I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Pillars of Eternity 2 is one of my favourite CRPGs of all time, and one of the most underrated, too. That’s in no small part down to the themes it takes on and the choices it lets you make. PoE2 is about imperialism, colonialism, how we construct and conceive of notions of ‘progress,’ and it’s also about chasing an incredibly large green man across half the planet. The way you could define your character in relation to those themes, not according to some shallow binary, but in all sorts of weird, idiosyncratic and nuanced ways, is still impressive today.
Which is why, despite the weirdly timid marketing Obsidian has been doing for the game, I’m excited to get my hands on Avowed—set in PoE’s universe after the events of the second game—this February. After all, the devs say they’re thinking about choices just as must as they did in the isometric games. In a recent chat with Edge magazine (via GamesRadar), game director Carrie Patel said that one of the things Avowed is trying to emphasise is “giving the player moment-to-moment choices to express and explore where they’re leaning.”
That can, of course, take the form of momentous, world-altering, do-you-kill-the-Rachni-Queen-style decisions, but it means the smaller stuff too. For instance, the choice Patel has in mind here is one about whether or not to give a health potion to a wounded stranger lets you figure out “who you want to be in this world, and how these situations prepare you to express that.”
I gotta be honest, that particular example doesn’t enormously excite me. I’m pretty sure ‘are you gonna be a needless dick or not?’ has been a staple character-defining RPG question games like this have been asking since at least the ’90s. I’m not against it being in there—the original Pillars games also had plenty of straightforward moral choices in addition to all the shades of grey—but this isn’t really the kind of thing I’d call out if I wanted to set my big RPG apart from the rest of the pack.
But what is more interesting, at least a bit, is the way your possible answers to those choices can be constrained by your earlier actions, both in dialogue and combat. “The choices you make and the outcomes in front of you are going to depend on what you’re able to find,” says Patel. So, for instance, if you’ve been charging like an idiot through all the combat and you’ve wasted all your health potions, you’re not gonna be able to help our Sir Dying Guy.
That’s not groundbreaking in RPGs by any stretch, but it does set Avowed’s choices apart from things like, say, Mass Effect, where you were only really asked to make choices according to your ideological preference rather than your actual, you know, material reality. You didn’t need 500 omnigel to free the Rachni Queen.
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https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1730122790_Obsidian-says-choices-both-big-and-small-will-matter-in.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2024-10-28 13:13:272024-10-28 13:13:27Obsidian says choices both big and small will matter in Avowed, and ‘the choices you get and the outcomes in front of you are going to depend on what you’re able to find’
On an average day about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that’s a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we’ve gathered the best PC games you can play right now and a running list of the 2024 games that are launching this year.
Psychopomp GOLD
Psychopomp GOLD Official Trailer (OUT NOW!) – YouTube
Steam page Release: October 25 Developer: Fading Club
Psychopomp GOLD is a bizarre dungeon crawler set in a city where most buildings have mysterious, horror-strewn catacombs hidden beneath them. It originally released as a free game earlier this year, but this newer paid version expands it in almost every way, with more levels, modes, secrets, endings and mod support. The horror is strong here, though it’s a surrealist take on horror inspired as much by anime as it is by the blobber RPGs of yore. If the earlier dungeon crawling Shin Megami Tensei games were too normal for you, perhaps give Psychopomp GOLD a look. Its free version has already gained cult status, and this paid version already has over 500 “Overwhelmingly Positive” reviews.
Steam page Release: October 24 Developer: Truant Pixel, LLC
A damn good lookin’ on-rails shooter heavily inspired by Starfox, it seems, but coated in the syrupy sweetness of ’80s and ’90s “prestige” anime. In addition to the rich, period evocative anime stylings, Truant Pixel has also recruited a bunch of Japanese voice actors you may recognise from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Naruto, Sailor Moon and more. In addition to the main campaign mode there’s an unlockable roguelite take on the format, which presumably makes good use of the 40+ designs and weapons available. Looks like a lot of fun, especially if you’ve got a Steam Deck.
