Review: Miasma Chronicles

The newest project from Swedish development team The Bearded Ladies is Miasma Chronicles, a turn-based tactical role playing game that mixes in stealth mechanics. You’ve probably heard of this studio from their previous games Mutant Year Zero and Corruption 2029, two titles that gained mostly positive critical reception. Now I’m someone who hasn’t really dabbled into the realm of tactics-based games before, as I never played classics such as XCOM or Fire Emblem. Considering Miasma Chronicles is my first taste of what this genre really has to offer, this game is quite enjoyable for the most part, with a few minor caveats. While I can applaud the game for its outstanding visuals and world building, I can’t overlook some frustrating design choices and difficulty imbalances. The narrative here is mostly pretty self explanatory, as it revolves around the title of the game: miasma. Miasma is a mysterious, liquid-metal-like substance that has plagued the world. We start off the story with our two protagonists Elvis and his robot brother Diggs trying to use a tactical glove left by Elvis’s mother that can seemingly control the deadly goo. The two siblings travel across a post-apocalyptic United States in search of their mother, who they believe holds the answers to their questions about the miasma. Along the way, the pair encounter evil mutants and the First Family, a robotic ruling fist of the lands. It’s an all around enjoyable story with great revelations here and there, but the world building is what truly shines here. Gameplay is broken down into real-time exploration, where you can navigate the world freely, and turn-based tactical combat, where the battlefield is broken down into grids and characters take turns performing actions. Each character gets two action points per turn, which usually boils down to using one to move into position and the other to attack or reload. Stealth is a large mechanic of this game, as you can run around in real-time to set up ambushes. It is in your best interest to neutralize as many enemies as you can before engaging in battle. While in combat, your attacks have a chance of landing based on your position and the enemy’s, and whether or not they are behind cover. After all, this is a tactical game, so succeeding depends on your careful planning and strategizing. You start off with just Elvis and Diggs and recruit a few more members later on, but it is a little disappointing that your party size caps out at 3. Progression is quite straightforward for any role playing game, where leveling up grants more health points and skill points that you can then allocate in a tree. Experience comes from partaking in battles, completing quests, and finding treasures buried throughout the world. That being said, most of the side missions are uninspired and quite repetitive. Exploration is encouraged here as Elvis gains new miasma powers for his glove from finding it in various parts of the environment. Puzzles are also sprinkled in here and there, some of which are quite mind bending as they encourage you to look for clues in your surroundings. Most TRPG games are known for their unforgiving nature of gameplay but I’m glad to see Miasma Chronicles offers a wide range of options for players of all backgrounds. There’s four difficulty modes, ranging from the “narrative” difficulty which reduces enemy damage and heals your entire party after each combat encounter to the “alpha editor” difficulty that disables manual saves and makes the game overly challenging. I started off on “normal” difficulty, and even then, I had some troubles staying alive in fights, considering how bloated some enemies are and how little damage your weapons do. The game also seems to be quite stingy with how much money you earn from battles and how expensive items are in shops. It’s pretty obvious that the visual department blew it out of the water with how beautiful the graphics look here. The game looks absolutely gorgeous on the PlayStation 5, with crisp environmental and character details. I really enjoyed the game’s rendition of post apocalyptic America mixed with a steampunk vibe, especially Elvis’s futuristic glove along with his junkyard robot brother Diggs. The demented designs of the miasma monsters along with the miasma itself provide a great contrast in aesthetic to the protagonists. The art direction paired with excellently voice actors and actresses provide an all around indisputably atmospheric experience. While the game was known to have performance issues on PS5 during its initial launch, I’m happy to say that post launch patches have made the game run better, with no hard crashes or stutters. There are still some bugs such as the inability to interact with objects or characters getting stuck in terrain. Miasma Chronicles offers two modes, one prioritizing graphics and one prioritizing frame rates. However, the game could use some quality of life updates with the design of the UI, as some menus are confusing to navigate and the font size is way too miniscule. The game also doesn’t seem to track playtime correctly, as it overcounts the amount of time spent in-game, but this is a minor issue at most. Miasma Chronicles is a serviceable tactical role playing game that puts a focus on stealth mechanics and tells a fairly engaging narrative. The steampunk post-apocalyptic aesthetic presented here is simply unparalleled and immersive thanks to a fantastic cast of characters and world building. However, the learning curve here is a bit too high, especially if you are a newcomer to the genre, due to the unbalanced nature of the game. But even if you’re a diehard tactics fan, I’d wait for a discount and a few more patches.
Capcom Is Hosting A Showcase On June 12

