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Gonçalo Santos

@mushwrites.bsky.social
133 followers 310 following 209 posts

Freelance writer on all things videogames. Bringing you news and interviews about the best games made in Portugal. Reach out at contact[at]goncalosgames[dot]com.

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Reposted by Gonçalo Santos
ashley bardhan @ashleybardhan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
is there a better word than devastated? (shattered? fly-swatted?) anyway i've been laid off. i joined gamesradar+ as a freelancer in 2023, and the site had my lifelong admiration by the time i became a senior writer in 2024. i'll miss it lmk if u need a creepy🧟‍♀️ gurl: ashleybardhan(at)gmail(dot)com
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Maddy Myers 🏳️‍🌈 @midimyers.com · 29/09/2026
tiny bookshop is out here changing lives!!!! this one's free to read with just your email address
mothership.blog
Tiny Bookshop made me want to change my career
What happened to that girl who saw herself as an aspiring author? As it turns out, she's still a part of me
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Had the pleasure of attending the first +XP Sessions Game Jam and absolutely loved it. +XP Sessions is an organization focused on mentorships and other ways to bring all kinds of people into game development in Portugal, especially under-represented ones. buttonmusher.substack.com/p/the-first-...
buttonmusher.substack.com
The first +XP Sessions Game Jam
Grab a blanket and get cozy.
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James Archer @jamesandstuff.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Games and tech freelancers : I am once again asking for freelance pitches for PC hardware features (not reviews or guides, sorry!) on RPS. Email's in bio, genAI users need not apply (it's much, much easier to spot than you think)
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Fellow Traveller @fellowtraveller.games · 28/09/2026
🌟 Presenting the LudoNarraCon 2026 Official Selection 🌟 🎮 51 narrative indie games 🗓️ October 8–15 PT on Steam 💙 Supported by @jacobgeller.com, @lookingfor.game, @remapradio.bsky.social & @thisweekinvideogames.com 🌐 More info at bit.ly/FTLNC2026 📬 Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated!
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Had the pleasure of attending the first +XP Sessions Game Jam and absolutely loved it. +XP Sessions is an organization focused on mentorships and other ways to bring all kinds of people into game development in Portugal, especially under-represented ones. buttonmusher.substack.com/p/the-first-...
buttonmusher.substack.com
The first +XP Sessions Game Jam
Grab a blanket and get cozy.
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Brandon Craw | Games Journalist @brandoncraw.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
As promised, my review!! Loved the world. But combat was rough for me until I finally gave into using the assist mode. This was all pre combat patch. I hope remedy continues to make these wild and big swings, even if they don't always work for me
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This Week in Videogames @thisweekinvideogames.com · 21/09/2026
Why has Japan been relatively insulated from the global games industry crisis? Japanese industry consultant @serkantoto.bsky.social, expat developer @liambme.bsky.social, and a Japanese game studies professor tell us about protection laws, domestic bias, slow-growth mindsets and the cost of living.
thisweekinvideogames.com
(Still) Made In Japan: The View From A Flourishing Games Industry
Experts and developers involved in the Japanese game industry weigh in on how the country has been largely insulated from global issues of funding and layoffs.
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EIRAS @eirasantunes.com · 25/09/2026
Employee 925 turns 1 today. Free to keep on itch for the next 24h, with a bonus Android version added today. Enjoy. jantunes.itch.io/employee925
jantunes.itch.io
Employee 925 by EIRAS
Employee 925 is a short psychological horror game about compliance and the quiet erosion of self in the workplace.
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Andes Chucky @wendeego.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
New on scrmbl: We walk the Snow Road in 雪道, a classic “non-field” rpg
scrmbl.com
Walking the Snow Road by way of the non-field RPG | scrmbl
"See you next stage."
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Mikhail Klimentov @leadergrev.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
For nearly two years, I've been investigating a pattern of ominous legal letters sent to journalists by defamation counsel representing Bobby Kotick. That investigation is finally live. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKwp...
youtube.com
Inside Bobby Kotick's Campaign Against the Press
YouTube video by People Make Games
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KM is looking for work! @kellymerka.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
by happy coincidence, today @unwinnable.com released its latest issue, for which I wrote the cover story I didn't plan for this piece to accompany Sable's fifth anniversary, but I'm very glad it did!
The cover of Unwinnable Magazine's 203rd issue. It features an image of Sable's titular protagonist sitting on the sand at sunset in front of the wrecked spaceship and the skeletons of long-dead megafauna.
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Here is the story of how @dinoboss.bsky.social “started tinkering” on an American McGee Pirate Jam, blissfully ignorant of the fact that he was beginning the process of creating a seven year old monster. Or, you know, how Demon Spore is being made. buttonmusher.substack.com/p/demon-spor...
buttonmusher.substack.com
Demon Spore or how Ed Kay accidentally created a monster
DinoBoss shared the story behind the studio's project at an IGDA Portugal and gaminghub Spotlight event in Lisbon.
