successor, and reconnect the country in the process. Piece of cake, right? However, you carry all your cargo on your back, and you have to keep your balance on your travels. The whole time.
Death Stranding is the first game I’ve played that’s used this mechanic. Being an open world game, you have to hold various buttons while trudging through rivers and traversing uneven terrain to get to delivery locations. Some will see Death Stranding as a glorified “Walking Simulator” which I understand. It’s certainly an acquired taste, but I’ve managed to enjoy it for the most part. My main complaint about the game concerns its combat. Given the fact Death Stranding centers around delivering cargo, it’s incredibly difficult when you come across an enemy while simultaneously trying to complete an order and have boxes on your back stacked 8 meters high. It gives me the feeling that the combat was added purely for the sake of avoiding the label “Walking Simulator” and nothing else. Still, I look forward to completing Death Stranding.
Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Season shared with me that she’s mostly played Apex Legends. She may play a new game by next month. So, those are the games our writers have been playing this past month. What’ve you been playing this month? Let us know in the comments. Thank you reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We have quite a few new releases for video games and board games. We’ll mix things up a bit this week. We’ll skip a headline (we had two or three the past couple of weeks) and only go with new releases. Let’s get to this week’s new games.
Dusk Runners Launches on GameFound
Welcome to Dusk Runners, a cooperative roguelike deckbuilder, set in a torn-apart world of years-long days and nights ruled by death. Take up the role of Dusk Runners, survivors and explorers who stay a few steps ahead of the night. Gather forgotten technologies so powerful they look like magic, battle monsters in the night to get stronger, make allies or enemies of survivor factions and learn ancient secrets in order to defeat the ultimate threat of the darkness: the Nightstalker.
Thank you to Dragonmount Press for Dusk Runners’ description. Dusk Runners ticks a lot of boxes: cooperative, solo, deckbuilder, and roguelike. We have nothing but GameFound board games this week, so most–if not all–the games in this week’s roundup will be previews. We do previews for GameFound because the site does a great job with previews. Its “New” games aren’t always the newest games released. Since these are previews, we don’t have as much definitive information. I like deckbuilders. Check. I also enjoy cooperative games, and having a good solo option is a plus, especially if I can’t get everyone at the table. And roguelike means Dusk Runners should have plenty of variability. Score!
Dusk Runners’ one to three-hour runtime makes me a little concerned. Are most games one hour or three? It seems odd to have that much of a variance for a campaign-based board game. Usually, most scenarios clock in at about the same time, but I can see having more players could slow down the game. The theme has me intrigued, too. Explorers need to stay a few steps ahead of the night. How is the night portrayed in Dusk Runners? I love it when tiles disappear, and I hope that could be a mechanism in Dusk Runners. I’d like to know more. And if you want to know more, check out Dusk Runners’ GameFound page.
Apex: Carnivore Launches on GameFound
APEX: Carnivore is a fast, head-to-head evolution deckbuilder where both players start from the same Miacidae ancestor and branch toward one or more of three carnivore families: Felidae (cats), Ursidae (bears), and Mustelidae (weasels). Each trait you add reshapes how your species hunts, defends, and outmaneuvers its rival. The goal is to drive your opponent’s population to zero and become the apex carnivore.
Your deck is your species. Each round you draw a hand of traits and activate them. To activate a trait, or to evolve a new one from the shared pool, roll a d20 against its Difficulty Class. Succeed, and the effect triggers or the new trait mutates your species deck. There is no currency: your die and engine determine what you can activate and acquire. Active modifiers apply to every check that turn, rewarding timing and sequencing.
After both players have activated their traits, their species fight for survival. Compare total Power and Defense; any excess reduces the opponent’s population. Initiative may let you act first, while natural selection keeps decks lean and the game fast. Solo rules and 3–4 player free-for-all (with two copies) are included.
Thank you, OneStone Studios, for the Apex: Carnivore description. Apex: Carnivore has an interesting premise. I like the idea of creating my own animal species. This gives me Spore (the video game) vibes. The gameplay does remind me a little of Marvel: Legendary in a good way. In Legendary, one didn’t begin the game with a character, but would add cards to their deck, slowly revealing the two or three characters the player specialized in their deck. While having more than one character in one’s deck in Marvel: Legendary made little sense. Am I even playing a specific character? This concept makes way more sense in the context of building an animal. I’m making a half-bear, half-cat animal. Woo hoo!
