Softpedia News / Global 002873 http://cdn.softpedia.com/_img/spdfavicon.svg http://cdn.softpedia.com/_img/spdlogo.svg https://news.softpedia.com/ Softpedia en-us 2001-2026 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:15:46 +0000 Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:15:46 +0000 News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 https://cdnssl.softpedia.com/_img/softpedia_logo_rss.png https://news.softpedia.com/ https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/possessor-s-review-538100.shtml Possessor(s) is a game that tries to bring back the platforming goodness of the 90s, with a twist. It has modern graphics, a gripping story, but also a beautiful world filled with enemies that you’ll have to use all your skills to defeat, and it’s much tougher than you realize.

At its core, the main story of the game focuses on a city that was destroyed due to an inter-dimensional catastrophe. Luca is the most and Rhem is a not-so-cooperative counterpart. The game does a very good job at highlighting the differences between the two, but also how they have to coexist and work together, which proves to be a real challenge more often than not.

One of the core appeals of Possessor(s) is the gameplay, which is not only fast paced, but also very fluid. It’s a pleasure to roam through these levels and kill enemies. Not only is the world beautiful, but the animations are very good as well. It helps that the characters are hand-drawn, because it adds to the beauty of the ar... (read more)]]> Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:32:27 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/possessor-s-review-538100.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/pure-pool-pro-review-538099.shtml Pure Pool Pro is the sequel to a very popular pool game called Pure Pool, and it’s coming with some really interesting claims. The title brings hyper-realistic physics, 120 FPS, 4K action, along with realistic lighting and beautiful pool table designs. And it’s quite exciting to play as well. So naturally, with so many interesting ideas, I was very curious to see how many of these things are true, and if the game truly is as good as it claims.

Right off the bat, the game has a very engaging single-player component, in the form of a career mode. There are 3 major difficulties, Amateur, Major and Pro, each with their own different opponents you can face. Each level/opponent can give you up to 3 stars, provided you complete each star challenge. You need to do more than just defeat the opponent, depending on the level you either have to score 3 times in a row, have no fouls and so on.

That’s pretty cool, because it allows you to experiment with the gameplay and try out... (read more)]]> Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:39:50 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/pure-pool-pro-review-538099.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/darwin-039-s-paradox-review-538098.shtml The cinematic platformer genre became very popular thanks to Limbo, and since then we’ve seen a lot of titles that emulate Pixar’s visual quality, albeit in a videogame format. Darwin's Paradox is one of the latest titles in this genre, and in it, we follow a smart octopus that gets caught and ends up pulled into a seafood factory.

It tries to get out of the factory, but things are not as easy as you might expect. You’ll encounter a lot of enemies, both on land and in the water, which would love nothing more than to see you dead. The fact that this game is an entirely wordless story is also amazing, because it relies on visuals and environmental storytelling, something you rarely get to see in games.

Darwin the octopus has a great set of moves, he doesn’t have a problem moving around, and throwing ink allows him to hide or go through areas filled with enemies. He’s smart, so his swift movements and finesse set him apart from all the other creatures out there. There... (read more)]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:47:48 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/darwin-039-s-paradox-review-538098.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/super-alloy-crush-preview-pc-538097.shtml If you ever played Mega Man X or old-school platformer brawlers, you already know that genre is not as popular these days. But some titles are trying to bring it back, and Super Alloy Crush is definitely one of them. The game is a great 2D roguelike brawler that just entered early access, and you play as Muu or Kelly in your quest to defeat enemies and also acquire Planet AE-38, which is the ultimate cosmic treasure.

Despite the game not being finished just yet, they did an extremely good job at offering exciting and fast-paced platforming, lots of secret areas, and enemies that are both innovative and annoying at times. There’s also a story which is unfinished for now, with a cool anime vibe that helps push the experience forward.

