Catch up on the essentials
- A charming Early Access nightclub sim that's most fun with a full group, but expect a thin staff roster that forces you back behind the bar too often.
- A brutal but beautifully crafted action RPG ideal for patient friend groups willing to learn through repeated failure.
- Worth picking up now if you have a co-op group ready; solo players sensitive to grind or stat-gated mechanics may want to wait for a deeper discount.
Selected from this article · 2026-09-25
Read on for the full picture01Night Club Simulator: Party King review: a lively, friend-first co-op tycoon still filling out its staff roster
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Night Club Simulator: Party King
A charming Early Access nightclub sim that's most fun with a full group, but expect a thin staff roster that forces you back behind the bar too often. Worth grabbing at the discounted price if you and a crew want a casual party project.
Game highlights
Online co-op for up to 8 players
You can run the entire venue solo, but the official pitch leans hard on dropping into online co-op with up to 8 players. Multiple reviewers specifically called out playing with friends as the highlight, which makes it a natural pick for friend-first groups who already coordinate through Discord. It's the kind of co-op where you assign one person to DJ, another to the bar, and someone else to bounce troublemakers.
DJ booth, dance floor, and lighting
The dance floor is treated as the centerpiece of the venue, with the DJ booth letting you curate playlists and back them with special light shows. Reviewers repeatedly praised the soundtrack and the stage lights, with several saying the music is memorable enough to sing along to after a session. It's a more atmospheric system than a deep music sim, but it sells the nightclub fantasy well.
Drink service and inventory management
Bar work is a core loop: mixing cocktails, restocking supplies, and tracking inventory to avoid shortages. Several players enjoyed the tactile satisfaction of pouring drinks and upgrading the bar. The friction here is that the bartender NPC, when it does appear, sometimes duplicates the drink you're already making rather than handling a different order.
Hire dancers and customize the venue
You can personalize the club's interior across modern, retro, or futuristic themes and hire dancers whose choreography is staged with stage lights. Reviewers enjoyed decorating and called out the dance animations as a standout. It's lighter on simulation depth than on vibes, which fits the casual party framing.
Early Access staff gaps
The recent update added a bartender and bodyguard NPC, but several reviewers still see DJ, bodyguard, and bartender slots marked as limited or coming soon. That means once you clear the early hours, the loop collapses into personally running every station, which is where fatigue sets in.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Co-op with friends is consistently called out as the most fun way to play
- The soundtrack, lighting, and overall club atmosphere get strong marks for energy
- Tycoon-style progression of earning cash and expanding the venue feels satisfying in short bursts
- Developers are active on Discord and pushing frequent updates, which Early Access buyers appreciate
Where the friction shows
- The core loop turns repetitive once you've reached the mid-progression club levels
- Several key staff roles, including the DJ and bodyguard, are still listed as coming soon or behaving inconsistently
- Bartender AI often duplicates the drink the player is already making instead of covering other tasks
- Combat between disruptive patrons and security gets stale after the novelty wears off
Is it worth buying?
At $11.19 (20% off the regular $13.99), the price is easy to justify if you have a group ready to jump in online. Solo players should wait for more staff features, since the current build leans on you personally running every station.
Price checked 2026-09-25：$11.19，down from $13.99（20% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Friend-first co-op groups of up to 8 who already coordinate through Discord
- Casual tycoon players who enjoy short progression loops and decorating
- Players who want a chill atmosphere-first sim rather than a deep management challenge
- Anyone who likes DJ-style playlist curation and messing with lighting setups
- Early Access fans who enjoy watching a game expand through frequent updates
Probably not for you
- Solo simulation players expecting a deep management challenge right now
- Players who want a full staff roster and clear delegation systems on day one
- Anyone sensitive to repetitive core loops after the first few hours
- Tycoon fans looking for advanced AI-driven staff behavior
02DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED — Interconnected Lordran and Co-op Jolly Cooperation for Friends Who Love Challenge
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DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED
A brutal but beautifully crafted action RPG ideal for patient friend groups willing to learn through repeated failure. At half price, it is an easy pickup for co-op enthusiasts; solo players should weigh the steep learning curve.
