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Moonlight Peaks Is Out Now — Vampire Farming Hits Switch 2

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If your gaming week already has you queuing up for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, here’s something to keep the evening cosy while you wait. Moonlight Peaks — a gothic cozy farming sim from Dutch indie studio Little Chicken and publisher XSEED Games — launched today, 7 July 2026, on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, macOS, and Android. Early reviews are glowing, with scores sitting between 7 and 9.5 out of 10 across multiple outlets.

Stardew Valley, But Make It Vampire

Top-down farming gameplay in Moonlight Peaks showing crops and a bat familiar at night
Image courtesy of Little Chicken / XSEED Games

The premise flips the genre’s golden formula on its head: you are Count Dracula’s child, tired of the family legacy, who packs a coffin and moves to the spooky mountain town of Moonlight Peaks to start a quieter life. Because your character is a vampire, every single farming chore, foraging trip, and social outing happens at night. There is no sunrise. The day-night cycle that usually structures a cozy farming game is replaced entirely by moonrise and moonset, which critics say keeps the atmosphere spooky without ever feeling claustrophobic.

The core loop will be familiar — grow mystical crops, keep supernatural animals, craft potions, earn gold — but the nocturnal twist reshapes how it plays. Your bat familiar helps automate watering; spell-casting replaces the standard tool upgrades; and the town’s calendar is filled with supernatural festivals instead of harvest fairs.

Moonlight Peaks – Release Date Trailer — via XSEEDgames on YouTube

A Town Full of Odd but Loveable Neighbours

Dialogue scene in Moonlight Peaks with Death character in a Hawaiian shirt at a café table
Image courtesy of Little Chicken / XSEED Games

Moonlight Peaks has 24 romance-able and befriendable townspeople — a line-up that includes werewolves, witches, mermaids, a pumpkin-headed village elder, and, yes, Death himself (who appears to enjoy hanging out in casual beachwear). Reviewers have singled out the writing as a highlight, noting that each character feels distinct and the dialogue lands its jokes without trying too hard.

The town also hosts seasonal festivals that pull everyone together and unlock story beats, which gives long-term players a reason to plan their in-game schedule around events rather than just farming efficiency.

Dungeons, Spells, and Things That Go Bump

Dungeon exploration in Moonlight Peaks — blue-lit underground chamber with a supernatural creature
Image courtesy of Little Chicken / XSEED Games

Alongside the farming and socialising, Moonlight Peaks includes dungeon areas that add a light action layer to the loop — think Stardew Valley’s mines, but with more gothic architecture and stranger monsters. Spells replace weapons, and your vampire abilities give combat a distinct feel from the usual genre fare. It’s not a deep action game, but it adds enough variety to keep the nights interesting between festival days.

Town Festivals and Spooky Seasonal Events

Seasonal festival in Moonlight Peaks with pumpkins and townspeople gathered around Pumpkin Head
Image courtesy of Little Chicken / XSEED Games

Seasonal festivals are where Moonlight Peaks earns some of its best moments. The town gathers, unique characters appear, and special seasonal crops unlock. Think of it as the game’s equivalent of Stardew’s Egg Festival or Winter Star — except the centrepiece is a pumpkin-headed emcee and the decorations are considerably more gothic.

Price and How to Play

The Switch 2 Edition is priced at US$39.99 (the standard Switch and PC version sits at US$34.99 on Steam, currently discounted 15% to US$29.74 during launch week). A digital deluxe edition is also available. No SGD eShop pricing has been confirmed at time of writing — check the Singapore Nintendo eShop and major game retailers for local pricing. Physical release in Japan with English language support has been confirmed with pre-orders already open, making it a solid import option for collectors.

XSEED Games is the label behind Story of Seasons and many beloved Marvelous titles, so if Moonlight Peaks catches on it will not be the last we hear of it. Worth a look on the Switch 2 launch lineup — it is available right now.

Game News

AC Black Flag Resynced Launches 9 July — Made in Singapore

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One of the most beloved games in the Assassin’s Creed series is back — and this time, it was rebuilt from scratch right here in Singapore. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on 9 July 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, marking Ubisoft’s very first full remake and a genuine milestone for the Ubisoft Singapore studio that led development.

Ubisoft Singapore’s Home-Grown Remake

Edward Kenway surveys a Caribbean town from a rooftop in AC Black Flag Resynced
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

Ubisoft Singapore has been part of the Assassin’s Creed franchise for over a decade, but Black Flag Resynced is its most ambitious undertaking yet. The Singapore studio spearheaded the project, with 14 other Ubisoft studios lending support — a truly global production anchored right in our backyard at one-north.

