Gaming

Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen

The race that defied the gods

Published

January 2, 2024

If you need a reason to head back to Valisthea, this may just be it. Announced at The Game Awards 2023, Echoes of the Fallen is ½ of the first paid DLC Expansion Pass of Final Fantasy XVI. The second installment, The Rising Tide, will come later in Spring 2024.

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.

SKIP IF YOU WANT TO GO INTO THE DLC WITH FRESH EYES.

The Fallen were often referenced in many parts of the main FFXVI story. Most prominently, they were mentioned in The Desert which featured a Niagara-falls like body of water. This was supposedly a result of the aftermath of the battle between The Fallen and Ultima.

Echoes of the Fallen tells us more about this group of people and what they were able to achieve in their quest to challenge Ultima.

To access the DLC, you must have already completed the following side quests:

Cut from the Cloth
Phoenix Heal Thyself
Where There’s a Will
Priceless

These are available in the Back to their Origin segment of the Main Story.

Lore-building

The entire Echoes of the Fallen story is mostly just lore-building akin to the many side quests towards the tail-end of Final Fantasy XVI. However, it definitely feels larger in scale and takes longer to complete than any of those sidequests.

As mentioned earlier, the DLC tells us more about the fallen. Specifically, we learn about what they did to challenge Ultima. An endeavor that ultimately failed.

It’s hard to discuss the story details without spoiling so we’ll skip that. It does make you a little bit curious as to how the fallen developed the things you encounter in the game.

Gameplay and stages

Like most DLCs, Echoes of the Fallen gives you more FFXVI. That is, to say, if you enjoyed the base game, there’s about enough here to warrant a trip back to Valisthea.

Gameplay takes you from one story beat to the next fairly quickly. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself tussling against mini-bosses to uncover more of the story.

If you haven’t played for FFXVI for a while, it’s a good idea to refresh your skills with the enemy fodder you’ll encounter along the way. That said, I can say I couldn’t reach the skill level I had when I first beat the game. Which is why I found myself struggling a bit against the DLC’s final boss.

It’s worth noting that you do get a weapon fairly early on. After beating the DLC, you’ll have collected the materials to forge yet another weapon that would be perfect for a New Game Plus run or even just completing other tasks like clearing out the Hunt Board list.

Should you get the FFXVI Expansion Pass?

Echoes of the Fallen is a nice bit of lore-building for FFXVI. It doesn’t quite get the heights that the main story hits – which is understandable. But it’s a good enough reason to step back into Valisthea and tide you over until the release of The Rising Tide DLC which promises to be a larger encounter with the Eikon Leviathan

Entertainment

Box office: Brand New Day set to surpass US$ 2 billion, drives Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 resurgence

Sony Pictures’ fourth Tom Holland feature film sets records

Published

August 13, 2026

GadgetMatch

The box office performance of Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been nothing short of spectacular.

Sony Pictures’ fourth feature film featuring Tom Holland as the titular protagonist broke the domestic opening day record.

This feat narrowly beat the previous record set by another Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film in Avengers Endgame.

That strong opening continued in the next few weeks as Brand New Day became became the fastest to reach the US$ 500 million mark, breaching the milestone in just seven days, per LA Times.

The movie is already the highest grossing film of 2026, beating Toy Story 5.

Which such massive success so far, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is on pace to beat Avengers: Infinity War for worldwide total gross.

With over US$ 1.7 billion grossed in just two weeks, the film is projected to surpass any point between the US$ 2.1 billion to US$ 2.3 billion mark.

It will become only the eighth ever film to surpass that mark once it reaches at least US$ 2 billion.

The others are: Avatar (2009), Endgame (2019), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Ne Zha (2025), Titanic (1997), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), and Infinity War (2018).

However, Endgame still holds an advantage, thanks to its international launch in major markets. The epic conclusion to the MCU’s Infinity Saga grossed US$ 2.79 billion during its 2019 run. And you will have to adjust that value slightly due to inflation.

