Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s Super Limit-Breaking Neo DLC out July 30

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s Super Limit-Breaking Neo DLC out July 30 https://ift.tt/fVPgEkO

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero made its mark in 2024 as the latest installment of the Budokai Tenkaichi series after 17 years. The game launched with more than 180 characters on day one and currently has over 200 playable characters! 

However, what is Dragon Ball without surpassing your limits? The Sparking Zero team decided to take it further with the upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – Super Limit-Breaking Neo DLC. This new DLC is jam-packed with new characters, stages, a solo mode, and more. 

The game has several solo-mode options, including Episode Battle, which features branching story paths, the creative Custom Battle mode, and the later-added Survival Mode. Super Limit-Breaking Neo offers a new solo mode for fans to enjoy called “Limit Breaker Journey”.

This new solo mode allows players to experience a new way to immerse themselves in the world of Dragon Ball and the characters they know and love. Players can choose their favorite character and develop them into the fighter that best suits their playstyle.  

Now, how does one develop their character? Limit Breaker Journey features an interactive map where players can select their destination to trigger different events or battles. The goal is to gain EXP from different encounters and obtain something special called Battle Arts. 

Utilizing your SP, which can be used to obtain new abilities and stats, you can equip Battle Arts to unlock special effects such as limited-time boosts to your ki-based attacks or attack power increasing in Sparking mode. You can receive Battle Arts from special encounters with specific characters. However, there is a limit to how many Battle Arts you can equip, so use your SP wisely. 

As you level up your SP, you will receive points that can be allocated amongst 6 different stats. Players can freely allocate their points to customize their character to fit their preferred style of play. As you continue to train your character, you may run into battles with special conditions, events that involve collecting the Dragon Ball, and even encounter some pretty tough enemies after you fulfill certain in-game conditions. You can repeat the run with the same character to continue training the character, and once you’re done with the challenge, you can bring your character to showcase your strength against your friends in player matches and in offline battles.  

Choosing your favorite character to train is an exciting element in Limit Breaker Journey, and believe it or not, the Super Limit-Breaking Neo DLC offers around 30 new playable characters. Many characters have been revealed, but fans can enjoy a sneak peek of the Ultimate Blasts of Mercenary Tao and Grandpa Gohan below.

The new characters added to the game will also feature unique interactions that you cannot see anywhere else when entering battle. Players will be able to enjoy exclusive interactions between the new characters added and the others from across the series, a beloved feature in the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero.

Another beloved feature from Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is the immersive stage destruction, and the DLC adds four new stages: Kami’s Palace, Kame House, Bitter Tundra, Stratosphere (Earth and Planet Vegeta). The intensity of battle is enhanced with the destructible features and you can even experience the Kami’s Palace being destroyed down to even the ground itself.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero continues to bring the power with Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – Super Limit-Breaking Neo. The DLC launches on July 30, 2026, and fans will be able to enjoy free updates that include new features such as Sparking Boost and Chain Blast. Whether you train your favorite character to suit your playstyle or want to take your intense battles into the stratosphere, there’s something for every Sparking Zero fan to enjoy.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – Super Limit-Breaking Neo launches on July 30, 2026.

Fresh look at Lou’s Lagoon, coming to PS5 on August 27

Fresh look at Lou’s Lagoon, coming to PS5 on August 27 https://ift.tt/Gt7nNxv

Hi everyone, it’s Ines from Tiny Roar here with some exciting news about Lou’s Lagoon, our upcoming high-flying adventure that’s coming to PS5 on August 27.

We’re excited to share a brand-new gameplay walkthrough video. In this expanded look at the game you’ll see more of the character and seaplane customization, building and crafting, and of the charming characters you’ll meet on your journey through the game. Take a look at the video and read on for more details about how you can bring your personality to life in Lou’s Lagoon on PS5.

We’re also delighted to reveal our Deluxe Edition, launching on PS5 alongside the Standard Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes an exclusive ‘Lifeguard’ outfit for your character, a bubble-engine upgrade for your trusty seaplane, and a set of cozy beachside items, each with a bubbly surprise.

