Nvidia has worked with Epic Games to bring native Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) support to Unreal Engine 4, allowing any studio to download it from the UE Asset Store.
DLSS is Nvidia’s proprietary AI scaling solution, allowing games to run at lower internal resolutions and then utilize powerful AI-specific cores in Nvidia GPUs to accurately scale them back up. The result is often an image that is indiscernible from a natively rendered one (and in some cases, better) that also runs far more efficiently, allowing you to play at higher resolutions with much higher framerates.
The first iteration of DLSS required the AI model to be trained for each game specifically, which hampered some of its early adoption at studios. But DLSS 2.0 removes that limitation, letting developers implement the technology with little fuss. And now with it being included in Unreal Engine 4–one of the world’s most widely used game engines–you’ll likely see it supported in more games, too.
AMD is working on its own version of AI scaling for its recently released desktop GPUs, which all run on the latest RDNA 2 architecture. This is the same architecture used in both the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, but AMD hasn’t yet confirmed if its solution will make it to consoles. Considering the massive performance advantage it has given Nvidia with its products, it’s unlikely that AMD want to take too long to get its own version out.
Nvidia is reportedly launching its latest desktop GPU, the RTX 3060, on February 25. It will join the growing RTX 30-series family of products, although you’ll likely still have issues buying one for the foreseeable future.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Dave Chappelle has announced that Chappelle’s Show is now streaming on Netflix again.
As reported by Variety, Chappelle posted an Instagram video on Thursday from a recent standup performance at Austin venue Stubb’s. Partway through the 10-minute clip, which he titled “Redemption Song,” the comedian summarized his past dispute with Comedy Central and its parent company, ViacomCBS, which resulted in him requesting the removal of his show from Netflix late last year.
At the time, Chappelle criticized ViacomCBS for licensing the Chappelle’s Show streaming rights to Netflix without compensating him, but now he says that the issue has been resolved. In the candid clip posted this week, Chappelle confirmed that he was able to renegotiate a deal with the involved parties, which meant that his hit sketch-comedy show could return to Netflix on February 12.
“I asked you to stop watching the show and thank God almighty for you, you did,” Chappelle said in the video. “You made that show worthless because without your eyes, it’s nothing. And you stopped watching it. They called me and I got my name back and I got my license back and I got my show back and they paid me millions of dollars. Thank you very much.”
Chappelle then thanked Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos for listening to his request and having the “courage” to remove his show from the platform in November at “a financial detriment to his company.” He also extended his gratitude to Chris McCarthy of ViacomCBS for having “an interest in making the past right,” and doing something the was “very courageous.”
The comedian ended the clip with one final shoutout, saying, “And finally, after all these years, I can finally say to Comedy Central: It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”
Chappelle’s Show originally aired on Comedy Central from 2003 to 2006. The series ranked number 19 on IGN’s Top 100 TV Shows of All Time. Though he signed a lucrative $50 million contract with the network for two more seasons, Chappelle famously left the series in 2005, citing creative burnout and describing himself as sometimes being a “difficult dude.”
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
If the first thing you look at on a game’s Steam page is the aggregated review rating, you might want to check that rating a little closer. One Steam developer has discovered that the “developer” and “publisher” fields can easily masquerade as review scores if your studio’s name is “Very Positive.”
The quirky developer name was picked up on the GameDiscoverCo newsletter and later tweeted by Patrick Klepek, with a screenshot showing the game Emoji Evolution by developer Very Positive.
While the actual game has mixed recent reviews and mostly positive overall reviews, you could be fooled into seeing “Very Positive” ratings for both at a glance. “Emoji Evolution is a new look at the alchemy game where you have to combine different elements to find a new one,” the description reads. “Find all recipes and solve the main dilemma of humanity.”
This seems to be the only game developed or published by Very Positive, and it doesn’t look like any other studios have cottoned onto the cheeky strategy–no one is using the more impressive “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating as a developer name yet, for example.
It’ll be interesting to see if Steam thinks this cheeky little workaround is worth doing something about, whether that means taking action against developer Very Positive individually or simply changing the way developer names are displayed. Given this trick wouldn’t change the way games are ranked or displayed from the store page however, it’s probably not giving Emoji Evolution too much of an unfair advantage.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
In the three years since its release, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery has occasionally allowed players to ask characters of their choice out on dates as part of limited events. Now, in response to overwhelming demand, the feature is becoming permanent, and just in time for Valentines Day.
