It was a wild couple of months of preparations to release Minion Masters and bring it to Xbox One. That means we can sit back and relax, right? Nope, that’s not the BetaDwarf way. We have too much stuff we want to show you.

We wanted to add something very special to the game after it’s full release, and what is more special than a brand new Master? Nothing, that’s what.

The twisted sister of the Crystal Elf Milloween, Morellia goes by many names – Ruler of the Cursed Lands, Queen of Souls, Dragon Binder – but her personal favourite is Lich Queen.

For Morellia, we had two main goals: To create a master that felt completely different from any existing Master, and one that was also steeped in flavor. Right from the start, we wanted to put emphasis on her talents as a powerful spellcaster with a roster of varied spells to choose from.

Presenting choices was difficult, as Minion Masters is a fast-paced game where you are already make a lot of decisions and where the game changes constantly throughout the course of a match. Also, having a Master with variable perks is something we had never done before.

We went through a lot of trial and error in the following weeks. We tried adding spells to her deck in response to which cards you played, or depending on which minion was in play. But it didn’t quite feel like Morellia was in charge. We wanted her to feel like she was commanding the situation like the queen she is, and not just reacting to the situation.

Finally, we decided to try something crazy: replacing your entire hand with a new set of options, giving the player full control of Morellia’s abilities, allowing for an impressive amount of adaptability. Morellia finally felt like she was in charge.

We used her Book of the Dead as a way to present these choices. Having Morellia open her book to select a spell felt intuitive and plays well into her fantasy.

Did we mention the book is sentient? The trapped soul within provides running commentary to annoy the oh so serious Lich Queen at every turn.

I hope you enjoyed this little look into Morellia’s design. We are extremely excited to show off Morellia, and we hope you think she is as awesome as we do!

Finally, we would like to formally welcome all Xbox One players who have joined the Minion Masters family over the past month. We have much more in store for you going forward, so we hope you stick around! Our engineers are working tirelessly to improve your play experience and getting rid of bugs, so keep that feedback coming!

Earlier today we disabled a loophole that allowed players to purchase two of the Weekend Bundle rather than just one. Enough people exploited this loophole that we have decided that, for the next 24 hours only, we will give a chance for players who did not exploit it to also buy up to two bundles total within the client directly.

A retailer listing has revealed that the next GameCube-inspired Switch controller from gaming accessory maker PDP will feature a design based on none other than Sonic the Hedgehog.

The controller looks set to join PDP’s Wired Fight Pad Pro Controller collection, which already has designs featuring Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon, and Luigi and Peach. Just like the previous designs, this Sonic controller comes with a 10-foot USB cable and a detachable C-stick, which can be swapped out for a more traditional style stick (which you can see in the images below) if you prefer.

The product has appeared on Australian retailer EB Games’ website, which says that the controller will be launching on 17th July for AUS $49.95. Details on a release for other regions have not been shared.

If you happen to main Sonic in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and love to play with the classic GameCube controller, this must be your lucky day!

So, you’ve stayed up far too long constructing a masterpiece in the freshly released Super Mario Maker 2 and you’re desperate to share your course. You’ve uploaded your level and you saw the Course ID flash up onscreen – lovely! But now you need to find it again to text your friends or tweet your followers… and it’s nowhere to be found!

Fear not, we had exactly the same problem and after a few minutes we stumbled upon the screen we needed. Follow the steps below and you’ll quickly have that code to hand…

Where is my Course ID?

1. Starting on the Coursebot screen after you’ve named, tagged and uploaded your course, you’ll find that selecting it doesn’t show the Course ID. Hmm. Instead, tap on that yellow icon in the top right corner…

2. Click/tap on Course World to be taken to the Course World splash menu and hit ‘Y’ or tap the Maker Profile icon in the top left corner…

3. Assuming you’ve set up a Maker ID, you’ll see your profile and Mii here (although perhaps not with quite as much sass as ours). Tap or click on Uploaded Courses…

4. Here you’ll see a list of the creations you’ve uploaded to Nintendo’s servers – tapping on them will reveal the blessed Course ID ready to share with you nearest and dearest (and, indeed, farthest).

Job done! Simple when you know where to look. Oddly, there’s no Super Mario Maker 2 bookmark site like that of the original game at present, so right now it seems that we’re stuck exchanging codes in good ol’ fashioned Nintendo tradition.

Let us know if this had you foxed or if you found it quicker than we did. Also, feel free to ask any questions and we’ll do our best to find the answers. Have fun!

Halfway through the year and there have already been plenty of top-notch games to savour. From classic board games to cunning real-time strategy, not forgetting insanity-inducing card games, a wheeler-dealer RPG and a groovy roguelike. No matter what your tastes, everyone should find something to tickle his or her fancy.