Capcom announced they’ll be hosting a games showcase on Monday, June 12 where they’ll be sharing updates and news on their latest games. The show is expected to be around 36 minutes long and it’ll begin at 3 PM PDT / 6 PM ET. Tune in on June 12, 3pm PDT for a Capcom Showcase digital event featuring roughly 36 minutes of news and updates on our latest games. See you there! 📺 https://t.co/uLbZaxUHOW#CapcomShowcase pic.twitter.com/ws8B8d93s5 — Capcom USA (@CapcomUSA_) June 6, 2023 Monday looks to be a busy day for showcases with Ubisoft having their event and now Capcom doing one as well. This comes the day after the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct. Read more about the Capcom showcase here.
Diablo IV is Blizzard Entertainment’s fastest selling game of all time

The official release of Diablo IV has come and gone already after it was in early access for four days from June 1st. Blizzard Entertainment announced on Tuesday that Diablo IV is already their fastest-selling game of all time with Blizzard’s highest pre-launch unit sales ever on both console and PC. Diablo IV released for PC, Xbox Series XlS, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Another interesting stat from the launch of Diablo IV was that fans played it for 93 million hours which also translates to over 10,000 years. Here is what Rod Ferguson, General Manager of Diablo had to say regarding the successful launch: “This is a moment years in the making for the Diablo IV team,” said Rod Fergusson, general manager of Diablo. “We’re extremely proud to offer players the richest story ever told in a Diablo game. Players have a range of choices, including personal character customization, equipping personalized skills for battling horrific demons, or collecting Legendary loot to support your playstyle while discovering new ones. Since the game was first announced in 2019, the support from millions of players around the world drove us toward this release of our dark vision of Sanctuary. Hail Lilith, Blessed Mother.” This is a great sign for Blizzard moving forward with Diablo IV and who knows in the future Activision Blizzard could finally be taken over by Microsoft. Check out our 9.5/10 Diablo IV review here. Source: Businesswire
Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble, Blaster Master: Enemy Below, Harvest Moon, Mystery Tower Headlines Nintendo Switch Online Latest Update

The ongoing course that Nintendo Switch Online continues to create itself leaves many of the fans that tail behind it even more excited for announcement that lay ahead. This past spring, the firm listed an update in mid March offering Xevious, Side Pocket, Kirby’s Dream Land 2, and BurgerTime Deluxe for those hungry for more. Nearly a month later, Pokémon Stadium was welcomed to the Nintendo 64 virtual library. Additionally, April also offered an onslaught of Sega Genesis titles for that respected library, The list included Pulseman, Kid Chameleon, Flicky, and Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition. The lineup for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack swelled even more with the following Game Boy update in late May last month. The update featured Super Mario Advance, Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3 most excitingly. Now this Monday, Nintendo revealed a new lineup of titles that were added to the service brining four new games to the extended library with Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble, Blaster Master: Enemy Below, Harvest Moon, and Mystery Tower. You can watch the trailer in the video below: In regards to other recent Nintendo announcements, the Japanese firm revealed alongside Penny Arcade that its Nintendo Live in Seattle, Washington will coincide with PAX West 2023 and be held at the Seattle Convention Center. But rather than standard admission, it is told that attendees will be picked at random to enter the Nintendo event on the show floor. Elsewhere, Nintendo shared its next line of Joy-Cons are on the way. Months after Easter, a new string of pastel-painted controllers are soon to arrive. Offering Pastel Pink, Pastel Yellow, Pastel Purple, and Pastel Green as pre-purchase is priced at $79. You can read the full report by heading here. What has you most excited for the new lineup of games for Nintendo Switch Online? Source: Nintendo
Apple Reveals Its AR/VR Vision Pro Headset, Priced At $3499