Make Limbo feel like home

In our last PlayStation Blog post, we introduced you to the Limbo archipelago and the islands you’ll travel to on your adventure. This post is all about how you can make the whole experience your own by customizing your character, trusty seaplane, and your home, and bring your personality to life in the game.

In Lou’s Lagoon you play as a young pilot searching for their beloved Uncle Lou who is missing after a severe storm has swept through the archipelago. This is your journey and we want to give you the possibility to create a character that truly represents you. Our character creator allows you to customize lots of details of your character, including hairstyles, eyebrow shape, skin tone, facial hair, eye color, and even cute face markings, so you can really be who you want to as you enter the archipelago.

As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new outfits and can visit shops to change up your look and keep it as fresh as the island breeze.

That same spirit of personalization carries through to your seaplane. As you take on aerial challenges and trials across the archipelago, you’ll earn new parts and spray paints to customize your plane from nose to tail, whether you want something sleek and understated or something bright and bold.

And then there’s your home. Pretty early on in your adventure, you’ll receive a piece of tropical paradise to call your own and can build on it and shape it at your own pace. Design and build your future home from the ground up and add furniture and decorative touches to put a little bit more of yourself into the world. You can continue to transform your space to suit your style as you progress through the game, whether you want a small beach shack or sprawling seafront house. Arriving back at a space that has your imprint on it makes the archipelago truly feel like home.

Meet the Charneys and Gorplins

Last time, we showed you Gleam Reef and its local residents, the Vooi, and shared some insights into how they were created. Today, we’d like to introduce you to the Charneys of Tanglebloom and the Gorplins of Boulderia.

Tanglebloom is the flower-shaped island at the heart of Limbo and is the archipelago’s liveliest town with shops and stores galore – at least, until the storm hit. When you arrive on Tanglebloom, you’ll need to help the Charneys back on their feet and rebuild their businesses so they can open for trading again; there may even be a mystery or two awaiting you. Surrounding Tanglebloom Town are smaller islands of lush jungle with new resources to collect and friends to discover.

Boulderia is a rugged island built on the back of a giant crab and inhabited by the small, grumpy, and hard-working Gorplins. The Gorplins spend their time mining (and eating) sugar crystals, a valuable resource. As with Tanglebloom, there may be more to Boulderia than meets the eye…

Powered by PS5

We’ve harnessed the power of PS5 from the second you launch Lou’s Lagoon, using the PS5’s ultra-fast SSD to get you into Limbo quicker than a Gorplin can devour a sugar crystal. The DualSense wireless controller’s haptic feedback elevates every moment of exploration, crafting, and building while adaptive triggers add an extra element of fun to gathering resources across the islands. Finally, PS5’s 4K HDR output brings Limbo to life in stunning detail.

We’re so excited to be launching Lou’s Lagoon on PS5 next month and hope you’ll be making Limbo your new home on August 27. While you prepare for take-off, be sure to follow us on social media for more Lou’s Lagoon news!

Order of the Sinking Star is coming to PS5, hands-on report

Order of the Sinking Star is coming to PS5, hands-on report https://ift.tt/eLRwfrG

The glittering sky of mystery, magic, and head scratching enigmas is becoming much larger – Order of the Sinking Star is arriving on PlayStation 5 later this year. Developed by Jonathan Blow’s independent studio Thekla, it should come as no surprise that this stablemate of Braid and The Witness is a puzzler… but with a fair few differences to differentiate it from its priors.

In fact, it’s fair to say that those two titles created the foundation that Order of the Sinking Star sits on, not just because of its many, many puzzles, but also with its intriguing blend of characters, an unfolding story, and its stylish aesthetic.

Introducing this new star

While Order of the Sinking Star’s story is more explicit than that found in Braid or The Witness due to its immediate presence of talkative, controllable characters, there’s still a strong ethos of discovery. Even in the demo I played, exposition is delivered in small, sporadic chunks, all secondary to introducing the gameplay mechanics.

