Hotel Galactic

Hey everyone hows it going Happy New Years and welcome to 2026, today I wanna thank Ancient Forge, for sending me a copy of there awesome game Hotel Galactic so let’s dive in and talk about it.

So Hotel Galactic is a hotel builder game with a great story and draws inspiration from Studio Ghibli which is very obvious in both the art style and characters in the game.

So you the player are what’s called a pilgrim a spirit that comes upon the Hotel in ruins and its staff super upset as they failed to make an impact. so there’s a bit of a 4th wall break with the way they interact with you which I think is very cool and actually makes me feel like its more then just a game. The crew basically gives you control of the hotel and grounds and its up to you to give it life again and guess what, life we shall give it.

So in story mode your following everything at a set pace to start out with you slowly start fixing the hotel and bringing it back once the hotel is done you work on the landing pad which is where flying ships will land and let people off so they can stay at your hotel, yes your read that right flying ships you see this is where the galactic part in the name shines as your hotel is on a floating island out in space surrounded by other planets but you learn that when you open the games map and check it out.

So the first person you meet after the hotel opens is the most important character in the game Captain Pouncy Paws after some talking she agrees to help you and she will be the ship that brings people to your hotel.

After the great Captain is the merchant ship Captained by Silver who will make it obvious right from the get go all he wants is money but he does start by helping you out with some great stuff and then gives you a summon icon where you can summon him when you need it but you gotta wait 8 hours for him to show up thankfully time goes by very fast in the game.
Then soon after another captain shows up by the name of mogumo and hes just as important as he brings new workers your way yes you do have to pay to hire them but they each have talents and specialty so knowing what you need is a good way of knowing who to hire.

The game offers a variety of species of personal all of which are adorable in there own way you have the pington race which are a short species that have a trumpet horn for a nose and enjoy music which they will let you know so you can make there stay that more enjoyable, after you have the toravis which remind me of horses with there appearance they to will tell you what they like and there focus is on tranquility and peace also showers they love a good shower then the 3rd race you come across is the derret which are tall ferret looking creatures but since you have 2 of them as workers you see them right from the start.

The story follows Gustav the ghost and former owner of the hotel who lives his days in regrets over how bad he did running the hotel but thanks to some awesome friends and you the player you show him the beauty of the hotel as your transform it and grow it.

This game offers a story mode and sandbox mode and honestly my opinion is do the story mode first you wont regret it one bit, its enjoyable and will make you smile even though ive already come across some people that I despise with a burning passion im sure you will to once you meet them.

For a hotel management game its fun ive lost track of time playing this game and all I wanna do is play more I really would like to see some new species added to the game maybe more story in the form of DLC.

Now the early game is slow and sometimes a bit stressful until your able to hire more workers your stuck with 3 employees which feels like a strain when you start getting busy between crafting the stuff you need making food for guest and just surviving the game feels like you need a lot of workers from the start but soon things get easier and enjoyable.

The game has what you would call a skill tree where you unlock upgrades for new tools and more decorations for your hotel rooms which you will wanna use it helps out.

I think my favorite part is the rating system each guest rates there stay when they check out and it goes against your score so far im holding at a 4.8 score out of 5 but its a lot of work finding the balance to make everyone happy.

If you like cozy management games then this game is for you and if your a fan of studio ghibli then enjoy the game as well the inspiration is enjoyed all in all i definitely recommend this game thank you for stopping by take care and game on

Brotato Switch Version

What do you get when a game has over 20 characters to unlock, tons of weapon combinations, hundreds of items, and tons of replay ability? you get brotato the bullet hell game thats literal hell let’s dive in.

So I never played brotato before but it was on sale for the nintendo switch and decided to give it a chance after hearing it mentioned in a video a few times and im glad I gave it a chance the game is so much fun and has so much to offer that no 2 runs are the same no matter how hard you try.

So the game gives you 6 levels of difficulty to unlock you start at level 0 and move up after beating it, unlike other bullet hell games where you only get 4 weapons or spells brotato let’s you pick 6 and you can combine them to make them stronger emptying out spaces for new weapons to take there place so trust me when I say the combinations are in the hundreds most likely you have weapons from guns to clubs to even a rocket launcher and a wand so the game isnt lacking at all.

Now if you want your runs to be even more difficult then choose a character any character other then the basic guy each character has one or 2 positives with a few handicaps to follow and boy do they make the game tough on you.

It took me 8 runs before I was able to beat the boss he was a pain in the ass not only are you trying to kill him but your also killing the other mobs while dodging for your life, speaking of dodging there’s no dash in this game at least not that im able to find on the switch version and ive looked it up online dont know how accurate the info is but yeah no dash which makes boss battles that more intense.

