RPS Editors Split Between Pirates, Bug Knights, and Forgotten AC Entries This July

It's another weekend in the gaming calendar, and the editorial staff at one of PC gaming's most beloved outlets have once again spilled their plans for how they intend to spend their downtime — and the answers range from swashbuckling piracy to poetry collections and mysterious embargo-locked secrets. Deputy editor James Archer, still physically recovering from a self-inflicted injury sustained by walking down a mountain in Baku rather than taking the available funicular, is hoping this weekend proves considerably kinder to his legs. It's the kind of detail that only a games journalist could frame as a step counter's fault.

Edwin is feeling the pull of tactical RPGs after spending time writing about Star Wars: Zero Company, leaving him torn between the cult-favourite Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children and a Switch revisit of Othercide — though he harbours doubts about whether the latter's notoriously finicky interface survived its port to the smaller screen. Outside of gaming entirely, he's also just picked up a poetry collection from Aaron Kent. Jeremy, meanwhile, is bouncing between Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced and Lords of the Fallen, having temporarily abandoned the gothic Soulslike in favour of becoming a pirate. He's also teasing a mystery title tied to August's release schedule, suggesting guides preparation is quietly underway.

James had loaded Replaced onto his Steam Deck ahead of a long-haul flight, fully intending to give the cyberpunk action-platformer proper attention — then promptly spent the entire journey playing Hollow Knight: Silksong instead. He admits he probably should return to Replaced at some point, but the gravitational pull of bug-world gibberish apparently remains overwhelming. Ollie, for his part, is bound by embargo and offering nothing beyond a theatrical shrug.

Mark is eyeing Assassin's Creed Rogue, the naval-heavy follow-up to Black Flag that he has somehow never gotten around to playing, despite being a fan of what Black Flag built on the water. He also acknowledges a half-finished playthrough of the Assassin's Creed 3 remaster that has been sitting dormant for approximately five years. His summary of the franchise — 'so many games about people in hoodies jumping around' — perhaps captures the series better than any official marketing ever has.

Three other staff members — Julian, Dion, and Callum — reportedly do not acknowledge the weekend as a concept, which tracks for anyone who has worked in games media. The piece closes, as is tradition, with an open question to readers about what they themselves are playing — a small but enduring ritual that has kept gaming communities talking every single week.