Weekly Notes (Sep 22 – 28): Gods and Karts - Hades II and Sonic Racing Lead the Week

Niklas Borglund

Author

2025-09-30

Two very different games dominated this week: Hades II finally graduated from Early Access, while Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds launched to 96% positive reviews - possibly giving PC players their first real Mario Kart alternative.

Let's dive in to this week's releases!

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds by Sonic Team

Largest audiences: ~76% English

Mario Kart is one of those games that never really got any real competition. Massively popular, but only available on Nintendo consoles over the years. On PC? I'm not aware of any strong contender - but maybe we got one now.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds released in Advanced Access for a hefty extra fee and amassed an impressive score of 97% - which then dropped to 96% after release.

The sentiment is mostly very positive. Players highly enjoy the gameplay, the soundtrack and the sheer variety of characters, vehicles and tracks. Some players report network stability issues when playing online as well. A lot of players from Brazil are also vocal about a price increase in the region after launch.

An interesting side note is that the audience is primarily English. Not much from any other audience subset - and the game is localized into many languages. Is this the result of very directed marketing? Or something else.

SILENT HILL f by NeoBard Entertainment Ltd.

Largest audiences: ~51% English, ~11% Chinese (Simplified), ~11% Russian

Also released this week was the latest game in the Silent Hill series. Players love the 1960s Japan atmosphere & mood they managed to develop together with the great graphics. The soundtrack & voice acting are also generally well liked.

The biggest criticism by far is the inventory and combat mechanics. A lot of reviews mention this as a specific pain point.

Second to that comes with a complaint about a lack of identity. Many players simply state "This is not Silent Hill" in their reviews and fans of the genre thinks that this game strays too far from the series heart.

CloverPit by Panik Arcade

Largest audiences: ~57% English, ~12% Russian, ~5% Korean

A gambling roguelite where players are trapped with a slot machine and an ATM, trying to pay off debt. Often compared mechanics-wise to Balatro.

Players love the addictive gameplay loop and fun gambling mechanics, with the low price point making it accessible. The humorous tone and replayability keep players engaged.

However, frustration with RNG mechanics is common and that often leads to unexpected losses particularly annoys players.

Some feel the gameplay becomes repetitive over time, with limited variety.

EA SPORTS FC™ 26 by EA Canada

Largest audiences: ~33% English, ~9% Turkish, ~8% Spanish, ~8% Portuguese (Brazil)

The annual football/soccer franchise returns with its second iteration since dropping the FIFA branding. Some players appreciate gameplay improvements and still find it fun despite issues.

At 50% Mixed, problems dominate. Bugs and technical issues plague the experience, with controller problems particularly frustrating online players. Many feel the game lacks value for its price, with Career Mode remaining largely unchanged from previous entries.

ENDLESS™ Legend 2 by AMPLITUDE Studios

Largest audiences: ~54% English, ~12% Russian, ~10% Chinese (Simplified)

The sequel to ENDLESS Legend enters Early Access with a feature that is periodic tidefalls that reshape the entire map as you play. Players seem to like this mechanic overall. They also love the asymmetrical factions that play differently from each other, plus the smooth performance and beautiful art direction.

It's Early Access, so expect the usual suspects: bugs, UI issues. The absence of multiplayer is a dealbreaker for some.

⚔️ Early Access Graduates

• Hades II - Arguably the most popular release this week. The successor of the ever popular Hades just exited Early Access. Players love the improved gameplay, rich storytelling and the variety of content the game offers. Although generally overwhelmingly positive, some players feel the combat is unbalanced in regards to enemy damage.

• Slime Rancher 2 - An open world FPS creature(slimes) collecting game. Players love the relaxing & addictive gameplay. The cute slimes are often noticed as a high point. High among the critiques is the general lack of content (hopefully addressed now), and a desire for a multiplayer mode.

• Tokyo Xtreme Racer - A racing game set in a futuristic Tokyo. Top sentiment among players is that the player base loves the return to gameplay similar to previous entries in the series - invoking strong feelings of nostalgia. They think the game is fun, the gameplay loop is very addictive and the incredible depth of the car customization feature. Players dislike the audio design around the engine sounds and that the game becomes increasingly difficult at the end game.

• Mars First Logistics - An open world physics simulation game where players design and build rovers to deliver cargo on Mars. Players are highly enthusiastic about the creative gameplay, satisfying physics, and charming visuals. Players dislike limited communication options in multiplayer, and a noted difficulty spike in missions have been highlighted as areas for improvement.

• SWORN - A 1-4 player co-op action rogue-like game. Players love the gameplay loop - especially when playing with friends. It's often compared unfavorably to Hades, which makes me think it might not have been the best release week to have picked. A lot of players are also complaining about the game having a considerable amount of bugs.

Notable Mentions

Here are some games or DLCs that were on the top but didn't get its own section in the weekly notes.

Other Significant Releases

• 导演，请多多指教 - (Choose Your Own Adventure. Immersive Sim. Interactive Fiction). A chinese only choose your own adventure game. These games seems to have been going quite well in this market lately.
• Touhou Makuka Sai ~ Fantastic Danmaku Festival Part III - (Bullet Hell. Otome. Top-Down Shooter)
• Aethermancer - (Creature Collector. Dungeon Crawler. Party-Based RPG)
• Baby Steps - (Walking Simulator. Psychological Horror. Exploration). Takes the genre "Walking Simulator" quite literally!
• PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC - (3D Platformer. Action. Action-Adventure)
• Dead by Daylight - Sinister Grace - (Action. Strategy. Survival Horror)

Full List: Top Releases for September 22 - 28 (2025)

And that's it! Thank you for reading!

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