Why did we stop going to the moon? NASA picture from Artemis II, moon eclipsing the sun. Just gonna stare at this for a while...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/

I've been having a great time with Modulus, an overhead-view automation game that's relaxing and pressure-free. Plus it's got a nice puzzle element, figuring out the best way to create 3D shapes by seeing the smaller forms in the larger ones.

https://hardcoregamer.com/review-modulus/

First of the PAX East articles, and it's the fantasy action brawler Disgaea Mayhem. It just scratched the surface of everything the game promises to do, but was still a ton of fun changing up weapons and testing the special attacks.

https://hardcoregamer.com/pax-east-2026-preview-disgaea-mayhem/

A really strong outing for his move to 3D, Super Meat Boy 3D worked out surprisingly well. It's hard, yes, but the short, snappy levels encourage replay and it always feels great to dance through what had been a murder-gauntlet.

https://hardcoregamer.com/review-super-meat-boy-3d/

Been a bit since my last survivor-style obsession but Grind Survivors is out today so it's time to beat down the horde. This one's just got a really good, chunky feel once you get a gun with serious power behind it.

https://hardcoregamer.com/grind-survivors-tears-up-the-hordes-with-new-release-trailer/

I love the idea of Pokemon far more than turn-based team battles, so giving the series a Dragon Quest Builders spin-off means I finally get to dive into one of the games properly. Pokemon Pokopia is a nicely chill blocky world-builder loaded with charm.

https://hardcoregamer.com/review-pokemon-pokopia/

It's launch day for Aethus, a great little survival/crafting game with just enough narrative to keep the adventure moving without getting in the way. Mine with your drone/friend, upgrade tech, explore farther, and find what's hidden below.

https://hardcoregamer.com/a-long-survival-mining-journey-into-the-caverns-with-aethus-launch-trailer/

For a good chunk of last year Dysmantle was my wind-down game at the end of the day. Now the sequel, Dysplaced, is out as of yesterday and it's time to smash all the environmental objects again! In a chilled, light-combat scavenge and craft adventure, of course.

https://hardcoregamer.com/setting-out-into-new-destructible-worlds-with-dyplaced-launch-trailer/

It had been a looong while since my last look at Snacktorio, so the updated Steam Next Fest demo was a perfect excuse to dive back in now that it's being actively worked on. Use automation to whip up fancy dishes for hungry elder gods, which is a great twist on the standard component assemblers seen in the genre.

https://hardcoregamer.com/sating-the-old-gods-appetites-with-automated-cooking-in-snacktorio-demo/