Admittedly, there hasn’t been much in the way of truly original content; with most of the best games being tabletop adaptations or PC conversions. However, when the games are this good it seems churlish to criticise, especially since they prove that in spite of the doomsayers the premier mobile game market is still alive and kicking.

Star Traders: Frontiers (Review)

The ever-reliable Trese brothers turn their creative hands to the open world sci-fi RPG genre with terrific results. Although essentially a game of intergalactic commerce, Star Traders’ diversity allows for a range of differing approaches. Not happy with a methodical law-abiding approach? Then why not indulge in a  spot of smuggling or piracy? Perhaps you will decide to ditch trading altogether and take a military-focused approach or stick to the carefree life of a wandering adventurer. Initially intimidating, you will soon discover that the dynamic world of Star Traders is one that is well worth your investment.

Legends of Andor (Review)

All three of the board games on this list are at least five years old in terms of the physical version, proving that developers are prepared to look beyond the latest shiny new releases. This is definitely a good thing as there are plenty of classics just waiting to be discovered by a wider audience.

At first glance, Legends of Andor appears to be a hack and slash game, which simply involves rolling a fist full of dice and laying waste to hoards of monsters. Start playing, however, and you will soon realise that the game is actually much more puzzle-based than that. The most precious commodity is time, forcing you to carefully coordinate the actions of your band of heroes. The tight time limit means that each scenario more often than not climaxes in a tense showdown. There is a generous amount of content and it plays brilliantly solo. This may be a conversion of an older board game but its re-emergence on touchscreen makes perfect sense.

Evolution Board Game (Review)

Evolution is a card game of survival in a constantly changing ecosystem where food is often scarce and predators are on the hunt for a tasty snack. Players develop different species in a struggle to be the most successful. The real fun starts when you begin to add extra traits to a species, maybe transforming a peace-loving herbivore into a slavering ball of fangs and teeth.  Charming presentation and a terrific single-player campaign ensure that Evolution simulates the struggle for existence in a fun and rewarding way without getting bogged down with too much detail.

Castles of Burgundy (Review)

The board game version of this settlement building game is a stone cold classic. Thankfully, the app does a superb job of recreating the experience, making it one of the best board-to-digital conversions available. The excellent interface means that players familiar with the board game will be able to jump in and play straight away. Although new players will have to invest a considerable amount of time going through the comprehensive tutorials, it is well worth the effort. Despite a reliance on rolling dice, the range of options means you never feel restricted by bad luck. Keep your plans fluid and make the most of your current rolls and before you know it you will be raising a glass to celebrate the most impressive estate in Burgundy.

Necrodancer: Amplified (Review)

A roguelike game in which Nocturna and her adversaries strut their stuff like John Travolta. Keep time with the catchy beats whilst committing murder on the dance floor to build up some impressive combos. This is the definitive version and includes all of the content from the original pocket edition alongside the additional Amplified expansion. Necrodancer is a brilliant mash-up, transforming the typical sedate pace of dungeon crawling into a mad frenzy as you shake it like a Polaroid picture.

Cultist Simulator (Review)

Time to enter a world of despicable cults, unspeakable horrors and gibbering insanity. No, it’s not Christmas Day at your parents but the Lovecraftian setting for Cultist Simulator. You may be thrown into the thick of the action with little clue as to what is going on, but atmospheric narration creates a web of rich and involved stories. You will soon be establishing your very own cult, recruiting gullible followers and indulging in sanity-warping rituals. The clever card play mechanics are perfectly suited to touchscreen, making this one cult well worth signing up to.

Dungeon Warfare 2 (Review)

If Cultist Simulator hasn’t sated your taste for the dark sidethen Dungeon Warfare 2 should be your next port of call. There is no doubt that there is something deeply satisfying about turning the tables on parties of greedy adventurers by laying traps to send them plummeting into bottomless pits or crushing them between moving walls. As the Dungeon Lord, you get to do all of this and much, much more. The theme works brilliantly and the sense of progression is extremely satisfying. The puzzle-like gameplay and robust physics engine ensure that Dungeon Warfare 2 adds some much-needed pep to the tower defence genre.

Shards of Infinity (Review)

Coming from the same stable as Pocket Tactics’ favourite Ascension, Shards of Infinity was always going to be worth a look. The design is tight and there is a lot more outright confrontation than in most other deck building games. This is because instead of competing for points, the aim is to reduce your opponent’s health to zero.

The big innovation is that through a mechanic known as mastery you can increase the power of your cards. Hell, build up enough mastery and you can summon the infinity shard for an instant win. With the potential for countless card combos, this is a game that can handle up to four players but really excels in a two-player face off.