This is entirely by design. The subtle environmental storytelling introduces a world of obstacles and divergences, where people are displaced in their surroundings. The first character, the Queen, is lost in what appears to be a strange palace at first, before it opens out into the game’s overworld. It serves as a quick intro to pushing blocking objects around the grid-like locations to progress, as well as understanding the invaluable rewind/undo mechanic in case you get stuck during a puzzle and need to revert to an earlier point in time.

Hearty heroes and more

It’s an essential mechanic, too, given the introduction of the game’s other characters, who come with their own puzzle-driven abilities. Given the choice of three different areas to tackle after the tutorial section, I sent the Queen northwards to begin The Hearty Heroes of Hauling section, which initially stars the warrior Valens, Tif the thief, and Isidore the wizard. Initially separated, each character can manipulate obstructive blocks and crystals in one specific way – Valens can push them, Tif can only pull them, and Isidore magically swaps places with them on line-of-sight.

Guiding the Queen Westwards instead opens up The Promise, where I controlled an explorer who has to work his way through a maze-like mine using the power of gems to emit different coloured beams to perform abilities. While the grassy Mirror Isles to the East dropped me into the sandals of a wealthy trader using mirrors to swap places with his projected reflection in order to navigate a waterlogged archipelago. 

A nesting doll of puzzles

Just as the story reveals its intriguing wrinkles through voice over dialogue and narration, the Sokoban-like puzzles start off simple but escalate very quickly. In The Hearty Heroes of Hauling, the trio eventually meet up, meaning I had to use a combination of all their abilities to progress. Later, a druid who could transmute blocks joined their ranks, and so the game’s complexity evolved further.

Did I mention there are monsters, too? Puzzle purists don’t need to worry – there’s no fighting in the game. But dealing with goblins who will kill your character if they’re on an adjacent square, or beasts who shoot fire on line-of-sight meant the puzzles switched up once more, especially as some gates could only be deactivated once the enemies were vanquished. Thankfully, monsters can be manipulated to attack each other, while another new character, the bard, could charm them with an area of effect ability. And later in the game, a priestess is entirely immune to their attacks, enabling her to protect any adjacent peers.

Order of the Sinking Star prides itself on the gradual layering of new characters, elements, and environments the further you travel. Early on in the demo, the Queen was forced to use the other characters’ abilities to access more of the overworld, smartly leaning on my familiarity with their powers to overcome increasingly difficult challenges. 

And then, several hours in, things changed in a way that turned the entire game on its head…

When worlds collide

As if the three different worlds’ worth of puzzles and an overworld with its own batch of enigmas and brainteasers wasn’t enough, Order of the Sinking Star’s big turning point is when the characters from the different worlds begin to interact in order to solve puzzles they couldn’t alone. At one late point I was having to switch between the merchant and wizard across realms, thinking about their abilities in different ways. 

It speaks to the ethos of Order of the Sinking Star that this switch is still early in a game which has hundreds of hours of gameplay, built on the back of over a thousand puzzles. And while there’s a clear narrative progression, the freedom to choose the order of how you tackle some of them meant I could still move on when I hit a wall.

And on top of all of this, a whole fourth Southern area, Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes, was unavailable in my demo, but promises to ramp things up further with a marooned sailor in a world of giant stones, lily pads, and rivers she can redirect.

Following the star’s light

It’s been ten years in development via a modest team of around 20 people, but with its 900+ levels, multiple endings, and constantly evolving gameplay, even after several hours in the demo it’s clear there’s literally worlds worth of discovery left in Thekla’s enchanting puzzler. We’ll even find out what’s truly behind the mysterious title itself…

Expect more to surface from Order of the Sinking Star when it releases on PS5 later this year.

Beginner’s Guide to MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls

Beginner’s Guide to MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls https://ift.tt/9dy6ZRh

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Open Beta kicks off July 24–26 on PlayStation 5 consoles and PC. Whether you’re new to fighting games or stepping into the arena with your favorite Marvel heroes for the first time, we’ve put together this beginner’s guide to help you get started. From choosing your first character to learning basic controls, combos, and team mechanics, here are a few tips to help you make the most of the Open Beta.