However, in my case at least, the main focus was the gameplay and not the story. The latter is just an excuse for you to go through levels, squash enemies and find all kinds of bosses. I like the game’s fast-paced gameplay and the fact t... (read more)]]> Wed, 08 Apr 2026 19:28:13 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/super-alloy-crush-preview-pc-538097.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/xenonauts-2-review-538096.shtml The aliens have very good reflexes. One of them, well-hidden inside a crashed UFO, managed to take out two of my troopers as they opened the door and attempted to get a few grenades inside. I didn’t have any armor to protect them from the xeno commander’s plasma shots. It took an assault led by my MARS robot and four other soldiers to neutralize him.

Losing sergeant majors is no joke, especially when most of one’s A-team is already recovering from injuries. If another mission pops up during next week, I might need to throw green corporals at the aliens, which will lead to more death. Even with improved armor and some laser weapons, puny humans are having trouble when the xenos bring in their shock troops.

On the strategic level, I plan to use my influence points to solidify control over North America, even if it means allowing the Doom counter to get a little over 40%. I might also add some medical capabilities to my base. A new funding round is coming up soon, and... (read more)]]> Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:49:00 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/xenonauts-2-review-538096.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/sherman-commander-review-538095.shtml M4 Sherman tanks were seen as the backbone of the allied forces, and they have continually been a huge part of WWII since their introduction in 1942. They were not only easy to maintain but also producing them in large quantities was quite easy, too. Many of us would like to control such an amazing vehicle, and with Sherman Commander, our wish is finally coming true.

Unlike other tank games that just focus on the tank itself, this one adds more focus on the infantry, which is definitely something I enjoyed and appreciated a whole lot more than expected. Commanding a tank has never felt more rewarding, and while you can see a third person view of the tank, most of the time you want to focus on the first person view, as it offers a much better perspective and you also have tighter controls that way. But I played in third person during multiple battles, and it felt just fine.

Maps in Sherman Commander are not overly large, but not that small, either. I like the fact t... (read more)]]> Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:43:00 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/sherman-commander-review-538095.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/cinderia-preview-pc-538094.shtml Roguelike and bullet hell games go hand in hand, and sometimes they can be magical, which is exactly what happens when it comes to Cinderia. The title seamlessly combined action and roguelike gameplay with the bullet hell genre, thus offering us a very immersive, albeit quite challenging set of gameplay mechanics.

In the game, we enter a land that was plunged into eternal flame by a new queen. It’s our duty to try and stop these issues from happening, and thankfully, the game doesn’t shy away from having its challenges. Every new region you enter comes with great enemy designs, and a boss that will test all your skills.

Even if the game does have some English translation issues, this is Early Access and those problems will most likely get solved. But what matters in Cinderia is the gameplay, and it truly is one of the best I’ve seen in this genre. You will access all kinds of accessories to bolster your power, and various abilities that you can even upgrade to make... (read more)]]> Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:06:10 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/cinderia-preview-pc-538094.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/screamer-review-538093.shtml Milestone is a developer widely known for their racing titles, so when I heard a revival of the Screamer IP is coming from them, I was very excited. This new version of Screamer has a very interesting story shared by anime characters, and controls that will take some getting used to. But what really matters is the gameplay, which is very fun, and no matter if you play online, in the arcade or story mode, you’ll find yourself staying on for one extra race.

The Tournament mode is the game’s campaign, but also the introduction to the characters and systems offered by the title. Especially in the beginning, this mode is very dialog-heavy, and they are introducing multiple characters, which do feel overwhelming. What’s interesting is that none of the characters feel very subtle, they all have their reasons to enter the tournament, and they do want to win at all costs.

While there are some soap opera elements, I think the story is decent, and I like the overall pacing th... (read more)]]> Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:26:52 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/screamer-review-538093.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/project-songbird-review-538092.shtml Dakota is in trouble, the kind that arrives at night from behind a red door. To be fair, I decide to press E and go through that door, so part of the responsibility for the torment lies with me, the player. Now I need to move around carefully, avoiding the light and making sure I don’t make noise. The monster might be weirdly made out of bark, but I wasn’t able to chop it down with my trusty ax.