Game highlights
Interconnected World Design
The remaster presents Lordran's hallmark map, where Firelink Shrine, Undead Burg, Blighttown, Sen's Fortress and Anor Londo tie together through shortcuts and vertical layers. Players repeatedly highlight the thrill of unlocking shortcuts after frustrating detours, and the sense of scale when Anor Londo finally comes into view. It is the original blueprint that later Souls titles borrowed, and it still holds up in this 60fps version.
Six-Player Co-op and Invasions
Official features advertise up to six players on dedicated servers, with jolly co-op summons, hostile invasions, and covenant signs. Player reviews consistently frame co-op as the social glue: jolly cooperation messages, sunbro praise, and stories of absurd naked-fist duelists populate the recent feed. This is the single friend-first reason to pick the remaster over single-player-only re-releases.
Combat Built on Stamina, Spacing, and I-frames
Combat is intentionally stripped down compared to Bloodborne, Sekiro, or Elden Ring, leaning on dodge i-frames, shield spacing, poise trades, and parry timing. The result is a slow, deliberate rhythm that punishes greed and rewards pattern recognition. The remastered 60fps framerate directly improves dodge readability, which players note as the chief quality-of-life upgrade over the old Prepare To Die Edition.
Difficult Onboarding and Boss Pacing
Multiple reviewers describe the opening hours as a knowledge barrier where every enemy teaches a rule: can't heal mid-roll, can't mash attacks, can't outrun traps. Bosses like Ornstein and Smough or the Artorias DLC fight function as skill checkpoints that gate the next region. Players who push through the first ten hours routinely report the difficulty flattening into a rewarding mastery loop.
Artorias of the Abyss DLC Included
The remaster bundles the Artorias of the Abyss expansion, adding the Royal Wood, Oolacile, and one of the series' most beloved boss encounters. Reviews treat the DLC as essential rather than optional, citing it as a strong reason to choose this edition over older PC ports. It also extends the co-op and invasion pool with new zones to summon into.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- The interconnected Lordran map with unlockable shortcuts remains one of the most satisfying world designs in action RPGs.
- Co-op summoning, sunbro signs, and chaotic invasion stories create memorable shared moments with friends.
- Boss design rewards patience and pattern recognition, giving a genuine sense of accomplishment after repeated attempts.
- The 60fps remaster meaningfully improves dodge timing and overall responsiveness versus the older PC release.
Where the friction shows
- The opening hours and post-Anor Londo sections involve long backtracking runs that several players describe as filler.
- Resource farming for upgrade materials and consumables is a recurring friction point, especially for players chasing weapon paths.
- The game launches as a paid remaster despite owning the original Prepare To Die Edition, which many long-time owners resent.
- Solo players report high friction from ambush placements and enemy ganks that feel tuned for summoning help.
Is it worth buying?
At $19.99 against a $39.99 regular price, this is a 50% discount observed on the snapshot date. It is a fair price for a friend group that will actually use co-op, and a reasonable entry point for first-time Souls players. Owners of the older Prepare To Die Edition will likely resent paying again, so check your library before buying.
