Weekly Notes (Oct 20 – 26): Another Swedish Success Story & Bloodlines 2's Rocky Start
Niklas Borglund
Author
2025-10-30 • 5 min read
Another week, another Swedish success story with RV There Yet hitting 1.3 million sales. Meanwhile, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 finally shipped after years of development, but the 18-year wait seems to have built expectations too high.
Let's dive in!
RV There Yet? by NUGGETS ENTERTAINMENT
I don't know what's the secret with Skövde, Sweden - but here we are again with a massive hit (Valheim, V Rising, Satisfactory, Goat Simulator are all from Skövde just to mention a few!). I'm glad to see that there are so many super popular games coming out of Sweden lately.
RV There Yet? sold over 1.3 million copies in just a week and the players love it. The co-op experiences are creating many hilarious moments and many reviewers see great potential in what this game can become.
It has some launch bugs though, the main criticism is buggy physics that make characters and items sometimes behave erratically. Some complain about optimization and issues with voice chat - but to me it sounds like that will be ironed out over time.
Dispatch by AdHoc Studio
Dispatch is a "superhero workplace comedy" that tries to take the reigns from Telltale with episodic content. They just released episode 1-4 and the story and writing quality get lots of praise. The humor also lands well, with players appreciating how it enhances the overall experience. Voice acting stands out as exceptional, which makes sense when looking at their star-studded cast.
However, players really seem to dislike the episodic release schedule. Looking at the reviews, they don't seem to want to wait - especially since the median playtime is just over 2 hours.
NINJA GAIDEN 4 by PlatinumGames Inc. / Team NINJA / KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
The return of the legendary action series launched with 91% positive reviews at the time of writing. Players praise the fast, responsive combat that stays true to the series' roots while feeling reminiscent of classic gameplay.
However, technical performance issues frustrate some players. The focus on the character Yakumo over Ryu Hayabusa has also left some series veterans dissatisfied.
Vampire: The Masquerade® - Bloodlines™ 2 by The Chinese Room
Fans have been waiting for 18 years of this one, and I can imagine the expectations are sky-high. Launching with a global score of 55% positive - I think it's safe to say that they were not met.
Players appreciate the atmosphere and visuals, which seems to capture the World of Darkness in a good way. The main critique is the lack of traditional RPG elements. No character creation, skill checks etc. that they loved with the first game.
There are also quite a few reviews mentioning technical issues, bugs and performance issues.
MISERY by Platypus Entertainment
A co-op roguelike survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world. Players praise the engaging atmosphere and immersive world - many comparing it favorably to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
The core gameplay loop is addictive, especially in multiplayer. Base building mechanics are well-received, with players enjoying customizing their bunkers. The dark atmosphere and world design create the right mood for survival horror fans.
However, performance issues plague the experience - crashes, lag, and optimization problems frustrate players. Content gaps suggest the game feels unfinished to some. The looting system divides opinion.
They had a demo during Steam Next Fest last week that helped build anticipation for the full release.
⚔️ Early Access Graduates
- Escape the Backrooms - A multiplayer horror game. Players love the co-op experience with friends as well as the horror elements and great audio quality. Some players dislike specific levels for being poorly designed. Maybe this will change now, since they just released 1.0 - but one of the main criticisms they've received is the lack of updates and communication from the developers lately.
- Farthest Frontier - A town-building simulation game. The developers get a lot of praise on this one for being responsive and updating the game often - so much so that it's visible in the reviews. The players also appreciate the complexity of the farming system and the depth of the gameplay. Points of potential improvements are with the combat balancing and the AI of the villagers reportedly not performing well.
- Onirism - A colorful action-adventure game. Players love its charming visuals, lots of varied content and the design of the main character Carol. However, many experience a lot of technical issues and framedrops. Some boss designs are also critiqued for being poorly designed.
- Midori no Kaori - A simulation game where players can create their own Japanese restaurant. Players love the relaxing atmosphere, beautiful visual and the overall charm of the game. Main criticisms are bugs and the limited content as well as issues with the controls when placing items.
- Darkblade Ascent - A dark fantasy action game. Players love the fluidity of the combat, the different game modes and the meta progression systems. They dislike the use of AI Generated Art and the feeling of not enough variety and content in the gameplay.
Notable Mentions
Here are some games or DLCs that were on the top but didn't get its own section in the weekly notes.
Full List: Top Releases for October 20 - October 26 (2025)
| Game | Impact | Score | Reviews | Est. Play Time | Age | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
And that's it! Thank you for reading!
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