Timeloop metroidvania Echo Weaver is the brave game that locks almost nothing off and challenges you to break it

Rose Belmont is not her father. Rose is something new: the next generation of the legendary vampire hunters spending her life trying to step out of Trevor's shadow, to be seen as the self-reliant woman she is. Any monster that faces her is surprised to see a young girl, not the grizzled old man they've grown used to. But, despite these expectations, despite the long shadow her family tree casts, Rose tries to prove herself. She will not rely on, or be saved by, what came before. She will blossom into something all her own. This is her story, not his. Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is, similarly, something new, learning from its predecessors. The first entry in the series in over a decade, and developed not internally by Konami but by the indie studios responsible for roguelike Dead Cells (including its Castlevania-themed DLC), Evil Empire and Motion Twin, it manages to stand on its own as a modern interpretation of a classic series. That said, it's far from a perfect evolution. And, just to get this out of the way: yes, it feels a little like Dead Cells in its movement, and no, since there has been some confusion online, it's not a roguelike.

So, You Can See Everything, huh? A few of us here at Kotaku saw Nathan Fielder’s documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, a health tech company that was shut down after Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors in 2018. The basis of the accusations was that the company’s signature device, which Theranos claimed could accurately conduct a vast assortment of blood tests on a single drop of blood, didn’t work as investors were led to believe. The film documents her final weeks with her partner and children before having to surrender herself into federal custody in Bryan, Texas. Kenneth Shepard: And that’s only half of the Everything we See in this movie. So Ash, before we get into all there is to unpack, tell me, what was your knowledge of both Holmes and of Fielder’s work leading up to seeing this movie? Ash Parrish: So most of my initial exposure to Nathan Fielder had been against my will. My first run-in with his work was the first season of his HBO show The Rehearsal where I felt for him both kinship and revulsion.

Patricia is the former editor-in-chief of Kotaku, where she spent a decade writing and editing. Prior to that, she served as the Culture Editor at Polygon, and as a reporter at The Verge. Hernandez specializes in Pokémon TCG, Nintendo, and offbeat internet culture stories. Pokémon fans can show Jessie, James, and Meowth how it's done

Last month, IGN underwent its latest wave of brutal cuts. Longtime hosts Brian Altano and Seth Macy were among those laid off. They’re now launching their own independent network of gaming podcasts called X Button alongside Max Scoville, who also departed the organization amid its latest strategy shift. The news comes as IGN itself is backing away from its well-known gaming podcasts, Kotaku understands. “A couple weeks ago, you know, there was a slight shift in, uh, programming at our former employer, and we are now out into the great unknown and doing a brand new thing,” Altano said in the inaugural episode of one of the group’s new shows. “And hopefully by this time, by the time you’re hearing this, we’re all crying tears of joy because it worked out.” Housed on Patreon, the group has two podcasts so far. The first is called X Button, a general gaming show, and the second is called Ninfriendo 64, a show dedicated to Nintendo. “We’ll cover video game news, new game releases, and the classic games we still love today, all with the insight, passion, and humor you expect from us by now,” reads X Button’s About page.

Michael McWhertor is a New York-based journalist and editor with more than 20 years of experience covering games, industry events, technology, movies, and TV. Disney is reportedly trying to make a new Star Wars Battlefront game happen