The dating feature was first introduced in 2019’s Celestial Ball event, and has since been brought back for four other events. Now, the feature will be added permanently to the game, with a whole new system around it.
Players will be able to accumulate “relationship levels” through their in-game actions, with high enough levels unlocking the ability to begin a relationship. Characte relationships will progress through different milestones, with different date activities and locations unlocking based on the relationship level. Players will be able to either make relationships official and exclusive, or end them if they’re just not working out.
The new feature will roll out on February 16, along with a new Valentine’s Day Dance limited side quest available to all players who have reached Year 5, Chapter 9. The quest will see players helping Madam Pince arrange a romantic Valentine’s event–while also encouraging a spark of love between her and Mr. Filch.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is a free-to-play mobile-based RPG available on Android and iOS.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
WandaVision Episode 6 has arrived on Disney+, just in time for an early aughts Halloween in Westview, New Jersey–and, naturally, things are just as weird and creepy as ever. At least this time the spooky vibes are also part of the intentional set dressing as everyone gets dressed up in their costumes, decorate their homes, and prepare for the Halloween festival in the town square.
Unfortunately, things are not going well for Vision as he tries to get to the bottom of the mystery. Neither are they going that great for Darcy, Jimmy, and Monica outside of the Westview “hex” as they realize that SWORD may not actually be on their side. Meanwhile for everyone else in Westview, things seem to be breaking down faster than ever as citizens seem to glitch and freeze in place the further away from Wanda they get–so, really, not great all around.
But thankfully, Pietro is here to be the fun uncle, even if he’s got an entirely different face and may or may not be from a new reality.
We gathered 24 Easter Eggs, references, and things you’ll definitely want to pay attention to for this episode. Let us know your favorites–and your favorite theories–in the comments. And make sure to check out our Easter egg guides for the rest of the episodes below.
1. You’re not the boss of me now
This week’s opening credits–and the format of the sitcom, itself–borrowed heavily from Malcolm in the Middle, which ran for seven seasons between 2000 and 2006.
2. Billy in the Wiccan costume
It’s Halloween in Westview and everyone’s getting into the spirit, some a little earlier than others. Billy’s already in costume, a direct nod to his comics counterpart’s Wiccan uniform.
3. Dance Dance Revolution
The Maximoff twins have their own home copy of Dance Dance Revolution. It’s not entirely clear which version of the game they have, but the first DDR game released on home consoles in North America was Dance Dance Revolution Disney Mix, which was released on the PlayStation in 2001.
4. Sokovian fortune teller costume
Naturally, Wanda’s outfit is her vintage ’60s comic outfit, which she calls a “Sokovian fortune teller.”
5. Multiverse memories
A brief, extremely ’90s cut-away flashback to Wanda and Pietro’s childhood causes some confusion–the memory isn’t what Wanda expected and isn’t something she can recall at all. We get a handful of these moments as the episode continues, where Wanda isn’t quite sure how things with Pietro are fitting together–likely because there’s some multiversal weirdness going on. After all, this Pietro isn’t the Pietro from the MCU.
6. The OG Vision outfit
Vision’s costume is, of course, made to look like ’60s Vision, which he calls a “Mexican wrestler.”
7. Quicksilver and Speed costumes
Both Pietro and Tommy’s Halloween costumes are based on their comics outfits–and if they look similar, that’s by design. Tommy and Pietro both have speedster abilities. The incredibly stupid looking hair is, unfortunately, part of the look.
8. “All you people who left”
In case you forgot, Monica was one of the people snapped away, leaving her with a 5 year gap in her experiences.
9. Yo-Magic
This week’s disturbing commercial break featured a yogurt style product and, uh, death, called “Yo-Magic.” It’s difficult to say exactly what this may mean in the bigger picture but it seems like the implication is that “magic” is dangerous, even fatal. This is specifically interesting because Wanda’s powers in the MCU have never been magic–they stemmed from her time as a HYDRA experiment and the Mind Stone.
10. What a double feature
Playing at Westview’s movie theater on Halloween seems to be a double feature of The Incredibles and The Parent Trap. So, technically, Pixar exists within the MCU. It’s also worth noting that those two movies did not come out the same year (The Parent Trap was 1998 and The Incredibles was 2004). They both oddly make sense as being shown within this world. The Incredibles is about a family of superheroes, while The Parent Trap sees a pair of long-lost twins reuniting. Also, both movies are Disney movies–although Disney bought Pixar in 2006, two years after The Incredibles came out, Disney still co-produced the movie.