I love everything ive experienced so far from this game the vast character selection the multiple weapon combos it reminds me why ive fallen in love with bullet hell games there easy to pick up your able to pause then if life or kids need you and the replay ability is astronomical I enjoyed the game so much I bought the switch and a ps4 copy of the game. The game plays amazing on the switch its the perfect time killer game and having the switch in handheld mode it runs flawlessly and playing it on a TV just adds to the enjoyment.

So if you like bullet hell games rougelites in general then brotato is for you yes the game is old its been out for years but its worth the pick up also has some dlc to it adding new content which I’ll pick up at a later date.

But thats all for now I highly recommend this game guys thank you for stopping by take care and game on.

Scrabdackle

First off huge thank you to Jakefriend for sending me a copy of the game to check out its greatly appreciated let’s jump in.

What do you get when you mix a hand drawn cute almost chalk looking game with a souls like spirit you get Scrabdackle. Now I’ll be honest I didnt know this was a souls like when I first got it I thought it was an action rpg but either way ive been having fun playing this game so let me share a bit with you.

Scrabdackle is a cute souls like that follows you the player a wizard who is thrown out literally into the world below your awesome wizard academy. You see all you’ve ever known is the academy so the world outside is completely foreign so its time to get learning.

Your starting area is like a swamp area where you must find your wand which is your only weapon so avoid combat cause you will die, after some initial exploring you find your wand and are ready for this crazy adventure of finding your way back to the academy. This is where the game teaches you the basics how to attack and my favorite how to scan enemies you see you get a spell that scans enemies and in your journal information on said people or monsters is written and it gives you a good amount of info definitely worth scanning everyone your able to.

My favorite part of this game is you have a map yes finally a souls game with a map that let’s you see where you’ve been and what’s left to explore. During this starting phase a lot gets thrown at you so pay extra attention or you might miss something.

The only thing ive come across that I dislike is that you use E to interact and R and F to go up and down on dialog options instead of just being able to use your mouse really dont like this but you get used to it as your playing.

So when you get to your first save point your taking into a dream realm where your sub conscious manifest into your professor yes the game explains why that happens so I wont spoil it. Here is where you will learn a good amount of information about your journey and where other manifestations will appear as your progress so you will wanna come back often as one manifestation tells you where to go and which way to explore.

So the swamp area has a variety of monsters but it leads you to peanut city yes its a small town where you find your first boss encounter and your first shop as well and yes all the npc’s are peanuts which I’ll be honest is so cool and adorable but just from some of the dialog that I read they dont seem to friendly after you buy some stuff and leave you explore further until you find a new enemy the ducks which this area will progress the story.

The game is fun and for a souls like the combat is fluid and easy to learn the bosses are also easy to understand and fight against the world is beautiful and the art style is definitely my favorite part of the game Scrabdackle is a fun experience and definitely hands down a must play for any souls player the game is 14.99 on steam and for this price you have a lot of fun and a great story to understand so if your a souls fan pick this up you wont be sorry thank you all for stopping by take care and game on.

Realm of Ink’s Final Chapter Hits Early Access

Realm of Ink’s Final Chapter Hits Early Access – Slashes 20% Off in Steam Winter Sale

Explore Chapter 5: Skyward Celestial Palace, unlock new powerful perks and face the final Ink God boss.

December 18, 2025 – Publisher 4Divinity and developer Leap Studio invite players to seize their destiny as Realm of Ink joins the Steam Winter Sale with a fantastic 20% discount, available now through January 5, 2026. The offer applies to the Early Access version, which now includes all five story chapters, making this the most complete and compelling way yet to experience the game ahead of its full v1.0 launch in spring 2026.

The Winter Sale coincides with the release of Chapter 5: Skyward Celestial Palace, the fifth and final chapter arc of Realm of Ink’s Early Access journey. This major content update delivers a climactic new storyline, the punishing Ink God boss, a powerful new character form (Keh Form), new rare Ink perks, and additional surprises that push the game to its most ambitious state yet. For a full list of Chapter 5: Skyward Celestial Palace’s update content check out the Steam Community post HERE.

Over the past nine months, Realm of Ink has evolved through multiple major updates and continuous refinements, expanding its systems, story, and combat depth. With the full roadmap now complete, this Early Access release enters its final phase, focusing on polishing, balancing, and valuable community feedback as development accelerates toward the V1.0 release.

