Extremely OK Games, the team behind TowerFall and Celeste has announced its next game, Earthblade. What is Earthblade? The studio describes it as a “2D explor-action” game with a pixel-art aesthetic, but don’t expect to play it anytime soon. 

A blog post by Extremely OK Games founder Maddy Thorson describes the announcement as more of a “vibe reveal” to give players a stylistic sense of the game as opposed to detailing story and gameplay, elements that seem to still be taking shape. Thorson explains in the blog post, "I can see the whole thing in my head. Not perfectly, mind you — most of the details are still pretty blurry in my mental image, and I'm sure a lot will change along the way. But I can see the general shape of it, and I feel really good about where it's going." 

To that end, the team has released the game’s official logo, a concept art poster hinting towards a presumably fantasy setting, and even a musical sample by Celeste composer Lena Raine, which you can listen to on Soundcloud here. 

The poster shows a figure holding a weapon (perhaps the titular Earthblade?) overlooking a cliff with a cottage below and towers in the background. Thorson states that Earthblade was conceived after developing four prototypes and that it serves as a philosophical middle-ground between doing something totally new and something familiar. 

We have plenty of time to speculate because, unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that Earthblade will be coming anytime soon. The press release lists the release window as “20XX,” and Thorson admits that it’ll be a while before we get any more information about the project following this reveal, saying in the post, “Now it sounds optimistic to say out loud that Earthblade could be released within 5 short years of Celeste. The truth is that we don't know how long it will take, just that it will take as long as it takes (and that it will take a long time).”

TowerFall and Celeste rank among my favorite games of the last generation, so I’m excited to see what Earthblade entails. It's disappointing that we seemingly won’t hear about the project for a good while, but it’s nice to have some confirmation as to what Extremely Ok Games has up its sleeve, if nothing else. In the meantime, if you’re itching to play something new for the team, earlier this year it released a sequel of sorts to the classic version of Celeste that you can read about here. 

For more on Maddy Thorson’s previous games, follow the links to check out our reviews for Celeste and TowerFall: Ascension.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone season three is just around the corner and Activision is sharing our first look at what's to come for the road ahead. From new weapons and maps to new (and returning) operators, there is a lot to break down with the upcoming season. Here is a general overview of the biggest parts of the update. 

The Call of Duty team shared a first look at the season three road map, though a few surprises are still on the way. For now, take a look at what's coming down the pipeline when the new season makes its grand debut: 

New (and returning) Operators 

Just like with every season, new Operators are joining the fray. But it's not just new faces being added to the rotation, a familiar one is coming back as well. 

Wraith (Warsaw Pact) is making her comeback with a much different look (she kind of looks like an evil version of Frozen's Elsa and I'm kind of digging it). The ex-Norwegian Intelligence Services warfare specialists switched sides over to Perseus and is bringing her skills of sabotage and infiltration into season 3. According to the most recent post from the official game's blog, "A vital asset in winter operations, cold-blooded and intolerant of weakness, she’s the perfect antagonist to fight against the NATO forces."

She will be available in both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone at Tier 0 in the Battle Pass. She will also have a special Legendary skin for those that reach Tier 100. 

Next up is Knight (Warsaw Pact). He is also a part of the Perseus pair that will be joining the fray during the new season. Roman "Knight" Gray hails from Dublin and he lives for chaos and mayhem. According to Activision, "He joined Perseus to bathe in the glory of the chaos they promise. Happiest when killing in close quarters, he's a brutal force to be reckoned with." 

Antonov (Warsaw Pact) is another seasonal character that will be available as part of a bundle with Knight, an ex-hitman that joined up with the military to evade doing time behind bars. Paid to kill, he honed his craft expertly but he also learned a few new tricks as well - namely with hazmat work and defusing bombs. 

Price makes yet another grand debut, joining the fray for both Warzone and Black Ops Cold War. There's no introduction needed here; everyone knows Price is a badass. One thing that players do need to know, however, is that he is included for anyone that purchases Black Ops Cold War at the beginning of season three. For those that already own the game, he will be automatically added to the roster. 

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New weapons 

The new update brings six new weapons into the fight, that we know of. Here's the basic rundown of what to expect: 

• PPSh-41: SMG 
  • Moderate damage, rapid-fire
  • Tier 15 reward
• Swiss K31: Sniper Rifle
  • Bolt-action sniper with supreme accuracy, fast aiming speeds, and a fast rechamber
  • Launch week item
• Ballistic Knife: Melee
  • Both melee and a fireable object with retrievable blades
  • Launch week item for Black Ops Cold War, mid-season item for Warzone
• CARV.2: Tactical Rifle
  • Burst-fire, high damage, high-bullet-velocity with sturdy recoil
  • Seasonal item
• AMP63: Pistol
  • Cross between self-loading pistol and fully automatic SMG, high damage 
  • Seasonal item
• Baseball bat: Melee
  • Crack some skulls, enough said
  • Seasonal item, can also be purchased in a bundle with a blueprint

New maps and Black Ops Cold War content

New maps

Some new maps and additional features are also on the way with season three, including the ability to airdrop from snowy mountaintops on Mount Yamantau with the map of the same name. Diesel is also arriving on launch week for 6v5, 2v2, and 3v3 in Gunfight, designed to be fast-pace and nothing short of pure chaotic energy. Standoff is another addition joining for the season, a classic from Black Ops 2. Duga is following shortly behind, set in the Ural mountains with the new Multi-Team environment. While this map is a mid-season drop for Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, it will be a launch day addition for Zombies in Outbreak. 

Sticks and Stones

The popular multiplayer mode is back for Black Ops Cold War. According to the studio, "It’s every Operator for themselves, with each player deploying with the R1 Shadowhunter crossbow, Ballistic Knife, and a Tomahawk. Earn score with crossbow and Ballistic Knife kills, and eliminate enemies with the Tomahawk to bankrupt their score to zero. The first player to reach the score limit or the player with the highest score when the timer expires wins."

Multi-Team Elimination 

Multi-Team Elimination aims to bring the last-team-standing experience to Cold War's largest, and most beloved, maps. How it works: multiple teams of four will have to fight for their right to survive in ever-changing radiation zones. Both loadouts and redeploys will be limited, so scavenging is a key way to secure victory. 

There is so much more also revealed in the latest blog post, including new "Tools of the Trade" and a few teasers about what else is on the horizon. To learn more, check out the full blog post right here.