With summer heat reaching record levels, we checked out some new games to cool us off. We commanded squads against alien infestations in Xenopurge, battled through a beat-’em-up fantasy world in Heroes of Mount Dragon, drilled into the dirt to find shelter in Everdeep Aurora, beat the roguelike timer in Hell Clock, and more. Check out everything we played for this month in the Gamebox 2.0.
Xenopurge (Zach): Inspired by Aliens and games like Space Hulk, Xenopurge from developer Traptics and publisher Firesquid puts you in the role of the commander for an elite squad heading into alien-infested locations. The game is a strategy game, but you are not directly controlling your units. Each unit in your squad has certain logic-based traits, like charging in close when they see an enemy “xeno” or falling back and shooting from a distance. Based on these traits, the squad will react on their own, and they start in “recon” mode, moving throughout the location and examining the various hallways and rooms. As commander, you can issue them general commands, but you need to anticipate and plan, because more often than not, the effect of the command won’t be instantaneous. You can have units follow other units, pick up collectible items, and when you find the extraction point, extract and get out.
The game follows a roguelike structure where you start a run with a squad and proceed across a set of missions, with branching choices available to customize how you want to proceed. There are regular missions and more “elite” ones that are harder but offer better awards for completion. Between missions, there are points where you can upgrade your squad’s weapons, hire new squad members, etc., with the coins you earn on missions. If a squad member dies during a mission, they are cloned, but you are penalized a certain number of coins. As you proceed, you can unlock new squads with different starting abilities and logic. The starting squad is a typical “space marine” squad armed with machine guns and combat knives. Despite the simplistic graphics, the game still offers a pretty intense gameplay experience. When aliens are swarming, you are scrambling to try and get your squad regrouped and figuring out how to get out.
The game is best played on a keyboard, and if you learn the hotkeys for the various menus, you can quickly issue commands and navigate around. There’s a great tutorial that eases you into all the different commands through some more straightforward missions, and you’ll quickly get the basics of commanding down. The game moves you around various old-school monitors to view things like the menus and upgrades, which helps add to the feel of you being in a remote locale, following all the action on screens. The game has that addictive, one-more-turn style of gameplay where you will find yourself playing for much longer than you anticipated. Xenopurge is available now on Steam in Early Access, and there’s also a demo if you want to get a taste before buying.
Antro (Chris): Developed by Gatera Studio and published by Selecta Play and Astrolabe Games, Antro is a rhythmic platformer that tells a familiar story about tyrannical powers and a resistance looking to take them down. The premise is set in a post-apocalyptic future, and humanity has retreated to the underground to survive the destruction of the Earth’s surface. However, instead of a community uniting, a totalitarian government rules the metropolis of Antro. Speech is no longer free. Creativity has been outlawed, and music is forbidden. A lone delivery carrier climbs his way from the lowest levels of the city to deliver a message of hope. The game follows Nittch, an inhabitant of the lowest level of Antro, who is one of many struggling workers forced to obey the commands of the upper levels. Nittch is given a task to pick up a package for an unknown recipient, which draws the attention of the La Cúpula (The Dome), the overseeing government with an army of robotic enforcers. Antro is thrown into a chaotic frenzy to stop a rising rebellion, and Nittch is the key to sparking a revolution.
Antro’s gameplay features rhythm and platformer mechanics, but the execution makes the game feel like an auto-runner with simple quick-time events. Levels are broken up into different phases of gameplay, where the player can freely and briefly explore an area and pick up a few collectibles hidden in the area, and a chase sequence that has the player run with the beat of a song. I was one of the many gamers who thought this would be something like a 2.5D version of Mirror’s Edge, but the game sticks with the basic mechanics of jumping, sliding, and hitting objects to follow along a static song’s timing. Antro has the disadvantage of relying on a physics engine that makes the gravity seem off when jumping and timing hits. Especially when jumping and hoping it was just in the right spot, so you have enough momentum to make a safe landing. You won’t tell for that short second since there aren’t any indicators for perfect jumps, but almost all bad jumps lead to Nittch’s death. This won’t be an issue for some, but this will annoy rhythmic gamers who strive for accurate timing and instant feedback.
Antro’s true strength relies on the artistic presentation. Gatera Studio wanted to stress a game about defiance, and the soundtrack seems to be the primary focus. The music and atmosphere are serviceable and create an interesting landscape that begs to be explored just a little further. The chase sequences contain gritty Drill, slick Hip Hop, moody R&B, and glitching beats that build a tense moment and motivate the player to finish the run as perfectly as they can.
Antro is a brief musical journey that borders on arthouse and experimental. There are a few good moments of gameplay that feel rewarding. There is a cool chase sequence that is trippy and shakes up the traditional linear running path. But other levels were hampered by bad physics that broke the immersive experience. If you’re drawn to visually and audio-driven experiences, Antro may be a title worth checking out. The game functions like an epic music video. But if you are looking for games with bigger gameplay depth, then you may have to skip this title for the time being. Antro was released on June 27th and is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games Store.
