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It is just and beautiful for friends to part when life, as it always does, presents a fork in the road. When that moment comes, we will not call it a betrayal, nor will we beat our breasts and howl, nor will we pretend that everything will be the same. No, we will feel something precious when we say goodbye, for the joy of having known each other will be proven in the bittersweetness of our parting. Pyre is a game about organizing such moments, and fiercely battling to make them happen.

Welcome to another Wednesday! Would you believe me if I say I’ve dipped my toes back into Overwatch lately? It may as well be 2017 again with the way I’m feeling about the state of the world, the US president, and the absolute mindlessness Overwatch inspires in me. Perhaps this is the games as escapism thing I’ve needed all along.

Welcome back to Postgame, Sidequest’s monthly-ish podcast where the editors lay down hot takes on cold games. This month, Maddi and Melissa, the two least qualified people for this topic, discuss escapism in games. What is it? Can we do it successfully? What is a Nut Sort-like? Podcast: Play in new window | Download Mistakes: The Alexandra Rowland piece about hopepunk Melissa mentions is actually originally published by Festive Ninja, not on Tumblr.

It’s time for another Wednesday and another roundup of all the mobile gaming news! I was sick for two weeks, then went on vacation, and am now sick again, so my game time has been surprisingly limited. I did recently fire up Tropico 4 for reasons unknown last night, and would you believe it? Still fun! What a fantasy it is to have/be a benevolent leader who provides free healthcare, education, housing, and food for her people.

Oh, to be on the edge of a lake, a fishing pole in hand, a lazy summer breeze stirring my hair and a peanut butter sandwich waiting for lunch. As we move into the warmer months of the year up here in the northern hemisphere, we’re getting into fishing season—but the beauty of games is that any season is fishing season, if you’re a special kind of sicko (fishing game fan). This month, we’re talking about fishing in games. What draws us to this recurring kind of collecting mechanic and minigame?

Listen, y’all. I’m writing this from the United States. There are certainly places in the world that have it worse, but the past few months have, for obvious reasons, set me more than a little on edge. We all deserve a little soothing in this mess of a world. So this month, let’s talk about soothing games. What that means may be a little different for everybody—we invite you to share your thoughts in the comments!—but this May, we’re all about what brings us a little peace in moments of stress.

“The rent is due… and my landlord’s even tougher than the Hammers.” There’s something interesting in the way period pieces project our own assumptions into the past. Play a game like Thief and you’ll be amused to find transplanted there the idea that there have always been cops as we know them.

Since its release in 2013, I’ve sunk more hours into Tomodachi Life than I have any other game. Perhaps this doesn’t communicate to you the scope of my commitment: I’ve played Skyrim for over a hundred hours, Animal Crossing for double that, and I regularly sink at least fifty hours into other titles I’m interested in. Few, if any, have ever held me as long as Tomodachi Life.

As a series, Monster Hunter has a lot to offer: challenging, punishing combat; fantastical, yet somewhat biologically justified creatures; and a massive selection of armour and weapons to be crafted from their body parts. Despite the games never veering far from these core elements since the first title in 2004, continuous adjustments and mechanical additions, such as Rise’s high-flying Wirebugs, have kept the series from ever feeling dated.

A Space for the Unbound features themes such as depression, anxiety, domestic abuse, suicidal ideation, and animal death. I find an old man huddled under a now-barren cherry tree as he racks his mind for the reason he’s there. As Atma, I approach him to see if I can help, but his memory is betraying him and he can’t remember. So I use my power of Spacedive to delve into his heart for answers and, in that reality, I find him as a boy. Together, we collect cherries from the now-flourishing tree.