Vasilisa and Baba Yaga
Vasilisa and Baba Yaga – New trailer and release date! – YouTube
Steam page Release: October 25 Developers: Baba Yaga Games
Here’s a gorgeously styled sidescrolling adventure based on Vasilisa the Beautiful, an old Russian folktale perhaps best known among non-Slavs for the character Baba Yaga, who is usually depicted as a terrifying, malevolent old woman (you may recognise her from Reka). The adventure follows Vasilisa as she journeys to “the land of the dead” to appeal to Baba Yaga, and along the way she’ll cope with a range of tasks including washing dishes and laundry, through to fighting evil spirits. I love the look of this game, but most of all I love the music in the above trailer.
Disillusion ST
Steam page Release: October 27 Developer: Disillusion Dev
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If you thought Psychopomp GOLD was as weird as things could possibly get in this week’s column, think again. Disillusion ST looks like a forgotten ’90s CD-ROM showcase gone very bad, or a creepypasta take on 3D Maze. It’s a dungeon crawler with some point and click adventure trappings and even a CCG (thankfully, for this CCG disliker, you don’t have to engage with it). It seems to be a sequel or expansion to a 2021 game called Disillusion, wherein “a mysterious muse calls upon you to investigate a Large tower in an oneiric land”. Watching the trailer has me feeling like I’m trapped on an island in the tributary connecting the dark web with /r/Vaporwave.
STRAFTAT
Steam page Release: October 24 Developer: Sirius Lemaitre, Leonard Lemaitre
Here’s a dreamy 1v1 arena shooter with 70 maps. It’s about as stripped back as they come: there are a bunch of maps, a bunch of weapons and explosives, and a bunch of unlockable cosmetics. You just boot the game up and shoot at other people. Every match has a “number of rounds”, with each round taking place on a different map. It’s free, and there’s a map clearly inspired by Twin Peaks’ Red Room, which is cool. Someone in the reviews describes it as “part Cruelty Squad, part Quake, part WarioWare”.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1730086707_Five-new-Steam-games-you-probably-missed-October-28-2024.jpg534955Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2024-10-28 00:12:012024-10-28 00:12:01Five new Steam games you probably missed (October 28, 2024)
When I imagined the kind of cards we’d get in Magic’s crossover with the Final Fantasy series I figured we’d see a lot of Cloud and Tifa as well as leads from the more recent games, like Clive and Noctis. For some reason I didn’t expect them to go deep into the FF14 well, despite its popularity, and yet two pieces of art revealed in a first look at next year’s set are just that, while another represents a memorable moment from the true fan’s pick, FF6. (Which is basically the Morrowind of the Final Fantasy series.)
As part of a wholesome video in which Square Enix producer Shoichi Ichikawa and Wizards of the Coast product architect Zakeel Gordon fanboy at each other over their respective games, we saw artwork from six of the cards in the set. Unsurprisingly, they look a lot nicer than the cards from the official Final Fantasy CCG, which used blurry in-game assets to represent several characters.
One depicts Kefka Palazzo, the flamboyant final boss of FF6, poisoning Doma’s water supply. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kefka returns in another card, with this one being used to represent a way of dropping poison tokens on your opponent and the other presenting him as a summonable legendary. Emet-Selch, a villain from FF14 beloved by the people who have 1,000 hours spare to sink into it, also appears, as does a Postmoogle from the same game. It’s easy to forget FF14 is a rare success in the MMO world, and one that essentially funds Square Enix’s less successful releases.
Other artwork includes Lightning from FF13, and a kiss being shared between Tidus and Yuna from FF10. According to the official website that picture will illustrate a reprint of the Together Forever card introduced in 2018’s Battlebond set. Finally, there’s predictably a picture of Sephiroth from FF7, though given the action pose he’s in I wouldn’t be surprised if this artwork accompanies a reprint as well. Perhaps of the classic Murder card?