Find your favorite Hero or Villain

When selecting a character, take a look at the EASE OF USE rating on the character select screen.
The more stars a character has, the easier they are to use, making them a great choice for newcomers.
Some of the most beginner-friendly characters include Captain America, Ms. Marvel, and Wolverine. Iron Man and Spider-Man are also relatively easy to learn.

On the other hand, characters such as Storm and Danger offer more advanced playstyles that may take additional time to master. One of the strengths of MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls is that once you’ve learned a character, you can rely on them throughout the entire match. That’s why we recommend starting with the hero you like most and gradually expanding your roster from there.

If you’re unsure how to build a team, try combining close-range and long-range specialists. For example, Wolverine’s aggressive melee style pairs nicely with Iron Man’s powerful ranged attacks.

That said, the best team is ultimately the one made up of your favorite heroes. Experiment and create a team that feels uniquely yours.

Learn the basics with Startup Battle

Not sure where to begin? Start with Startup Battle. This mode teaches the game’s core mechanics step-by-step while you play as Captain America.  You’ll learn everything from basic attacks—including Light (□), Medium (△), and Heavy (○) attacks—to combos, skills, and unique character-specific actions through hands-on tutorials.

Startup Battle is divided into two sections:

●       Basics, which focuses on actions performed by an individual character.
●       Assemble, which introduces team-based mechanics and cooperative actions.

Players already familiar with fighting games can skip the Basics section and jump directly into Assemble. While you don’t need to master everything right away, Startup Battle is the perfect place to learn the fundamentals before heading into battle

Master basic combos and defense

One of the first mechanics new players should learn is the Link Attack system. By repeatedly pressing the same attack button, you can easily perform beginner-friendly combo sequences. In the examples below, L, M, and H refer to Light, Medium, and Heavy attacks.

●       L → L → L → L
○       Chains into a Skill and can trigger a Break (stage transition)
●       M → M → M
○       Leads into a powerful Super Skill
●       H → H → H
○       Leads into an even stronger Ultimate Skill

Start by learning these simple sequences to build a foundation for dealing damage.
Once you’re comfortable, try more advanced routes such as:

L → M → H → Skill → Assemble Rush → Follow-up Attack

Successfully coordinating with your teammates opens up additional combo opportunities and lets you experience the excitement of the game’s team-based combat. Of course, offense is only half the battle. Learning how to defend yourself is just as important.

The first defensive technique you’ll want to learn is Guard.

●       Hold ← to perform a standing guard.
●       Hold ↙ to perform a crouching guard.

Once you’re comfortable blocking attacks, try incorporating two advanced defensive options into your gameplay.

Assemble Counter is performed by pressing □ + × while not guarding. Your character performs a defensive backstep, and if an opponent attacks during the maneuver, you’ll automatically launch a counterattack.

Crossover is performed by pressing □ + × while guarding. This calls in a teammate to interrupt the opponent’s attack and create an opening for a counteroffensive.

Mastering these mechanics can turn a defensive situation into an immediate comeback opportunity. Both techniques can be practiced in Startup Battle, so be sure to give them a try.

Assists and character switching

Pressing × will call in a teammate to perform an Assemble Assist attack. You can also switch characters by pressing a directional input along with L2.

The teammate you call depends on the direction you input:

●   Neutral or → : 2nd teammate
●   ↓ : 3rd teammate
●   ← : 4th teammate

For example:

●   ↓ + × calls your third teammate as an assist.
●   ← + L2 switches to your fourth teammate.

New players may find assists easier to use than direct character switching, so we recommend becoming familiar with assists first. Once you’ve gained some experience, try using assist-to-switch techniques.

After calling an assist, you’ll briefly see a “Switch?” prompt on-screen. Pressing L2 during this window allows you to seamlessly switch to that character.

It may take some practice, but mastering this mechanic lets you rotate through heroes fluidly and unleash the fast-paced team action that defines MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls.

