Players control a flightless Kiwi whose plane crashes into a beautiful archipelago during a holiday trip. To get home, they must explore handcrafted islands, collect scattered plane parts, and help the unusual locals with their everyday problems. From friendly parrots to pirates turned tour guides, the islands are full of characters and surprises.

Movement is at the heart of the adventure. Players can wall-jump, air-dash, and use the Kiwi’s beak to launch themselves off walls, chaining moves together to navigate the environment. Coins, hidden packages, and challenges reward exploration with cosmetic items, plane parts, and gadget upgrades that unlock new traversal abilities.

The islands feature tropical pirate resorts, beach bars, forts, and lighthouses, all brought to life with a colorful modeling-clay aesthetic created using AARISE’s own terrain tool. A soundtrack featuring samba, slack-key guitar, and orchestral music rounds out the experience.

AARISE was founded by industry veterans who previously worked on Empire of the Ants at Tower Five. Following the dissolution of their former studio, the team has reunited to create its debut project.

Kiwi Boing will launch as a premium game without microtransactions when it arrives on PC and consoles in Q4 2027.

Early Access begins with five handcrafted stages, five main bosses, and two secret bosses. Players take control of Zhang Yixian, leader of the Crimson Dust Demon Sect, who returns from the brink of death seeking revenge against Gao Tianqi, master of the deadly Death Sun poison. Reaching his target means defeating the powerful martial arts masters standing in the way.

Combat combines swordplay, palm strikes, and Qi-based abilities. Players can charge the Burning Sword’s Power Gauge to Ignite their blade, use Quick Shot with three ammunition types, drain Qi from marked enemies, and equip three skills that can be switched mid-combo. Charms, unlockable upgrades, branching skill paths, and an unlockable Revive ability add further depth to combat.

Every stage is designed by hand, with no procedural layouts, and includes secrets and upgrades to discover. Early Access also features Arena Mode, an endless arcade-style challenge focused on combat and high scores.

The free demo, released September 30, remains available through the Early Access launch, giving players an opportunity to experience the game ahead of its debut.

Following launch, Nomadic Games plans to release new chapters every eight weeks, adding stages, bosses, story developments, skills, and Arena challenges. The full game is planned to feature five chapters across 12 handcrafted stages, nine named bosses, including Gao Tianqi, and two secret bosses. The development team also plans frequent gameplay refinements based on player feedback.

Burning Sword: Death Sun is built in Unreal Engine 5 and focuses on a revenge story set in a kingdom divided by rival martial arts sects, where powerful masters will kill anyone who stands in their way.

Players take on the role of Vimal, an orphan who discovers a wounded baby elephant named Hanno in the forest. After promising to protect him, Vimal discovers that Hanno’s magic grants him strength, but only while he carries the elephant. Together, they must explore a mysterious world, solve environmental puzzles, and fight a growing corruption threatening everything around them.

The adventure unfolds in Ashar, an original world featuring lush forests, ancient waterways, murals, and its own written language. Players will occasionally control Hanno directly, adding another perspective to their journey and reinforcing the relationship at the heart of the story.

Creative Director Pedro Campos explained that the team wanted to move away from the traditional idea of an animal companion existing solely to help the hero. Instead, Hanno’s magic makes him essential to Vimal’s survival, raising a central question: who is really protecting whom?

Hanno: A Magical Tale is in development for PC via Steam, with a release planned for 2027.

In Ember and Blade, death is only the beginning. Fenrix is a cursed immortal trapped in an endless cycle of death and rebirth. Players must turn his curse into a weapon, combining an expanded arsenal with angelic Blessings, Runes, and Arcana to create powerful builds.

The game’s Demo 2.0 update introduced major combat improvements, including a revamped action and stamina system, new attack combos, and additional ways to customize abilities. Players can wield weapons such as the Sword and Hammer, or take on demon hordes with the new Shotgun.

Blessings can be linked to light attacks, heavy attacks, and dashes, while completing specific combinations unlocks additional bonuses. The update also brings improved enemy interactions, redesigned Elite encounters, a new Break state, expanded control options, and changes to the Sanctuary, where players can meet adorable marimos between battles.

Players can try the updated Demo 2.0 ahead of the game’s Early Access launch on January 8, 2027.

Join me as I check out what comes in the box, explore the controller’s layout and controls, and walk through the process of connecting it to a PC for gaming. Whether you’re a longtime Steam user or considering a new controller for your PC gaming setup, this is a first look at getting started with Valve’s latest hardware.

The demo focuses on challenging descent sequences and introduces the game’s core mechanics without revealing story details. The full game takes a more narrative-driven approach, gradually unlocking mechanics as players progress, with difficulty balanced to welcome a wider audience.

Set in a world devastated by Blight, Where the Seeds Fall follows a man who has lost everything and encounters a mysterious “Fell Child,” a being feared as an omen of disaster. With humanity living among the branches of the World Tree, the unlikely pair begin a journey toward the surface.

Where the Seeds Fall launches November 5, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam for $9.99. The game is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

Players can copy answers, sneak textbooks around the classroom, whisper through proximity chat, and send solutions using cellphones and walkie-talkies. When things get desperate, secret passages, environmental distractions, and even a pen that doubles as a tranquilizer blowgun can help turn the tide.

Just be careful. The teacher patrols the classroom, listens for suspicious conversations, and has an impressive throwing arm when it comes to erasers. Getting caught can result in ridiculous restraints that make cheating more difficult, but not entirely impossible.

Everyone passes, or everyone fails. Finals Week puts cooperation at the center of its chaotic exam sessions, encouraging players to communicate, improvise, and work together to avoid getting busted. The game also lets players draw on desks, walls, paper, and even their friends, making it possible to create everything from useful cheat sheets to questionable artwork.

Between exams, players can unwind in the school hall, play basketball, experiment with the environment, and unlock new outfits, hairstyles, and colors.

Finals Week launches on Steam on October 29, 2026.