The visuals of Deadhaus Sonata looked like a clean version of an early 2000s game. Even though it is simplistic compared to a lot of modern games, including some other indie games, it still had a particular feel that looked good for the most part. The biggest visual drawback is the rain visuals where it felt there was too much and too dense. There was also an issue where the character creator would not work so at this point could not make any new characters or customize appearance.

Players control a vampire with a focus on combat, which unfortunately felt stiff and was not enjoyable. The main attacks felt clunky, plus the dodge didn’t feel responsive and was hard to execute. The most promising aspect of combat is the use of ability cards, which can be assigned to any ability slot. The abilities themselves did help the combat feel a little better, but much like the base combat, it still feels clunky. The mechanics presented could be refined in future updates to create a good combat system.

Another major frustration with the game is the lack of explanations for how to accomplish tasks or what to do next. Normally, having to figure out mechanics is fine, but with the game in an early state, the bugs make it frustrating to do so. One example was the main narrator repeating itself constantly when looking at the celestial clock or other menus. Sometimes the voice repeats over itself and causes a headache.

The Celestial Clock is one of the systems in the tutorial that took a little bit of time to figure out how it works. The game does not fully explain its function, but it has a lot of information presented with it, such as the current time and weather. The clock also shows a solar system of planets and current positions, which is used for puzzles.

After the tutorial, the game has a focus on limited exploration, where you pick an area to go to. There’s no direction on what to do other than roam around and defeat enemies. I could tell there are other areas to explore, but it does not say how to unlock those areas. At one point, there was an event to defeat enemies attacking a tower, which felt like an unwinnable situation because while defeating waves of enemies, they still destroyed the tower anyway. After finishing the final map, I had no idea what to do next, as the main objective only said to go back to the hub, leaving me with no other direction and nowhere new to go.

Overall, Deadhaus Sonata’s initial early access release is a disappointment as it feels like a game in alpha. What the small team of developers made has the potential to become a game worth playing, given more time. There is a foundation of puzzles in the exploration, along with aspects of combat, such as the abilities or finishers, that show there’s a solid idea that needs time to be worked on and fleshed out. Hopefully, the game is more fun with friends when figuring out what to do next. Despite the game starting in a rough state, it could make a comeback just like No Man’s Sky.

The post Deadhaus Sonata Preview: A Pale Beginning appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Kawamori has a new film, Labyrinth, which hits U.S. theaters on May 10th and 11th. If you have seen his previous works, music and technology have been important. With Labyrinth, a high school girl named Shiori (voiced by Atarashii Gakko!’s Suzuka) dreams of becoming an online sensation. After being in a viral but embarrassing video, she is trapped inside her smartphone and replaced by a doppelganger who becomes famous.

“When I think about my past work like Macross, or the Valkyrie, or even Transformers, they have a lot of physical power because they’re giant robots,” Kawamori tells Nerd Reactor. “But a smartphone, even though it’s so much smaller, I think it can have an equivalent or maybe even more power, because you can really affect someone on the other side of the world. So I think technology is very alluring, but also that is the part of the danger that most people don’t realize.”

Kawamori is influenced by growing up in a rural area like Toyama and the modern city of Yokohama. Fans can see the inspiration in his work.

“I was born in traditional arts, and nature was the core of our lives,” the director said. “Then I came to this technology-filled city. I don’t think one is better than the other. I think both are important, and both are very interesting to me. I wanted to always come up with ways where that duality could coexist, and also combine them to create something more interesting and fun. I think that journey of exploring that is really my more than 40 years of work, and it continues into Labyrinth.”

About Labyrinth

Synopsis: Shiori is a typical high school student who dreams of online stardom, but struggles to capture attention. After an embarrassing video of her goes viral, she gets trapped in her smartphone and replaced by a charismatic alter ego. As the doppelganger charms the internet and devises a nefarious plot to replace mankind with brainrot, Shiori must partner with other online outcasts to stop her digital counterpart and reclaim her life in the real world.

The post Shoji Kawamori on Smartphones, Giant Robots, and the Hidden Power of the Digital Age appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The film follows a group of animals who rebelled against the humans to escape captivity and to prevent themselves from ending up in a slaughterhouse. Lucky, voiced by Gaten Matarazzo (Netflix’s Stranger Things), is a piglet who is torn between following Napoleon, a rebellious boar voiced by Seth Rogen, and Snowball, a sow voiced by Laverne Cox. With the animals running their own animal farm, following one leader blindly could lead to a disastrous end.