Watch the Chapter 5: Skyward Celestial Palace update trailer here

Download the press kit here

Request review code (when available) here

About Realm of Ink

Blending stunning ink-style visuals with razor-sharp action roguelite combat, Realm of Ink follows Red, a swordswoman who discovers her fate is bound to a scripted world ruled by unseen forces. To survive, she must defy destiny itself, rewriting her story through mastery of multiple combat forms, Ink Gems, evolving companions, and rebirth-driven progression.

Key features at a glance:

Evolving Action Combat – Switch between distinct combat forms, combine powerful Ink Gems, and build creative loadouts that change with every run.
Rebirth-Forged Progression – Death reshapes the narrative, unlocking new abilities, forms, and story paths as you fight to break the ink-bound cycle.
Deadly Ink Pets – Summon and evolve companion creatures that support you in battle with unique forms and abilities.
Master Ink Gems – Enhance your abilities with over 40 powerful Ink Gems, from Tiger and Dragon Ink to Venom, Curse, and Burning variants that reshape each run.
Deep Perk Synergies – Discover over 200 unique perks, including Shadow Kite, Octagram Dart, and Doom Gauge, enabling creative and devastating builds.
A Striking Eastern-Inspired World – Explore shifting realms filled with creatures and myths drawn from Chinese folklore, brought to life through expressive ink-style art.

With all five chapters available and a 20% Steam Winter Sale discount, there has never been a better moment to step into Realm of Ink before its full release.

Realm of Ink is available now on Steam Early Access at 20% off until January 5, 2026.
A free demo is also available on Steam for players who want a taste of Red’s perilous journey before jumping into the Early Access and the final V1.0 launch.

Magic Forge Tycoon

First off huge thank you to Clever Trickster Studios for sending me a review key to check out there game Magic Forge Tycoon its greatly appreciated so let’s jump in and talk about this.

I hope Clever Trickster studios can forgive me on the late review life got busy for me and I wasnt able to get to this sooner.

So this is a tycoon game where you run your own magical forge the tutorial option is available after you design your emblem and name your forge which that alone is a huge fun boost for me nothing like running my family company into the ground with my choices.

So the tutorial starts you off easy you pick a blueprint you wanna work on and off you go. If you’ve played game dev tycoon then you will feel right at home with this system so after you start the build your greeted with a pop up that has 3 sliders these sliders represent the build its style and the way its forged you get 3 pop ups total each with different sliders and yes its a guessing game at first but the more you build the same item over and over the more information you gain from the build unlocking these green bars under the sliders which are your favorite areas meaning these spots guarantee success in your endeavors but they can still be tweaked to get better scores.

Next is the money aspect after all your running a forge you need an income so the sale screen shows you the kingdoms where you can open up stalls for a price gaining a reputation with that kingdom. This aspect is my favorite part of the game you see your able to tell the kingdoms status by hovering over there name you can see there military power and there wealth and trust me more money means more sales at least thats how I see it.

On the world map you see the kingdoms that are available this is also where you gain special missions from them for special gears or regular gear as well you see completing orders gains you coin and reputation but be careful you see on this screen you will see what kingdoms have issues with each other and which ones are at war and sadly you cant help one kingdom without hurting your status with other kingdoms which sucks im nothing but a humble blacksmith trying to carve out a living but life has other plans for me.

The guild tab let’s you buy other blueprints so you can craft other weapons maces and staffs you have a decent variety and I really like that from this game but watch your money as it spends fast sometimes faster then you can earn. The guild tab also has all the upgrade paths for your forge which is awesome as when your on the forge screen you see whatever upgrades you buy happen in real time these small touches definitely make the game more fun knowing my hard work is paying off.

Yes you can lose the game if you spend to long broke the guild shuts you down and sadly I dishonored my family name in my tutorial run and went bankrupt but you live and learn and get better.

All in all this is a fun cozy game and good time killer and tons to figure out and learn and its definitely worth it the game releases early 2026 on steam so keep an eye out for it and add it to your growing collection thank you all for stopping by take care and game on.

Etheria Restart event

Two New Characters Join Etheria: Restart During Absolute Hollow Event

Palin and Senyu are the latest additions to the game

Shanghai, China — December 24, 2025 | XD Games is happy to announce that the latest Etheria: Restart banner event – Absolute Hollow – begins 25 December and runs through 14 January.

Absolute Hollow adds two new characters to the playable roster of Etheria: Restart: the Attack Animus and core damage dealer Senyu, and the Support Animus that defends her allies, Palin.