11. The accents
Wanda’s ever-evolving accent has been something of a joke among fans of the Marvel movies and now the MCU is poking fun at it. “What happened to your accent?” she asks her brother. He quickly counters with, “what happened to yours?”
12. “Shot like a chump in the street for no reason”
We’re going to call this a direct shot fired at the weirdest choice the MCU has ever made: killing Pietro with a couple of regular, non-superpowered bullets back in Age of Ultron. What a way for a person whose whole deal is running faster than sound to go.
13. Tommy’s speed
The twins are developing their comic book powers in this episode, starting with Tommy’s super speed.
14. Is SWORD trying to rebuild Ultron?
Darcy notes that SWORD and Hayward have a way to track Vision within the Westview bubble specifically, thanks to his Vibranium body–and they’ve been keeping everyone in the dark on this little side project of theirs. Being a government body specifically formed to observe “sentient weapons,” this is a bit concerning, since Vision’s body was originally intended to be the shell for the MCU’s biggest sentient weapon: Ultron.
15. The boundaries of Wanda’s powers
As Vision ventures to the edges of Westview, he encounters a number of people frozen in place, some of them crying. It seems, for the moment at least, that perhaps Wanda isn’t using her power to control the entire town, but instead just the parts she and her family are in. That said, given what comes later in the episode, that may be changing.
16. Agnes is a witch
Notably, Agnes’s Halloween costume is a pretty standard looking witch. If the pattern here is anything like the other characters, this could be our biggest confirmation that Agnes is indeed a version of the comics character Agatha Harkness.
17. “What’s an Avenger?”
With that line, we now realize Vision likely has no memories pre-Westview. Why is that, though? Is Wanda suppressing his memories or were they erased when he died? Or is this not even really Vision at all?
18. Agnes is driving a ’90s Volvo wagon
Agnes is driving one of the sickest cars ever made, the Volvo 940 wagon, first introduced in 1990. It’s not as sick as a Volvo 240, but it is still pretty sick. Good Easter egg.
19. “All is lost.”
Agnes’s whole exchange with Vision is pretty suspect, from the way she directly implicates Wanda–last episode, Norm didn’t mention any names–to the way she immediately seems to have some sort of psychotic, cackling breakdown. Of course, she’s going through some pretty traumatic stuff, like all of Westview, so it could be that–or it could be something else.
However, it should also be noted that if Agnes is supposed to be Agatha Harkness, Agatha has never been an outright villain. She may not be the nicest lady around, but she’s never been evil.
20. The “hex” re-writes people on a molecular level
Monica’s cells have been literally re-written by her trip in and out of the Westview hex, which could be something to pay attention to for Monica’s future, perhaps as superhero Photon.
21. Pietro’s in on it
Pietro makes it clear he knows Wanda has created this reality–and that he should be dead, for that matter. The conversation between the two, though, shows Wanda isn’t entirely sure how she’s doing it.
22. Zombie Pietro
Sure, Pietro knows what Wanda has done, but is he also dead? Much like when Wanda saw the dead version of Vision earlier this season, she briefly sees her brother with a chest riddled with bullet holes, which he got in Age of Ultron.
It’s also worth noting that Vision doesn’t seem to fare too well after breaking free of the Westview hex, which might not bode well for Pietro’s future if the hex ever comes down.
23. Billy’s powers
Like Tommy, Billy also manifests his superpowers in this episode–he takes after his mom (kind of). Like Wanda herself, Billy’s abilities, “reality warping,” have always been a little difficult to pin down or explain. Here we see that he definitely has some form of telepathy that can connect him to his father, but we don’t get much more. If he can completely alter the fabric of reality like his mom, though, Westview might be in trouble.
24. Westview’s not so small anymore
The climax of the episode saw Wanda dramatically enlarging the size of Westview, completely overtaking the military installation outside of its borders. Clearly, this makes her a much bigger threat to pretty much everyone, depending on how much bigger she can actually make it.