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
ICYMI!
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Here is the story of how @dinoboss.bsky.social “started tinkering” on an American McGee Pirate Jam, blissfully ignorant of the fact that he was beginning the process of creating a seven year old monster. Or, you know, how Demon Spore is being made. buttonmusher.substack.com/p/demon-spor...
buttonmusher.substack.com
Demon Spore or how Ed Kay accidentally created a monster
DinoBoss shared the story behind the studio's project at an IGDA Portugal and gaminghub Spotlight event in Lisbon.
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lex luddy needs a nap @lexluddy.xyz · 14/09/2026
I had a really thoughtful chat with two of the leads on the upcoming Hellraiser: Revival and touched on everything from reverse engineering the audio effects on Doug Bradley's voice for Pinhead, all the way to avoiding demonizing kink and BDSM as they try to respect Clive Barker's original works.
shacknews.com
Hellraiser Revival's developers are aware that Clive Barker's work requires a deft touch
'We knew right from the start that we didn't wanna demonize BDSM.'
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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 14/09/2026
It's TIME! TO! GET! HYPE! Today, I get to proudly unveil Steam Hype, the project I've been working on with the help of @hookshot.media for the past two and a half months. A new PC gaming site which aims to demystify PC gaming, cut through the 100+ daily releases and spotlight indies as much as AAA
steamhype.com
Steam Hype
Steam Hype is your go-to destination for discovering the latest, greatest, and most talked-about games on Steam.
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startmenu @startmenu.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
August sure was a month with a lot of news. Some of it was good… however, most of it was pretty bad. Thankfully, @mushwrites.bsky.social was there to help keep us aware of the state of the industry. Read his weekly Update Patch notes to get up to date. www.startmenu.co.uk/home/patreon...
startmenu.co.uk
[PATREON UNLOCK] Update Patch - August 2026 — startmenu
August sure was a month with a lot of news. Some of it was good… however, most of it was pretty bad. Thankfully, Gonçalo Santos was there to help keep us aware of the state of the industry. Read his ...
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Game Developer @gamedeveloper.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Rockstar and fired GTA developers outline core arguments during union busting tribunal
gamedeveloper.com
Rockstar and fired GTA developers outline core arguments during union busting tribunal
Both parties have set out their stall in legal documents obtained by Game Developer.
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Another Gamescom banger by Lex. The lengths people go to in order to avoid saying they're backed by Saudi Arabia tells the entire story. They know it is blood money. They know complicated questions will follow. They know they won't be able to answer them.
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Ashley Schofield is looking for work! 🐉 @ashlikeadragon.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
next gamescom piece!!! 💜 sat down with persona 4 revival as a girl who's never played the original (sorry) and spoke to kazuhisa wada about the reasons for a remake, the few things that haven't aged as well, and also got a soft confirmation of P1 and P2 remakes (sure!)
rockpapershotgun.com
Combat and socially agonised teens impress in Persona 4 Revival, the RPG that series director Kazuhisa Wada feels a "duty" to make
As a newcomer to the series, Persona 4 Revival looks to offer a good entry point. Though the developers are aiming it at their faithful.
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startmenu @startmenu.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
This week's Update Patch sees @saintsunflower.bsky.social a rundown of the big numbers coming out of the GTA VI showcase, ill-advised mini-games in Halloween: The Video Game, and Riot's continued push into the MMO space after ceasing development of 2XKO. Read here: www.patreon.com/startmenu/po...
patreon.com
Update Patch News Roundup (07/09/2026) | startmenu
Update Patch News Roundup (07/09/2026) by startmenu on Patreon. Join startmenu's community for exclusive content and updates.
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
A genuinely comprehensive piece by Lex on what seems to be a port that is fundamentally misunderstanding the point of DLSS upscaling and FSR frame interpolation. Stellar Blade on Switch 2 looks like a blurry mess.
