Metaphor: ReFantazio had gameplay revealed and narrated in an Atlus showcase where special edition bonuses and its release date were also announced, while Marvel Rivals quietly confirmed when lucky closed alpha participants will be playing the 6v6 hero shooter for the first time. Today, Game ZXC’s weekly recap takes a look at some of the most notable headlines from the past week.

Tales of the Shire’s cozy hobbit life sim has gameplay revealed with a stylish artistic presentation, too, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is now available on EA Play and consequently Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. All that and more in this week’s roundup of games industry news.

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Marvel Rivals’ Doctor Dooms and Galacta Leave a Glaring Omission in the Roster

Marvel Rivals' revealed base roster only scratches the surface of available characters and one family could be a fantastic addition in the future.

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Atlus Exclusive Showcase Shares Edition Bonuses, Release Date

Metaphor: ReFantazio confirms its release date and edition bonuses in a surface-level deep-dive into gameplay systems for Atlus’ upcoming fantasy RPG. The game seems to blend Shin Megami Tensei with Persona to create an immersive and engaging RPG, and its release this October tucks it into the beginning of the holiday season nicely.

Marvel Rivals’ Closed Alpha Launch Date Revealed

Marvel Rivals’ closed alpha was teased during its reveal and while it was clear that it would take place in May, the actual date has now been confirmed for May 10. This was subtly and officially clarified in a brief character gameplay snippet for Loki, meaning more character gameplay snippets are sure to follow. Additionally, Hela has been revealed as a playable character in the alpha, though it’s uncertain if she will be available at launch or not.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Arrives on EA Play

Thanks to EA Play being available on the subscription service, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is now available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. This wasn’t surprising due to other EA Star Wars games being available on the platform, but it’s wonderful that Survivor now joins its predecessor, Fallen Order.

New ID@Xbox Indie Showcase Announced for Tomorrow

Microsoft’s ID@Xbox Digital Showcase is returning tomorrow morning, particularly with updates in tow for Palworld. It’ll be interesting to see what else is learned or revealed about upcoming indie titles such as Dungeons of Hinterberg and 33 Immortals.

LOTR Life Sim Tales of the Shire Gameplay Revealed

Though it’s been teased for a while now, Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game has finally revealed gameplay. Taking on a stylistic art direction, the cozy life sim seems to offer no fear of orcs, spiders, or dragons as players enjoy the reclusive comforts of a hobbit in Bywater.

Features

Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is getting dragged back into relevancy this summer in Deadpool and Wolverine. Still, Insomniac’s Marvel’s Wolverine hopefully won’t have any competition for the character’s spotlight and will manage to be wholly original with few copy-and-pasted influences from other source material when it eventually rolls around.

• Marvel’s Wolverine is in the Same Boat as Insomniac’s Spider-Man, Venom

Movies & TV

Abigail ends up being little more than the humorous vampire fare it transparently markets itself as, but a couple of twists are still left for the big screen and pay off sufficiently before its explosive conclusion.

• Abigail Ending, Explained

Guides

Stellar Blade’s infamous skin suit is essentially a hard difficulty mode, likely as a cheeky way to subvert anyone who’d want to wear it and unknowingly lose Eve’s shield and be punished for it. That said, it’s already a suit players will have access to at the beginning of the game.

• Stellar Blade: How to Get the Skin Suit

Game ZXC Exclusives

Another Crab’s Treasure not only wears its Soulslike influences on its sleeve but also plasters them all throughout the whimsical journey as well. Another Crab’s Treasure was also the centerpiece of the most recent Game ZXC Advance, bringing forth exclusive interviews and insights.

• Another Crab’s Treasure Review

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Developed by Atlus' Studio Zero, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a fantasy RPG set in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, a medieval world that mirrors the modern-day "real world." It takes inspiration from the Persona series with its turn-based combat and social sim elements.

Platform(s)

PS4 , PS5 , PC , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Developer(s)

Studio Zero

Publisher(s)

Atlus

Genre(s)

RPG