The Final Fantasy Magic set will be released on June 13, 2025 in paper form and digitally in Arena. It’ll be the first of Magic’s Universes Beyond sets to be legal in the standard format, as will subsequent crossovers like the Spider-Man set that’s scheduled to follow it next year.
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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In one way or another, you’re about to win today’s Wordle. Whether you do that after spending some time with our tips, using our hint for the October 27 (1226) puzzle to get on the right track, or simply dashing towards today’s answer. We’re just happy to help.
I was surprised today, I thought Wordle would put up more of a fight. Instead, I barrelled through this one in record time, and now I don’t quite know what to do with myself. Yay?
Wordle today: A hint
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)
Wordle today: A hint for Sunday, October 27
Today’s answer can refer to a colour and a texture. Think of very light browns and fine grit.
Is there a double letter in Wordle today?
There are no double letters in today’s Wordle.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
If you’ve decided to play Wordle but you’re not sure where to start, I’ll help set you on the path to your first winning streak. Make all your guesses count and become a Wordle winner with these quick tips:
A good opener has a mix of common vowels and consonants.
The answer could contain the same letter, repeated.
Avoid words that include letters you’ve already eliminated.
You’re not racing against the clock so there’s no reason to rush. In fact, it’s not a bad idea to treat the game like a casual newspaper crossword and come back to it later if you’re coming up blank. Sometimes stepping away for a while means you can come back with a fresh perspective.
Today’s Wordle answer
(Image credit: Future)
What is today’s Wordle answer?
Stuck? Not anymore. The answer to the October 27 (1226) Wordle is SANDY.
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Previous Wordle answers
The last 10 Wordle answers
Previous Wordle solutions can help to eliminate guesses for today’s Wordle, as the answer isn’t likely to be repeated. They can also give you some solid ideas for starting words that keep your daily puzzle-solving fresh.
Here are some recent Wordle answers:
October 26: WREAK
October 25: FROWN
October 24: BOSSY
October 23: GOOFY
October 22: SHOUT
October 21: SPOON
October 20: DICEY
October 19: FIBER
October 18: STINT
October 17: HALVE
Learn more about Wordle
(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)
There are six rows of five boxes presented to you by Wordle each day, and you’ll need to work out which five-letter word is hiding among them to win the daily puzzle.
Start with a strong word like ALIVE—or any other word with a good mix of common consonants and multiple vowels. You should also avoid starting words with repeating letters, so you don’t waste the chance to confirm or eliminate an extra letter. Once you’ve typed your guess and hit Enter, you’ll see which letters you’ve got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn’t in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you’ve got the right letter in the right spot.
Your second guess should compliment the first, using another “good” word to cover any common letters you might have missed on the first row—just don’t forget to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn’t present in today’s answer. After that, it’s just a case of using what you’ve learned to narrow your guesses down to the correct word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words and don’t forget letters can repeat too (eg: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you’d like to find out which words have already been used you can scroll to the relevant section above.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn’t long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
Remember how everyone thought Raiden was stupid and dorky when Metal Gear Solid 2 came out, then ten years later the consensus was all of a sudden that MGS2 was a postmodern masterpiece? Well now we know what the endgame of that “Kojima Cycle” might look like: Future space aliens agreeing that you should absolutely give Death Stranding another shot.
Kojima’s meditation on the potential afterlife of a piece of art comes from a fan Q&A organized by Anan News (by way of GamesRadar). In response to a question about the mindset a successful game developer needs to have, Kojima replied that it’s “to make something that you’re satisfied with. Or rather, you can’t create something that you are not satisfied with.
“For starters, the way art is evaluated changes with the times. Just as paintings are appraised 100 or 200 years after the artist’s death, games and films also remain as objects to be passed down through generations after their creators pass away. If I make something I’m satisfied with, centuries later aliens may come and say, ‘that’s awesome.’ That’s what it means to leave something behind.”