It takes five minutes to get past the creature while navigating the desk maze, but I have a fuse, and I proceed to light the place up. I also have a picture that, apparently, serves as a sacrifice. And electricity means that more are probably hidden an elevator ride away. Dream logic, even when tinged with horror, is weirdly consistent.
I hope to make Dakota wake up soon. A new day will mean another set of records to listen to. And, with a bit of luck, an easy puzzle and then a chance to work on some new music, layering instrumental tracks and maybe a few environmental recor... (read more)]]> Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:50:57 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/project-songbird-review-538092.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/field-of-glory-kingdoms-burghers-and-bombards-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538091.shtml The Mongols are having a great year. Their big armies are trampling over opponents, the Europeans seem unready once we swing over their way, and we’re bringing in a ton of gold. Sure, the empire will break up once Chinggis dies, but investing in the lands of the future Golden Horde will surely set it up for success. But fast conquest, even with plenty of aid from unique buildings, will make it hard to keep the lands together later.

In an alternate version of history, Poland is barely holding on, struggling to gain authority while remaining peaceful. We might get Mazovia as a vassal soon, but Silesia is playing hard to get. Burghers are powering a booming economy, but I struggle to get my equipment and metal production to keep pace.

Field of Glory: Kingdoms - Burghers and Bombards is developed by AGEOD and published by Slitherine Ltd. This second downloadable content pack is, as the name makes clear, set to introduce more mechanics and campaigns.
Players can now cho... (read more)]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:38:17 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/field-of-glory-kingdoms-burghers-and-bombards-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538091.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/mega-man-star-force-legacy-collection-review-538090.shtml Capcom’s focus on bringing Mega Man games to every platform continues, and with the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, we finally have the great series on PC, along with some other modern platforms. Here you get 7 games in total, although it’s basically just 3 distinct Star Force games and a few variants. Regardless, there’s a lot of content here, and if you love the series, you’ll find yourself playing for many hours on end.

Not having played any Mega Man Star Force game, I was not sure what I was getting myself into. But the overall experience and story was pleasant, although you feel that these games were made for the DS platform. Yet despite that, the games are very playable on PC, they look great for their age, and I didn’t encounter any crashes or performance problems, either.

We follow Geo Stelar, a young child from the 23rd century. It’s a strange place because aliens exist and the world has electromagnetic waves connecting our planet with another dimen... (read more)]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:28:55 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/mega-man-star-force-legacy-collection-review-538090.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/aether-iron-review-538089.shtml Gia is ruthless when she has to, consequences be damned. A former partner tried to pull a fast one, using her skills to complete a tough job, only to then abandon her. I was more than happy to allow her to turn the tables and leave him to his fate, choosing to focus on future challenges and new relationships rather than dwell on the past. Rolling the dice just right during conversations helped.

Now, she’s unafraid to trade shogun and machine gun fire with the enforcers of a local baron, while driving at speed through the islands of New York. Companion Cress is providing healing, while dealing damage by bumping into all enemies that get close. I’ve aced previous car battles, using a mix of aggression and avoidance, but this one is giving me trouble. When five or six enemy cards gang up on Gia during one turn, it’s easy for her light speeder to be destroyed in one turn.

The key seems to be using environmental hazards and area-of-effect attacks to nullify numerical ad... (read more)]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:34:42 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/aether-iron-review-538089.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/legacy-of-kain-ascendance-review-538088.shtml The Legacy of Kain series is coveted for its great story and revolutionary gameplay. And while we had remasters over the past few years, we didn’t get any new entries for over 20 years now. But right after the successful Defiance remaster, we are getting Legacy of Kain: Ascendance, a 2D action platformer that tries to fill in some lore gaps, while also offering some new story tidbits for the existing fans.

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance features 12 levels, which vary quite a bit in length and style. One of the things I liked the most about this game is that it never tries to stick with a single formula for each level. Sure, some of them will have the platforming sections and a boss at the end. Others will focus more on lore sections with very little platforming. Despite that, it all feels very cohesive and during the 2-3 hours of play, it ends up being very satisfying, especially towards the end.