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lex luddy needs a nap @lexluddy.xyz · 04/09/2026
My first piece for @kotaku.com sees me document the rather surreal experience of demoing a game funded by a government that would have me executed for being trans. kotaku.com/the-1001-thr...
kotaku.com
The 1001 Threads Of Mizan Director Avoids Answering A Simple Question At Gamescom - Kotaku
'This is a really decentralized company. We completely decentralized'
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jasmine james 🔜 Barcelona Game Fest @jasmo.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I checked my watch and it's time for the September 2026 writing jobs thread! I'm collecting freelance, full-time and other relevant journalism job opps for gaming, technology and entertainment ✍🏾 Please repost, share, tag your un(der)employed friends 💛
static.klipy.com
Deer Interview in Snow
Alt: Deer Interview in Snow
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Veselekov @veselekov.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Interview with @exalclaw.com about Penguin Colony! youtu.be/mvv7q7WX_wg?...
youtu.be
How This Game Dev Is Adapting Lovecraft Without Forgetting His Racism
YouTube video by Exalclaw
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Kirk McKeand @mckkirk.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Last month I went to Japan and spent an hour with FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki, in an attempt to understand why he makes games the way he does. He also told me he doesn’t have a foot fetish. www.theguardian.com/games/2026/s...
theguardian.com
‘Ruin and decay bring a chance of rebirth’: Hidetaka Miyazaki on uniting players in a damaged world
As FromSoftware’s new multiplayer game The Duskbloods nears release, the legendary game director behind Dark Souls talks connection, pessimism and of course, feet
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startmenu @startmenu.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Gamescom was last week, and somehow the biggest game of the show was released in 2015. For Update Patch @mushwrites.bsky.social reports on Witcher 3's second (or fourth) wind and DLSS 5's latest nightmare creations.
patreon.com
Update Patch News Roundup (02/09/2026) | startmenu
Update Patch News Roundup (02/09/2026) by startmenu on Patreon. Join startmenu's community for exclusive content and updates.
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Deleted Saves @deletedsavesmag.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Further reading: @stopcar.ing's excellent No Parades: For Dead Spies review, which contains a beautiful holistic interpretation of No Parades next to the inescapable event horizon of Disco Elysium. www.stopcar.ing/this-sacred-...
stopcar.ing
This Sacred Body / This Bloody Mind
A Zero Parades review for Dead Spies.
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KM is looking for work! @kellymerka.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Thanks @jamesandstuff.bsky.social and @rockpapershotgun.bsky.social for shouting out @stevenstoermer.bsky.social's latest Deleted Saves essay in this week's Sunday Papers! www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-sunday-p...
A screenshot of Rock Paper Shotgun's The Sunday Papers. It reads: 

"I remain more interested in reading about Disco Elysium than playing it, a personal flaw exacerbated by articles like this: Steven Stoermer revisiting the games soundtrack for Deleted Saves.

'The surrender in the song title is also Harry’s, for when it first plays he is at his lowest point. The Instrument handed Revachol over to a centrist invader whose moralist equivocating has left it in stasis, while Harry is similarly paralyzed. Yet it plays when he steps onto Martinaise’s streets for the first time, dazed but roused nevertheless, with potential opening up before him. The rendition in the game itself is quite different from the official soundtrack — longer and more ambient, with the positivity of the OST version’s back half woven in more ethereally. It is a music cue that I have found to be personally stupefying: it stopped me in my tracks during multiple failed attempts to play through Disco Elysium, overwhelming me with emotion and halting my progress.'"
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Deleted Saves @deletedsavesmag.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Thanks for including @stevenstoermer.bsky.social's piece on Disco Elysium! Read it below. www.deletedsaves.com/sick-with-lo...
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
My first for @unwinnable.com's website: @hellmaidengame.astralshiftpro.com brings complex female characters to a genre devoid of them Spoke to the @astralshiftpro.com team about their approach to female representation and how it helped shape their latest game. unwinnable.com/2026/08/18/h...
unwinnable.com
Hell Maiden Brings Complex Female Characters to a Genre Devoid of Them - Unwinnable
The idea is to paint the feminine with all its colors.
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Deleted Saves @deletedsavesmag.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
@dykedeitz.bsky.social leads off Deleted Saves Issue #3 with a banger about one of my favorite games, Papers Please. Featuring artwork by @shaferbrown.com ! Stay tuned for more essays dropping this month to round out Issue #3. www.deletedsaves.com/papers-pleas...
deletedsaves.com
Papers, Please and the Reality of Being an American Tranny
Getting my identity documents in order made me feel like Jorji, balancing the fluctuating demands of a ridiculous government with the resources at my disposal.
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
My first for @unwinnable.com's website: @hellmaidengame.astralshiftpro.com brings complex female characters to a genre devoid of them Spoke to the @astralshiftpro.com team about their approach to female representation and how it helped shape their latest game. unwinnable.com/2026/08/18/h...
unwinnable.com
Hell Maiden Brings Complex Female Characters to a Genre Devoid of Them - Unwinnable
The idea is to paint the feminine with all its colors.
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Please, Gamescom, save us from this relentless August.
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Jade King ✍️ OPEN FOR WORK @konayma6.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Sharing for the morning crowd. Pretty please add jadekingfreelance@gmail.com to your mailing lists or even reach out if you fancy doing something together! 🔥
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
I have high hopes for this one, jank and all. Impressive work from such a small team with some genuinely phenomenal visuals.