The reason Black Flag was chosen is deeply personal for the team. As Game Director Richard Knight explained in an interview with Geek Culture, “It’s got a great, iconic character in Edward that people love for various reasons, it’s got two different types of gameplay, and then specifically for Ubisoft Singapore, we have all these people that worked on the original game and have the experience with water tech and naval gameplay.” Many of the developers who shipped the original 2013 Black Flag are back on this remake — bringing 13 years of hard-won expertise to what is already Ubisoft’s signature pirate adventure.

The Singapore team’s water rendering and naval simulation technology, refined through multiple AC titles and Skull and Bones, gives Black Flag Resynced some of the most convincing ocean physics in any open-world game to date.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: Official Game Overview Trailer — via Assassin’s Creed on YouTube

Combat and Stealth — Rebuilt, Not Recycled

Edward Kenway parries a sword strike in close combat during a rainstorm
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

The original Black Flag’s combat was functional but dated — mash counter, repeat. Resynced throws that formula out entirely. A new parry-driven system rewards timing and positioning rather than button-mashing, with inspiration drawn from the fighting-game genre to give each clash a sense of real skill expression. Knight told Gamereactor: “We totally changed the combat, but we hope it still gives the same spirit of the original, except now with more of a skills expression system.”

Stealth has been overhauled just as thoroughly. Edward can now crouch anywhere and dive into water from any ledge — no more hunting for the right perch to start a hideout assault. A new “observe mode” lets you tag enemies before engaging, bringing the stealth toolkit much closer to recent mainline entries like Shadows. Parkour has also been modernised with manual jumps and side-eject moves, giving the freerunning a sharper feel on tighter rooftops.

Crucially, the story remains intact. Lead Producer Justin Ng confirmed in the Geek Culture interview: “The first thing we did was to ensure everything in the original was kept in terms of narrative. The story of Stede, Adéwalé, those things are basically one-to-one with the original.” Voice actor Matt Ryan has also returned to record new lines as Edward Kenway.

Naval Combat — Ubisoft Singapore’s Speciality

Two tall ships exchange cannon fire on a dramatic sunset sea in AC Black Flag Resynced
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

Predictably, this is where Ubisoft Singapore really shines. Naval combat has received a thorough rework: new secondary weapons, a fresh officers system for the Jackdaw, expanded ship customisation including pet companions for the deck, and 10 additional sea shanties to hum while you blast galleons into splinters. The Jackdaw’s hull groans and splinters under fire with new destructible environmental objects; dynamic weather now rolls in mid-battle, turning a routine escort into a frantic storm survival.

Raytraced global illumination and reflections — running on the same Anvil engine that powered Assassin’s Creed Shadows — make the water shimmer and the cannonball smoke billow in ways the 2013 original simply could not manage.

Editions, Pricing, and How to Pick It Up

Edward Kenway stands at the prow of his ship gazing at a tropical island cove
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

Three editions are available at launch:

  • Standard Edition — US$59.99 (PS5, Xbox, PC)
  • Deluxe Edition — US$69.99 — adds the Master Assassin Character Pack and Naval Pack (digital-only)
  • Collector’s Edition — US$199.99 — includes an Edward Kenway figurine, metal brooch, SteelBook, cloth map, and all digital content

SGD pricing is to be confirmed at local retail; major game retailers and electronics chains across Singapore should have copies available from 9 July. The game is also accessible via Ubisoft+ subscription. Pre-orders come with the Blackbeard’s Crimson pack — a themed pistol, sword, and Edward costume.

For Singapore players on PS5, this is one to watch. Ubisoft Singapore built the naval bones of the original Black Flag more than a decade ago, and Resynced is the studio’s definitive statement on what that game should have been. The remake lands this Thursday — check our game news section for our full coverage as launch day approaches.

Game News

SAO Echoes of Aincrad Launches 9 July on PS5 and PC

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Sword Art Online’s latest action RPG, Echoes of Aincrad, launches globally on 9 July on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S — and on PC via Steam on 10 July. Developed by Game Studio Inc. and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, it is the first SAO game where you play as a fully custom character rather than Kirito himself, stepping into the original Aincrad death game alongside familiar faces from the series.

Echoes of Aincrad | Gameplay Trailer — via Bandai Namco Entertainment America on YouTube

Create Your Own Hero

Character creation goes deep. You choose from body type presets, then fine-tune individual proportions through sliders — bust, waist, arm width, leg shape, skin tone and facial features — before picking your starting gear and preferred weapon. Your hero is entirely yours; Iori, the original character featured in official story content, serves as a separate NPC companion alongside Argo, Kirito and Asuna rather than a fixed protagonist you are locked into playing.