The Epic Games Showcase stream has come and gone, with news on upcoming games like Chivalry II, Oddworld: Soulstorm, and Axiom Verge 2 as well as the announcement of the Kingdom Hearts series coming to PC. In addition to the livestream, the Epic Games Store has kicked off a new sale that lasts almost the entire month of February. That’s right, a heck ton of games are discounted by up to 75% until February 25.
There are also a number of games that are much cheaper and more affordable. The exquisite roguelike Hades is down to $20, the fast-paced action game Ghostrunner is $21, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt GOTY Edition is only $10. There are plenty of other deals available during the Epic Games Showcase sale, so be sure to head over to the Epic Games Store to see the full selection.
In past sales, Epic Games gave every user a $10 coupon that could be used on games that cost $15 or more. After using it, users would get another $10 coupon. Unfortunately, the Showcase sale doesn’t seem to feature any kind of coupon.
If you’re looking for more PC game sales, there are a lot of them right now. Steam’s Lunar New Year sale is live now, discounting a huge number of games as usual–you can also check out our choices for the best Steam Lunar New Year deals. Both Green Man Gaming and Fanatical have Lunar New Year sales as well, both of which discount Steam keys.
When you want to immerse yourself in your favorite fantasy world, you usually have to go find a theme park. This time though, Harry Potter might be coming to visit you. Warner Bros. and Imagine Exhibitions announced today Harry Potter: The Exhibition, which will launch in 2022 and tour around the world.
The exhibition will encompass not just Harry Potter, but the Fantastic Beasts series as well, and will “celebrate the most iconic moments of the films and stories of Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, and the expanding Wizarding World,” according to the official statement from Imagine. The company promises an “immersive, behind-the-scenes exhibition experience” that will show off environments themed after the characters and beasts from the films. Exhibition goers will engage will be able to engage with environments and installations filled with props and costumes from the entire Wizarding World franchise, Imagine says.
From the description it sounds like the show will be something like a midpoint between a museum exhibit and a proper theme park, not as immersive as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter parks at Universal Studios in California, Florida, and Japan, but much more than a line of glass cases with wands in them.
Imagine and Warner Bros. plan to launch the exhibition in 2022, and it will begin touring around the world, covering North America, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific Region, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The exhibition will scale depending on its location, with a footprint between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet. Imagine has previously provided exhibitions for Titanic, Hunger Games, Angry Birds, Jurassic World, and Downton Abbey.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
While a good gaming keyboard and mouse will almost always trump a controller in competitive environments, it’s hard to deny the analog upsides of a gamepad. Feathering the pedal to make it safely around a corner without losing speed, creeping up behind an enemy to deliver a devastating backstab, and slowly inching across a thin platform to make it safely to the other side–these are just a few of the actions that require the meticulous control of an analog gamepad. With the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog keyboard, Razer has tried to bridge the gap by evolving its classic Huntsman gaming keyboard into an analog device capable of providing that pinpoint input.
The Huntsman V2 Analog keyboard is capable of providing that accurate 360-degree analog movement, and while there are some significant hurdles that come with that, Razer has also used its new key switches to add some transformative features that take unique advantage of its analog capabilities. Dual-step actuation gives users the ability to assign two actions to a single key. The analog movement is impressive on its own, but being able to perform actions like equipping a grenade and throwing it with a single key is a game-changer and one of the most exciting features I’ve seen added to a gaming keyboard in some time.
Setup and performance
The Razer Huntsman V2 Analog gaming keyboard features analog optical key switches, which means they’re able to detect how far a specific key is being pressed. This allows for more direct control over how fast a character moves, among other things. You don’t have to repeatedly tap the WASD keys when you need to slow down a vehicle or move slowly in a game to remain undetected. This works by binding specific keys to different aspects of a controller, such as the sticks and triggers, as the V2 Analog utilizes the XInput API that lets Windows read your inputs as an Xbox controller.
Razer Huntsman V2 Analog gaming keyboard
This is one aspect of how the analog keys work, but you’re also able to adjust the actuation point of each key, making it so a keystroke isn’t registered until you push down a certain distance. In addition to that, you can set a second actuation point, giving one key two different functions. Being able to equip a grenade in Apex Legends with a light press and then throw it by pushing the same key further is an exciting utilization of the analog functionality, even more so than having the keyboard emulate a controller. It opens up the possibilities for quicker performance in competitive settings, and the potential for unique keybindings with the dual-step actuation is vast.