Watch the latest trailer below:

Palin (SSR)

Known by her code name “The Saint,” Palin radiates a noble and holy presence. However, behind the Executive Cardinal of the Astral Union’s mask of innocence lies the unfathomable mind of a true enigma.

Event Period: 25 December, 2025 00:00 – 14 January, 2026 (UTC-5)
Unlock Requirement: Complete the game’s prologue

Senyu (SSR)

The Administrative Secretary to Acting Governor Livia is known for her gentle and polite nature, navigating her duties without ever starting conflict. She’s a beloved figure within Hydra Bank, earning the title of the “Perfect Secretary” from the likes of Kokardi and Veronika.

Event Period: 25 December, 2025 00:00 – 14 January, 2026 (UTC-5)
Unlock Requirement: Complete the game’s prologue

About Etheria: Restart

Etheria: Restart is a free-to-play supernatural hero team-building RPG developed by XD Inc. The game features breathtaking visuals, an immersive narrative, and a rich blend of PvE and PvP content. Players can enhance their experience with optional in-game purchases.

Street Gods

DAVE THE DIVER ‘In the Jungle’ DLC

DAVE THE DIVER ‘In the Jungle’ DLC Introduces New Gameplay Systems, A new Restaurant, and a Village of Locals for Dave to Win Over

The latest “Dev Dive” vlog from developer Mintrocket dissects the new systems and mechanics coming to the 10-hour-long DLC, plus a peek at what’s coming for the mobile launch

SEOUL – 19th December, 2025: Today, DAVE THE DIVER developer Mintrocket shared an all-new “Dev Dive” vlog, reflecting on the last year and sharing some fin-tastic studio updates, including a long-awaited deep-dive into the upcoming “In the Jungle” DLC.

Watch the full “Dev Dive” video here: https://youtu.be/E5_pWDFRca0

Following the gameplay sneak peek as part of November’s Xbox Partner Preview, Mintrocket reveals that the next DLC — the largest story expansion yet — will launch with approximately 10 hours of content. Much of this new adventure introduces fresh, surprising mechanics and systems that branch boldly away from the base game and previous DLCs.

In “In the Jungle,” Dave heads into freshwater as he embraces new responsibilities and challenges, including befriending the locals of his and a friend’s new home base: a quaint jungle village brimming with opportunity…and just a splash of danger.

THE VILLAGE

Welcome to Utara, a jungle village where time flows in real-time. Here, Dave can spend his days freely diving underwater, gathering fruits and resources — and, naturally, building relationships with the locals by completing tasks and side quests.

As ever, Dave finds himself surrounded by potential friends (and future customers) whose trust and patronage must be earned. As relationships deepen, so too do the rewards, unlocking new opportunities throughout Utara and creating ripple effects that extend all the way to Bancho’s restaurant business.

THE RESTAURANT

One of “In the Jungle’s” biggest departures from the base game is the introduction of Bancho Grill, a brand-new restaurant in Utara featuring a fully cooked freshwater menu.

Unlike Bancho Sushi, where movement was limited, Dave can now move freely throughout the Grill, serving customers across multiple areas rather than a single horizontal plane. As Dave’s bonds with villagers grow, they’ll begin visiting Bancho Grill as diners, making the restaurant a key hub, and a vital link, between Dave and the village community.

SYSTEMS & MECHANICS

This time around, Dave dives into a massive freshwater lake instead of the Blue Hole — one packed with new aquatic life, unexpected cuisine options, and plenty of lurking danger. New waters demand new tools, and Mintrocket revealed Dave’s latest piece of gear: the Jungle Gun. This versatile weapon can freely transform into net guns, shotguns, snipers, or regular guns, allowing Dave to adapt on the fly and giving players the freedom to experiment with their preferred combat styles.

Combined with a shift from fully horizontal movement to a more free-flowing isometric view, along with real-time progression, Dave will need to carefully balance priorities and make smarter use of space and time. Expect new minigames with friends, jungle-specific adventures, and a wide variety of activities that benefit Bancho Grill, or Utara as a whole.

DAVE THE DIVER MOBILE

Rounding out today’s Dev Dive, Mintrocket also revealed plans to complete Dave’s multi-platform expedition by bringing the game to mobile platforms together with a partner. DAVE THE DIVER on mobile won’t be a simple port — instead, the game will be fully optimized and redesigned to perform seamlessly on mobile. One example shared in the vlog is the ability to tilt mobile devices to pour tea. DAVE THE DIVER will launch on mobile devices first in China, and globally thereafter later in 2026.