Find the Skill Input Style That Works for You

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls offers two ways to perform Skills. The first is traditional Command Inputs (also known as motion inputs), familiar to fighting game veterans. The second is a Quick Skill option that allows you to execute skills with a single button press. While both methods provide similar functionality,

Command Inputs offer slightly higher damage and generate more Skill Gauge. If you’re new to fighting games, we recommend starting with Quick Skills while you learn the fundamentals. As you grow more comfortable, try incorporating Command Inputs into your combos for even greater rewards. You can also customize the Quick Skill button through the control settings to suit your preferred playstyle.

Experience the story in Episode Mode

The Open Beta also includes access to part of the Amazing Guardians Episode. Players will get a glimpse of key story moments, including encounters with Promoter and Champion, and learn more about why Spider-Man ultimately forms his team.

The story is presented through immersive motion comics featuring artwork from a renowned comic artist, bringing the Marvel Universe to life in a unique and engaging format. After experiencing the story, you’ll head straight into battle. Once you’ve completed Startup Battle and learned the basics, be sure to check out Episode Mode as well.  

See you in the Open Beta

​​

We’ve covered some of the key fundamentals you’ll need to get started in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, from picking your first character to learning combos, defense, and team mechanics.

Don’t worry about mastering everything right away. Startup Battle and Training Mode are designed to help you learn at your own pace, and part of the fun is discovering new strategies and team combinations as you play.

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Open Beta runs from July 24–26 on PlayStation 5 consoles and PC. We can’t wait to see the teams you create and the battles you’ll bring to life.  

See you in the Open Beta!

Share of the Week: Sun

Share of the Week: Sun https://ift.tt/1bExr7k

Last week, we asked you to share shots of the sun from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

raphxander_ shares Arjun facing the eclipsed sun in Saros

jobolts_ shares Atsu watching the sun set from a cliffside in Ghost of Yōtei

honeysinghzzz shares Aloy raising a hand up towards the sun in Horizon Forbidden West

Mur4dQ shares the sun hiding behind a mountain in Sea of Stars

pavesoint shares the sun’s rays shining in the background in Infinity Nikki

CaptainGG_R shares an orange-drenched sky during sunset in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on July 22, 2026 

Next week, raise the sails and share moments from Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. Use #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse hands-on report

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse hands-on report https://ift.tt/usHXpME

It’s the February 12 State of Play. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse has just been announced, and Evil Empire, the team developing this action adventure for the past four years, is having a nervous watch party.

“We were waiting because you never know when your trailer is about to appear,” says Marketing Director Bérenger Dupré. “Then we saw it and started freaking out. And the video’s chat moves so fast that you can’t read the reactions. Then we received a message from a fan showing a version of the ‘absolute cinema’ meme, and I was like, okay… we’re doing fine.”

Since that nerve-wracking reveal, Konami and Evil Empire have been hard at work to ensure Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse meets its October 15 launch on PS5. Which has also included offering some hands-on time to peer into the gothic depths that await.

In this coffin of treasures I discovered lots for Castlevania traditionalists to enjoy, combined with modern quality of life design choices, smooth combat, and an expansive magic and abilities system giving this entry in the series a fresh feel. In fact, this approach is symbolised by the entirely new character who fronts the game…

Meet Rose Belmont

Set after Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, 1499 Paris is in ruin and on the brink of Dracula’s resurrection. The city’s only hope? Trevor Belmont and his daughter Rose, who are infiltrating the city after a suspicious letter from the Bishop. While Trevor seeks out the clergy, our protagonist Rose is left to explore the city itself, burning, ravaged, and rampant with the undead.

After a fun animated scene setter, Rose’s introduction blends both thoughtful aesthetic design and hints towards a character arc befitting of the Belmont family tree. She’s determined, but burdened with guilt over her mother’s death, a scar visually represented by her tarot deck and the fiery red curse creeping from her elbow to hand, both things which have greater significance as the game progresses.

