Gait Games

### Steam’s Detective Fest: Discovering Hidden Treasures in Mystery Gaming

Steam has unveiled an exhilarating new event, the Detective Fest, featuring a variety of games that focus on solving enigmas and untangling stories. While numerous popular titles lead the rankings, this article seeks to bring attention to underrated treasures that merit recognition.

#### The Emergence of Investigative Games

In recent times, investigative games have surged in popularity, with titles such as *Blue Prince* and *Rise of the Golden Idol* gaining fame alongside timeless classics like *Return of the Obra Dinn* and *Disco Elysium*. Nevertheless, this exploration will dig deeper, presenting you with distinct titles that might not have appeared at the top of Steam’s sales charts.

### Notable Titles to Discover

1. **The Ratline**
Crafted by Owlskip, known for its groundbreaking family-tree detective adventures, *The Ratline* is set in 1971, where players pursue Nazi fugitives in the wake of a priest’s assassination. The game, with a demo accessible during Detective Fest, enables players to connect clues and documents to crack the case.

2. **Surradia: An Art Retrospective**
This investigative game investigates the vanishing of three magical artists during World War II. Players must examine photographs, letters, and artworks stored in a museum to unveil the mystery. The demo is presently available, though the full game lacks a release timeline.

3. **Cleo’s Detective Chronicles**
In this visually remarkable game, players take on the character of Cleo as she trains under esteemed detective Maya Lynch. The demo showcases Cleo’s first three cases, with a complete version expected to launch later.

4. **Mansion of a Million Monsters**
This distinctive mix of sleuthing and dungeon-crawling evokes classic Amiga nostalgia. Developers have announced that a demo will be available soon.

5. **Daughter of the Journalist**
Set in the imaginary year of 780 Quattuoris 32nd, this episodic title follows the daughter of investigative journalist Frederick Emery. After her father’s questionable death, she sets off to reveal the truth, with a free demo currently ready to play.

6. **Murder Otaku**
As the fourth entry in the *Murder Is Game Over* series, this pixel art point-and-click game revolves around deciphering the murder of a J-pop singer at an anime convention. Players can access this game along with earlier titles via the Cleo’s Complete Casefile package.

7. **Of the Devil**
Drawing inspiration from *Ace Attorney* and *Danganronpa*, this episodic detective game unfolds in a cyberpunk future. The first episode is free to play, with more episodes being released consistently.

8. **Call of the Golden Valley**
This Australian detective simulation focuses on Danielle, an American traveler probing her friend’s mysterious disappearance in a town with a history of disappearing hikers. A free demo is available for eager investigators.

9. **Paper Perjury**
In this visual novel series, a newly hired clerk at the Azure City Police Department embarks on inquiries into bizarre crimes. A demo for Case 1 is currently available, with more content coming soon.

10. **Detective Instinct**
This mystery adventure game follows a narrative echoing titles from Capcom, centering on the disappearance of a woman from a train. Released late last year, it is celebrating Detective Fest with discounts and a free demo.

### Conclusion

Steam’s Detective Fest is a veritable treasure chest of investigative games, showcasing both celebrated titles and hidden treasures. Whether you’re assembling clues in a historical backdrop or deciphering murders in contemporary tales, this event provides an abundance of captivating experiences for genre enthusiasts. With demos available for many games, now is the perfect time to jump in and uncover your next favorite.

There is a strange deliciousness in experiencing a game from a perspective that it does not otherwise allow. Sure, things don’t always look right, there’s just this opportunity to rethink how you view a particular world. Recently, it appears that someone playing Arc Raiders got to do just that, by switching it into a first-person shooting mode as opposed to its usual third-person camera, all thanks to an accident.

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Hideo Kojima, the iconic game designer celebrated for his innovative narratives and ideas, has recently unveiled captivating insights into his subconscious via personal dream records. Over the weekend, Kojima disclosed on Twitter that he has “always” experienced nightmares, a subject he touched upon while getting ready for his first keynote speech in five years at the forthcoming GDC Festival of Gaming 2026. This can be perceived as both a personal disclosure and an insight into his creative psyche, as he rediscovered past dream entries on his device from nine years ago.

Kojima mentioned that his efforts to alleviate nightmares by chronicling his dreams have not been fruitful, yet the notes offer a striking glimpse into the imagination of one of the gaming industry’s most impactful figures. He shared the difficulty of expressing dreams verbally, remarking, “It’s challenging to convey a vague dream in words,” but the two documented entries distinctly showcase vivid and surreal imagery.