The conversion of keyboard inputs to those of a controller is not perfectly recognized in games. Binding the WASD keys to the left analog stick and moving around will turn all in-game button prompts into Xbox controller inputs–instead of asking you to press E on your keyboard to pick up an item, it’ll ask you to press the X button. Once you press E to pick up the item, most games will recognize you’re using a keyboard and switch back to key prompts. This can be a bit distracting if you’re using keys not mapped to controller buttons. An easy solution to this back-and-forth is to map every possible action to a controller’s input. This will keep the on-screen prompts from changing, and while it won’t be an issue for those familiar with their favorite game’s controls, it does produce a hurdle, especially for those learning a game for the first time.
This makes setting up the Huntsman V2 Analog a bit complicated. Binding keys means they won’t be recognized as standard keyboard keys. My first time playing Grand Theft Auto V, I was able to quickly bind WASD to my left analog stick. This allowed for analog movement, while I used the rest of my keys’ default PC controls for every other action. This worked well until I got into a car and tried to drive. The PC controls required me to press W to accelerate, but I had already assigned that to my analog stick. This meant I couldn’t drive until I assigned Right Trigger to a key in Razer’s Synapse software.
I also found that in some cases, if I didn’t map all of the controller’s functions to my keys, the game wouldn’t work properly. For example, I tried using the WASD keys as an analog stick in Dark Souls Remastered and keeping the rest of my default PC controls, but this particular game wouldn’t recognize key presses when moving with the rebound WASD keys. You’ll need to bind every aspect of the game’s controls to have the proper experience, and after I backed out of the game and did exactly that, it worked flawlessly. The setup is easy once you know what to do, but with the sheer amount of options at your disposal, it can be overwhelming and time-consuming when setting binds for each game.
As for the analog key switches, they work as advertised. At first, it felt like I was learning how to use analog sticks for the first time. Not pushing all the way down on a key felt unnatural, as I typically only use a keyboard and mouse when pinpoint-precise aiming is more important than analog control. And while the analog keys did provide more accurate movement, it took a long time to get used to. It was eventually easy enough for me to do what I wanted to, making games like Dark Souls feel viable on a keyboard and mouse, but ultimately, I still felt I’d perform better with a controller.
The Razer Huntsman V2 Analog features an improved magnetic wrist rest
Gallery
The Razer Huntsman V2 Analog can also be used as a non-analog keyboard, with no need to map inputs to a controller or customize actuation points–though I highly recommend utilizing dual-step actuation even if you’re not using the keyboard for analog movement. Thanks to Razer’s excellent optical switches, key presses are read sooner than your typical switch, making for slightly quicker inputs. Of course, this also means that if you’re not yet used to the optical switch, you may produce some typos or misclicked inputs–it’s something I’ve grown accustomed to, and now, I rarely find myself making errors like this.
One issue I came across while using the keyboard was when I would switch back to a controller. The V2 Analog appears to take priority over controllers, so when I’d pick up a gamepad for Rocket League, my Xbox controller was being read as a second player, even if I didn’t set any controller bindings on the V2 Analog. As soon as I unplugged the keyboard, it went back to normal. There are workarounds to this, as Steam lets you choose your preferred controller for each individual game, but it’s worth noting if you like to switch between the two different control methods.
Razer Huntsman V2 Analog specs
Switch type: Razer analog optical switch
Keycaps: Razer doubleshot PBT keycaps
Size: Full size
Connectivity: USB-C & USB-A 3.0 (also comes with USB-A adapter)
Onboard memory: Up to 5 key-bind profiles
Extras: Chroma RGB lighting, magnetic wrist rest, media keys, USB 3.0 passthrough
Build quality
The Huntsman V2 Analog gaming keyboard features the same overall shape and design as the Huntsman Elite, making it a supremely well-designed peripheral that feels as high-end as its $250 price tag suggests. The Huntsman is built like a tank, feeling heavy, substantial, and like one solid piece of metal and plastic–I could see Hitman’s Agent 47 using it to take out a target. On top of the keyboard, the keys feature a slight amount of texture, giving fingers the right amount of grip to hug the keys without making it difficult to glide across them.
The Huntsman Elite’s wrist rest also returns for the V2 Analog with a slight redesign. The Elite’s wrist rest features a plastic border running along the outside of the plush leatherette pad, whereas the V2 Analog has done away with this border. This makes for a more comfortable experience, allowing your hands and wrists to rest however you like without fear of plastic digging slightly into your skin.