Apex: Carnivore’s campaign features the game’s second printing and its first major expansion, Pack Instinct. Apex: Carnivore (2025) has received strong reviews. The Pack Instinct expansion features red panda pictures. We should expect animals of this ilk in the expansion. Fortunately, Apex: Carnivore has shared their pledge levels. This is rare for a GameFound preview. Gamers can pick up the base game (or just the expansion) for around $30 and the base game-expansion combo for just over $50. And of course, OneStone Studios offers a couple more pledge levels that include premium extras. Apex: Carnivore’s campaign launches in the next day or two. If you’re interested, check out its GameFound page.
The Realm of Silvanus Launches on GameFound
Enter a mystical land, powered by elemental crystals and the might of sacred beasts. In The Realm of Silvanus, players take on the role of explorers chosen by Silvanus to restore harmony, gathering animal allies and channeling crystal energy to rebuild the Three Temples of Power: Jade, Emerald, and Diamond. The Realm of Silvanus combines strategic board movement, card collection, and resource management. On each turn, players roll the dice to travel across the forest board, drawing Animal, Crystal, or Surprise cards depending on where they land. Animals inhabit your temples, while crystals enhance their strength and value. Surprise cards introduce unpredictable twists: blessings, curses, or clever opportunities to outsmart your rivals.
Balancing luck, planning, and timing leads to victory. The goal of The Realm of Silvanus is to complete all three temples or reach the end of the board, while earning the highest total points from your animal allies, crystal upgrades, and bonus rewards. Each decision (whether to advance swiftly or carefully fortify your temples) shapes your destiny in the realm.
Thank you to The Realm of Silvanus production team for the description. I have more than a few reservations about this board game, but I’ll discuss those in a minute. First, let’s talk about what I like about The Realm of Silvanus. Everything on the left two-thirds (in the above picture) I like. The artwork looks cool. I don’t yet know how filling in all 3 Temples works, but I’m down with Temples holding various powers. I also like the two ways The Realm of Silvanus can end: finish the three temples or reach the end of the Game Board. This is a GameFound preview, so I don’t have all the details for The Realm of Silvanus, but if I’m reading the description properly, it looks like one player could trigger the end game, and another player can win if they have the most points. If so, that’s dope.
But I have reservations. The Realm of Silvanus is the company’s first game. Not always a deal breaker. I like giving new designers and publishers a chance. The company is also named The Realm of Silvanus. Not the best move. If gamers don’t resonate with the first game a publisher produces, you don’t want your company’s name sharing that game’s name. It’d be difficult to distance oneself from that game.
And The Realm of Silvanus uses a roll, spin, and move mechanism for advancement on its Game Board. I don’t know how The Realm of Silvanus plans to use the roll, spin, and move mechanism. It sounds like the board can affect which cards or events occur and can trigger the endgame. If so, great. Roll, spin, and move isn’t inherently bad. Last year’s Magical Athlete and this year’s DC Breakout: Arkham Asylum are great examples of modern roll, spin, and move variants. Just don’t be another version of Monopoly. We’ve moved past that version of roll, spin, and move. I’m interested to see what updates The Realm of Silvanus shares in the coming days. If you’re interested in The Realm of Silvanus, check out its GameFound page.
Hidden Realms: The Mummy’s Tomb Launches on GameFound
Hidden Realms: The Mummy’s Tomb is a single-page, Print & Play, Roll & Write dungeon crawl inspired by classic D&D maps. Draw polyomino shapes to map a new dungeon every game. Uncover treasure in the form of coins, keys, and magic items. Face deadly guardians, like oozes, skeletons, zombies, golems, mimics, and the Mummy itself. Plan carefully, because defeating it is not for the faint of heart. Are you up for the challenge?
The game is played over the course of 20 rounds. At the end of the 20th round, all players tally up their fame points, and whoever has the most wins. If you’re playing solo, you’re trying to set the most points possible or Beat Your Own Score. There are also achievements that can be completed in both solo and multiplayer modes.