In the Philippines, a strong market, Brand New Day has just eclipsed the PhP 1 billion mark, which is roughly about US$ 17.2 billion.

For comparison, it will definitely surpass Infinity War at some point, while Endgame grossed PhP 1.8 billion total or about US$ 34.56 billion at the time.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 experiences resurgence

Moreover, the film’s success also triggered a transmedia halo effect with Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 also experiencing a resurgence in sales and player engagement.

Per IGN citing Alinea Analytics, since the film’s release, the game sold over 300,000 more copies across PlayStation 5 and Steam within a two-week span.

This is the equivalent to over US$ 11 million in revenue for Sony and Insomniac Games.

Plus, for the first time since the title’s launch in 2023, it experienced more than one million daily active users.

A combination of movie hype plus some timely discounts contributed to the game’s resurgence, also proving that the Spider-Man franchise has always been one of the biggest and most relevant IPs of all time.

Gaming

Ghost of Yotei gets a story expansion in October

The Complete Edition comes with the expansion and a roguelike mode.

Published

August 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Ghost of Yotei is a classic RPG experience set in the same universe as its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima. In my opinion, Atsu’s journey of revenge feels a lot more fun than Jin’s battle to save his homeland. If you’re in the same boat, Ghost of Yotei is coming back on October 1 with brand-new content.

Without delving too much into spoiler territory, Ghost of Yotei has a conclusive ending. Rather than shoehorning a forced epilogue, Echoes of Sekigahara, the title of the upcoming story expansion, explores Atsu’s past.

As with Tsushima’s expansion, Echoes of Sekigahara features a new map with new enemies, weapons, and collectibles. It will be set in two different time periods.

Besides the story expansion, the upcoming update also has a new mode called Most Wanted, which Sucker Punch Production describes as their “spin on a roguelike.” The mode explores Atsu’s experience as a headhunter, feeding her with bounties and earnable perks.

The two new content expansions will come with in the upcoming Ghost of Yotei Complete Edition. The new edition, coming on October 1, will also come with the co-op Legends mode. It also has a few perks and customization options. The edition will sell for US$ 70.

If you already have the base edition, you can grab an upgrade for only US$ 15. If you don’t want to pay for the upgrade, the game is still getting a few minor tweaks.

Gaming

Marvel Wolverine Limited Edition PS5 bundle SEA pricing

Available in Battle Yellow and Adamantium Limited Editions

Published

August 12, 2026

GadgetMatch

The first look for the Marvel Wolverine Limited Edition PlayStation 5 Console bundle and accessories have just released.

The console inspired by the raw power of Wolverine and Insomniac’s Battle Reborn suit (Battle Yellow) and claws (Adamantium).

Along with its preview, here are the suggested retail price (SRP) details for markets in Southeast Asia:

PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – Marvel’s Wolverine Battle Yellow Limited Edition Bundle

SG$ 849
MYR 2,799
IDR 11,399,000
THB 20,990

DualSense Wireless Controller – Marvel’s Wolverine Battle Yellow Limited Edition and Adamantium Limited Edition

SG$ 115
MYR 419
IDR 1,549,000
THB 2,890
PhP 5,411
VND 2,399,000

PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro Console Covers – Battle Yellow Limited Edition and Adamantium Limited Edition

SG$ 101
MYR 369
IDR 1,359,000
THB 2,590
PhP 4,767 (Battle Yellow only)
VND 2,099,000 (Battle Yellow only)

The bundle and accessories will be available beginning September 15 in limited quantities. Pre-order will start from August 19 in local retailers, save for the PS5 and PS5 Pro console covers.

In Singapore, DualSense Wireless Controller – Marvel’s Wolverine Adamantium Limited Edition will be available exclusively through select retailer channels in limited quantity.

Marvel’s Wolverine releases on September 15 for PlayStation 5 consoles.