The game’s story is also interesting, because it focuses a lot on Raziel’... (read more)]]> Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:38:54 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/legacy-of-kain-ascendance-review-538088.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/bloodletter-preview-pc-538087.shtml The villagers need more health, but I’m better equipped to purify their spirit. The cosmic demon we’re up against is using disease to try to kill them, and distrust to make it harder to actually help them. I might have to abandon one of them, which feels pretty bad. But it might be the only way to extract all bloodstones and banish this creature.

I use an upgraded card to boost both health and purity for the seamstress, whose trust I already have. I will use her ability this evening to improve my deck, while also gaining a new card. She still has two levels of disease but should be OK for a few turns. I also help the butcher as much as possible, even if I lack the cards to make him trust me. Unfortunately, the herbalist might be doomed, unless I get someone’s health to 100 and get the right blessing.

BLOODLETTER is developed and published by ALDAMAMI GAMES. I played it on Steam, where the title is in Early Access. The video game combines card-driven action and a ru... (read more)]]> Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:22:00 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/bloodletter-preview-pc-538087.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/greedfall-the-dying-world-review-538086.shtml When the first GreedFall launched, it was very promising for an AA action RPG, and it delivered on most fronts. People were expecting a sequel, but instead of having something that would continue the story, we got a prequel in the form of GreedFall: The Dying World. However, even if The Dying World starts 3 years before the first game’s events, it catches up to them since the story is running in parallel.

Right off the bat, the idea of controlling a native of the Teer Fradee that’s captured and taken to the old continent of Gacane felt refreshing. Since last time we played as the colonizers, having a different perspective was quite interesting here. The main character’s name is Vriden Gerr, or Rootless, as he is known within his circle. Firstly, you must graduate to sage, and that means solving all kinds of issues happening inside the village.

Unlike the first game where you controlled a single character alongside AI companions, here you can switch between companio... (read more)]]> Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:00:24 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/greedfall-the-dying-world-review-538086.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/hordes-of-fate-a-hand-of-fate-adventure-preview-pc-538085.shtml My hero is a skeleton destroyer with very bad luck. His magic attack is demolishing enemies, especially when paired with the extra batarangs I recently picked up. I’ve managed to keep his health high and have picked up quite a few shards and extra upgrade cards while exploring the level.

But my attempts to get a ton of treasure were stymied by an inability to pick the right card when playing four-card monte. The bad luck also led to some hit point loss that required a detour and some extra fighting. Now I’m close to taking down the level boss and already evaluating when upgrades I need to deal more damage faster.

Hordes of Fate: A Hand of Fate Adventure is developed by Spitfire Interactive and published by Spicy Koala. I played a demo of the title on Steam. The video game combines card mechanics with core mechanics inspired by Vampire Survivors.

The world is similar to that of classic Hand of Fate, a high-fantasy one where an arch narrator challenges players to ba... (read more)]]> Fri, 27 Mar 2026 04:57:26 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/hordes-of-fate-a-hand-of-fate-adventure-preview-pc-538085.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/the-spirit-lift-review-538084.shtml My teenagers have either very short memories or bad cases of amnesia. They are willing to explore this haunted hotel even after dying gruesomely at the hands of weird carousel horses, angry mirrors, and grass-covered vampires. Right now, my trio of heroes is fighting against some trippy, shattered mirrors.

I’m running a team focused on dodging, healing, and reflecting damage. The last one tends to be high risk but can quickly deal with capable enemies. Sako is contributing plenty of dodging, as well as hitting multiple enemies with her racket card. Quintin never deals too much damage, but his Flash Camera both stuns and curses enemies.