While it’s an eccentric image, I definitely agree with Kojima’s sentiment—you’re not going to make great art if you don’t believe in it. And like I was saying earlier, Kojima’s work already has this quality of maturing and aging like a fine wine, people going “oh, that’s just goofy and ill-considered” at launch, then deciding years down the line that a given Kojima game was actually a prescient work of sci-fi. MGS2 is the big example, though I still think it’s high time MGS5 got its roses as one of the best, most thought-provoking stories Kojima has done. Quiet’s outfit is still really embarrassing to look at though, I’m sorry to say. I am not “ashamed of my words and deeds.”
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1729978534_Hideo-Kojima-games-have-already-gotten-big-reappraisals-5-10-years.jpg6271200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2024-10-26 21:50:292024-10-26 21:50:29Hideo Kojima games have already gotten big reappraisals 5-10 years after release, now the auteur says he wants to make games that will impress space aliens centuries into the future
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ESCAPE-FROM-TARKOV-ARENA-2-MIRA-A-MELHORAR.jpg7201280DecayeD20https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngDecayeD202024-10-26 15:00:252024-10-26 15:00:25ESCAPE FROM TARKOV ARENA #2 | MIRA A MELHORAR
All the Wordle help you could wish for is waiting below, ready to dish out as much or as little advice as you need. Get your October 26 (1225) game off to the best possible start with our clue. Or grab today’s answer and win in record time if you like—it’s entirely up to you.
How many times can a person be so very close to the answer and still not get it right? Too many, in my experience. I was so sure I’d solved Saturday’s Wordle in record time, only to see the answer avoid me again and again. It’s as if it was saving itself for the very last row on purpose.
Today’s Wordle hint
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)
Wordle today: A hint for Saturday, October 26
This word’s used when a lot of harm or damage, especially uncontrolled, has been caused. Often paired with “havoc”.
Is there a double letter in Wordle today?
No, there is no double letter in today’s puzzle.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
A good starting word can be the difference between victory and defeat with the daily puzzle, but once you’ve got the basics, it’s much easier to nail down those Wordle wins. And as there’s nothing quite like a small victory to set you up for the rest of the day, here are a few tips to help set you on the right path:
A good opening guess should contain a mix of unique consonants and vowels.
Narrow down the pool of letters quickly with a tactical second guess.
Watch out for letters appearing more than once in the answer.
There’s no racing against the clock with Wordle so you don’t need to rush for the answer. Treating the game like a casual newspaper crossword can be a good tactic; that way, you can come back to it later if you’re coming up blank. Stepping away for a while might mean the difference between a win and a line of grey squares.
Today’s Wordle answer
(Image credit: Future)
What is today’s Wordle answer?
Here’s your latest win. The answer to the October 26 (1225) Wordle is WREAK.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Previous Wordle answers
The last 10 Wordle answers
Past Wordle answers can give you some excellent ideas for fun starting words that keep your daily puzzle-solving fresh. They are also a good way to eliminate guesses for today’s Wordle, as the answer is unlikely to be repeated.
Here are some recent Wordle answers:
October 25: FROWN
October 24: BOSSY
October 23: GOOFY
October 22: SHOUT
October 21: SPOON
October 20: DICEY
October 19: FIBER
October 18: STINT
October 17: HALVE
October 16: GRANT
Learn more about Wordle
(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)
Wordle gives you six rows of five boxes each day, and you’ll need to work out which secret five-letter word is hiding inside them to keep up your winning streak.
You should start with a strong word like ARISE, or any other word that contains a good mix of common consonants and multiple vowels. You’ll also want to avoid starting words with repeating letters, as you’re wasting the chance to potentially eliminate or confirm an extra letter. Once you hit Enter, you’ll see which ones you’ve got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn’t in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you’ve got the right letter in the right spot.
Your second guess should compliment the starting word, using another “good” word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn’t present in today’s answer. With a bit of luck, you should have some coloured squares to work with and set you on the right path.
