Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Behaviour Interactive
Developer: Supermassive Games
Release: September 3, 2024
Rating: Mature

The Casting of Frank Stone may have new elements due to its ties to Dead by Daylight, but it remains a Supermassive horror game at its core. By that, I mean it’s a narrative-focused, choice-driven adventure that can result in numerous different outcomes based on your decisions and reaction time to sudden button prompts. Characters can be permanently killed off due to your actions, and this blueprint has given past Supermassive works like Until Dawn and especially The Quarry (which boasted 186 different outcomes) plenty of replayability for fans who wanted to see every possible route the story could take. This has typically meant restarting the entire game, but The Casting of Frank Stone eases this process thanks to a new destination called the Cutting Room Floor.

This mode opens after you’ve beaten the game once, but it will be available at the start for owners of the Deluxe Edition. The Cutting Room Floor displays the web of possible outcomes, locked and unlocked, for every narrative fork in each chapter. It also shows the number of collectibles you’ve found or can be found. 

Every decision has a percentage number representing the number of players who chose it, and this statistic will continually fluctuate as more people play. You can replay any segment, which means you can preserve your choices from a previous section of the game and only change later outcomes, and vice versa. Since some outcomes can only be experienced by making a specific combination of decisions, the Cutting Room Floor seems like a great, streamlined way to witness the different story permutations and go collectible/achievement hunting without replaying unnecessary stretches or the whole game.   

How many different directions can the story take? When I asked Supermassive Games this question, creative director Steve Goss told me that the sheer number of outcomes won’t be as vast as The Quarry’s. Instead, he says to compare the game to Until Dawn’s structure. The team aimed to write a more tightly written tale for The Casting of Frank Stone to facilitate more satisfying character arcs and resolutions. That said, you’ll still be making plenty of decisions, and the Cutting Room Floor will make it easier than ever to revisit those choices and make new ones.

The Casting of Frank Stone launches on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Click the banner below to visit our cover story hub for more exclusive stories and videos.

<p> <img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/07/30/e7b0f233/dragon-ball_-sparking-zero-yamcha.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Saiyan and Namek sagas trailer" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /> </p> <p>A new trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero takes aim at Dragon Ball Z’s earliest story arcs, the Saiyan and Namek sagas. New characters from both eras will be joining the roster.&nbsp;</p> <p>New fighters include members of both the Ginyu and Frieza Forces (remember Cui?), the Namakian warrior Nail, and every form of Frieza during the Z era. Perhaps most hilariously, you can even play as one of the Saibamen, meaning we get to watch it blow up Yamcha all over again, which never gets old.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yZr-TwjTXbs" width="640"></iframe> <p>Here's the full list of new fighters joining the roster:</p> <ul> <li>Captain Ginyu</li> <li>Chiaotzu</li> <li>Cui</li> <li>Dodoria</li> <li>Frieza (Z), 1st Form</li> <li>Frieza (Z), 2nd Form</li> <li>Frieza (Z), 3rd Form</li> <li>Frieza (Z), 4th Form</li> <li>Frieza (Z), Full Power</li> <li>Guldo</li> <li>Nail</li> <li>Nappa</li> <li>Raditz</li> <li>Recoome</li> <li>Saibaman</li> <li>Zarbon</li> <li>Super Zarbon</li> </ul> <p>Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero launches on October 11 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.</p>

A new trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero takes aim at Dragon Ball Z’s earliest story arcs, the Saiyan and Namek sagas. New characters from both eras will be joining the roster. 

New fighters include members of both the Ginyu and Frieza Forces (remember Cui?), the Namakian warrior Nail, and every form of Frieza during the Z era. Perhaps most hilariously, you can even play as one of the Saibamen, meaning we get to watch it blow up Yamcha all over again, which never gets old.  

Here's the full list of new fighters joining the roster:

• Captain Ginyu
• Chiaotzu
• Cui
• Dodoria
• Frieza (Z), 1st Form
• Frieza (Z), 2nd Form
• Frieza (Z), 3rd Form
• Frieza (Z), 4th Form
• Frieza (Z), Full Power
• Guldo
• Nail
• Nappa
• Raditz
• Recoome
• Saibaman
• Zarbon
• Super Zarbon

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero launches on October 11 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