Price checked 2026-09-25：$19.99，down from $39.99（50% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Friend groups of two to four who want to summon, help each other through bosses, and trade invasion war stories
- Patient players who enjoy learning enemy patterns through repeated deaths and incremental progress
- Action RPG fans who started with newer FromSoftware titles and want to see the original Lordran blueprint
- Completionists who enjoy multiple New Game Plus loops and covenant progression
- Players who specifically want the Artorias of the Abyss DLC bundled in one purchase
Probably not for you
- Players who dislike long backtracking runs between bonfires and repeated resource gathering
- Anyone expecting a guided, cinematic, or easy-mode RPG experience
- Owners of the original Prepare To Die Edition who do not want to repurchase a remaster
- Solo players who refuse to summon help, since several encounters are tuned around group support
- Anyone seeking a cozy, low-pressure wind-down game rather than a tense, punishment-heavy one
03DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin – 6-player co-op souls grind with overhauled enemy placement
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DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin
A genuinely great pickup for patient co-op groups who enjoy tough action RPGs, especially at 50% off. Solo players who hate repetition, long grinds, or stat-gated roll timing should consider waiting for a deeper discount.
Game highlights
Definitive package on PC
Scholar of the First Sin bundles every piece of Dark Souls II DLC and rebalances enemy placement so previously safe zones become ambush territory. FromSoftware designed this version specifically as a Director's Cut, so returning players get a meaningfully different layout rather than a simple remaster.
Six-player online sessions
Co-op and competitive sessions now host up to six players, double the original four, and matchmaking consistency has been improved with a new soul-regulating item. For groups of friends, this turns boss runs and invasion encounters into the centerpiece of the experience rather than a side feature.
Forlorn invader and overhauled AI
A new NPC invader called Forlorn appears throughout the world and pressures solo or co-op players who try to coast through areas they remember from the base game. Enemy density has also been reworked, so pulling single foes one at a time often fails and groups must funnel or use terrain creatively.
Stats that quietly gate survival
Adaptability directly governs roll i-frames and item use speed, so a fresh character feels noticeably stiffer than one that has invested in it. Reviews consistently flag this as the biggest friction point for new players, since the game never clearly explains why rolls fail until you look it up or respec.
Build variety and length
The base game plus DLCs gives a long campaign with many bosses and a broad weapon, magic, and armor pool to experiment with once you understand the systems. Players coming from DS1 or DS3 report the run feels longer and more sprawling, which is a plus for anyone who wants dozens of hours of content.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Co-op is repeatedly called the best in the series, with players organizing full six-person runs and invasions as the main reason to keep playing.
- Long-term fans defend it as the most content-dense Souls entry and appreciate the boss count and build variety once Adaptability is invested in.
- World art direction and atmosphere draw consistent praise, with players describing zones as memorable even when combat frustrates them.
- Many returning players who bounced off the original say Scholar's reworked enemy placement rewards careful playstyles over sprinting past encounters.
Where the friction shows
- Adaptability is the most common friction: new players report rolling at the right time and still getting hit, leading to deaths that feel like the game, not the player, is at fault.
- Enemy stacking in narrow corridors forces slow, repetitive luring and punishes any attempt at faster pace, especially for solo runners.
- The hollowing HP-reduction mechanic is repeatedly described as adding tedium rather than challenge, and discourages experimenting with new builds or risky routes.
- Several players report hit-tracking and recovery animations feeling inconsistent compared to DS1 and DS3, which makes spacing and timing feel unreliable.
Is it worth buying?
At $19.99 on a $39.99 regular price (50% off), this is a reasonable mid-tier price for a complete Souls package. Worth picking up now if you have a co-op group ready; solo players sensitive to grind or stat-gated mechanics may want to wait for a deeper discount.
Price checked 2026-09-25：$19.99，down from $39.99（50% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Patient co-op groups of three to six friends planning regular online sessions
- Players who enjoy long, content-heavy action RPG campaigns and build experimentation
- Returning Souls fans curious about the Scholar reworked enemy placement
- Action-RPG players who don't mind consulting a guide to learn stat-investment priorities
- Groups that mix PvE clearing with organized PvP invasion nights
Probably not for you
- Players who strongly dislike repeating routes or grinding souls to recover progress
- Solo runners who want a tight, fast-paced action game without ambush stacking
- Anyone put off by stats that quietly gate core mechanics like dodge timing
- Newcomers expecting an onboarding-friendly first action RPG
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