Hell Clock (Zach): We played a demo of Hell Clock from this last PAX East, and the full release is now out on Steam. Developed Rogue Snail and published Mad Mushroom, Hell Clock is a roguelike action RPG where you play as Pajeú, who finds himself in a demonic purgatory battling to free the soul of The Counselor, his mentor. Pajeú is armed with his trusty pistol and descends into the demonic underworld, battling undead hordes and other horrors. The game is set during the time period and inspired by the historical event known as the War of Canudos, where the Brazilian Republic massacred 25,000 citizens of the village of Canudos. Your run can be ended by running out of health, but you are also at the mercy of the titular Hell Clock, which gives you seven minutes each run to get as far as you can, as fast as you can. If that is too much pressure, there is a “relaxed mode” that takes out the Hell Clock countdown, letting you play at your own pace. In each run, you’ll gain trinkets that increase your various stats, but you’ll lose them at the end of each run. There are also blessings that you unlock, similar to games like Vampire Survivors, where you are given a choice of three different upgrades to either your weapons or stats. During your runs, you can also find gold and “soul stones” that let you purchase permanent upgrades and items in the hub world.
The gameplay is incredibly satisfying and fast, and if you’re a fan of ranged combat in games like Diablo, Hell Clock is going to be right up your alley with its pistol-based focus. You can unlock other abilities that offer up new avenues for attack, like a swirling whirlwind of knives or devastating dash attacks. There are tons of customizations available, so you can really tailor the abilities and upgrades to your preferred gameplay style, and there’s plenty of experimentation that can be done to see what abilities complement and combo with each other. The game definitely lives up to its promise of providing a full RPG experience in a faster style, as in the limited time of the run, you’ll explore several different areas and face huge hordes of enemies that feel like what you would get in a longer dungeon of a Diablo or Path of Exiles. This is a perfect Steam Deck game, which is mainly where I played it, as the run-based nature and time limit make it excellent for grab-and-go sessions. The game also looks fantastic with some great animated cutscenes and a dark, demonic look mixed with traditional Brazilian elements. If you’re a fan of games like Hades, Hell Clock is a great entry in the genre while offering up other elements from games like Diablo to create a unique and awesomely fun mix. Hell Clock was release date is July 22, 2025, and is available on Steam.
Everdeep Aurora (Chris): When a meteor shower approaches, the inhabitants of a peaceful village flee to the subterranean caverns known as the Everdeep. A young kitten named Shell finds herself alone and on a journey to locate her missing mother and uncover a dark secret hidden beneath the ground. Developed by Nautilus Games and published by Ysbryd Games, Everdeep Aurora is a charming and cozy adventure title with retro visuals and an energetic, pixelated world. As Shell, the player is armed with a drill that lets her crack up dirt and rock formations, creating pathways to navigate the labyrinth that lies in the dark. Along the way, Shell will encounter a wide array of adventures and explorers, each fleeing for safety and trying to survive in their own way.
The core gameplay loop focuses mostly on exploration. Shell is digging her way downward, but she’ll go on many side quests that will lead her up and down the caverns. The rest areas are filled with NPCs that will ask Shell to locate objects and people somewhere nearby on the map, so there is significant backtracking from the current position to somewhere back at the top. However, it’s not all smooth sailing from point A to point B. Shell’s default drill has a limited battery charge and has to be recharged at designated power stations. Running out of power doesn’t stop Shell from drilling, it just slows her ability to break up objects to crawl. However, in the worst-case scenarios where Shell is struggling in a pit, the player can restore the position of the blocks from a sub-menu or call in Shell’s friend Ribblet to help return Shell to a higher ground.
The default drill can only take Shell so far down; that’s when a blacksmith named Remulus offers to upgrade parts to improve the power and speed. You’ll have to fetch items for Remulus and many others to open up new pathways and locked doorways if you want to reach further down. While you may think this is a super cozy game that will help guide you on most actions, it lets players figure out the tools and story on their own. The game doesn’t implicitly tell you where to go most of the time, so you will have to pay attention to dialogue to figure out the clues of who to visit. Locations aren’t clearly marked, even with the help of a mini map that is always on display. This often leads to a few moment instances of aimless backtracking, trying to recall where a particular character or item was last seen. Additionally, some doorways and explorable areas blend too seamlessly into the background, making them easy to miss. This can disrupt the flow of exploration, forcing players to bounce off walls or trial-and-error their way through areas instead of smoothly navigating the world.