After that, it’s just a case of using what you’ve learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there’s an E). Don’t forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you’d like to find out which words have already been used you can scroll to the relevant section above.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn’t long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
Hunt: Showdown 1896’s first premium crossover cosmetic didn’t go over well with a lot of players, who feel that the mask from Scream doesn’t quite fit into a paranormal extraction shooter set over 100 years in the past. Is the Ghost Face Rampage DLC the beginning of the Fortnite-ification of Hunt? Crytek says no.
In an email correspondence with PC Gamer, the developer said that it plans to do more collaborations “with IPs and personalities that have ties to the world of Hunt,” but that “you won’t see Peter Griffin or anime characters coming to Hunt any time soon.”
“We have been looking for a while at working with brands that can blend into the 19th Century world of Hunt, while staying true to themselves and our lore,” said Crytek. “These collaborations around new characters allow us to continue to build unique and interesting stories within the Hunt mythos, while inviting new audiences to explore our world for the first time.”
It’s funny that Crytek doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of a Mosin-Nagant-wielding Peter Griffin, but I don’t think the “any time soon” was meant seriously. The developer says it is committed to integrating crossover cosmetics with Hunt’s fiction, and it did give the Ghost Face costume era-appropriate styling—up close you can see that the mask has a cracked wood texture—and a story to explain why the killer from a ’90s movie is running around in the 1890s.
“In retrospect, we should have done more to elaborate on the narrative we have built around the Ghost Face Hunter before we went for the full reveal,” Crytek told us. “A lot of thought has gone into the crossover from an art and narrative side, there’s a really cool story behind our iteration of the Ghost Face Hunter and we didn’t provide that to the community from the outset. Lesson learned.
“From a narrative point of view, we focused on the iconic mask as a deadly heirloom passed down through generations, from killer to killer, finding its way to those easily corrupted with its foul whispers. We loved the idea of exploring the 1890’s history of the mask, before it became a 1990s icon.”
Crytek made a similar appeal in a public response to the negative reaction earlier this week, saying that the cosmetic makes sense if you accept that “in the 1890s, a madman took up the mask, driven into a bloody frenzy by its foul whispers on a hunting trip in Louisiana.”
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Some players are happy not to make a big deal out of it, but others remain disappointed, because, well, regardless of whatever lore Crytek comes up with to explain the mask’s presence, it’s still a Halloween mask from a ’90s movie.
Perhaps even the unconvinced will be sympathetic to Crytek’s motivation: It tells us that it hopes the collaboration will “capture the attention of horror fans not yet familiar with the Hunt franchise.” Bringing in new players to an established game, especially one with Hunt’s unique extraction loop and steep learning curve, is no doubt a challenge. And over its five-plus years, Hunt has so far resisted becoming the carnival of garish crossover cosmetics that shooters so often turn into—whether or not this is first step toward that fate is TBD, but Crytek says it isn’t.
The Ghost Face Rampage DLC costs $10, so I don’t expect the map to be full of Ghost Faces anyway, although ironically I can imagine that the negative attention might’ve inspired a few impulse buys just to get a rise out of other players. (I know I enjoyed using the annoying Batmobile car in Rocket League. Sorry for being that guy.)
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1729906318_Youre-not-going-to-see-Peter-Griffin-or-anime-characters.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2024-10-26 00:56:162024-10-26 00:56:16You’re not going to see ‘Peter Griffin or anime characters coming to Hunt,’ says Crytek in response to fears that its Scream crossover means it’s Fortnite now
What is it? A very deadly hybrid of extraction shooter and singleplayer roguelike. Release date October 24, 2024 Expect to pay $20/£17 Developer CABO Studio Publisher Modern Wolf Reviewed on NVIDIA GeForce 4070 Ti, 32GB RAM Steam Deck Playable LinkOfficial site
Have you ever considered what would’ve happened to Bill Murray’s character in Groundhog Day if he hadn’t got out of that time loop? If he’d just stayed living the same day over, and over, and over, with no happy ending?