Value
In a lot of ways, the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog feels more like the next iteration of the Huntsman Elite than an entirely different product, so if you already own the Huntsman Elite, you don’t necessarily need to upgrade–unless you’re particularly excited about the analog key switches. At $250, the V2 Analog is $50 more than the Huntsman Elite, which feels like an appropriate bump for the analog features and overall improvements. The Huntsman Elite is still a fantastic keyboard, however, so if you don’t want or need the extra features, you can save a bit of money by going with the Elite version instead.
The bottom line
The Razer Huntsman Elite is one of the best mechanical gaming keyboards out there, and even if you ignore the analog functions entirely, the Huntsman V2 Analog is just as good, if not slightly better than its Elite predecessor. Being able to map your keyboard to a controller and take advantage of that analog control adds to the utility of the Huntsman, and the dual-step actuation can be a game-changer, especially in games where equipping items and using them take two different inputs. It has some considerable hurdles–those expecting plug-and-play for V2 Analog’s innovative features should probably hold off–but if you’re a fan of customization and tinkering, the Huntsman V2 Analog can be a great gaming keyboard.
The Good:
Excellent build quality
Razer’s switches continue to be among the industry’s best
Improved wrist pad provides further comfort
Dual-step actuation is a fantastic implementation of the analog keys
Analog key switches work well…
The Bad:
…but only after a considerable amount of remapping and customization
Huntsman V2 Analog takes priority over controllers, making switching back and forth a hassle
About the author:Mat Paget used the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog gaming keyboard as his full-time keyboard for a week, using it for both gaming and work. Razer provided the V2 Analog for review purposes.
Bowser’s Fury, the new mode included with the Switch re-release Super Mario 3D World, combines the gameplay of Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Odyssey into a brand new open-world Mario title. The game may seem daunting at first but fear not, fellow explorers, as we have some tips you may find useful before starting your adventure on Lake Lapcat.
If you’re more curious about how Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury stacks up, then be sure to read our full review. Otherwise, as a certain Italian plumber would say, Let’s-a go!
Looking For More Shines? Leave An Area And Come Back
Every major island has five Shines to collect, and once you get one, you might not know where to start searching for the others. You might even look all around the island and not find another Shine. But if you leave an island’s proximity and then come back, it should refresh the island and spawn a new Shine, as well as give you a new Shine objective.
Don’t hesitate to leave an area and come back.
Usually, this amounts to walking out of the cat gate and walking back in, but if that doesn’t work, then you can tell if you’re outside of the island’s proximity if the music changes since each island has a tune. This also applies to the Cat Shines split into five pieces, as some islands expand and change the more Shines you get, and some of those pieces are hiding in future versions of the island.
Don’t Forget To Get The Power-Ups On The Towers!
Power-ups like this are often on top of towers.
Every time you collect a Shine, you’ll get a little scene where the Shine flies up to the tower, and it begins to, well, shine. What you might not know is that the top of the tower has a little sparkling area you could ground pound to get a power-up. The nice thing about Bowser’s Fury is that you can bank power-ups, five of each, so it’s not like 3D World, where you only get the one you have equipped and a backup.
Each time you get a Shine, the top of the tower lights up again, and you can get another power-up, but they do not stack! For example, if you neglect to ground pound the top of the tower until you’ve got four of the five Shines, then you’ll only get one power-up. Once you get all five Cat Shines, a flag will sprout on the top of the tower, and you won’t be able to get any power-ups. Power-ups are abundant, so you don’t have to worry about this, but it’s nice to have the cards stacked in your favor early on.
Not Ready To Fight Fury Bowser? No Problem!
Every couple of minutes, Fury Bowser decides to rear his ugly head, and you may not want to fight him if you’ve not yet collected the necessary amount of Shines to do so. To make Fury Bowser go away, collect any Shine on the island. Alternatively, if you evade him for a while, he’ll decide to leave anyway.
Fury Bowser is your main headache in this expansion.
There isn’t a considerable downside no matter which option you choose to deal with him. Fighting and defeating Fury Bowser opens more areas on the island, but waiting and collecting more Shines each time he appears can deplete his health to make the inevitable battle against him a little easier. You can’t fully deplete his health before confronting him, though, so be careful not to abuse this, or he’ll get even more furious.