Echoes of Aincrad character creation screen showing body type sliders and customisation options
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

Six Weapons, Real-Time Combat and Sword Skills

Combat is real-time and stamina-managed. Six weapon types are available — Sword & Shield, Two-Handed Axe, Dagger, Rapier, Two-Handed Sword and Mace — each with its own move set and signature Sword Skills, the series’ charged special attacks that have been a staple since the original light novels. Chaining those skills against groups of enemies in the gameplay footage looks satisfying; the arc of a wide sword slash clearing a room full of flaming opponents gives a sense of how powerful a well-timed skill feels.

Echoes of Aincrad real-time combat with sword skill sweep against fire monsters in a dungeon
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

Partner System and Iconic Boss Fights

You can bring 1–3 AI partners into each quest, with their weapons and skills customisable between runs. Floor bosses return in full action-RPG form — Illfang the Kobold Lord, the Floor 1 boss that anime fans have been waiting to face head-on since 2012, shows up with attack-pattern phases and a proper health bar. Two complete floors of Aincrad are open to explore, spanning plains, dungeons and other environments drawn from the original story.

Echoes of Aincrad boss fight against Illfang the Kobold Lord Lv31 with real-time action combat
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment
Echoes of Aincrad party of four characters with glowing weapons inside a dungeon
Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment

Death Game Mode: Optional Permadeath

For those who want to feel the full weight of Aincrad’s stakes, Death Game Mode introduces permadeath — die in combat and your save is gone. It unlocks after you clear the main story, or from day one if you pick up the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition. It is a smart optional layer that lets casual players enjoy the story at their own pace while keeping the series’ defining tension available for anyone who wants to raise the stakes.

Platforms, Price and Singapore Availability

Echoes of Aincrad launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on 9 July with preloads opening on 8 July, and on PC via Steam on 10 July at 03:00 UTC (11:00 SGT). The game ships in 14 languages including Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Thai and Indonesian, making it well-suited for players across Southeast Asia. The Standard Edition is priced at US$69.99; Singapore PlayStation Store and Steam pricing will follow at launch. For the full editions breakdown and pre-order options, visit the official Bandai Namco page. For more upcoming game launches, check out our Game News coverage.

Game News, Singapore Gaming Scene

Black Flag Resynced Out July 9 — Led by Ubisoft Singapore

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Five days from now, Edward Kenway weighs anchor again — and the crew that rebuilt his story is based right here in Singapore. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on 9 July 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and it marks the first full remake in Ubisoft’s history.

Black Flag Resynced and Ubisoft Singapore’s Naval Legacy

The decision to assign the remake to Ubisoft Singapore is one with deep roots. The Singapore studio has spent years developing water rendering and naval gameplay systems on the Anvil engine — the same engine powering Assassin’s Creed Shadows — which makes Black Flag’s Caribbean world a natural fit for the team’s expertise.

“Ubisoft Singapore not only has a history of working on water tech through Anvil, we have a history with naval gameplay and stuff,” Creative Director Paul Fu told Game Informer. “When you put all those things together, it’s like, ‘Yeah, why not take a stab at it with Black Flag?’ It actually makes a lot of sense to try.”

Singapore leads a global co-development team spanning Ubisoft studios in Montreal, Barcelona, Belgrade, Bordeaux, Bucharest, Chengdu, Da Nang, India, Kyiv, Montpellier, Philippines, Quebec, Shanghai, and Sofia. The project puts Singapore at the creative centre of what is unambiguously a tentpole release for one of gaming’s biggest franchises.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: Official Game Overview Trailer — via Assassin’s Creed on YouTube

Rebuilt Visuals — What the Anvil Engine Delivers

This is a ground-up rebuild, not a remaster. Ray-traced global illumination, micropolygon rendering, Atmos-driven dynamic weather, and modernised water physics replace the original’s 2013 visuals entirely. On PS5 three display modes are available: Performance (60fps, standard RT), Balance (40fps, enhanced RT), and High Quality (30fps, enhanced RT). PS5 Pro players get enhanced PSSR upscaling across all three. Xbox Series X matches the PS5 options; Xbox Series S runs at 30fps and 1620p. PC requires a 65 GB SSD and Windows 11, scaling from a GTX 1660 at 1080p/30fps up to RTX 4090 for 4K/60fps ultra.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced — rebuilt visuals on PS5 and PC
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

What’s New in Black Flag Resynced — Stealth, Combat and Naval

The remake adds substantive gameplay changes across the board. Stealth gets crouch-anywhere and dive-anywhere movement plus an observe mode for tagging enemies before moving in. Combat introduces a parry-driven system with new takedown animations. Naval combat expands with shrapnel barrels, 8-pounder cannons, new Jackdaw officers with special abilities, and a reworked Kenway’s Fleet for passive income generation. Ship customisation adds pets and skins to the Jackdaw. Ten new sea shanties have been recorded, and GRAMMY-nominated artist Woodkid is contributing a reimagined track — details due later in 2026.