Maria has an upgraded Compact Mirror, with a 50% chance to reflect damage. Getting the card in hand and playing it at the right moment is the tricky part. Fortunately, I don’t need it to deal with the mirrors.  Damage over time from curses and direct physical attacks, including a broken bottle, takes them out. Let’s hope that the min... (read more)]]> Fri, 27 Mar 2026 04:44:28 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/the-spirit-lift-review-538084.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/finetune-review-538083.shtml Let’s say you have a bunch of audio devices connected to your Mac. Maybe some wired headphones, some Bluetooth speakers or earbuds, and the Mac’s built-in speakers. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to send audio from certain apps to specific audio devices, and control their volume independently? Surprisingly, these are two features macOS still does not offer.

FineTune is an open-source app that handles both of these use cases, adding much-needed functionality that’s already available on Windows. It allows you to route app audio to selected output devices, manage audio device priority, and control app volume independently, even if the app in question lacks a volume slider. It also comes with an equalizer, volume boosting, and some other cool features.

Send app audio to specific output devices

This is the feature I got the app for, and it’s so incredibly useful. Any app playing audio will show up in the FineTune window, and you can select which output... (read more)]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:55:00 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/finetune-review-538083.shtml Softpedia News (Catalin Chelariu) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/rebel-engine-review-538082.shtml Rebel Engine is bringing that old-school, 90’s era of shooters where graphics were simple, and the focus was always on how the gameplay felt. Games like Ultrakill managed to serve the genre well in recent years, and Rebel Engine wants to upgrade that experience with even more, intense levels and crazy enemies. And to some extent, it manages to succeed.

In Rebel Engine, you play as Asimov, which is a robot enslaved by the Concrete Corporation. You are forced to fight in an underground arena for eternity. But at some point, you are sick of it, and you are trying to figure out how to step away from this vindictive cycle. That’s when you get infected with a virus called Salvador, which helps you go to the top of the arena, slowly, as you destroy everything in your way. The primary focus is to find Entropy and gain your revenge, even if it might end up costing you a whole lot more than expected.

Although the story is not that complicated, I think it serves the game quit... (read more)]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:15:11 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/rebel-engine-review-538082.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/alpha-nomos-preview-pc-538081.shtml I’m clearly not using my heavy attack as much as I should, especially when facing enemies that have a lot of health. The idea is to dodge their area of effect strikes, move into a good position, and then hold down a key to deliver a lot of damage. But plenty of underlings, less powerful but more annoying, are running around and make that difficult.

So I decide my version of Cello is a light and nimble fighter that cares most about dodging. Basically, I want to make sure no enemy can land a hit and only use quick strikes to whittle down their hit point reserves. The relatively small combat space doesn’t make it easy. Sometimes three areas of effect attacks arrive at the same time, making even the best rhythmic dodging ineffective.

Once all the enemies are down, I lose close to a fifth of my own health. But Cello gets an upgrade that gives her 300 more hit points. I hope to get even more as I explore the forest, which should make it easier to deal with the coming bos... (read more)]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:23:39 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/alpha-nomos-preview-pc-538081.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/valor-of-man-review-538080.shtml The mummies have a bad habit of spitting poison all over the place. Spreading out my heroes is a way to avoid it, but cleric Ignatius still has to regularly use his two main healing abilities. It’s important to make sure our relatively fragile mage stays up, throwing chain lightning and fireballs around to thin the enemy ranks.

It takes six turns to deal with the bandaged-up enemies, and everyone is alive. They get enough experience to level up, and I get to choose new abilities for all. Resting at a campfire offers another opportunity to improve battle skills. And then it’s time to face a mini-boss, who will probably drop a powerful artifact.

The demonic Harlequin can summon allies every two turns, which is a problem. It crowds the tight combat arena and makes it harder to strike it. Alistair swings a heavy sword around to take the henchmen out, but he also suffers plenty of damage. Rogue Elara poisons the mini-boss when she can, using both a special ability and h... (read more)]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:12:20 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/valor-of-man-review-538080.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/the-king-is-watching-crowns-of-history-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538079.shtml When The King is Watching was first launched, it quickly became a cult hit between roguelike game enthusiasts who wanted to create their own kingdom and protect it from dangerous enemies. The new Crowns of History DLC plans to expand upon the existing content with 3 new, historical rulers. They all have their own abilities, and they help add some new mechanics into the mix.