Having Trouble Fighting Fury Bowser? Look For The Bells!
The bells are your go-to for dealing with Fury Bowser directly.
You might notice during the Fury Bowser fight that you no longer have access to your items, and yes, you can get hit and go back to regular Mario and even little Mario, just giant variants of those two. So what can you do? It might be hard to spot, but if you go back to any of the cat bell locations, they’ve now turned into bells you can use to go back into a Super Saiyan-like Cat Mario form. They don’t always respawn immediately, but they do respawn, so don’t worry if you lose the cat suit again.
The Bowser Amiibo Is Actually Helpful
Amiibo are pretty hit or miss when it comes to functionality within games, even if the figurines are pretty cool. But surprisingly, the Bowser amiibo is helpful in Bowser’s Fury. Every island has steel boxes with Bowser’s face on them. How do you break them? The answer is simple.
If you’ve got a Bowser amiibo lying around, we recommend taking advantage of it.
Fury Bowser has to blow fire on them when he’s after you, and when they break, it reveals a Shine inside. Now without the amiibo, you could approach this one of two ways. You could stand there and wait for Fury Bowser to show up, or you could head straight there as the rain starts to fall and hope you get there in time. What the Bowser amiibo does is automatically spawn Fury Bowser. So when you get to the boxes, tap the amiibo, have Fury Bowser open the boxes, then get the Shine and have Fury Bowser go away.
It’s true that the amiibo only works once per Shine, but if you summon Fury Bowser, get him to open the boxes and then collect the Shine that counts as one, so you could go from location to location and do this one after another if you wanted. No waiting, maximum efficiency.
Don’t Forget About Bowser Jr.
This little dude is a nuisance most times, but in Bowser’s Fury, he’s your pal.
Bowser Jr. is a very “set it and forget it” character if you’re playing single player. You can choose to have him help a little, a lot, or not at all. This amounts to Bowser Jr. grabbing coins or hitting enemies off to the side, so he’s pretty easy to forget. But, if you ever come across these little question marks on the wall, you have to hit R then use the gyro to send Bowser Jr. to paint over them. Sometimes it reveals just a power-up, but other times, it’s a gold pipe that leads to a bunch of coins.
Admittedly, coins aren’t super useful in this game. Get 100, and you’ll get another power-up, and if you die, then you lose 50 coins, which is similar to the system in Odyssey, but hey, the more power-ups, the better right? Sometimes 100 coins will even lead to a Super Star! You can actually play Bowser’s Fury with two players, and player two controls Bowser Jr., so if that’s you, then you can throw this tip right out the window while making sure player two isn’t screwing around and making your life more difficult.
Don’t Worry About Dying
Do not fear death.
Jumping off an earlier point, dying in this game is not a big deal. There are no lives to collect, and you can die as many times as you want. The system works exactly like Odyssey, you die, and you lose coins. You only lose 50 at a time, so thankfully, if you’re working towards a new power-up, you won’t lose everything, but otherwise, there’s no penalty, which gives you the freedom to explore the world and experiment with things.
Also, Don’t Worry About Getting All The Shines Before The End
Don’t let your completionist mentality wall you off from the end. There’s plenty more to collect after you complete Bowser’s Fury the first time.
If you’re like us, you probably want to get all the Shines before heading into the final battle, but you also might have noticed that the game doesn’t clue you into where the remaining Shines are or how many are left. Fear not, fellow completionists; once you finish the final battle, Bowser Jr. will let you know how many are left and where the rest are on the map. There are also some Shines that only become accessible once you have finished the final fight, so it’s impossible to get everything beforehand. That’s not to say you should only get the necessary amount and move on. There are some benefits to having extra Cat Shines in the bank, such as…
But Maybe Don’t Save The Hardest Ones For Last
Try to work out the hardest Shines first. It’ll spare you some endgame headaches.
As you progress through the game, Fury Bowser will show up a little more frequently than before. For example, if you have 48 Shines, but the Giga Bell unlocks at 50, Fury Bowser will show up even more than usual. And even if you have extra Shines, Fury Bowser will still show up a little more frequently than before as the game progresses and you unlock more islands. For this reason, we recommend not saving some of the trickier ones for the last as it can become an even bigger challenge. Ones that require precise platforming while also avoiding Fury Bowser’s fiery blasts can be a bit of a headache, unless you’re into that sort of thing.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