Naval combat and gameplay in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

Matt Ryan Returns as Edward Kenway

The original voice actor Matt Ryan has returned to record new lines for the remake. Additional missions and scenes expand the story around fan-favourite characters — Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Calico Jack all get more to do. The Deluxe Edition (US$69.99, digital only) bundles the Master Assassin Character Pack and Naval Pack alongside the base game. Pre-orders across all editions include Blackbeard’s Crimson Pack: an exclusive Edward Kenway costume with matched swords and a pistol set.

Edward Kenway in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

Editions, Platforms and Singapore Availability

Three editions launch on 9 July:

  • Standard Edition — US$59.99 (physical and digital)
  • Deluxe Edition — US$69.99 (digital only, includes Master Assassin Character Pack and Naval Pack)
  • Collector’s Edition — US$199.99 (Edward figurine, metal brooch, SteelBook, cloth map)

Platforms: PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Ubisoft Connect. Cloud streaming is available on Nvidia GeForce Now and Blacknut. SGD pricing through the PlayStation Store SG and local retailers is to be confirmed — check major game retailers and electronics chains in the run-up to 9 July. For more upcoming game news, we will have more coverage as the launch approaches.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced — Caribbean pirate adventure
Image courtesy of Ubisoft

Game Tech news, News

Steam Machine Launches 30 June — Reserve Yours Before 1 AM SGT Tonight

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Valve’s Steam Machine is real, it launches on 30 June, and Singapore gamers have until 1:00 AM SGT tomorrow (June 26) to enter the reservation lottery — sign-ups close tonight at 10:00 AM PT.

Steam Hardware Announcement — via Valve on YouTube

What Is the Steam Machine?

The Steam Machine is Valve’s compact gaming PC — a roughly 6-inch cube that runs SteamOS 3 and plays your entire Steam library from the couch or a desk. Unlike the Steam Deck, it is not a handheld; it is a dedicated home console-and-PC hybrid that connects to your monitor or television and draws on your existing Steam account, library, and friends list. Think of it as a living-room gaming PC with Valve’s software polish baked in from the factory.

Steam Machine official product render — the compact black cube with Steam Machine branding
Image courtesy of Valve

Two Models, Two Price Points

Valve is launching with two configurations at announcement, both priced in USD:

  • Steam Machine (512GB) — USD $1,049: Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 six-core / twelve-thread processor, semi-custom AMD RDNA3 GPU with 28 compute units, 16 GB DDR5 system memory, 8 GB GDDR6 dedicated VRAM, 512 GB NVMe SSD, microSD card slot. Integrated Steam Controller wireless adapter. No controller included.
  • Steam Machine (2TB) with Steam Controller Bundle — USD $1,428: Same internals, upgraded to a 2 TB NVMe SSD, bundled Steam Controller, and two interchangeable faceplates — a red fabric panel and a solid walnut finish. Valve is clearly positioning the hardware as something worth personalising.
Steam Machine on a gaming desk next to a monitor, with a game controller on the mouse mat
Image courtesy of Valve

What the Specs Actually Mean for Gamers

The “semi-custom AMD Zen 4” is a six-core, twelve-thread desktop-class CPU — meaningfully more powerful than the Zen 2 inside the Steam Deck. Paired with 28 RDNA3 compute units and a split memory configuration of 16 GB DDR5 plus 8 GB GDDR6, this lands solidly in mid-range gaming PC territory: enough to run most of the Steam catalogue at 1080p high or 1440p medium settings. Connectivity covers Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and gigabit ethernet. The ~6-inch cube form factor means it tucks neatly behind a monitor or under a TV. SteamOS 3 ships pre-installed; Windows can be installed separately by users if needed.

