SΞCRΞT LΞVΞL is a 2024 computer animated anthology series created for Amazon Prime Video. The episodes are relatively short at just 8 to 19 minutes long, and each one features a unique, standalone story set in a different game world. While the majority of the stories are based on video game properties, a few episodes feature table-top settings. The Pac-Man episode served as a promotion for the yet to be released, Shadow Labyrinth game. Similarly, the Concord episode was commissioned by Sony (game publisher) as part of a planned multimedia franchise based around the game. The Concord episode was completed before the video game was released and unexpectedly pulled from sale within two weeks over poor sales. Despite Concord's failure, the episode was kept in the show to honor the work that had already been put into it.
Spoiler Warning: I am going to give a synopsis of each episode and my opinions at the very end.
"You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it." -Mass Effect Reaper
Following a leveraged buyout by the Saudi Arabian government, the publisher Electronic Arts has announced the closure of the studio BioWare and the cancellation of their next game, Mass Effect: Universe (previously known as Mass Effect 5). BioWare is a studio that specialized in creating rich worlds with characters that captivated gamers for over 30 years: Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series. A lack of dedicated resources, crunch, trend-chasing, and shifting ambiguous plans from the leadership at Electronic Arts (EA) put the studio into a downward spiral from which they have yet to recover. Electronic Arts decision to close BioWare and cancel the next Mass Effect jeopardizes the studio's incredible legacy.
A leaked production trailer shows a promising chance for recovery if given the opportunity to continue. A petition by fans has gone up, urging Electronic Arts to commit to the continued development of Mass Effect: Universe with proper funding, adequate staffing, and time allocation. If these conditions cannot be met, then Electronic Arts is urged to license the Mass Effect intellectual property (IP) to another studio that can, or to sell the Mass Effect intellectual property outright rather than allow it to languish in the "EA Vault". A fate met by Dead Space, Alice, Titanfall, Mirror's Edge, The Saboteur, and many other incredible "dormant" IPs owned by the publisher.
UPDATE: New petitions to save other BioWare IPs have gone up for Dragon Age and Anthem.
2. Be vocal and let Electronic Arts know you want Mass Effect to continue on their social media and other channels.
3. Play the Mass Effect Legendary Edition on the Steam store on November 7 (N7 Day). The goal is to get the player numbers high enough for Electronic Arts to take notice.
4. Boycott all Electronic Arts products and services in protest of the company's actions. Due to the buyout, EA is $20 billion in debt and has already been accused of defaulting on $1.5 billion of that debt. With enough financial pressure the company may be forced to sell off their dormant IPs, and this applies not just to Mass Effect but any IPs currently sitting in "The Vault".
Update #1: The Canadian government is purportedly looking to buy BioWare if Electronic Arts will sell. Petition e-7898 calls upon the Canadian government to provide BioWare with the necessary capital to secure independence and ownership of its intellectual property, and asks the government to further protect Canadian businesses from "foreign corporate interests". The Canadian government only requires 500 signatures before it is brought before the House of Commons for discussion.
Update #2: Fans in America have put up billboards in New York Times Square and a billboard vehicle was parked outside the EA headquarters on N7 Day. A disgruntled fan in Spain went the renegade route by spray-painting graffiti in front of the EA offices.
The Controversy:
"EA and BioWare remain committed to telling more stories in this universe." -N7 DAY 2025
In their official press announcement Electronic Arts stated that "early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending". This statement struck many as odd because the first Mass Effect 5 trailer was shown in 2020. Even if Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare's most recent game to release flopped, there should have been at least four years of development work already completed on the next Mass Effect. How could 'Universe' not be almost completed in 2026 and ready to ship? A reddit user called 'rasengo727' who claimed to be an employee at Electronic Arts, said that they were aware of a new Mass Effect trailer months ago and were as puzzled as everyone else about the "early development" statement from Electronic Arts. The BioWare team was made up of only 50 people whom Electronic Arts regularly pulled away from development on the next Mass Effect to work on other, unrelated projects, potentially impacting progress on the next Mass Effect game.