What have been your favourite games of 2019 so far?

Update: It has now been confirmed that the game will be receiving a worldwide release on 4th July. It’ll cost $19.99 in the US, with European pricing still to be confirmed.

Original Article: A Japanese eShop listing has revealed that What Remains of Edith Finch is set for release on Nintendo Switch.

Originally released on other platforms in 2017, the game received critical acclaim thanks to its emotional story and artistic presentation. The game tells the story of Edith Finch, the last of a family which has fallen victim to a curse that causes all but one member of each generation to die. Here’s an official description for you, taken from the game’s Steam page:

As Edith, you’ll explore the colossal Finch house, searching for stories as she explores her family history and tries to figure out why she’s the last one in her family left alive. Each story you find lets you experience the life of a new family member on the day of their death, with stories ranging from the distant past to the present day.

The gameplay and tone of the stories are as varied as the Finches themselves. The only constants are that each is played from a first-person perspective and that each story ends with that family member’s death.

The Japanese eShop listing shows that it will be launching in the region on 4th July for ¥2,200. The Japanese version features English language support, so while we don’t have any confirmation of a western release just yet, it seems incredibly likely that it’ll launch on western eShops too.

If you want to learn more about this one, make sure to check out our sister site Push Square’s glowing 10/10 review. Here’s a snippet:

Giant Sparrow delivers beyond our expectations once again. A touching story about a tragically unlucky family hits all the right notes, making What Remains of Edith Finch a worthy successor to the studio’s sublime The Unfinished Swan. A walking simulator with a smart delivery mechanism paints the picture of a family tree full of misfortune and sadness, but leaves room for some happiness and sunshine. Between the most realised home we’ve ever seen in a game, the incredible voice work, and the moving, intriguing story, this is the genre’s new golden standard.

Happy to see this one make it to Switch? Have you already played it on other platforms? Share your thoughts with us below.

Tech accessory brand CASETiFY is back again with more Pokémon smartphone cases, and this time each of the original 151 Pokémon has received its very own design.

You may remember that last month, we shared news of the company’s first partnership with the Pokémon brand which saw an initial batch of phone case designs be released. As it turns out, these sold out within just three days, so now we’re being treated to more options for a second drop.

This second batch of designs features the new ‘Pokédex collection’, which offers 151 different designs featuring the fan-favourite Generation 1 monsters, reimagined designs on new case styles, new Samsung device options, more designs for AirPods cases, and other limited edition matching accessories.

This new collection will be launching on 10th July – you can join the waitlist to gain priority access here if you’re interested. We’d recommend you do join up, too; the first collection had 50,000 people waiting in line.

Do you like the look of these? Perfect for your Pokémon GO adventures? Let us know if you’re hoping to get one in the comments below.

Transform recently sat down with several Microsoft customers at an event highlighting emerging trends in data and artificial intelligence. We talked with Vivek Bharti, general manager of product management at Icertis, which provides contract management services to enterprise customers.

TRANSFORM: Describe how your company uses AI to serve customers.

VIVEK BHARTI: We strive to solve the hardest contract management problems, using technology, and making it easy for the customers to use it.

All a company’s commitments and obligations are in that contract document. The problem is that those are in natural languages, not very amenable to the traditional systems. We take their (contract) repository, which is usually a set of folders of PDFs, etc., convert them into intelligent documents and help them manage their publications for life.

In the process, we save them money or help them garner more revenue.

TRANSFORM: What are the biggest challenges you see with AI?

BHARTI: One challenge is that the technology seems to be ahead of the business. The pace of innovation is so fast that technologies are producing possibilities, left, right and center. But it’s not necessarily true that the business use cases have been found. It’s resulting in very hyped-up speculation from the customers. There’s a gap between expectations and reality.

Another challenge is creating pools of people who understand both the customer and the technology, to create the intersection of technology and what the business problems are. At a tactical level, that’s solved by having a pool of domain experts who sensitize the engineers about what the business problem is.

Conversely, every single person who joins the company, they go through product training. So we set a foundation where everyone is aligned on what the company vision is and what is it that we’re building for. That starts sensitizing people who are more business oriented, sales folks, business analysts or whatever, to what is the technology capability.

TRANSFORM: How does that intersection of technology and business know-how help you serve customers better?

BHARTI: If you look at the size of our company, and the kind of customers we are acquiring, some of them have 400,000 suppliers. And they’ve trusted our system to manage (their contracts). It’s not because we are a big company. They saw that everyone that they interacted with from our company was actually talking about their problems, not about their product. So that’s how we’re making a difference.