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Rebekah Valentine @duckvalentine.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
like you've got to be kidding me with this!
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Gonçalo Santos @mushwrites.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Ending the month of July with a bang (pejorative). Fingers crossed that August and Gamescom bring us some good news.
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Joey ‘Detchibe' W. 🏳️‍⚧️ @thestacks.ca · 30/07/2026
As a reminder: 💛The Stacks is open for pitches & paid writing!💛 I'm looking for writing on obscure games history, art history, sex/gender, and more Full guidelines + rates: thestacks.ca/submissions
thestacks.ca
The Stacks Submissions
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Robin Bea @robinbombus.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Career Update: after a more-than-month-long interview process, I'm now being completely ghosted by the only employer to respond to an application since I got laid off in January. Still looking (increasingly desperately) for any writing/games-related work!
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jasmine james 🔜 Barcelona Game Fest @jasmo.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
gamescom? More like JamesTom! I'll be at #gamescom alongside my colleague Tom as we represent @twofrogs.biz! We're there from August 24 - 28, including gamescom dev. If you're a self-publishing indie dev, or an indie game publisher, let's meet and find out how we can help with your marketing!
The Two Frogs in a Trenchcoat logo in front of the Cologne Dom. Jasmine and Tom's faces have been edited onto the frogs'.
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Rachel Watts @rachelwatts.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
And so well deserved!! I really liked Type Help, but I LOVE The Incident At Galley House. It's a fantastic mystery game, so engrossing and the aha! moments hit HARD. Utterly brilliant. store.steampowered.com/app/3641000/...
store.steampowered.com
The Incident at Galley House on Steam
In 1936, something terrible happened at Galley House. Decades later, with a strange contraption that reveals echoes of the past, you must uncover the truth behind this grisly mystery.
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IGDA Portugal @igdapt.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
IGDA-PT Checkpoint Meetup - Porto ​Hello everyone! ​We are organising the first IGDA-PT Checkpoint, a simple and informal hangout for the game dev community. ​Date: July 25th ​Time: 18:30 – 20:30 ​Location: Catraio, Rua de Cedofeita 256, Porto More Info and sign up here: luma.com/yy7mgmbs
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Harrison Polites @harrisonpolites.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Thanks so much for penning this incredible piece @austingallagher.bsky.social! I live in hope for the day that Inf Lives has the funds to run much, much longer pieces at a fair rate for writers! We’ll get there!
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Helen Carmichael - Forbidden Solitaire @bchezza.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
So after Forbidden Solitaire, I accepted an invitation from Cobalt Lane to work on Imprinted, about an audio restoration job which becomes an occult investigation as an elusive musician’s damaged cassette tapes are exhumed in Italy. I couldn’t resist… #fakeos store.steampowered.com/app/3980340/...
store.steampowered.com
Imprinted on Steam
An audio restoration job becomes an investigation into the occult, as an elusive musician’s damaged cassette tapes are exhumed in northern Italy. Use a fully-operational desktop to sift through files,...
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Chris Kerr @kerrblimey.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
NEW: Unions in the U.S. and Canada are have filed unfair labor practice charges against Microsoft for allegedly mishandling its latest round of mass layoffs. CWA Canada president Carmel Smyth claims Microsoft "unlawfully" fired Bethesda Game Studios Montreal workers without notifying the union.
gamedeveloper.com
Unions take legal action against Microsoft over Xbox layoffs
CWA Canada president Carmel Smyth claims the company 'unlawfully fired people without giving notice to or discussing it with the union.'
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Chris Kerr @kerrblimey.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
NEW: I spoke to multiple people impacted by the job cuts at Xbox to understand how the latest round of mass layoffs played out and what it means for the embattled video game division moving forward. This is their story.
gamedeveloper.com
Inside the latest round of mass layoffs at Xbox
Multiple workers impacted by the latest job cuts at Xbox believe the decision will hamstring some studios.
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Felipe Pepe @felipepepe.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The problem here is that the Western AAA industry isn't "the only world we've ever known or can conceptualise"... Most people have been living in a very different world for over a decade. It's games media that actively chose to stay in Geoff Keighley's PR Dreamland, where 2012 never ended...
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Dr. Emily Price @emilyprice.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Now live for the public. I reviewed Wax Heads @waxheadsgame.bsky.social, Sol Cesto by @docgeraud.bsky.social, Tethergeist by oandcogames.bsky.social, Amberspire by @nictringali.bsky.social, and The Last Winter Knight by @endysis.bsky.social for my half-year indie roundup!
unwinnable.com
Indie Roundup Review 2026 - Unwinnable
All these games have characters out of their depth to some degree, struggling through challenges as they fight powers bigger than themselves.
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