Hidden Realms: The Mummy’s Tomb offers a low-cost entry point for a Roll & Write dungeon crawl. I’m assuming Hidden Realms: The Mummy’s Tomb will not cost much because it’s a Print & Play. For those who don’t know what a Print & Play is, its name says it all. Players download a file and print off a copy of the game. The copy of Hidden Realms: The Mummy’s Tomb pictured above is also laminated, so one can use a dry-erase marker. That’s clever. I may have to try this.
I love Roll & Writes (a game type popularized by Yahtzee), and there are plenty of Roll & Write Dungeon Crawlers out there, like Paper Dungeons. Hidden Realms: The Mummy’s Tomb can offer someone a chance to test out whether they like Roll & Write Dungeon Crawlers before purchasing a more expensive game that will take up space on one’s shelf. I can’t be the only one who’s running out of room in my gaming shelf system. I may prefer Hidden Realms: The Mummy’s Tomb because it’s easier to store.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando Releases
Pick a character and team up with three friends, ‘cause it’s time to save the world. Experience intense FPS action as you obliterate hordes of terrifying monsters! You may not be on the best team of mercenaries, but you are a Toxic Commando!
John Carpenter throws his hat into the video game ring. That’s reason enough to check out John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando. But is it any good? Toxic Commando–we’ll refer to the game as Toxic Commando going forward–can be an enjoyable experience with a couple of friends. The game doesn’t kid when it says you’ll fight a horde of terrifying monsters. Zombies. The terrifying monsters are zombies or zombie-like. Emphasis on horde.
Look at all those monsters above. Yikes! From what I’ve heard, Toxic Commando is a competent first-person shooter you can play with three friends. This isn’t bad for an initial video game release for John Carpenter. But I have also heard that Toxic Commando doesn’t feel as great on console. In particular, the PS5 loses some of the scale a PC gives players. I interpret those statements (by other gamers and critics) to mean that consoles narrow the player’s field of vision, so most of what you can see are the handful of zombies–I mean, monsters–in front of your face. Toxic Commando also offers fun set pieces like tanks and other vehicles. I can be fun, mowing over these monsters, and Toxic Commando offers RPG-like looting.
The looting can add to the game’s survival elements. But I’ve also heard that while thematic, the looting can become tedious. Still, Toxic Commando sounds like it’s worth it on PC, and if it goes on sale, it could be worth a flyer on console. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.
Solasta II Enters Early Access
In a Mana-infused land, a dark force led by the enigmatic Shadwyn threatens Neokos. Bring your party of adventurers together across perilous realms in this Turn-Based Tactical RPG based on the SRD 5.2 (the most recent Dungeons & Dragons release, which is actually 5.5 Edition) ruleset. You make the choices, dice decide your destiny.
The above description comes from Solasta II’s publisher, Tactical Adventures. I looked up SRD 5.2, so you wouldn’t have to do so. While Solasta II is a direct sequel to the first Solasta, it functions as a spiritual sequel to Baldur’s Gate 3. Gasp! I gasped for the folks who may have seen that last statement as blasphemy. Solasta II is another game I have yet to play. There actually is one that was released this week that I have played, but I’m saving it for last. The game has received good to great reviews, and that’s no small feat for a game in early access.
Solasta II looks pretty good. I can’t speak to the game’s story, but I have seen the character creation system. I can’t believe you can custom-make all of your starting party members. What? And designing your characters can get in detail.
It’s a small thing, but someone in my family loves creating characters, and the ability to create more than one in a single game will have them stoked. Solasta II has done well this past week. We’ll have to see if it has staying power to survive early access. So many video games leave early access or can spend near a decade mired in “early access.” Fingers crossed that Solasta II makes it to the other side and gets a full launch. Since Solasta II is in early access, it’s only available on PC.
Collector’s Cove Releases
All aboard! Collector’s Cove is a cozy farming adventure on the high seas. Sail with your animal friend to uncharted waters, cultivate your floating farm, and discover new islands, crops and fish on your quest to become a Named Collector!