That’s a little like what CABO Studio’s debut title, ZERO Sievert, can feel like—at least at first. An extraction shooter from a top-down perspective with similar graphical fidelity to the original Grand Theft Auto, it mashes up Escape From Tarkov-esque runs with a roguelike structure. You emerge from your bunker and head out to find supplies, grab weapons, and complete quests, before desperately trying to make it home alive. It’s one of those combos that seems completely obvious in retrospect, and CABO certainly finds success with it.
ZERO Sievert is taut, tense, and taxing. Though it’s not multiplayer like most extraction shooters, its enemies feel almost as deadly as other players. As I end my latest run with a bullet between my potato-like character’s eyes at two in the morning, I should be swearing at the screen and throwing up my hands. As it is, I’m exhaling and puffing out my cheeks—in some ways, death is a relief in a world this brutal.
The game’s simple facade feels deliberately disarming. Looking at it, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s all a little rote—you run about, strafe around bad guys, and ‘pew pew’ like it’s Power Pete from the shareware days.
With those unassuming looks, how hard could it be? That false sense of security was knocked out of me within minutes on my first run, as I moved too quickly, alerted a wild boar to my location, and was quickly gored to death. No hardened mercenary, no devious trap, just a disgruntled pig.
That humbling helped me appreciate more of what ZERO Sievert is about, though. Death is a teaching tool—every mistake you make has consequences, but they’re opportunities for betterment. Though that positive perspective doesn’t make me feel any less terrified when I’m sneaking between trees and buildings, listening out for the telltale sound of an enemy up ahead.
In one run I snuck up on one bandit and eliminated him, only for another trio of bad guys to turn and chase me away, calling me names as I fled with my tail between my legs. Foes will follow as best they can, meaning the initial sprint of fleeing the scene needs to become hushed footsteps as you sneak to hide behind a tree or rock.
In that example, I certainly wish I’d spent some money on a sniper rifle with a scope back at the game’s safe zone, so I could have scouted the area more thoroughly and maybe even picked an enemy or two off without others knowing. Equipment plays a huge role in ZERO Sievert, helping you tailor your playstyle, whether you’re trying to sneak more effectively, put down more hurt at close range, or, indeed, snipe from a distance.
Skills allow for further customisation, letting you earn increased XP from quests, sprint for longer, or benefit from improved aiming while moving. These can be earned by finding skill books out in the world, but they’re also sold back at the bunker, making it easy to switch up your playstyle.
It all contributes to making ZERO Sievert a much deeper experience than it may appear on the surface. There’s a real attention to detail throughout, and the more you learn the game’s nuances, the better your odds of survival grow—an incremental process of improvement that makes even the smallest win feel like an accomplishment.
Just extracting successfully is its own victory, even if all you’ve Tetris’d into your inventory is some extra ammo and some random junk—and you soon find yourself ready for another go. In fact, despite being an extraction shooter, one of the most enjoyable parts of ZERO Sievert is getting in.
That’s because each time you head back out, the world is newly procedurally generated. Maps aren’t huge, but strike a perfect balance of being manageable yet packed with possibilities.
With a fresh environment every time, a key moment of each run is checking your map once you hop off of the train that drops you into the level, and using pins to mark points of interest and the extraction point. It’s welcome variety for a formula that could otherwise grow stale. But it does also causes arguably the biggest issue with the roguelike formula here—the awkwardness of finding quest items.
Many of the game’s NPCs have quests that require killing a certain enemy type or grabbing a series of items, and that can be tricky when they’re constantly respawning in new locations. For example if you’re looking for a propane tank, in one run it might be found near the arrival point, while the next it could be on the opposite end of the map. It’s a relatively minor problem, but an annoying one—on your latest of half a dozen attempts to find the one item or enemy type that’s eluded you, you certainly feel the frustration.
It does help, though, that you’re given exhaustive options to tweak the overall experience to your liking, when you find yourself wishing it was more forgiving (or harder, if you’re a masochist). Each time you start a new game you can adjust an impressive amount of sliders for everything from the decay rate caused by the in-game hunger system, to the permadeath mechanics, to even more granular details such as how much money traders have and what they’ll pay for your items.
