Reviewed on: PC
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Dreamhaven
Developer: Moonshot Games
Release: July 22, 2025
Rating: Teen

Wildgate is an easy recommendation for multiplayer fans looking for novelty. While its matches can be slower-paced than some may enjoy, developer Moonshot Games has expertly created a spacefaring fantasy built around discovery, ship customization, and impressive multi-crew dogfights that are cinematic and tactical. Despite small balance issues and a reliance on the unpredictable nature of communicating with strangers, winning a hard-fought round of Wildgate is rewarding and memorable. 

Set within a procedurally generated map called The Reach, multiple teams of five players work together to run and upgrade a spaceship, starting with only basic amenities and progressing throughout the match. Each squad explores various points of interest in space, from science labs to docking stations to cavernous asteroid interiors. While each location’s challenges (and rewards) are randomized, they consist of various wave-based combat scenarios or puzzle challenges like triggering hidden power switches while managing limited oxygen.

Combat and exploration are enjoyable, whether against AI opponents in the environment or elsewhere against players, thanks to exaggerated animations and easy-to-grasp first-person shooter mechanics. After clearing a point of interest, the team claims their rewards: new ship turrets, hull modifications like automated security systems or shield-melting laser rams, and pilot gadgets like tractor beams or personal turbines for quicker traversal through zero gravity. 

Teams must win by outlasting all other ships or escaping with The Artifact. While it’s tempting to be the first team to grab the object, a smarter strategy often involves waiting for another crew to take the bait while yours waits beneath an asteroid or nebula storm to intercept and steal it. 

 

Steering, upgrading, and maintaining the ship’s health requires constant mindfulness throughout the match, often demanding attention between other critical activities. At the center of every vessel is its reactor, a crucial installation that you can activate to repair the hull or for an enemy team to override to start a self-destruction timer. Luckily, players can easily teleport back to their mothership with a button, so attackers must coordinate to disorient an enemy crew properly. When tackling these responsibilities with a familiar team, I often get into a flow state; however, the organization frequently (and frustratingly) falls apart when playing with strangers.

Months after launch, matchmaking queues are slower but usually pair crews together within a few minutes. While most players silently participate, the inclusion of a ping system allows basic communication between parties. However, the system usually fails to keep up with the chaos of fighting other players. Still, it’s a fantastic feeling when your squad manages to overwhelm another, even when comms aren’t optimized. 

Progression is tied to unlocking new Prospectors —  the various characters, each with unique abilities and passive bonuses — and additional equipment, weapons, and cosmetics to customize them. Every Prospector is distinct in style and power: Adrian is a raider with a jetpack instead of a Maghook, which other characters use to zip around in zero-G. Venture is a robot well-suited for exploration due to not needing oxygen to breathe, while Sal is an axolotl inside of a fishbowl-like space suit with a buff incentivizing a defensive, repair-oriented strategy. Each character aids a different approach and is satisfying to master, but some, like Adrian, are overplayed, often leading to unbalanced team compositions.

While its pacing can be hit or miss due to its procedural map generation and unpredictable player behavior, Wildgate stands out amidst other PvPvE multiplayer offerings. Working with teammates to overcome challenging scenarios to unearth new equipment and upgrades for the spaceship is excellent, especially when it often culminates in larger-than-life dogfights that require every person to play a role, resulting in cinematic, often white-knuckle match-ups. 

Score: 8

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Update October 8, 2025: 

Nintendo has released an updated version of the Close to You animated short that confirms the presence of Pikmin. However, it's only available to watch on the Nintendo Today app at the time of publishing.  

This new version shows red, blue, and yellow Pikmin, invisible to human eyes, running amok in the child's room and showing they're responsible for all of the animation's hijinks. We've included screenshots below (which were tricky to get as the Nintendo Today app restricts any form of native screen capture, so apologies for the less-than-ideal quality). 

 

While this likely puts a damper on the baby Rosalina theory, who's to say Pikmin can't appear in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie? 

Nintendo has unexpectedly released an animated short film on its YouTube channel. The film, titled Close to You, centers on a baby and its seemingly sentient pacifier. 

Running shy of four minutes, the wordless film centers on a blonde-haired baby who, after their mother leaves them alone in their room, chases their pacifier around the room after it suddenly comes to life. The video’s description lacks any explanation and only states the film’s title (with the comments section deactivated as well). Nintendo’s social media posts and the Nintendo Today app are similarly devoid of any information about the animation.

While it’s unclear if the animated short is tied to any existing or upcoming game, fellow Game Informer editor Charles Harte noticed the short’s lively piano soundtrack is a slightly altered version of the main Pikmin theme. Editor Wesley LeBlanc also adds that Pikmin are canonically invisible to the human eye, as confirmed in the mobile title Pikmin Bloom. It would certainly explain why the baby's pacifier and blocks would suddenly come to life – other than magic, of course. 

Some fans online have also speculated that Close to You is tied to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and that this child is a baby Rosalina, given they share blonde hair and a similar eye color. The blue shirt could be a nod to Rosalina's signature blue gown. If so, then that would suggest Illumination created this short, being that it's the animation studio behind the Mario movies. 

What do you think of Close to You, and do you believe it's related to Pikmin or any other Nintendo property? Is it conneted to a video game at all? Let us know in the comments. 

Nintendo has unexpectedly released an animated short film on its YouTube channel. The film, titled Close to You, centers on a baby and its seemingly sentient pacifier. 

