Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 43

We're back with a brand-new Now Playing! Our team is enjoying their usual unique spread of genres, from high fantasy to beloved classic action-puzzle games. No matter what we're playing, we want to share it 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!

Hazare Renne-Glover

League of Legends

Roughly 15 years ago, I loaded onto Summoner’s Rift for the first time. In my early days, for better or worse, probably for worse, I devoted an embarrassing amount of time to League of Legends and have had the privilege of playing through almost every major patch or update. Having experienced the evolution of League so intimately, one might go so far as to call me a veteran of the community.

League of Legends, first released in 2009, is Riot Games’ flagship product and a defining, established vanguard of the multiplayer online battle arena genre, MOBA for short. As of July 29th, Riot Games officially provided all players, both vets and noobs alike, the opportunity to experience the League of old and what a trip it has been. Since the release of League Classic, I have been reliving the past in real time. The original Summoner’s Rift has returned; there are no alcoves for sneaky side-lane plays, neutral objectives have less agency toward victory, and revive/tp Karthus is back to indiscriminately enrage everyone. Also, rune pages are back!

Another point to note: David Turley, better known as Phreak, is an official designer on League Classic. For those who didn’t know before, Phreak is a well-known and respected member of Riot Games and one of the original regular casters, starting his career all the way back in Season 1. Since July 24, Phreak has provided in-depth patch previews, breaking down the updates and changes for League Classic as it grows and develops.

Personally, knowing that Phreak is on the design team, with his encyclopedic knowledge, high standards for the state of the game, and genuine desire for players to have fun, I feel that League Classic, unlike unfortunate school reunions, has everything a good nostalgia trip needs with enough leg room to shift and adjust accordingly.

Jahanzeb Khan

Super Bomberman Collection

Super Bomberman was one of my favourite games to explore on the SNES back in the day. There's nothing quite like Bomberman as an action-puzzle experience, and from its launch on NES, no one could have predicted the franchise's longevity given the inherent limitations in the maze design and the methodical pacing of the action.

Bomberman excels as a multiplayer experience, and the latest collection of the SNES games is a great way to get friends together, especially on Switch/Switch 2.

Even more admirable is the collection's effort to provide a compelling single-player experience. From unique map layouts to clever boss battles, these games managed to try new things within the restricted confines of the core game design. Bomberman will always play the same way, but changing up the art and including new power-ups adds flavour to the experience. The IP peaked during the SNES era, and this collection is a great way to revisit a childhood obsession; I'm especially loving the boss rush mode.

Nathaniel Kelly

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

I’m reaching the tail end of this game. I started playing at the beginning of summer, and now that summer is all but over, it’s time to close it out. I only have one more sphere in the womb of grief and one more main dungeon. The second half of this game, where you fight the mothers of demons, is more technical than the first and a little more difficult. I found myself making more team decisions based on regular enemy patrols. Even though my agility was high enough for a 100% escape chance, I had to adapt if I wanted enough experience to stay leveled up.

The demons are getting really cool, too. Getting more recognizable gods and goddesses just makes fusion more and more of what I look forward to. Since these demons are on the front lines fighting with you, I feel a bit more attached to them than I did with Persona. But now that I’ve played this, I actually plan to go back to Persona 4 and see if my general demon knowledge makes me more invested in fusion in that game than the first time I played Persona 4 Golden.

One thing that I could do without is the alignment system. It’s one of those things that most people say to ignore, but I can’t help working within the confines of my alignment because the co-op attack has become the backbone of my strength-build strategy. I feel like I’m ignoring half the game, but it makes me excited to play again with another alignment, or to play another SMT game without alignment. I’m not sure this is a beast you’d want to tackle twice with so many other SMT options out there.

I’ve also found a strange love for the blobber-style mazes in this game. I’ll just play this while watching Vampire Diaries or whatever, and this game feels like a crossword or sudoku that I can do simultaneously. Roughly 95% of the game is just mazes and combat, so it’s a great game to pair with a show.

But even with one dungeon left, I still love the progression and the puzzles. I would be sadder that it’s over if there weren't six Etrian Odyssey games waiting if I yearn for the dungeon again. SMT Strange Journey definitely only exists for a certain type of person, but I’m glad it does.

Ben Rowan

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

I guess you could call me a "patient gamer." I like to really take my time, dabbling in and out of games, enjoying the journey much more than the destination. Case in point: I’m still playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt; exploring every nook and cranny of its dense world, taking on side quests, and creeping through the story at my own pace (so close to the end now!) But here’s the thing: I’m still on my first playthrough since I bought it back in 2018.

8 years later, I’m still absolutely in love with it. What’s quite amazing is the journey my save file has taken. I originally bought it on PS4, then played it on PS5, and thanks to CDPR's awesome cross-save feature, I picked it up on the Switch for portable play. Now, I’m playing that same save file on my Xbox Series S, where it runs like a dream at 60fps, with a lot of time spent playing on my iPhone via Remote Play with a controller. Cross-save really is a game changer for a platform-agnostic like me, and I wish more devs took the same approach as CDPR on this one.

While Witcher 3's celebrated story is epic and full of originality, I’d happily spend all my time knee-deep in proper 'witcher business' - hunting down beasts and monsters across The Continent. Picking up a contract from some poor soul who has lost their loved one, venturing into the wild to track the beast, looking for clues, applying the right oils and potions, and taking it down in a glorious fight is endlessly satisfying. If only the game had more of this. The sheer tension you feel when tracking a werewolf, spectre, or swamp hag through a dark forest, a damp cave, or a wretched bog is incredible. Don’t get me wrong, I love the main questline too, but more monster hunting is what I truly crave (and yes, I do own various Monster Hunters too).

The cities in Witcher 3 are another highlight; each one is a bustling hive of activity, overflowing with people and intersecting side stories. Few titles pull off a sense of place with this kind of grit and density; whether you're shoving your way through the squalor of Novigrad, cutting through a wind-scratched town in Skellige, or battling griffins on a hilltop overlooking the Oxenfurt skyline.

Incredibly, I haven't even seen the whole world yet, as I haven't visited Toussaint or started the DLCs. With the recently announced (free!) remastered version and the upcoming Songs of the Past DLC, I have every reason to dive even deeper. Given it’s been ported specifically for Switch 2, I’ll likely move over to that platform for the bulk of my next playthrough and make the most of the portability. The Witcher 3 is truly one of gaming's greats, and with the new updates inbound, it’ll likely keep me busy for another 8 years.

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!