Modern-yet-classic Castlevania

Belmont’s Curse feels exactly how a modern Castlevania game should feel, steering away from roguelite elements of permadeath or procedurally generated levels. “We really wanted to capture the essence of the series,” says Konami producer Tsutomu Taniguchi. “When we started discussing the game with Evil Empire, we said we’d like to go back to its core.”

From its massive map with destructible secret walls, to clearly visible areas which are inaccessible until you gain a certain skill (and the suitably gothic soundtrack of organs and synths) all the expected elements are here. There’s a familiar weight to how Rose controls, but it’s graced with an agile responsiveness that makes both combat and platforming feel intuitive.

During my playthrough, I was able to swiftly guide Rose with wall jumps, swing across instant death spikes, and mix it up with crafty skeletons, lumbering zombies, and cowardly bats, all of which can be damaged by the environmental hazards. And while there was no double jump available, not only were there noticeable level design clues that it would be introduced later, but my questions to the dev team about the ability were met with a wry grin.

Fast and fluid combat

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse also places strong emphasis on snappy combat, with versatile evades and combos. Rose’s dodge and slide on the Circle button gives you the ability to flip backwards with a double tap, while the Arcana Whip grapple on R2 can be chained into an instant attack or traversal swing. Mana – something you can recover by defeating enemies – is used for spells with the Triangle button, or healing via L1.

The weapons system is also substantial, with seven different types each with their own style and special moves. For example, the balanced longsword comes with a perk of extra damage when attacking immediately after a backdash. While the cestus gauntlets are shorter range but have faster combos, and increase in damage the more I hit enemies with them.

“We are very focused on combat, which was a great opportunity to add something new in this specific genre,” explains Evil Empire’s creative director Emmanuel Nouaille. “We want to get the right balance between the spirit of Castlevania and what we want to have to modernize.”

Unleash the power of Relics

Also making their return are Relics, which offer bonuses for combat and exploration. Rose can equip up to three, so you can tailor them to your individual playstyle. The main one I found was the Crypt Key which fully restored Rose’s health and mana whenever she opened a chest. Which was especially useful because:

This game packs a challenge

True to its roots, Belmont’s Curse doesn’t spare your feelings. Hasty mistakes are punished fast and hard, but I never felt like the game was unfair. The reliance on learning patterns, using your dodge’s invincibility frames, and mastering Rose’s attacks were essential to surviving, especially when it comes to the visually impressive boss fights.

Whether it was leaping over The Fallen’s Holy Cross or screen-reaching whip attack in the sewers, or dodging Joan of Arc’s flaming sword swipes, backstabs, and fireballs during an explosive rooftop battle, my first encounter with the game’s bosses were vicious and reflex testing, respecting repeated and patient play.

The cards are the key

The satisfaction of defeating the tricky bosses is also rewarded via the loot you earn from them. As well as occasional weapons – Joan’s Burnt Sword of Fierbois and its charge attack was a particular favourite – each boss gets merged into Rose’s tarot deck, turning them into Arcana which unlocks spells, skills, and special actions.

So that Holy Cross The Fallen repeatedly bludgeoned me with? Well, as a Castlevania mainstay it should be no surprise that it’s yours once you’ve ‘tamed’ him. While Joan’s Holy Light allowed me to traverse through previously solid Chaos Shards by holding down L2, an ability which also deflected enemy attacks if I timed my press perfectly.

Additionally, each Arcana has up to three Works of Mercy, a specific task to be completed like hitting an enemy five times with its spell, which then unlocks a Blessing to improve it. This comes with an unlockable bonus ‘Gift’ once you assign it – for example, the Cursed Flame’s fireball can be enhanced to become bigger and pack a heavier pushback.

Whip smart design decisions

While the nerves are still there for the development team, my playthrough so far captured what made the Castlevania series fun in the first place, without alienating modern day expectations. And it’s an excitement echoed by the people behind the eagerly anticipated action adventure. “We’re happy and overwhelmed with the great response,” says Tsutomu. “I feel a lot of pressure, because everyone is expecting a lot, but it’s a good feeling.”

You’ll be able to finally revisit Dracula in all his gothic glory when Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse arrives on PS5 on October 15 – just in time for Halloween.