Earlier this month, ASUS officially announced that the ROG Ally X is coming. The second-generation console promised big improvements to push the segment to even bigger heights. Of course, the brand is keeping its cards close ahead of the device’s launch on June 2. However, a new leak has revealed more changes coming to the handheld console.

First of all, as leaked by VideoCardz, the upcoming console will have a much beefier battery. Previously, ASUS confirmed that the upgrade will be more than just a “30 to 40 percent” increase. Now, the leak says that it’s a 100 percent increase, doubling the original’s capacity from 40Wh to 80Wh. That’s a gigantic increase for such a small device.

Despite the hefty increase, it will reportedly get an additional weight of “only” 70 grams. Because of a much thinner fan design, ASUS will keep its handheld console at a comfortable weight.

Besides those specs, the ROG Ally X will have an additional USB-C port somewhere. The exact position is currently unknown. However, the notable improvement is that they will have USB4 speeds.

As reported before, the console will have the same hardware as its predecessor — meaning, the same processor and display. However, it will have a slightly bumped RAM. Instead of only 16GB of RAM, it will carry 24GB of memory, potentially resulting in some slight improvement for performance.

Though the leak doesn’t reveal absolutely everything about the device, it’s a great start. And besides, June 2 is just around the corner, too.

SEE ALSO: ROG Ally X announced

Imagine yourself rising from the dead with an insatiable thirst for revenge, only to carry a curse of a literal thousand voices upon returning. To deal with the burden of having an entire community of souls scream in your head about how you failed them, how they’re guiding you to where you need to be — it’s just all too much for any regular human being.

Hellblade introduced us to such a character in Senua, who was willing to go through hell and back for a person she loved. In a near twist of fate, she was consumed by darkness and the souls of her entire clan lost in her thoughts. However, she had learned to accept her reality. She hoped that this newfound power would lead her to a bigger purpose ahead.

I had zero expectations heading into Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 other than what the title screen would show me. Honestly, I saw that ominous image with a face and just thought of how horrifying this game was going to be. I didn’t realize that there was a whole lot more to this journey than I thought.

A foiled revenge plot

I didn’t get to play the first game in the series. So, the fact that the game starts off with a recap was great. Admittedly, I was still trying to sort out a lot of the details since it happened within 10-15 minutes of me playing. Still, I got caught up to what was happening pretty fast, especially to the aftermath of Senua’s actions after Hellblade.

The story begins as Senua finds herself washed ashore on an island she’s completely unaware of. In an attempt to get some clarity, she is met with the shadow of her past, reminding her of who she is and her place in the world. Her plan of revenge is falling apart, and to make it worse, the voices in her head just won’t stop talking. At the end of the opening sequence, she comes face to face with the man that took her in as a slave, and she is roaring to strike.

And then, the moment to strike was cut short because other things came into play.

One of the things I noted about the story was that it took such a short time to just get everything patted down. I didn’t feel like I got sidetracked way too many times. Every little detail made sense to what Senua will eventually do for the rest of the game. I can’t say much else about the story that would spoil things. But it does get good the deeper you go into the island.

Heaven and hell in full glory

Speaking of said island, on the Xbox Series X, the entire overworld is absolutely stunning. Yes, even the desolate areas in the game. A lot of the areas in-game popped out during the day scenes. They received proper lighting when things got dark most of the time. Even in a game with a not-so-open world map, every little detail was given enough thought.

This one area in particular with Senua exploring the fauna through the Hiddenfolk stages was a prime example of how the developers went all out with it, design-wise. Honestly, the colors were stunning and the elements you interact with on the overworld mixed well. When I went into Photo Mode to grab this, I just took time to get as many shots in this area.

Also, I have to applaud Ninja Theory for actually having a Photo Mode that you can use even in the cutscenes to capture some amazing highlights and sceneries! I wish everyone else did it like this, instead of just giving it to live gameplay.

Puzzled minds with extreme overthinking

A core mechanic of the Hellblade games involves the player solving a series of puzzles at critical moments in Senua’s journey. Even in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, the puzzle solving continues with multiple visual cues to guide you on what elements you need for each puzzle. These added another dimension to the whole experience for me, plus it even increased my stress levels too.

As you progress deeper into the game, the puzzles actually become more challenging and hard to crack. It forces you to explore the entire area. There are moments in which the game tells you you’re on the right track. That’s when you rely on Senua’s focus abilities. Also, the voices in your head can come in handy. There are times that they even tell you that you’ve been stuck in a spot you’ve already visited.

It’s overthinking at its finest, but at least you don’t have to juggle that while fighting hordes of enemies and there’s no time pressure.

Fighting your demons, literally

Combat in this game is different from what I’m used to, especially in semi-open world games with multiple enemies rushing you. Unlike other games wherein being aggressive is the name of the game, Senua’s Saga has a timing approach to it with visual cues. Essentially, you just have to know when light and heavy attacks come in, block or dodge accordingly, then fight back.

It took a while to master the timings of some enemies. It was nearly impossible to stay alive in most fights. Once you have it down to a tee, every fight scene feels less of a hassle to deal with. However, the enemies also get harder and have added gimmicks like breathing fire to stop you. Dying isn’t an option either because each death results in resetting every fight scene.

To aid you in your battles, the trusty Focus mechanic also acts as a timely boost by simply stopping time. This was super helpful to get you to do multiple attacks. It cuts the battle time and take down stronger enemies. 

Confronting your past

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is a rollercoaster of emotions and controller-button mashing that was simple enough to go through every step of the way. The linear storyline with great overworld visuals and equally solid gameplay mechanics just suits this type of game well. As somebody who didn’t even get to play the first game, this was definitely something new and unexpected.

If anything, I felt that this game had too much going for it. For some people, this may not be their cup of tea. For one, the story, while linear in progression, can feel a bit rushed especially when building character relationships all throughout. Second, combat mechanics can take a while to get used to, especially on the timings of enemy attacks. These aren’t total dealbreakers in the grand scheme of things, but they do make the game a little bit frustrating.

Overall, the game is simple as it should be. But fair warning: this game has too many voices for you to listen to. If you’re not a fan of that, you can definitely tune them out and focus on the demons you have to slay!

Who would have thought that one of the potential GOTY candidates this year is actually just a DLC for an older game? Now, it’s definitely too early to tell for sure, but please forgive us because Elden Ring hype is at an all-time high again. Out of nowhere, FromSoftware just dropped the first story trailer for the game’s upcoming DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree.

More than a year ago, FromSoftware announced the first DLC for its highly acclaimed fantasy title, Elden Ring. Since the title just won the coveted Game of the Year award at that point, the hype quickly skyrocketed. A few months ago, the studio released the first gameplay trailer and announced the release date.

Today, the first story trailer dropped out of nowhere. As expected, the video shares simultaneously a lot and very little. If you’ve watched a FromSoftware trailer before, you know what we’re talking about.

Yes, you’ll get an idea of where the game will take you next. It’s all still shrouded in mystery, though.

Okay, let’s break it down. Shadow of the Erdtree will take players to the Land of Shadow. For some reason, Miquella, sister of Malenia (yes, that Malenia), abandoned the land and left it to its fate. That fate is Messmer, a fiery figure presumably responsible for conquering the said land.

The trailer ends with a call to action: “Will you walk with us?” We can assume that the DLC will have us side with Miquella against Messmer. But then again, FromSoftware is notoriously loosey-goosey with which side is “ethically” better to go with.

Either way, it’s only a month left, fellow Tarnished. Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree launches on June 21.

SEE ALSO: Elden Ring’s DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, looks absolutely massive