DAVE THE DIVER is currently available on PlayStation 4&5, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S (with support for Xbox Play Anywhere), macOS, and Windows PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

DAVE THE DIVER will soon be surfacing in physical form, a true collector’s catch for both PlayStation and Nintendo fans. In partnership with Silver Lining Interactive, the game will receive a full physical edition launch in retail in 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. The retail edition will include the full ‘In the Jungle’ DLC expansion. Preorder date and retailer details will be announced soon. Preorders will also be available via Silver Lining Direct.

Eldegarde

Fantasy Extraction-RPG Eldegarde Launches in January 2026 with PvE Mode, New Classes, and More

Legacy: Steel & Sorcery signs off a successful stint in early access with a 1.0 launch and rebrand

California, United States — December 19, 2025 | Notorious Studios is excited to announce that its debut title, extraction-RPG Eldegarde, will be launching in 1.0 on 21 January 2026 on Steam.

Originally titled Legacy: Steel & Sorcery, the PvEvE game launched into Steam Early Access in February 2025, garnering plenty of positive feedback and building a dedicated community.

Picking from iconic fantasy classes including Warrior, Rogue or Wizard, Eldegarde players can dive into a world of magic and steel, battling monsters and knights, as well as other players, through verdant fields, deep woods, and sinister crypts in order to find incredible loot and extract safely.

Watch the new Eldegarde trailer here:

Developer Notorious Studios, formed by Blizzard veteran Chris Kaleiki (World of Warcraft, Wrath of the Lich King, Mists of Pandaria), has worked closely with the game’s community over the past eleven months, shaping and improving the core multiplayer experience, adding in brand new maps and new classes such as Paladin and Wizard.

Eldegarde’s 1.0 launch also introduces a PvE mode, allowing more casual players to jump into the classic pulp fantasy-inspired world of Eldegarde, learning its combat mechanics and map intricacies without the threat of other players.

“We’re incredibly excited to finally launch into 1.0,” said Chris Kaleiki, Founder of Notorious Studios. “Early access has been an incredibly useful and rewarding experience, allowing us to shape and refine our game alongside our dedicated community.”

“Beginning life as a hardcore PvPvE game, over time we learnt that players also wanted a PvE experience, something akin to a ‘mini-MMO’, if you like. Eldegarde is indicative of that effort; it is the name of the world in the game, which now provides a variety of experiences including PvE, PvP Arenas, a Social Hub and PvE Dungeon, ready to welcome in new and returning players alike.”

Eldegarde launches into 1.0 on Steam on 21 January 2026. In the meantime, players can still purchase the game in Steam Early Access today, and upgrade to 1.0 for free come January.

Codex Mortis

First off a big thanks to GROLAF and CRUNCHFEST for sending me a copy of codex mortis its greatly appreciated let’s dive in.

First off this game according to there steam page is 100% made by A.I and when I saw this i wasnt sure how to feel but I decided to give it a chance and see.

Now this game is a Bullet Hell and lately this has been my favorite genre since it offers so much diversity and replay ability and im familiar with the genre having played a good variety.

The games demo has 2 opened levels a graveyard where the dead are restless and cant sleep and a Christmas level done for the holidays where you gotta kill zombie Santa and a variety of Christmas monsters. And I do mean variety from elfs to gingerbread man to robotic deers there’s a bit of everything.

Now what i dont like about the game is the swarm it starts off at full throttle instead of working its way up so you can get a feel for it and another being you dont get new spells during the run you find scrolls from mini bosses and they may unlock a new benefit but spells have to be found instead of being random rolls you can pick from which is counterintuitive to the whole feel of the genre then there’s objectives you have to do to finish the levels great not bad I like having something to do other then just survive but the arrow indicators are so hard to see once the screen is filled with monsters that it feels like your guessing where to go. Also the game feels like its all board game pieces the way the monsters and character moves.

You will find random treasure spots on the map which give you a chance at getting something my last run I kept getting nothing it was frustrating.

The only thing I really liked was the upgrade system you use the souls from dead enemies as currency to unlock more upgrades to benefit you on your runs as well as more spell slots so your not limited to 4 spells which I think is really cool.

The only negative ive found in the game is a bug where your character starts moving south on his own and you cant regain control unless you quit the game to your desktop ive come across this bug 4 times already I get its a demo so I wont hold it against them but I hope they fix this if there planning on launching this game.

For my first A.i made game im really at a lost for words on some aspects like the Christmas level I feel the colors make things harder to see like your arrow indicators the upgrade system is my favorite part of the whole game I had fun with this demo but I still feel games need to be made by people where they can express there passion an a.i doesn’t have the same passion and love people will anyways thanks for stopping by take care and game on