In this week's Inven Weekly TOP Game Rankings, 'Onimusha: Path of the Sword' climbed one spot to claim 1st place for the first time. 'Genshin Impact', which held the top spot until last week, dropped one position to 2nd place, while 'The War of Genesis Side Story: The Rhapsody of Zephyr Remastered' jumped two spots to 3rd place. Growing anticipation ahead of its official launch was swiftly reflected in the rankings. On the other hand, 'Zeus: God of Arrogance' fell one spot to 4th place, showing a trend where the surge of interest immediately following its launch is gradually stabilizing.
In the middle rankings, 'Dynasty Warriors 2: Complete Edition Remaster' climbed one spot to 5th place, while 'Princess Maker: Children of Prophecy' slipped two spots to 6th place. 'EA Sports FC 27' maintained 7th place, matching its position from last week, and 'Silent Hill: Townfall' rose two spots to 8th place. In the lower ranks, two major new titles joined the list. 'Marvel's Wolverine', launching this week, entered at 9th place, while 'Gears of War: E-Day' debuted at 10th place, attracting player attention ahead of its release.
Notable New Releases, Events, and Updates
Last week, the new MMORPG 'Eclipse: The Awakening', published by Smilegate and developed by NPIXEL, was officially launched. Released on PC and mobile on September 10, 'Eclipse' positions itself as an 'MMOLite' game that reduces player burden while preserving the growth and competition inherent to MMORPGs. Key features include time-based progression content, skill fusion, and optional PvP. It drew early attention from players prior to launch, with prepared servers filling up quickly during pre-creation for character names.
Over the weekend, 'BlizzCon 2026' returned after three years with a flurry of new game announcements. The biggest surprise announcement was, without a doubt, 'Diablo V'. Targeting a Spring 2029 release, the game is set roughly 100 years after the previous title in a fallen Sanctuary where Diablo has already prevailed, telling an all-new story. A new 'StarCraft' title—long the subject of rumors—was also finally revealed. Developed as an open-world shooter rather than a traditional RTS, development is led by Dan Hay, well known for the 'Far Cry' series. Players will dive directly into ground combat across the Koprulu Sector, with launch planned for Spring 2030.
For 'World of Warcraft', a third play style following modern WoW and Classic was unveiled: 'World of Warcraft: Forever'. Built upon original Azeroth, after players level up to 60, the level cap is not raised, and new zones, stories, and content are continuously added in a direction akin to 'Classic Plus'. Additionally, a vast array of new content across franchises was revealed, including the first new campaign in 23 years for 'Warcraft III: Reforged', the new hero Doctrine for 'Overwatch', and the new hero Xal'atath for 'Heroes of the Storm'.
THIS WEEK'S ISSUE: Trails in the Sky, Manja Cheonhong! And TGS!
The most anticipated title stepping into action first this week is Insomniac Games' 'Marvel's Wolverine'. Launching officially on PS5 on September 15, this title—unlike the 'Marvel's Spider-Man' series—is crafted as a story-driven single-player action-adventure rather than an open world. It depicts Logan, who rejoins Team X, taking on Bolivar Trask as Trask kidnaps mutants. True to Wolverine's character, it features melee combat that seamlessly connects claws and kicks, alongside bold, visceral direction including dismemberment.
On September 17, two landmark titles from flagship Japanese RPG series will launch side by side. First, 'Trails in the Sky the 2nd' is the second full remake rebuilding 'Trails in the Sky SC' for modern platforms, telling the story of Estelle embarking on a journey to find the missing Joshua and the mystery surrounding the society 'Ouroboros'. Launching on the same day as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is 'Fire Emblem: Manja Cheonhong'. Centered around the god-ruled Dagda Empire and the "Great Gladiator Festival" that grants a winner's wish, the narrative intertwines four heroes, delivering the classic strategy RPG joy of crossing time to recruit companions and avert future ruin.
Just as significant as game releases this week is 'Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2026', held from September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Japan. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, TGS will run for a record five days, kicking off with Business Days on September 17–18 before opening to the general public on September 19. Alongside major Japanese studios and global publishers participating in large numbers, South Korean subculture titles will make a major splash, with Nexon's 'FAREIDOLIA', NCSoft-published 'Astrae Oratio', and Netmarble's 'Pearl in Blue' set to be revealed in earnest.
What Were Last Week's METACRITIC Scores?
This week saw the reveal of new Metacritic scores for games such as 'Valheim', 'Welcome to Elderfield', 'Marvel's Wolverine', and 'Hot Wheels Infinite Rush'.
First, 'Valheim', which launched its official version 1.0 after approximately five years in Early Access, earned a score of 90 based on 16 critic reviews. Its distinct survival game loop—exploring a vast, procedurally generated world, gathering resources to build bases, and tackling new biomes and bosses—once again earned high acclaim.
In particular, version 1.0 added a massive amount of content, including the final biome 'Deep North', over 40 new weapons, new armor, creatures, and building options, earning praise for successfully concluding its long Early Access period. However, certain legacy quality-of-life mechanics, regional pacing, and somewhat restrictive designs—such as restricting teleportation while holding ore/metals—were pointed out as remaining points of mixed opinion.
Solo developer Chris Kort's 'Welcome to Elderfield' also enjoyed a strong start, recording an 82 based on 10 reviews. Its unique "cozy horror" atmosphere, blending peaceful life simulation elements like farming, fishing, and interacting with townsfolk with Lovecraftian monsters and turn-based combat, was cited as its greatest strength. Hand-drawn horror comic-style visuals, a bizarre yet humorous world, and a combat system with surprising depth were also praised. Conversely, minor bugs, certain interface and loading issues, and a structure that leaves player progression somewhat unclear were noted as shortcomings.
Insomniac Games' anticipated title 'Marvel's Wolverine' recorded a score of 78 across a massive 113 critic reviews. Wolverine's trademark raw and brutal combat, impressive graphics, cinematic presentation, and a narrative faithful to Logan alongside strong voice performances were generally well received. In particular, quite a few outlets noted positively that rather than opting for a vast open world like 'Marvel's Spider-Man', it focused on a linear single-player action story lasting around 10 hours.
However, criticisms followed that the combat mechanics lack depth beneath the surface and feel repetitive toward the late game. Compounded by monotonous exploration, repetitive mission design, and a predictable narrative, consensus indicated that while it is a polished Marvel action game, it failed to leave as powerful an impression as Insomniac's previous works.
Milestone's new arcade racer 'Hot Wheels Infinite Rush' recorded a score of 78 based on 27 reviews. While maintaining the tight handling and vibrant, toy-car visual style of the 'Hot Wheels Unleashed' series, it introduced a new open-world format allowing players to freely explore across four islands. Diverse vehicle collection, customization, and track building were praised, though many activities within the open world were criticized for being brief and repetitive.
Upcoming Game Popularity Poll
This week's vote features a popularity poll for games that have recently released or are scheduled to release between August 14 and October 15. Accordingly, games such as 'Spiritstead' and 'Genshin Impact' have been removed from the poll, while newly added titles include 'Hell is Us' and 'House Flipper 2'.