<p> <img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/07/30/9a18daea/bopathoftheteallotusartcrop.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus Humble Games" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /> </p> <p>Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus launched to generally solid reviews on July 18, but those playing the hand-drawn action platformer on consoles will have to wait longer for any post-launch updates. Developer Squid Shock Studios revealed that last week's sudden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gamesindustry.biz/humble-games-devs-told-company-is-shutting-down">closure of publisher Humble Games</a> has adversely affected its ability to provide timely support to those versions of the game.&nbsp;</p> <iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5u5ptgu1PRU" width="640"></iframe> <p>In a statement posted to <a href="https://x.com/squidshock/status/1817973044826226968?s=46">Twitter</a>, Squid Shock Studios states that Humble Games' apparent closure last week, which saw its entire 36-person staff laid off by owner Ziff Davis in what it calls a “restructuring,” has adversely affected its ability to provide post-launch support for the console versions of Bō. The studio states that this is due to the game’s porting and QA support being tied to its deal with Humble. The PC version doesn't appear to be affected, with the studio currently working on updates for that version. Here’s Squid Shock Studios’ full statement:</p> <blockquote class="tw-align-center twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">A statement on console ports and future updates. <a href="https://t.co/PjElxfnYwP">pic.twitter.com/PjElxfnYwP</a></p> — ⛩️Bō ➡ 📍OUT NOW! (@SquidShock) <a href="https://twitter.com/SquidShock/status/1817973044826226968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2024</a></blockquote> We want to give you an update on Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus. We’re really proud of how the launch went and it has been great hearing all of your feedback on our game. That being said, our launch hasn’t been without its challenges. Most of you will know that our publisher, Humble Games, has effectively shut down, laying off all 35 team members. This took us completely by surprise and, for a small development team like us, it was a critical blow to our post-launch support. We are now in a difficult situation when it comes to updating the console ports, as both Porting and QA Support was tied into our deal with Humble. We are actively pursuing all available avenues to allow us to roll out updates to console versions, but we regret to say this may take some time to put in place. We just want to reassure players that we will get this resolved. We are working on updates for the PC version and we want to assure you that these updates and fixes will come to consoles in the future. Thank you for your understanding and support. <p>Given the number of games Humble published, both released and upcoming, this likely isn’t the only game or studio to have this kind of wrench thrown into the works due to the sudden layoffs. If you're planning on picking up&nbsp;Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, PC seems like the best way to go for the foreseeable future.&nbsp;</p> <p>Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is inspired by Japanese folklore, with players controlling a warrior named&nbsp;Bō who descends from Heaven to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Armed with his shapeshifting Bō staff, players traverse a dreamlike, Metroidvania-inspired world battling monsters.&nbsp;Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.&nbsp;</p>

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus launched to generally solid reviews on July 18, but those playing the hand-drawn action platformer on consoles will have to wait longer for any post-launch updates. Developer Squid Shock Studios revealed that last week's sudden closure of publisher Humble Games has adversely affected its ability to provide timely support to those versions of the game. 

In a statement posted to Twitter, Squid Shock Studios states that Humble Games' apparent closure last week, which saw its entire 36-person staff laid off by owner Ziff Davis in what it calls a “restructuring,” has adversely affected its ability to provide post-launch support for the console versions of Bō. The studio states that this is due to the game’s porting and QA support being tied to its deal with Humble. The PC version doesn't appear to be affected, with the studio currently working on updates for that version. Here’s Squid Shock Studios’ full statement:

A statement on console ports and future updates. pic.twitter.com/PjElxfnYwP

— ⛩️Bō ➡ 📍OUT NOW! (@SquidShock) July 29, 2024

We want to give you an update on Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus. We’re really proud of how the launch went and it has been great hearing all of your feedback on our game. That being said, our launch hasn’t been without its challenges. Most of you will know that our publisher, Humble Games, has effectively shut down, laying off all 35 team members. This took us completely by surprise and, for a small development team like us, it was a critical blow to our post-launch support. We are now in a difficult situation when it comes to updating the console ports, as both Porting and QA Support was tied into our deal with Humble. We are actively pursuing all available avenues to allow us to roll out updates to console versions, but we regret to say this may take some time to put in place. We just want to reassure players that we will get this resolved. We are working on updates for the PC version and we want to assure you that these updates and fixes will come to consoles in the future. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Given the number of games Humble published, both released and upcoming, this likely isn’t the only game or studio to have this kind of wrench thrown into the works due to the sudden layoffs. If you're planning on picking up Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, PC seems like the best way to go for the foreseeable future. 

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is inspired by Japanese folklore, with players controlling a warrior named Bō who descends from Heaven to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Armed with his shapeshifting Bō staff, players traverse a dreamlike, Metroidvania-inspired world battling monsters. Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.