What We’ve Been Playing: Chivalware, Bond & More

This week, the team found themselves lost in a roguelike that shouldn’t work but does, converted to James Bond against all odds, fended off backseat gamers in their own home, and dove into a beta that reignited a Soulslike obsession. Here’s what we’ve been playing.

Chivalware

Bertie can’t stop thinking about a demo he played at a recent press event. Chivalware is a solo-dev roguelike that mashes match-three tile mechanics with Mega Man-style action. You play as a disk knight—inspired by floppy disks—and combat revolves around standing on clumps of same-colour tiles to power up your abilities. Activate a big cluster and you’ll surge with power, but step on a tiny group and you’ll break the flow. Meanwhile, enemies attack with patterns that block the tiles you need, forcing you to plan movement and attacks simultaneously. The electronic soundtrack makes the whole thing feel like a frantic dance. Between fights, you choose routes, visit shops, and upgrade powers to counter specific enemy weaknesses. The game is immediate, punishing, and utterly irresistible. A demo is available now on Steam.

007: First Light

Matt went into IOI’s Bond game with zero expectations—he’s not a Bond fan. But Patrick Gibson’s charisma in the lead role quickly won him over. What really sealed the deal, though, is what he calls the best video game tutorial ever. The opening section in Malta presents a fast-paced training montage that cuts between punching, sneaking, driving, and more. It shouldn’t work—you barely spend a minute on each mechanic—but the chronological repetition keeps everything coherent and informative while maintaining cinematic flair. After that, exploring MI6 and Q’s lab only deepened his appreciation. The whole experience is ‘cracking stuff.’

007 First Light PC key

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