A live-action TV series was in the works at the company Amazon, and as far as anyone knows is still on track to be completed. With the cancellation of the next Mass Effect video game, what will become of the TV series which was meant to act as a prequel to Mass Effect: Universe? What are Electronic Arts' plans for the future of the Mass Effect series going forward? To put it on ice indefinitely? The last Mass Effect game to release came out nearly 10 years ago and the series still has so many unresolved storylines and mysteries that have yet to be resolved.
There are rumors that the BioWare developers attempted to buy out the studio and Mass Effect IP before it was shuttered, but Electronic Arts wasn't interested in a deal despite the company being $20 billion in debt (due to the leveraged buyout). BioWare was such an important company to Canada that the government is looking to potentially buy the studio if they can get Electronic Arts to sell. For now Mass Effect fans will have to make peace will the series potentially ending for good, and look forward to upcoming spiritual successors such as The Expanse: Osiris Reborn and Exodus, the latter of which is being worked on by former BioWare talent.
Obituary:
The polish developer CD Projekt Red posted a tribute to BioWare who played a role in their history 20 years ago. The relationship between CD Projekt and BioWare began with a localizing deal for Baldur's Gate in Poland. BioWare let CD Projekt borrow their "Aurora Engine" for the first Witcher game, and BioWare shared a space with CD Projekt at E3 2004, giving the studio a chance to show the world its new RPG. "That connection paved the way to The Witcher 3. Without BioWare, we might not have had Cyberpunk or Edgerunners." Bioware was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2007.
"This is not something I ever expected to see. Larian and Bioware started their trajectories in the games industry at the same time and Bioware led the way in making RPGs big. It's almost unimaginable that we're now entering an era were the name Bioware won't show up anymore when discussing upcoming RPGs. What a loss for all of us."
Geoff Keighley, the host of the annual Game Awards, went to bat for the first Mass Effect back in 2008 when Fox News ran their infamous story on the game. Both Fox News and a psychologist who hadn't played the game, argued that Mass Effect should be rated for 'Adults Only' on the grounds that it was full of graphic sex, violence, and treated women as objects. Geoff Keighley stood up for Mass Effect, and the psychologist later apologized after seeing what was actually in the game. Geoff Keighley revealed the initial teaser trailer for Mass Effect 5 at the Game Awards and in response to the studio's closure said:
"Heartbreaking to hear of the closure of BioWare and the next Mass Effect ending development. I had so much fun collaborating with Casey and the team on the Mass Effect teaser in 2020 -- during the height of COVID. I hope one day, somehow, Mass Effect will return."
I don't know much about musical theory, nor am I a musically inclined person. However, I do love to listen to video game soundtracks. They can be a powerful listening experiences in their own right, or be as evocative as the scores composed for film. Each of these posts will feature a sampling of music tracks from a single game title, or series/franchise in some rare cases. A complete list of these can be found on the Video Game Music page.
Release Date: March 2001 (ZOE) and February 2003 (2nd Runner)
Set in the 2100's, humanity has branched out from Earth to colonize Mars and Jupiter's moons. Over time the relationship between the three degraded as Earth began to see itself as superior to the Martian people and exploited them for labor and resources. "Ender" became a derogatory term for anyone not born on Earth and growing tensions between the two eventually led to Mars forming their own military organization called "BAHRAM" (the ancient Persian name for Mars). Specially made mechanical suits called "Orbital Frames", piloted by people called "Runners", allowed Mars to hold their own against Earth's UNSF forces (United Nations Space Force). The cold war between BAHRAM and the UNSF blew up into full on war in the year 2172 when the UNSF took control of BAHRAM's production facility.
Set in a post-post-apocalyptic world 300 years after the "Day of Calamity", an event that destroyed civilization and most technology. The people who survived had to rebuild society from scraps. The player character is part of the "Alliance of Free Cities", a coalition of independent city-states comprising Atara, Highwind, Lucien, Portia, Sandrock, Tallsky, Vega 5 and Walnut Groove. They are wary of technology but not completely opposed to its use. The Alliance is engaged in conflict with the "Empire of Duvos", which seeks to expand its territory and obtain powerful ancient technology. Non-affiliated and neutral countries include Barnarock, Ethea, Meidi, and The Peripheries.