Switching these in your favour is a neat way to ease yourself in, but there are also presets for easier, hard, and very hard difficulties, too. It makes it feel like there’s always a pull to jump in for just one more run whatever your mood—whether you’re looking for a new challenge, or just want the satisfaction of quickly snatching up some junk and making an easy profit at the vendors.
The simple visuals make ZERO Sievert an ideal Steam Deck candidate, and the good news is that despite its humble ‘Playable’ rating, it runs really well. The only issue I had is that inventory management is, naturally, easier with a mouse. More than once I fumbled with shifting items from a corpse to my inventory only to be gunned down by another enemy while I was trying to fit a packet of cigarettes into my backpack. I suspect with a little remapping, though, the Steam Deck (and other handheld PC options) could become an excellent way to play the game.
If you’re looking for an extraction shooter that takes the hassle of PvP out of the equation and boils the subgenre down to its barest essentials, ZERO Sievert is well worth a look. Every bit as tense as Tarkov, it’s a very promising debut from a new studio that has me planning additional runs even as I finish typing this review.
Whatever sort of Wordle help you’re looking for, you’re sure to find it here. Maybe you’re after a little general advice, or a few game-enhancing tips. Perhaps you’re hoping to read a hint written especially for the October 25 (1224) game, or simply want today’s answer served up without any fuss. We’ve got it all.
I really had to fight my way to Friday’s answer. Each new row was technically filled with new clues, the only problem was the yellow letters I did find insisted on staying yellow, and I couldn’t see an obvious route through the letter-soup until the very end. Even then, it was a close call.
Today’s Wordle hint
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)
Wordle today: A hint for Friday, October 25
You’re looking for the name of a facial expression today. You’d pull this face if you were concentrating on a tough problem, or disapproved of something.
Is there a double letter in Wordle today?
No, there is not a double letter in today’s Wordle.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
A good starting word can be the difference between victory and defeat with the daily puzzle, but once you’ve got the basics, it’s much easier to nail down those Wordle wins. And as there’s nothing quite like a small victory to set you up for the rest of the day, here are a few tips to help set you on the right path:
A good opening guess should contain a mix of unique consonants and vowels.
Narrow down the pool of letters quickly with a tactical second guess.
Watch out for letters appearing more than once in the answer.
There’s no racing against the clock with Wordle so you don’t need to rush for the answer. Treating the game like a casual newspaper crossword can be a good tactic; that way, you can come back to it later if you’re coming up blank. Stepping away for a while might mean the difference between a win and a line of grey squares.
Today’s Wordle answer
(Image credit: Future)
What is today’s Wordle answer?
One win, right here. The answer to the October 25 (1224) Wordle is FROWN.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Previous Wordle answers
The last 10 Wordle answers
Past Wordle answers can give you some excellent ideas for fun starting words that keep your daily puzzle-solving fresh. They are also a good way to eliminate guesses for today’s Wordle, as the answer is unlikely to be repeated.
Here are some recent Wordle answers:
October 24: BOSSY
October 23: GOOFY
October 22: SHOUT
October 21: SPOON
October 20: DICEY
October 19: FIBER
October 18: STINT
October 17: HALVE
October 16: GRANT
October 15: CORER
Learn more about Wordle
(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)
Wordle gives you six rows of five boxes each day, and you’ll need to work out which secret five-letter word is hiding inside them to keep up your winning streak.
You should start with a strong word like ARISE, or any other word that contains a good mix of common consonants and multiple vowels. You’ll also want to avoid starting words with repeating letters, as you’re wasting the chance to potentially eliminate or confirm an extra letter. Once you hit Enter, you’ll see which ones you’ve got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn’t in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you’ve got the right letter in the right spot.
Your second guess should compliment the starting word, using another “good” word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn’t present in today’s answer. With a bit of luck, you should have some coloured squares to work with and set you on the right path.
After that, it’s just a case of using what you’ve learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there’s an E). Don’t forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you’d like to find out which words have already been used you can scroll to the relevant section above.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn’t long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
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