Few people expected The King is Watching to expand with more content, but I think that the Crowns of History DLC helps the game grow naturally. Granted, there is a little bit of a grind until you reach the new map, but once you do, you’ll definitely enjoy the theme and visual style, but also the new mechanics brought to the table.

The new map was added with a free update alongside Crowns of History, and it has a dark, Lovecraftian vibe which I enjoyed very much. The Kraken-style boss you fight at the end is definitely going to require a lot of planning, but it’s fitting for this map, and it will... (read more)]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:54:04 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/the-king-is-watching-crowns-of-history-dlc-yay-or-nay-pc-538079.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/fatal-frame-ii-crimson-butterfly-remake-review-538078.shtml Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly has always been known for being really scary, especially for the time it came out, which was 2003. Now, well over 20 years later, we get to relive this game in a fully remade fashion and enjoy or run away from those scary ghosts once again. The Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake does a wonderful job at bringing the old Fatal Frame II experience to life, with stunning visuals and some other interesting changes.

In this game, you follow Mayu and Mio, which are two twins exploring the Minakami Village. The village is full of angry ghosts, and it also has a rather strange history, which you will uncover as you play. Another interesting thing is that you are introduced very early on to the idea that you need to perform a ritual, which does mess up with your brain.

Seeing the two scared girls explore a haunted town and embracing the challenge brought by jumpscares makes the game very scary at times. They are dealing with a very opp... (read more)]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:35:46 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/fatal-frame-ii-crimson-butterfly-remake-review-538078.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/in-their-shoes-review-538077.shtml There are moments when a simple negative response seems a little too respectful, given what my conversation partner has just said. I wanted an option to throw a punch or maybe deliver a carefully selected and long sequence of curse words. But that would involve substituting my own standards and thinking for those of the character I’m controlling.

So I decide to play it cool and aloof, maybe to show that my character can deal with anything. Then I launch a previous story sequence to see whether my intuition is correct or not. I make different choices than I did when first experiencing the content. But the results are ambiguous. After all, seven short narrative sequences aren’t enough to fully fill out another human being’s shoes. We are all too complex for that.

But playing through them is enough to reveal what drives the seven characters and how stressful modern life can be. There’s no way to navigate it all without being stressed and without making mistakes. Somet... (read more)]]> Fri, 20 Mar 2026 09:40:12 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/in-their-shoes-review-538077.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/crimson-desert-review-538076.shtml Crimson Desert has received a lot of hype over the past few years because it seamlessly tries to integrate elements from Red Dead Redemption 2, Witcher 3 and Elden Ring, all while blending various MMO-like aspects. After all, the game was supposed to be an MMO at first, but it transitioned into a fully singleplayer action-RPG without microtransactions. That being said, the game doesn’t feature any leveling system or mob/box XP, however there’s plenty of loot for everyone to enjoy.

The game’s story is quite straightforward, you’re almost killed at the beginning of the game, and you enter a pocket dimension called the Abyss from where you come back to life. Your focus is to find not only your brothers in arms but also gain revenge over the enemy leader who killed you. Along the way, you’ll also encounter many regions of Pywel, all of which have dozens of quests for you. Those can range from finding someone’s cows to battling one of the major enemy leaders who stopped ... (read more)]]> Thu, 19 Mar 2026 05:37:13 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/crimson-desert-review-538076.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/the-ratline-review-538075.shtml A direct line to the library archives is a great asset for a detective lacking access to modern crutches like the Internet. Searching for a company brings up documents that will reveal more about who’s leading it, as well as info that will help with decoding the symbols embedded in another photograph. We’re one step closer to discovering three wealthy Nazis who are hiding somewhere in America.

The next move is to call a police station, looking for some extra details on one of the trios. Unfortunately, the Irish cop is not helpful. Other people were more willing to talk about Germans who escaped justice, but this Gardai didn’t give my investigator the time to actually say why he was calling. So, I need to go through the evidence once more, looking for other details to exploit. We have to look closely at some images, although one probably features too many people to be useful.