Max or Lucy (default player character names) is a "builder" who travels to Sandrock from Highwind to take up a job offer after the previous builder, Mason, retired to Portia. The remote desert settlement of Sandrock struggles with dire water shortages, a dwindling population and funding. Ongoing attacks from mutant lizard-men called "Geeglers" and and an outlaw called Logan, have the local Civil Corps, comprised of Justice and Unsuur, stretched thin. Although they occasionally receive assistance from the local superhero, Pen. The player character also assists with defense of Sandrock while repairing old infrastructure, providing for the community, and restoring stability to the area.
For such a "cozy game" Sandrock can be surprisingly dark and deep at times, which caught me completely off guard in a good way. It delved into how well-intentioned people can use their creed to do harm, and how that creed can be manipulated by less kind individuals. They explore the impact of infidelity on a relationship and the harm it can do to someone who unknowingly got involved with a 'taken' person. A major character (Logan) has a parent that "went out to get milk", and in one of the more heart-breaking storylines (Fang) there is outright child abuse and a lack of parental responsibility. This is also one of the rare few games in the genre that I have seen include single parents: the father of an adopted child (Logan) and a divorced mother (Catori), both of which are romanceable and very well written.
The main story missions were surprisingly intense with well written conspiracies, betrayals, and the dialogue had me laughing multiple times, especially anything from Cooper who was always on point. Sandrock really managed to capture the hardships of frontier living and survival. It always felt like there was something at stake or some looming threat on the horizon - be it attacks from wildlife, outlaws, water shortages, lack of funding, foul weather, or the possible invasion of the Duvos Empire. With a town that is essentially on life support, every outsider questions why anyone would willingly choose to live in a place so harsh and dangerous. It makes the starting point really feel like rock bottom and where you end up a place that was built up by your hands and given a second chance at life - something that is mirrored in many of the relationships you can form with the townsfolk.
The NPC's constant interactions with each other and their collective involvement in major events, as well as the community's willingness to weather any hardship together, created an attachment to this fictional world that I didn't quite get with Portia.
There are multiple social interactions for deepening the player character's friendship with the Non-Player Characters (NPC). Talking and gift giving are staples of the genre, or you can engage in friendly sparing matches, or plan a day to hang out. Raising someone's friendship level will also boost the levels of their friends and family members, which is a feature I have not seen replicated anywhere else. Sandrock has added a ton of unique interactions and events for each of the townsfolk, which did a lot to keep me invested in the world and is something I think the previous game, Portia, would have benefited from.
Romance exists but it is minimal. Each character only has 1 to 2 dating specific quests and almost none of them have post-marriage content, which is fine because this is a building/farming simulator first and foremost, not a dating sim. Kids are optional and will grow up to be around the same age as the other children in-game. The player's kids will mostly be clones of the builder's appearance and are essentially furniture. No one mentions them, including their step-siblings. They never go to school with the other kids and there aren't any family related outings, play-dates, or activities to do with them. While unfortunate, it is pretty standard for the genre. Rune Factory 4 and 5 are the only games of this type that I have seen treat player children as proper NPCs with their own personalities and quest-lines. What is atypical is that the player is expected to raise a baby: daily feeding, gifts, sickness, and diaper changing. It is enough to detract from the core gameplay loop and make you wish for Stardew Valley's dove feature. Thankfully the babies do grow up and become self-sufficient, but they are never as likable as the NPC kids who have actual personalities.
The 150 hours spent on my first playthrough went by quickly and I would have kept playing if there was more.
Gameplay:
Sandrock is a farming-sim type game centered around refining raw materials and building things rather than raising crops and animals, although you can still do a little bit of that if you like. Compared to Portia, the previous game in the series, Sandrock is a big step-up in terms of scale and quality. Fewer machines are needed to process materials and they finish tasks much quicker than before. Mining isn't as tedious as it used to be and provides more resources than its predecessor. Mining/salvage companies can also be hired to gather most (not all) materials for you during the late game, freeing up time for other activities. The biggest change over Portia was the need to find or buy water (at increasing rates) in order to keep your machines from overheating.