The first dream entry, dated January 3, 2017, evolves into a peculiar story set on a film set. In this dream, Kojima is bitten on the arm by an odd, furry creature resembling a floating ball. The conflict with this shapeshifting being becomes a pivotal aspect, as it changes into different forms before finally turning into a plastic card that ends up in Kojima’s grasp. He questions the essence of the creature, speculating if it could be “a being from outer space” or “an artifact from the fourth dimension,” reflecting his inclination to merge science fiction elements with personal encounters.

The following dream entry from January 4, 2017, places Kojima in a hot spring resort, settling into a lodging house. The narrative takes an unusual twist as he strives to clean the dirt-filled streets, meeting vivid characters such as “sensuous nude women” and “wounded elderly men who converse in foreign tongues.” The dream takes a sinister turn when Kojima stumbles upon decaying bodies buried in the earth, which then follow him to his new home. The scenario intensifies when the corpses inexplicably turn into young men in relay racing uniforms upon the arrival of their enraged coach.

Through these shared dreams, Kojima not only welcomes fans into the strange realms of his mind but also evokes intrigue regarding the possible meanings behind these surreal happenings. The multi-layered symbolism and narrative intricacy within his dreams reflect the narrative and thematic richness found in his video games. As he readies himself for his keynote presentation, it is yet to be determined how these nightly visions might impact his future works and continue to influence the realm of interactive entertainment.

Wishing Stars, Exhibition Passes, and more!

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Once again it appears that Pocketpair appears to be going after a bit of Pokemon’s pie, this time of the card game variety. Where the latter’s started life as a physical medium, the former’s attempt at such a thing, literally just called Palworld Official Card Game, announced today, looks to be of the digital-only variety, though what there is to learn about it is a touch slim overall.

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**First-Person Horror: A Fresh Take on *Arc Raiders***

In the realm of gaming, gameplay manipulation through hacks frequently leads to unanticipated and occasionally frightening experiences. This occurrence is especially noticeable when a game meant for a particular viewpoint is compelled to adopt a different perspective, resulting in unexpected horror—whether via visual glitches or an increased sense of dread. One of the more recent titles to attract attention is *Arc Raiders*, which has recently emerged in discussions for its shift from a third-person to a first-person view, revealing a more intense gaming experience.

A Reddit user by the name of Short_Satisfaction_9 recently showcased, via console modifications, that *Arc Raiders*, generally played from a third-person perspective, could be adjusted to function in first-person. Although this change was visually flawed, it drastically transformed the combat dynamics within the game, rendering it much more frightening. The already challenging aspects of *Arc Raiders*, which involve confronting PvE bots and drones, saw a significant escalation as players found it harder to detect foes from afar. The third-person view offered a wider battlefield perspective, allowing players to foresee attacks and devise strategies accordingly. However, switching to first-person eliminated this benefit, enhancing the chances of unexpected encounters with adversarial forces.

The repercussions of this new viewpoint should not be overlooked. Gamers used to the relative safety a third-person perspective offers discovered themselves in a more frenzied arena when shifted to first-person. The thrill of fear became unmistakable, as players had to maneuver through the game’s perilous terrain with reduced visibility and increased tension. This idea resonates with numerous horror genre enthusiasts who recognize how a mere change in perspective can heighten the fear factor, shifting the game from a conventional action experience to one fraught with urgency and suspense.

Nevertheless, as thrilling as it might be for some, the option to modify the game in this manner is no longer accessible. In response to a wave of complaints concerning cheating, Embark, the studio behind *Arc Raiders*, made decisive moves to eliminate access to the in-game console. This decision stemmed from findings that players were misusing the console commands for unfair advantages, such as deactivating fog effects to greatly enhance visibility. Essentially, PC players could see adversaries much more clearly than their console peers, resulting in an uneven playing field, which led Embark to introduce a hotfix to eradicate the problematic console commands, including the one that permitted the first-person view.

The significance of revoking these features is considerable; while it mitigates cheating and equalizes competition, it simultaneously deprives players of the opportunity to delve into the eerie depths of *Arc Raiders* from a first-person viewpoint. This choice underscores the fine line developers must navigate between cultivating a fair competitive space and empowering players to experiment with their gameplay experiences. Although many may mourn the loss of this distinct horror encounter, it underscores the idea that perspective in gaming can profoundly transform the player’s experience and alter the overall atmosphere of a game.

As *Arc Raiders* continues to progress, both players and fans will observe attentively, eager to discover what other surprises the game might present and how subsequent updates could impact player immersion, whether through the realm of horror or other experiences. In the interim, those fortunate enough to have experienced the game in first-person mode will possess a genuinely unique story to share, illustrating how gaming can embody both thrilling and chilling moments.

The cutest furry friends

The post All Heartopia Animal Trough Locations – and What Troughs Are! appeared first on Gamezebo.

As we stumble into what increasingly looks like a hardware-unfriendly 2026, RAMnarök shows no signs of petering out. As tech giants continue hoarding memory chips to build their AI farms, and suppliers gleefully jack up their prices in turn, consumer-grade RAM is still laughably expensive – and SSDs, most of which also need these in-demand chips, are seeing some nasty inflation as well.

I bring this up now, when storage prices began climbing back in November, because the past week has been particularly fucked, vis-à-vis the kind of SSDs you’d want in a modern games PC. Keepa, Amazon-tracking the browser extension I’ve long used to gauge the honesty of Prime Day and Black Friday deals, makes for grim reading: the 1TB WD Black SN850X currently sits at £162, having been £116 on January 5th, and £85 on November 5th. Nearly double the price, in barely two months.

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When enthusiasts discovered that [Lego had successfully obtained the Pokémon license from a competing brick brand](https://kotaku.com/lego-pokemon-pikachu-date-price-mega-bloks-teaser-1851770713), there was considerable enthusiasm. However, some fans are now expressing dissatisfaction regarding the elevated prices and the construction differences between the Pikachu sets from each brand.

After hinting at it in 2025, [Lego has officially unveiled its first forthcoming Pokémon sets](https://kotaku.com/pokemon-lego-sets-release-date-price-pikachu-charizard-2000658895), featuring both an Eevee and a Pikachu. Nevertheless, these are not the inaugural officially licensed brick-based toy items tied to Game Freak’s renowned franchise to appear in stores. For several years, Mega Bloks, a rival to Lego, held the license and rolled out over 100 distinct Pokémon sets. Mega Bloks has created a wide array of Pokémon sets and themes in different sizes and packages. To maintain fairness in comparison, we will concentrate on the two most similar offerings from Mega Bloks: Jumbo Pikachu and Jumbo Eevee. These sets are approximately equal in size to Lego’s upcoming Pikachu and Eevee sets, making them the most equitable for comparison.

First, [from 2022, we have the Mega Bloks Jumbo Pikachu](https://www.amazon.com/building-poseable-character-Building-Exclusive/dp/B079KNH886?tag=kotaku01-20). Upon its release on store shelves a few years back, this 12-inch-tall Pikachu was priced at $50, although it was often found on sale if one searched diligently. It features 806 pieces with posable arms, legs, ears, and a movable head. Additionally, it is a sturdier Pikachu, resembling the original “fat Pikachu.” It’s honestly a solid, visually appealing set, although there were critiques at the time regarding the build having issues with pieces falling off. The set includes just the Pikachu figure and nothing more.

Now let’s juxtapose that set with Lego’s recently announced Pikachu set. [This one is set to retail for $200](https://jaysbrickblog.com/news/first-lego-pokemon-sets-officially-revealed-for-27-february-2026-launch/) upon its February launch, making it four times the price of the Mega Bloks version. Ouch. And when comparing them side by side, it’s hard to pinpoint why. Lego’s model is technically 13 inches tall, but that measurement only applies when it’s displayed on the included brick-built stand.

The actual Pikachu build appears to measure around 11 inches tall, making it nearly the same size as the older Mega Bloks set. Still, it comes with a whopping $150 premium. It boasts over 2,000 pieces. Lego’s Pikachu undoubtedly looks cleaner, with fewer exposed studs, but that might be a drawback for some fans. The most significant downgrade is that Lego’s Pikachu appears far less posable. Nonetheless, I favor Lego’s rendition of Pikachu’s paws, which look adorable compared to the blocky, less appealing human-like hands of the 2022 set. Furthermore, Lego’s set includes a brick-built Poké Ball, which is a neat addition but may be considered extraneous.

Conversely, the comparison between Mega Bloks’ Jumbo Eevee and Lego’s Eevee set is notably duller. Both appear to be roughly the same size and are similarly priced. Mega Bloks charged $50 for Eevee when it launched in 2020. Lego plans to sell its Eevee for $60. A $10 hike for more pieces and a better-looking build works for me.

On the other hand, the Lego Pikachu indeed appears to be an expensive set that might be viewed as a downgrade relative to Mega Bloks’ version of Pikachu. While I appreciate the sleeker aesthetic and the included stand, the Poké Ball seems like an inefficient use of pieces, and for that price, I wish Lego had incorporated more posable limbs and joints.

Ultimately, if you’re eager to acquire a brick-built Pikachu for your desk or bedroom shelf without dishing out $200, purchasing a new Mega Bloks Pikachu for $50 or less provides a robust alternative, allowing you to save enough to buy Lego’s less expensive Eevee set.

From main meals to desserts!

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