Two people gaming on a television with the Steam Machine connected below the TV in the background
Image courtesy of Valve

How to Reserve Yours — and the Deadline You Cannot Miss

Valve is not doing a standard first-come-first-served pre-order. Instead, reservation sign-ups are open now and close June 25 at 10:00 AM PT — that is June 26 at 1:00 AM SGT, tonight. Valve will then select buyers at random so that the process is, as Valve puts it, “more fair for everyone”. Successful applicants are emailed the week of June 29, in time for the June 30 launch.

Eligibility requirements:

  • Steam account in good standing
  • At least one purchase made on Steam before April 27, 2026
  • One sign-up per household; no bot accounts

To enter, head to the Steam Machine hardware page and complete the reservation form before tonight’s cutoff.

Steam Machine sitting on a media console with a soft blue LED strip glowing beneath it
Image courtesy of Valve

What Singapore Gamers Need to Know About Local Availability

The reservation form is accessible globally through Steam, and Valve has not announced geographic restrictions on who can sign up. Singapore gamers with qualifying accounts should be able to enter the lottery. That said, Valve has not confirmed whether the Steam Machine will ship to Singapore, and SGD pricing and a local launch date have not been announced. At USD $1,049 and USD $1,428, it is not a budget device — though for PC gaming fans who want a living-room-ready Steam experience without building a full rig, it is worth registering your interest now and waiting for Valve to confirm regional details.

We will update this post when Valve confirms Singapore availability. For now, the clock is running: the lottery closes at 1:00 AM SGT on June 26. Visit the official Steam Machine page before it shuts.

For more gaming news and PC hardware updates, stay tuned to GameTrader.SG.

News

Steam Summer Sale 2026 Starts Tomorrow — Two Weeks of Deals for Singapore PC Gamers

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The Steam Summer Sale 2026 is almost here. Valve’s biggest annual PC gaming sale kicks off on 25 June at 10 AM Pacific Time — that’s 26 June at 1 AM SGT for Singapore — and runs straight through to 9 July. Two full weeks of discounts across the entire Steam store, no flash deals, no daily rotations. The price you see on day one is the price you see on day fourteen.

Steam Summer Sale 2026: Official Trailer — via Steam on YouTube

When Does the Steam Summer Sale 2026 Go Live in Singapore?

Mark your calendar: the sale opens on Wednesday, 26 June at 1:00 AM SGT. If you are up late on the night of 25 June, you can start browsing right as it flips over. There’s no need to fight a midnight queue — Steam handles the traffic fine, and prices do not change throughout the sale period. You have until 9 July at 1:00 AM SGT to check out, so there is plenty of breathing room.

Steam charges Singapore users in SGD, so you will see localised prices throughout. Discounts during the sale typically average around 45%, with many catalogue titles and older releases hitting 50–90% off. Brand-new releases from the past 90 days are generally excluded.

Steam Summer Sale 2026 key art featuring game characters around the Steam logo
Image courtesy of Steam / Valve

What Games Are Featured This Year?

Valve’s official trailer spotlights a wide mix of genres. A few standouts visible in the promotional material that are worth wishlisting ahead of the sale:

  • Monster Hunter Wilds — Capcom’s open-world monster-hunting epic is a highlight of 2026, and a discount here would be the entry point many have been waiting for.
  • Hades II — Supergiant’s follow-up to the indie breakout hit is in Early Access and already excellent. If you held off, now is the time.
  • No Man’s Sky — Eight years of free updates have turned this into one of the best value games on PC, and it regularly hits deep discounts.
  • Little Nightmares 3, Dying Light: The Beast, Split Fiction — newer 2026 releases that may see their first significant markdowns.
Monster Hunter Wilds on Steam — featured in the Steam Summer Sale 2026
Image courtesy of Capcom

Tips for Singapore PC Gamers

A couple of things worth knowing before you dive in:

  • Check your wishlist first. Steam sends email alerts when wishlisted games go on sale, but you should manually review the list too — some discounts are applied at the category level and your wishlist alert might not fire.
  • Steam Next Fest is running alongside the sale. There are over 4,200 free demos available right now on Steam, so you can try before you buy on plenty of upcoming titles.
  • Bundle deals and DLC. Season passes and DLC for games you already own often hit their lowest prices during the Summer Sale. If you have been sitting on a game waiting for cheap DLC, this is the window.
  • No need to rush. Unlike older sales, prices are locked for the full two weeks. Take your time and check review scores — a 90% discount is irrelevant if the game does not hold up.
Hades II on Steam — The Warsong Update, featured during Steam Summer Sale 2026
Image courtesy of Supergiant Games

The Steam Summer Sale runs 25 June – 9 July 2026. For more PC and console gaming news, check out our Game News and latest coverage. Full details and the sale homepage are on the Steam Deals page.