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Welcome to a new weekly feature on IGN: a roundup of game preview coverage in case you missed anything we got to check out over the course of the week. We enjoyed quite the variety of games we looked ahead to: The Duskbloods, Tides of Annihilation, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, Star Wars: Smuggler’s Gambit, and Silver Pines.<\/p>\n
The Duskbloods<\/h3>\n <\/p>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
Key Preview Takeaways:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\nThe Duskbloods might be FromSoftware\u2019s most complex and interesting game yet. Miyazaki cites TTRPG influences for its gameplay systems and multiplayer mechanics.<\/em><\/li>\nAs far as gameplay feel, it’s comparable to Bloodborne or Nightreign with added mobility and fit into an eight-player phase-based PvPvE setting where you earn victory points to avoid elimination.<\/em><\/li>\nThe lock-on targeting and camera can have trouble tracking fast moving opponents, but the combat is intricate and intense.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nFromSoftware isn’t new to multiplayer. Invasions have been a staple in the Souls games and we just came off of Elden Ring’s co-op twist with Nightreign. But The Duskbloods is something very different and new territory for the team, and to simply label it as a PvPvE game is to woefully undersell what it is. It has that familiar tough action combat packaged in phase-based matches where eight players compete for what are essentially victory points on a map in order to advance to subsequent phases, which then concludes in a three-player PvP brawl. I got to play about eight hours of The Duskbloods on a visit to FromSoftware in Tokyo, and while there are a ton of nuances I’ll dissect in this preview, I’ll say upfront that it has the makings of another hit in the Souls lineage where fun is found in the challenge and the mysteries of its world propel you to keep pushing \u2013 just now in the context of a competitive multiplayer Switch 2 exclusive. If any team can pull off such a wild idea, it’d be director Hidetaka Miyazaki and company. So buckle up y’all, The Duskbloods just might be the most complex and most fascinating project to come out of FromSoftware yet.<\/p>\n
Check out our full preview of The Duskbloods for more.<\/p>\n
Tides of Annihilation<\/h3>\n <\/p>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
Key Preview Takeaways:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\nThis Arthurian-legend action-RPG leans into its King Arthur inspirations in a really impressive way.<\/em><\/li>\nThe two boss fights in my demo were extremely satisfying combat encounters.<\/em><\/li>\nDespite the combat being fun, Gwendolyn’s movement controls still need some fine-tuning.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIn Tides of Annihilation it isn\u2019t just London Bridge that\u2019s falling down, it\u2019s the entire city that\u2019s been razed to ruins by an unknown presence invading from a mysterious otherworld, and you\u2019re the only human survivor left to stop it. This action adventure heavily inspired by Arthurian legend made a serious splash when it was announced early last year, but I was initially concerned that the fast-paced slash \u2018em up from first-time developer Eclipse Glow Games may have been all style over substance. However, after spending roughly two hours of hands-on time with a preview build at a recent event, I\u2019m happy to say that Tides of Annihilation feels just as exhilarating to play as it is utterly dazzling to watch.<\/p>\n
Check out our full Tides of Annihilation preview for more.<\/p>\n
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2<\/h3>\n <\/p>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
Key Preview Takeaways:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\nNails the look, feel, and sound of Aliens.<\/em><\/li>\nYou\u2019re never really comfortable, in a good way.<\/em><\/li>\nThe Specialist class that lets you custom-assemble your own class is the way to go.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAliens: Fireteam Elite 2 seems like one of those lazy Sunday games, where you kill part of an afternoon playing a couple hours with friends. It gets Aliens and understands that forty miles of bad road Cameron envisioned. As a co-op game, it\u2019s not going to change the world. Aliens already did that. But it\u2019s a great excuse to play around in that world again, and I\u2019m eager to see what else LV-558 has in store. <\/p>\n
Read our full Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 final preview for more.<\/p>\n
Star Wars: Smuggler’s Gambit<\/h3>\n <\/p>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
Key Preview Takeaways:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\nSmuggler’s Gambit can connect to your MyDisney account to directly link to the Smuggler’s Run ride at the Disney theme parks.<\/em><\/li>\nFortnite players will feel right at home, of course, but it’s approachable enough for Fortnite newbies, too.<\/em><\/li>\nContent does not seem to be lacking in this experience, with plenty of missions on offer.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nStar Wars: Smuggler\u2019s Gambit, which will be available on August 16, is a fun time with friends \u2013 it\u2019s clearly preferable to playing solo \u2013 and it seems to be a clever way to either extend your theme-park experience outside of Disneyland\u2019s walls and into your home, or vice versa. Hondo is a really great character to anchor this around, and I\u2019d love to see Disney do more to extend the story of its theme park rides, be they Star Wars or otherwise. Just imagine playing as Finn during the events of the Rise of the Resistance ride, for instance\u2026 <\/p>\n
For more, read our full hands-on impressions of Star Wars: Smuggler’s Gambit.<\/p>\n
Silver Pines<\/h3>\n <\/p>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
Key Preview Takeaways:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\nThe unique visual style is instantly appealing.<\/em><\/li>\nThe ’90s-style adventure-meets-survival-horror gameplay makes it feel unique in 2026.<\/em><\/li>\nMonster variety is lacking in the short, early-game demo we played.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nI\u2019m continually impressed with how many interesting and unique ideas for video games still manage to pop out, even as we\u2019ve got literally thousands coming out every year now. If you haven\u2019t heard of Silver Pines yet, it\u2019s a pixelated 2D survival horror that answers the question, \u201cWhat might Alan Wake be like if it were made for the PS1 in the \u201890s?\u201d, and it\u2019s something I didn\u2019t realize I needed in my life until now. After playing the first hour of this creepy, stressful demon lovechild of Silent Hill and The Secret of Monkey Island, I was completely pulled in by the strange and unsettling story, the deceptively beautiful pixel art, and the eerie sounds and music that made each new darkened hallway that much harder to explore. Though, with only a very small sampling, it remains to be seen if they\u2019ll be able to continue the momentum after a very strong opening stretch. Either way, this is already quite easily one of the most stylish and unique games of 2026.<\/p>\n
For more, read our full preview of Silver Pines.<\/p>\n
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of IGN’s weekly Xbox show, <\/em>Podcast Unlocked, and a co-host of <\/em>Next-Gen Console Watch. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at <\/em>@DMC_Ryan<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n