However, getting lost in the underground isn’t exactly a bad thing when the game’s art style is rich and detailed. Items and NPCS have great animations, everything has a playful bounce that makes the world feel very much alive for 16-bit sprites. There are unique areas that reveal the backstories of characters who have their reasons to dwell in the caverns. Some NPCs live in cheerful and welcoming spaces that make it easy to see that you will find a haven for a moment. Others have already turned dungeon-like zones into a traditional medieval prison, looking to toss in the latest victim. There is a great soundtrack for each special area that nicely sets the tone and mood while you look around the place.
Everdeep Aurora is a captivating experience, especially for players who enjoy pocket-sized exploration and chatty characters with a lot of personality. Don’t let the cozy visuals fool you into thinking the game lacks depth in gameplay. There are fun game mini-mechanics that make exploration easier as you progress. It’s great to experiment with new abilities, figuring out the combination of moves to make big leaps to reach previously inaccessible areas. However, the game’s UI for adjusting settings, handling save data, and quitting the game is all in one massive list and should have been separated. The runtime is on the short side, but it utilizes every design to keep the game very focused on discoveries without rehashing much of the previous experiences. Gamers who want a relaxing adventure with the stress of intense action will find that Everdeep Aurora is a gem worth digging out. Everdeep Aurora was released on July 10th, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and Steam.
Heroes of Mount Dragon (Zach): Heroes of Mount Dragon is a new fantasy beat ’em up from developer RuniQ and published by indie.io. Set in the world of Üna, eight warriors known as the Dragon-Souls are the only ones who can find the missing Celestial Dragon and stop the world from plunging into destruction and chaos. Four heroes are available currently, with four more releasing at a later date. Classic beat ’em up archetypes are on display, with the fast but weaker rogue, a ranged-focused elf, the powerful but slow half-orc, and more. The game can be played solo or with up to three players, both locally and online. Along with the normal co-op mode, there’s also a competitive mode where you can battle your friends and sabotage them to try and get the most points, adding a sort of Mario Kart/Mario Party element that mixes things up.
You battle your way through eight distinct areas of the world of Üna, each one being the homeland for one of the eight Dragon-Soul warriors. Each area has several stages, and some cutscenes progress the story between each stage. The writing isn’t going to win any awards, but it has a fun and self-aware style that keeps the game light. The final stage of each area is a fight against a unique boss, which is one of the highlights of the game. The regular enemy encounters are fun, and the game does a good job of easing you in and introducing different enemy types before throwing in mobs of varied enemy types. There’s a mix of melee and ranged enemies, with the latter being the ones you should probably focus on taking out first.
The combat is satisfyingly fast and responsive, with solid combos to perform and a good mix of special attacks. There’s a juggling element that lets you launch enemies and then perform attacks while in the air. Defeating enemies builds up a meter that, when full, lets your warrior transform into their dragon form. A huge step up from other screen-clearing special attacks from classic beat ’em ups, you have control of your dragon form and can move around, burning enemies with streams of fire and performing unique AOE attacks. Heroes of Mount Dragon doesn’t reinvent the beat ’em up genre, but it is a solid, fun entry in that genre with some unique elements that make it stand out. It’s out now on Steam.
UVS Games – Street Fighter 6: Challenger Series (Chris): The world warriors of Capcom’s Street Fighter take the fights from the streets to the UniVersus battlegrounds. Ryu, Luke, Chun-Li, and Jamie enter the ring as new playable characters in this new Challenger Series decks. These specialized packs are ready-to-play, 60-card balanced decks created to get players straight into the action with minimum building required. But for those players with other UVS cards, you can boost and customize your play style with new flair. I checked out both packs, which contain two character cards, a booster pack, and a tutorial guide.
The Street Fighter characters are renowned martial artists, so it’s no surprise that these character types are brawlers. Street Fighter 6’s Drive system is adapted to the UVS’s momentum system. In the video game, the Drive Meter powers extra combat mechanics like parries, cancels, and counters. Hitting a blocking enemy reduces drive, and if depleted, you’re left exposed until the meter refills completely. The momentum system utilizes resources from the cards to supercharge techniques and leaves you vulnerable when depleted. The UniVersus takes a lot of inspiration from fighting video games, and it comes back full circle with this edition of cards that feature one of the most fantastic video game series.
Some new accessibility changes have been made with the latest version of cards. The text has been adjusted to be bigger and easier to read than ever. The outline text and white text color make it faster to glance at and comprehend, especially when showing other players which moves you are about to unleash. These minor changes reduce that lag in playtime, so you can get straight into battle strategies rather than rule explaining. As with all the UVS game cards, these cards can be mixed and matched with other decks to suit any player’s customized play style and theme. Looking to make a pure video game fighting deck? Combine Tekken 8 and Soul Calibur cards with Luke. Going for a theme of strong female leads? Team-up cards that feature Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan and Beau from Critical Role for a powerhouse deck. Street Fighter 6: Challenger Series was released on July 18th and is available at many card stores nationwide.
