Copy editing

Responding via Twitter to a video comparing the player movement in Helldivers 2 to Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Pentiment director Josh Sawyer wrote, “I’m not kidding when I say more games should just directly copy stuff that feels good from games they like and then riff from there.”

The riffing, of course, is the most important part. Think of how many open-world games have adapted Ubisoft’s towers for mapping out new areas – in particular how Nintendo took that idea and improved upon it in Breath Of The Wild and then once again in Tears Of The Kingdom.

Indeed, Zelda is one of the key inspirations behind our lead Hype this month – though it’s more the traditional series formula from which Moon Studios is borrowing for action RPG No Rest For The Wicked. During our interview, director Thomas Mahler nods to Dark Souls and Diablo, while during play we observe a heft to its attack animations that recalls Monster Hunter – which Mahler also happily acknowledges. In combining of all those familiar ingredients, however, the studio has concocted a recipe that feels new – and it will continue to look elsewhere for ideas, refining the game with the help of community feedback during its time spent in Early Access.

He might be working alone, but we’re sure solo developer Billy Basso hasn’t been shutting out the input of others while developing Animal Well. It might look more Metroid than Resident Evil, but by fixing its camera to single screens rather than scrolling, the reveal of its deadliest creatures provides a jolt akin to encountering a new zombie in the Spencer Mansion. The soothing music of its save rooms, too, is quintessentially Resi. It speaks to the effectiveness of its fusion of exploration adventures and survival horror that we’ve spent more than 30 hours in its pixellated clutches. While we imagine most devs would hesitate to use the c-word about their own work, these two games all but prove Sawyer’s point.