Collector’s Cove sets Harvest Moon on the seven seas. This cozy game carries the usual trappings of a farm and chill game. From what I’ve gleaned from reviews, the gameplay loop resembles many others of this game type and is easy to pick up. I like cute farming sims. I’ve played Fae Farm, plenty from the Harvest Moon series, Kitaria Fables, and of course, Stardew Valley. So, Collector’s Cove is on my radar.
Like a lot of games in this genre, you’ll have plenty of missions (or quests) to progress the story, unlocking new abilities. Collector’s Cove offers a hodgepodge of game types (fishing, farming, sailing, decorating one’s quarters, and crafting). None of the individual activities is difficult to comprehend, because they can’t be. That’s not the point of these games. I wouldn’t mind floating on the ocean, exploring new islands (kind of like Animal Crossing: New Horizons), and sapping those islands dry for resources. Environmental conscience be darned.
The only odd thing I’ve seen (in other people’s reviews) is that Collector’s Cove has a limited cast of characters. You’ll mostly interact with your family. This doesn’t tarnish Collector’s Cove; it’s just odd. Most games like this have a robust cast of characters. But there must be a Harvest Moon release here or there that only includes a handful of NPCs. I can’t think of any. Still, I put Collector’s Cove on my wishlists, waiting for a sale. Collector’s Cove is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.
The third entry in the Monster Hunter Stories RPG series is here! Twin Rathalos, born in a twist of fate. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an RPG series set in the Monster Hunter world, where you can become a Rider, raising and bonding with your favorite monsters.
Yes! We finally reached the game I picked up this past week. I’ve only played Monster Hunter Stories 3 for around three hours–it was released a day and a half ago as I’m writing this–and I’m hooked. Monster Hunter Stories 3 is the first of this series I’ve played, so I can’t speak to how it rates against the previous two entries. The story is ridiculous. But that’s to be expected in the mainline Monster Hunter series. One doesn’t play Monster Hunter for its story. You play it for the titular monsters. And I love making monster besties, or monsties, in Monster Hunter Stories 3.
Most of the popular monsters in the Monster Hunter series make an appearance in Monster Hunter Stories 3. Heck, you begin the game with a Rathalos. The story overview (first paragraph in this write-up) mentions Twin Rathalos, and I’m certain the other Rathalos factors into Monster Hunter Stories 3’s storyline. Again, I couldn’t care less about the story. The voice acting is over-the-top. Characters sport the JRPG-styled mannerisms. And the ultimate attacks (for each of the monsters) play out like a summon spell in Final Fantasy VII, but at least you can skip the animation if it’s the one millionth time you’ve seen it. I like the shake-up the Monster Hunter Stories series gives the typical Monster Hunter gameplay formula.
Speed, Power, and Technique Attacks play out like a Rock-Paper-Scissors style of combat. Add this to an additional layer of elemental type (which also plays out like Rock-Paper-Scissors), and Monster Hunter Stories 3 prompts players to collect ’em all. You’ll need monsters with a Fire, Water, or Lightning (and others) element and each of the three attack types. This dual-layered game of Rock-Paper-Scissors adds plenty of complexity. And it’s fun collecting eggs and watching them hatch.
Did I mention you can ride your monsters? Flying on my Rathalos rules. But so does riding my Tobi-Kadachi up wall faces. Yes! I haven’t yet found (or built) a monster I can reliably ride on while they swim, but I’m working on it, and when that happens, I’m certain that’ll be a blast.
I’m enjoying my time with Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection so far. Customization is fabulous. One can easily change their appearance at a Catavan. I’ve been trying as many looks as I can, and I’ve considered purchasing some of the DLC. It’s a Monster Hunter title, so there are plenty of paid cosmetics available. But there are also plenty of armors and weapons to craft. I still lack plenty of the ingredients (only five hours played), so I have countless hours of crafting ahead of me. Monster Hunter Stories trades the realistic and intimidating graphics of the mainline Monster Hunter games for a softer color palette and a younger demographic. And yet, Monster Hunter Stories is very much a Monster Hunter game. I may have to pick up the other titles in this series.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Those are all the new releases we have for this week. Which game sounds the most interesting to you? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
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