Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 33

We're back with a brand new Now Playing, and we've reached the third-of-a-century mark!! Some of us are playing more games than usual, and some are sticking with the games they've been hooked on for a while. No matter what we're playing, we want to share with you and maybe send you down the path to try something new. Let us know in the comments what you're playing and what news has you excited for the future!

Ben Macready

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Magic: The Gathering recently crossed over with Final Fantasy. While this move was certainly contentious, it's also undeniably been financially successful. MTG Final Fantasy packs have been flying off the shelves, as though an Aeroga spell has hit them. All of this has gotten me in the mood for a bit of fun with Square Enix’s biggest franchise. XIII-2 may not be a particularly beloved entry in the series, but I played through 80% of it during my teens, and I've decided to dust it off and finally finish it.

Like its sequel, the original Final Fantasy XIII has a divisive reputation. It is often criticized for being overly linear, having environments that are devoid of NPCs to interact with, and a levelling system that doesn’t allow characters to be adequately customised.

XIII-2 was clearly designed to address many of the criticisms levelled at its predecessor. It's time time-travelling story features a huge number of side quests to complete and collectibles to gather. The world is densely populated with NPCs and feels fully inhabited, and there's a new monster catching system allowing for plenty of party customisation. Despite these changes, XIII-2 still has a rough reputation due to its story. Without giving any spoilers, XIII-2 has issues with its tone. At times, the dialogue is light and uplifting; the power of the character's bonds can rewrite fate and potentially save the timeline. This hopeful mood can turn on a dime, and the game can quickly become excessively brooding and bleak.

However strange the game's story may be, I have enjoyed my time with XIII-2. The improvements upon the original Final Fantasy XIII are clear and greatly appreciated. Having said that, I’m also someone who enjoyed the original XIII more than most. I would encourage any RPG fans looking to try something a bit experimental to give the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy a chance and look past their muddied reputations.

Ben Cantrell

CyberCorp

I'm currently playing through CyberCorp, a dungeon-crawler meets twin-stick looter shooter set in a rainy cyberpunk metropolis. It focuses on tight, fast-paced combat, simple gear progression, and short mission-based gameplay that makes it easy to dip in and out. There’s not a lot of story or cutscenes getting in the way, which I actually like.

CyberCorp throws you into the action and lets you get on with the blasting. Each mission drops you into a procedurally generated isometric level, bathed in flickering neon and urban decay. Some take place in rain-slicked alleys and shadowy backstreets, others on rooftops, in shopping districts, or inside polished industrial gigafactories. The layouts shift just enough each time to keep you guessing, never quite sure which corner will spawn the next wave of shotgun-wielding thugs.

The action-focused combat is definitely the main draw. You carry two primary weapons and a selection of abilities, so every encounter turns into a dance of spray, dash, reload, repeat. Cooldown timers encourage strategic decision-making, and smart use of cover is essential. You play as the Agent, a human operator who remotely pilots a cybernetic body called a Synth. You work for CyberCorp, a group that operates as a private military contractor hired by the mayor of OmniCity to restore order in a city overrun by gangs and criminal syndicates. Progression is non-linear, with a range of missions always available, from story objectives and survival challenges to system hacks and boss fights. Bosses can be replayed and grow tougher with each encounter, rewarding you with better loot and keeping the challenge engaging.

Released on Steam in August 2024 and consoles in mid-2025, CyberCorp is more Minecraft Dungeons than Diablo (with a generous helping of The Ascent), but that quick, pick-up-and-play rhythm is exactly what makes it work. Twin-stick shooter in a cyberpunk world? Yes please.

Alexander Joy

Redline Crooks

This game is pure pleasure, tapping into the elemental joys that powered the NES classics. Here, you race through procedurally generated courses of increasing complexity while weaving among hostile traffic and dodging bloodhound black-and-whites.

Your mission is to cause as much havoc as possible while keeping your pace – and your vehicle – intact. The game feels excellent, providing a persistent sense of speed and a satisfying crunch to every vehicle you smash. With roguelike inventiveness, each level's escalating chaos exploits the logical but surprising interactions of simple systems, and the altogether volcanic results are riotous to watch unfold.

Best of all, every playable character represents a distinct way to approach the game, making it a genuine challenge to master them all. Fun color customizations and unlockable difficulty tweaks (think Risk of Rain's artifacts) lend a toybox feel to the overall package. I can't praise this game enough. It's terrific. Go buy it.

C.S. Voll

Suzerain: Kingdom of Rizia

This is an unforgiving game, but it seems I'm a glutton for punishment, because I just keep going back to it. During my second playthrough, I was able to achieve more of my objectives, but at what cost? My family hated me, the public wanted my head, and a superpower sanctioned me into oblivion.

One of the game's strengths is that it doesn't always reward Machiavellian behaviour; you have to live with the consequences of your choices. It was fascinating to see a different side of its world, too. My second king was a strict authoritarian, although he was also quite capable. This time around, I explored a mystery storyline and learned more about the events preceding my coronation. The new update also added more polish and content, which is always nice.

This is definitely a game you could return to over and over again. Thought-provoking, deep political simulators scratch a different kind of itch, after all. By the way: Congratulations to Torpor Games for winning the Best in Civics at the Games for Change Awards 2025!

Steins;Gate 0

From the outset, you can feel this is a different kind of Steins;Gate game. For one, the menus, art, and user interface look beautiful. You can clearly see that by the time this game was released, in 2015, the franchise had already grown into a juggernaut, and the quality of the title reflects this evolution. A funny thing I noticed at the beginning is how it captures the distinct vibe of an academic conference. I sympathize with you, Okabe, I really do. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you come off as awkward, and all you can do is roll with the punches. Thankfully, there are also kind souls out there. I think that's also one of the deeper themes of Steins;Gate as a whole.

Bryan Finck

I've played several games over the past month, which is rather unusual for me. Without much time to play games in any given week, I'm typically slogging through a single game a bit at a time, but the stars aligned for me to have a go with multiple titles recently.

Fresh off its 10th anniversary, I dove back into The Witcher 3, which I had started without getting very far into the story. The game is, of course, epic and incredible, and I'd like to think I will finish this playthrough eventually, even though I'm already on to other things. I'll make it my goal to finish it before the fourth game comes out.

Sony's excellent first-party title, Returnal, was another game I started before falling off, though this was due to a lack of skill and patience. I set my mind to making real progress this time around, and it worked to some extent, as I'm now matriculating my way through the third of six total biomes. It's a game that I can put down and revisit after a few weeks without much degradation of skill, and the combat loop is damn-near perfect, so I will bend the game to my will - eventually.

I'm a huge fan of side-scrolling indie games, so when I heard that one of the developers of Dead Cells had founded his own studio and published Nuclear Blaze, I knew I had to check it out. The game is a delightful, bite-sized shooter, though you're not using bullets or magic this time, you're using water. You play as a firefighter, tasked with putting out an everyday conflagration, when you stumble upon a secret underground facility where something nefarious has clearly gotten out of hand. You'll douse the flames across several small levels, trying to outwit the flames and other environmental obstacles. It's only about 3 hours of gameplay, but I had a blast with it, and I hope to see more from the studio.

And finally, I'm currently absorbed in the excellent Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and it is as grand as everyone says it is. The story is excellent, the combat is way better than I ever expected, and the voice work and soundtrack are divine. I'm less than halfway through, and I'm torn between making the experience last and tearing through to see what's next. If you're a fan of JRPGs, this should be at the top of your list.

A big thank you to our writers for dropping by and to all our loyal fans for being here to check it out! Be sure to tell us what you're playing in the comments, and check back next month for more of what our team is getting into.