After years of rumors and speculation pointing towards Apple’s pursuit to truly establish itself in virtual reality, the day has come with the announcement for the Apple Vision Pro. Recently, UploadVR reported that the iPhone company would be planning to unveil its new device come this week’s WWDC23 held on June 5th. The company hinted at this with a teaser for ‘Code New Worlds’ on the official event website. During the presentation, Apple officially addressed the elephant in the room revealing its new wearable hardware. Like reports before it, details on a new virtual reality/augmented reality hybrid headset was revealed to be true as the Apple Vision Pro is showcased to be more than just what the Meta Quest or Steam Index can offer. You can watch the announcement trailer in the video below: “Just as the Mac introduced us to personal computing, and iPhone introduced us to mobile computing, Apple Vision Pro introduces us to spatial computing. Built upon decades of Apple innovation, Vision Pro is years ahead and unlike anything created before — with a revolutionary new input system and thousands of groundbreaking innovations. It unlocks incredible experiences for our users and exciting new opportunities for our developers,” Apple CEO Tim Cook says in a press release. Apple vice president of technology development group Mike Rockwell adds: “Creating our first spatial computer required invention across nearly every facet of the system. Through a tight integration of hardware and software, we designed a standalone spatial computer in a compact wearable form factor that is the most advanced personal electronics device ever.” Some of the standouts for Apple Vision Pro is the new visionOS that is advertised to “offer an infinite canvas for apps”. The new platform will feature a new App Store specifically crafted for Apple Vision Pro to integrate better multitasking and overlay your surroundings with its AR technology. And when someone walks in front of the user, the Apple Vision Pro executes EyeSight to keep the person in view while still maintaining the image on the lenses. On top of browsing and watching, gaming is also a forefront for Apple Vision Pro as well. Come release, Apple shares that more than 100 Apple Arcade titles will be supported for the new peripheral. The firm also promises many “popular controllers” will also be compatible for the the Apple Vision Pro as well. What are your thoughts on the Apple headset? Apple Vision Pro is listed for $3499. Source: Apple
Street Fighter 6 hits over 1 million players in its first weekend

Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 is off to a hot start as everyone expected it to start off well being one of the most hyped up fighting games of 2023. Over the weekend Street Fighter 6 broke a Steam record of having over 70,000 concurrent players online and that’s the most for a fighting game on the platform. Capcom announced on Monday that Street Fighter 6 hit over 1 million players in its first three days into release which is a great accomplishment already. Players received an in-game gift for this accomplishment. Over 1 million players have hit the streets in #StreetFighter6! Thank you to all the World Warriors out there. To celebrate, we have sent a gift, which you can claim in-game! pic.twitter.com/TApOxcKcKM — Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) June 5, 2023 Street Fighter 6 is available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Check out our 9/10 review.
The Starfield themed Xbox wireless controller looks to be coming soon

With the Xbox Games Showcase and the Starfield Showcase happening in a few days, a leak has come out regarding a Starfield themed Xbox controller. Twitter user, eXtas1stv shared a video showing off the rumored wireless controller. 🔥👀 EXCLUSIVA 🔴🔔 Así se ve el NUEVO MANDO de #Starfield en EXCLUSIVA, podemos observar que es un mando TOP y el mejor que ha hecho XBOX en esta generación. 🔝🔝🔝 pic.twitter.com/ZTmyN6F4Yx — eXtas1s 🎮 Noticias & Rumores (@eXtas1stv) June 5, 2023 Reports of this controller have been going around over the last few months and it’s expected to be revealed during the Xbox Showcase in five days. It also looks like there will be a Starfield headset to go with this great looking controller. 🔥👀 EXCLUSIVA 🔴🔔 Otra #ExclusivaFakeInsider, si no se han convencido con el mando, así se ven los NUEVOS CASCOS edición especial de #Starfield y debo decir que son simplemente H-E-R-M-O-S-O-S. Yo si fuera ustedes estaría atentos a comprarlos día uno. 🙊 pic.twitter.com/YhtxjYVrxC — eXtas1s 🎮 Noticias & Rumores (@eXtas1stv) June 5, 2023 Insider Gaming also said fans have seen the controller listed online at Target in the United States. The Starfield Xbox Wireless Controller will cost $79.99 USD The Starfield Headset will cost $124.99 USD The Xbox Games Showcase will begin at 1 PM on June 11 and right after the show is the Starfield Direct where they might reveal these limited edition products.