Running shy of four minutes, the wordless film centers on a blonde-haired baby who, after their mother leaves them alone in their room, chases their pacifier around the room after it suddenly comes to life. The video’s description lacks any explanation and only states the film’s title (with the comments section deactivated as well). Nintendo’s social media posts and the Nintendo Today app are similarly devoid of any information about the animation.

While it’s unclear if the animated short is tied to any existing or upcoming game, fellow Game Informer editor Charles Harte noticed the short’s lively piano soundtrack is a slightly altered version of the main Pikmin theme. Editor Wesley LeBlanc also adds that Pikmin are canonically invisible to the human eye, as confirmed in the mobile title Pikmin Bloom. It would certainly explain why the baby's pacifier and blocks would suddenly come to life – other than magic, of course. 

Some fans online have also speculated that Close to You is tied to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and that this child is a baby Rosalina, given they share blonde hair and a similar eye color. The blue shirt could be a nod to Rosalina's signature blue gown. If so, then that would suggest Illumination created this short, being that it's the animation studio behind the Mario movies. 

What do you think of Close to You, and do you believe it's related to Pikmin or any other Nintendo property? Is it conneted to a video game at all? Let us know in the comments. 

I recall the original release of Super Mario Galaxy with fondness. When it released in 2007, it was the first new mainline 3D adventure for the mustachioed hero since 2002’s Sunshine – a game that never totally clicked for me. With its magical outer space vibes and novel spherical stages, Super Mario Galaxy was, to my memory, the strangest of Mario’s big outings. Alongside its 2010 sequel, it remains one of my most fondly remembered games in the long-running Nintendo franchise.

The recent release of both Galaxy games on Switch and Switch 2 is an excellent opportunity to check out each of these stellar games. If you’ve never played one or the other, and you’re willing to put up with a decent degree of aged gameplay, it’s well worth a shot. If you’re like me, and you recall playing the originals, my recommendation is more tempered – the additions don’t dramatically change the experience – but it makes for a great trip down memory lane.

For those who never tried out the original, both Super Mario Galaxy games share a similar premise. Bowser is up to no good, and Mario must blast across a magical version of outer space from one (mostly) spherical world to the next, gathering stars and completing increasingly tricky objectives.

The unusual visual perspective is one of the most charming aspects on offer, but also one of the things that takes the most getting used to; navigating Mario through a 3D space while he’s also upside down or at right angles to the screen can be dicey, but it’s also novel and fun to get the hang of the twisted perspective.

Especially running in 4K on Switch 2, the visual upgrade is noticeable and makes the game look sharp and inviting. Don’t go in expecting something on par with Super Mario 3D World – these are effectively up-rezzed versions, not full-throated remakes – and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Other improvements are modest, but add up to a genuine upgrade. The user interface, specifically the menu layouts, is better than before. A new assist mode is helpful, especially as both games (especially the second) can prove pretty challenging in later levels. A soundtrack mode is available at the front menu for both games, though that’s only likely to appeal to especially rabid Mario music fans. I also like that we get some new storybook chapters; the fairy tale aesthetic of the originals was always fun, and these additions seem to recognize that quality and double down.

These newer versions also attempt to adapt the original motion controls of these Wii-era games for a modern controller. In all honesty, the motion controls (especially the floating cursor feature) were my least favorite aspect of the original games. Here, they work perfectly well using something like the Pro Controller, but even with some adjustment, it remains the least appealing part of the game.

I think it’s fair to balk a bit at the $70 price tag to snag these two updated games, especially when the most notable change is an update in resolution. However, that value proposition shifts noticeably if you never got to play these two games, or if you no longer have the consoles needed to enjoy them again years later. Both games were defining entries in the 3D platforming genre, are among the most critically acclaimed games of all time, and exude that irrepressible joy that is present in the best Mario games. Especially if you’ve always been hungry to check these two gems out, my revisit suggests you should do so with confidence, knowing these are the best way to play two classic releases.

Shovel Knight Developer Yacht Club Games has delayed its anticipated follow-up, the Zelda-inspired Mina the Hollower. The upcoming game was scheduled to launch on October 31.

Initially crowdfunded via Kickstarter, Mina the Hollower centers on the titular mouse, a scientist and explorer who embarks on a mission to rescue a cursed island. The top-down action game sports a retro aesthetic reminiscent of Game Boy Color titles while its combat evokes The Legend of Zelda and Castlevania. As a Hollower, Mina can burrow underground, which plays a substantial role in combat and exploration. 

In a blog post, Yacht Club explains that despite working tirelessly to get Mina ready for launch,  it says, “we’re just not quite there yet.” The studio then clarifies that the delay won’t be a big one, and the team will spend this time applying additional polish, fine-tuning balancing, finalizing art and sound, and implementing localization.

“With that said, we would like to apologize! Nevertheless, we will not waver on our commitment to quality. Our goal is to make sure our development team has the time and resources to deliver an incredible adventure and we will be giving you just that. That’s no hollow promise!" reads Yacht Club's blog post. Yacht Club did not announce a new launch date for Mina the Hollower, as it wants to wait until the game is submitted to platforms for review. 

Mina the Hollower is currently slated to launch on PC and all major consoles, including a recently announced Switch 2 version. You can learn about the making of Mina the Hollower by watching our 2022 documentary about the game. Game Informer magazine subscribers can also check out our recent in-depth feature discussing newly revealed gameplay details about the title here.