Figuring out how the three Nazis look now will be tough. I think I have a clear idea of the... (read more)]]> Wed, 18 Mar 2026 11:01:14 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/the-ratline-review-538075.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/thaw-review-538074.shtml For being so central to the macOS experience, there’s surprisingly little you can do to customize the menu bar, at least with the tools Apple provides. Some functionality has been added in Tahoe, but it still barely scratches the surface of what third-party apps are capable of.

Thaw is one of those apps. A fork of the open-source Ice, it maintains the original app’s functionality, adds new features, and improves compatibility with recent versions of macOS, something Ice was starting to have problems with due to the lack of frequent updates.

Hide non-essential menu bar items

We’ve seen a lot of apps that let you hide icons, and it’s a wonder Apple hasn’t added this functionality to macOS yet. Thaw’s implementation is complex yet intuitive, just like it was in Ice, but it’s more refined and works more reliably in my experience.

Some items will be visible at a... (read more)]]> Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:03:00 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/thaw-review-538074.shtml Softpedia News (Catalin Chelariu) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/the-last-case-of-john-morley-review-538073.shtml Being the world’s most effective detective comes with high expectations, and that’s what John Morley, the main character in this game, is dealing with. He’s continually solved a variety of cases, and now a new, tricky case is pushing him to the limit in more ways than expected. He received for multiple months after sustaining injuries during his last case, but an English countess with a tragic past is bringing him a very tricky case to solve.

Simply put, the countess’s daughter died 20 years ago in a very strange manner, and her murder was not solved up to this date. Clearly, the countess wants justice for her daughter, and she can’t put things to rest, which is where our fabled detective comes into play. The police have already closed the case by arresting someone random, so the countess wants someone with great qualifications to investigate the murder.

At first, the game is pretty chill and exploring the locations feels very simple to do. However, as you go deepe... (read more)]]> Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:56:06 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/the-last-case-of-john-morley-review-538073.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://news.softpedia.com/news/horizon-journey-preview-pc-538072.shtml Colonizing a new planet is never an easy thing to do, and it certainly comes with its fair share of challenges. Horizon Journey is a game that tries to recreate that in a way that’s very realistic, and it succeeds for the most part. The open world survival experience on a pretty interesting recreation of Mars is exhilarating, and the game does a very good job at conveying that sense of fear, struggle and figuring out how to survive properly.

As you can expect, your first few steps on Mars will be difficult. You land with a ship, you have a rover to move around, and you slowly gather resources. As you get to a former base, you disassemble stuff and slowly start expanding the base. I like the unique approach that the game has in regard to terraforming as well, since you will need to do that in order to place larger buildings.

The constant focus on resource gathering might end up becoming a tad frustrating. But it’s all with a purpose. You need to stay alive and acces... (read more)]]> Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:24:51 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://news.softpedia.com/news/horizon-journey-preview-pc-538072.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/mosaica-arboreal-review-538071.shtml With so many challenging games, it becomes difficult to just unwind and relax these days. And that’s where a game like Mosaica: Arboreal finds its perfect niche. It’s meant to be a fun, puzzle-solving experience where your primary focus is to unlock different mosaics found right in front of you.

You play as a small forest sprite, which is both curious, but also very fragile. You try to solve puzzles and uncover the different characters found behind them. What’s interesting is that as you play, the forest starts talking back to you. Every puzzle you solve means you have tree spirits appearing and they are sharing fragments of wisdom. That’s interesting because it adds an innate sense of excitement and it pushes you to continue caring about the world and story as a whole.

Maybe the most interesting thing for me when it comes to Mosaica: Arboreal is the fact that it starts more like a nature-infused puzzle, but as it grows, you end up accumulating a lot of things, loo... (read more)]]> Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:10:46 +0000 Softpedia News / Global https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/mosaica-arboreal-review-538071.shtml Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile)