The opening chords of ‘Connected (Yours Forever)’ are more than enough to
have Team Edge in tears – playing Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s transcendent ode to the
world’s greatest puzzle game and the nature of humanity will do that to you.
But then the trailer for this Xbox timed-exclusive DLC just kept on going.
We were emotional enough about the promise of optimised singleplayer.
Then came the reveal that broke our hearts in the very best way: everyone
playing together in the new ‘Connected’ mode, which allows you to use super-
sized blocks to help your fellow players achieve their own Tetris synaesthesia. A
perfect addition to one of the most sublime games in recent years, an eyebrow-
raising win for Xbox over Tetris Effect’s original exclusive partner, and surely
destined to reduce us to blubbering wrecks all over again this Christmas.
The first part of Dontnod’s latest narrative adventure, which follows a
transgender man and his identical sister as they uncover secrets in their past,
will launch while this issue is still on shelves. The third and final chapter lands
on the same day E350 is out. Three episodes in three weeks: the Parisian studio
has learned its lesson after the huge gaps that blighted Life Is Strange 2.
We’re hopeful, too, that we’ll see a nuanced approach to its themes. While
Dontnod’s depiction of the Hispanic experience was well-meaning but heavy-
handed, an FAQ featuring discussion of the trans representation and indigenous
characters in this story demonstrates a sensitivity to the minorities it features.
What we’ve seen doesn’t put us entirely at ease, but then Deadly Premonition
2 ’s treatment of its trans antagonist has left us wary. Review next month.TETRIS EFFECT: CONNECTED TELL ME WHY
Developer Monstars, Resonair Publisher Enhance
Release WinterDeveloper Dontnod Publisher Square Enix
Release August 27These days Rare does what it wants, and it’s heartening to see
that Microsoft is happy to go along with it. A gorgeous, very
New-Age trailer showing a clan of characters living in harmony
with strange wildlife – drawing a ritualistic circle to coax a
fluffy land-walrus into pulling down a tree, floating in a river
surrounded by a school of fish, summoning a fallen deer back
to life through censers of smoke – was enough to tell us that
Rare has every intention of continuing its individualistic streak.
And, potentially, its focus on bringing Xbox players together
in new ways. Pirate sim Sea Of Thieves was risky territory for
the studio: it was unconventional in its commitment to creating
and maintaining a rich roleplaying space for a dedicated
community, rather than attempting the Sisyphean task of
filling the ever-draining well of ‘content’. Sea Of Thieves
proved you don’t need an endless supply of sidequests to keep
players happy – just to give them tools to make their own fun.
We’d be surprised if Rare isn’t gearing up to implement the
learnings from Sea Of Thieves with Everwild, but this time in
service of a game that encourages players towards meaningful
collaboration instead of the collusion that proved so divisive.
Still, Everwild remains largely cloaked in mystery, but with Rare
at the top of its game, we’re happy to come along for the ride.EVERWILD
Developer Rare Publisher Xbox Game Studios Release TBAOUTSIDE THE BOX