More unique NPC requests and events help to further break up the monotony of regular commission work. I also really like that the Builder keeps in touch with their friends and family through the mail, including replying to messages. This is the only game in the genre I have played where the protagonist not only had a life before coming to Sandrock, but their friends and parents actually come to visit. The builder also receives the local newspaper (if you subscribe) through the mail, along with gifts from friends and letters from an anonymous pen-pal. Every member of the community was a joy to be around and I ended up missing every one of them by the time the credits rolled, from the charming saloon owner Owen to the local eccentric Unsuur. Even the villains - Matilda, Pen, Stev, and Yan - were pleasantly quirky and left a noticeable absence.
While my time was overwhelmingly positive, I did encounter a few issues, namely screen tearing, infinite loading screens (a restart fixed it), and NPCs fusing together. These were infrequent enough that they amounted to little more than slight annoyances, but they still left a negative mark on an otherwise stellar experience. My Builder also had dark circles appear around their eyes which I thought were a graphical glitch for the longest time. They turned out to be related to how much sleep the Builder receives. I like the idea but I don't think the visuals communicated it well. With future releases going in a more realistic direction perhaps this sort of thing will read better. What really got to me though, was having to spend a great deal of real-world time individually stacking ores, materials, and relic pieces in storage chests. Chests are already linked (in a way), so why can't they automatically detect which chest has a similar item and automatically stack them? Why do I have to manually cycle through each chest? This was the one daily chore that I dreaded each in-game day.
Somehow the home decorating has both improved and regressed from Portia. You can build and decorate your own custom home from scratch instead of using pre-made ones, but the min and max room sizes were a bit restrictive, especially with how large the stairs could be. On console certain roof types wouldn't work/align correctly. There is a decent selection of furniture but most of it can't be built or purchased; it has to be obtained from quests (some missable), a mystery box (of limited quantity), or from paid DLC. For some reason furniture can be painted on PC but not on consoles, and the text indicating that furniture can be painted wasn't changed or removed in the console versions. Not only is this an odd disparity that limits player creativity, but I have played more realistic and complex games than Sandrock that allowed for items to be re-colored on console. So I know this sort of thing should be possible on console. Additionally, most furniture has slots for item placement, but there are very few things besides books that can be placed on the furniture. Relics, ores, toys, stationery, and NPC gifts to the player have 3D models in-game that you can't place on desks or shelves. Food can't go in the fridge, spices cant go in the spice rack, guns cant go in weapon displays, and mugs and vases can't go on tables. All the parts for a high level of player customization and creativity is here, you just can't use them.
Conclusion:
Sandrock's story works as a standalone piece that runs concurrently with Portia, so you do not need to have played the previous game in order to understand what is happening. Although, the way the two game's stories slightly intermingle is an interesting and fun aspect for those who have played both. Overall Sandrock is a wholesome game about the environment, human connections, and building a better future. The characters were all easy to like and the core gameplay loop is addictive.
I don't know much about musical theory, nor am I a musically inclined person. However, I do love to listen to video game soundtracks. They can be a powerful listening experiences in their own right, or be as evocative as the scores composed for film. Each of these posts will feature a sampling of music tracks from a single game title, or series/franchise in some rare cases. A complete list of these can be found on the Video Game Music page.
Composer: Andrew Arcadi
Singer: Deep Dream, Primer, Brea "Bershy" Shay,
Release Date: November 2025
Set in an alternate Los Angeles where superheroes and supervillains are commonplace, society has been divided between the "supers" (those born with powers) and "normies" (those born without). Robert Robertson III is a "normie" who achieved superhero status thanks to a mechanical suit passed down through his family. While hunting his father's killer, Robert is lured into a trap and narrowly escapes with his life. However, the suit is left severely damaged by the attack. Unable to afford the repairs, Robert takes on a dispatcher job at SDN. In exchange for reforming a group of ex-supervillains, the company agrees to rebuild Robert's suit.
Easier If We Fly | (Blonde Blazer Character Theme)
Little Light | (Ending Credits - Blonde Blazer)
Fvck the Stars | (Invisigal Character Theme)
Feel The Way I Do | (Ending Credits - Invisigal)
Radio | (Party Theme)
Shift_Z | (Ending Credits)
"For the first time in a long time it feels like I can see a life without Mecha Man. But I don't think I can sit on the sidelines. I worked hard to be good at being Mecha Man. I don't know that I want to walk away from that." -Robert Robertson III