“We ultimately wanted to have young people sit with their parents and grandparents and then have a debate,” Serkis tells Nerd Reactor. “[George] Orwell wrote this innocent story to be able to talk about darker themes, but also to have a discussion about it. We have not made this for an algorithm. It’s not to hit from a marketing perspective. We’re not aiming at anything other than trying to tell a tale that will engage young inquiring minds to have a conversation with their adult parents and grandparents.

“Some people will love it, and some people will hate this film, and that’s great. That’s what we want. We want to encourage that, that being able to talk about something, rather than these are very subtle, nuanced discussions that we’re having through an entertaining, animated, young, innocent film.”

Iman Vellani voices two characters, Puff and Tammy, who are piglets and friends of Lucky.

“Teenagers notoriously don’t have a strong sense of self, and younger kids too,” Vellani explained. “They’re literally blindly following what their adults and parents are doing around them, and thinking that that’s the way to do it, because that’s how I’ve been taught and seen… So I think this movie gives younger audiences the tools to actually recognize these injustices and apply them to their own lives, too.”

The interview was edited for length and clarity.

About Animal Farm

Synopsis: A satirical allegory of revolution and power traces how a movement for equality is systematically corrupted. As the pigs consolidate control, truth is erased, dissent is crushed, and the farm descends into a ruthless dictatorship – fulfilling Orwell’s warning about the dangers of communism.

The film is directed by Andy Serkis and features the voice of Serkis, Seth Rogen, Woody Harrelson, Glenn Close, Gaten Matarazzo, Jim Parsons, Kathleen Turner, Kieran Culkin, Steve Buscemi, Laverne Cox, and Iman Vellani.

Animal Farm was released in the U.S. and Canada on May 1, 2026.

The post Andy Serkis & Iman Vellani on Animal Farm: Sacrifice, Power, and Questioning Authority appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

“The most important thing for a producer, and I’m one of a few, you’ve got to take care of business in the background to support everything a director does,” Simmons tells Nerd Reactor. “Because the actors depend on him, the scenic designers, the cinematographers, and everything. So he’s got to put all the pieces together and get a performance that you care about.”

This is in stark contrast to how Simmons works in the music industry.

“Being in a band, it’s your show,” the musician/producer said. “You’re in front of the stage. You control a lot of stuff.”

Deep Water follows survivors of a crashed plane as they try to survive in shark-infested waters.

“The key to any movie is that you care about the characters,” Harlin explained. “You can blow up the planes, you can crash them, and you can have sharks attack from left and right. But if you don’t really root for the characters and care about them, then you don’t have anything.”

Renny Harlin’s life has changed now that he is married and has children.

“I feel that I was more equipped to do this now that my life has changed so much in just the last few years,” he added. “I got married. I have three kids. I think I’m a better person than I was before, and I know that I care more deeply than I ever did. I would like to think that’s reflected in how I handle the characters, how I directed the actors. We have little kids in the story. We have a grandmother in the story. And I think that I paid attention to those things more than I’ve ever done before in my life.”

About Deep Water

Synopsis: A flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai goes down in the middle of the Pacific. After surviving the crash, the survivors soon discover they’re not alone and they must survive the shark infested waters.

The film is directed by Renny Harlin and written by Pete Bridges and John Kim. Producers are Gene Simmons, Ying Ye, Neal Kingston, Grant Bradley, Dale Bradley, Adrián Guerra, Xavier Parache, and Bob Yari.

It stars Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Molly Belle Wright, Angus Sampson, Kelly Gale, and Li Wenhan.

Deep Water releases in theaters nationwide on May 1, 2026.

The post Gene Simmons on Film Producing, Music, and Why Directors Lead the Set appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The film, starring Ranbir as Rama and Yash as Ravana and directed by Nitesh Tiwari (Dangal), is based on the ancient and epic tale that follows Prince Rama and his journey to save his wife, Sita. The story has been adapted many times into movies, TV series, novels, and comic books.

Yash also serves as the film’s producer, and he aims to have Ramayana reach a global audience.

“I think it’s important to understand there are two possibilities in this kind of scenario,” Yash tells Nerd Reactor. “You don’t take the risk at all and say, ‘Listen, people are so critical about it. People are so sensitive about it. Let’s not go there. We have better ways to make money, or you know, you can go on with a safe zone where you do films.’ And there’s another way, whether it should be told or put on a global platform or not. If the answer is yes, then we should not worry about it because by the end of the day, it’s a good problem to have. People are rooting for it. We should understand where it is coming from.”

Namit Malhotra, the CEO of DNEG, serves as the film’s screenwriter and producer. He discusses the importance of writing as the film’s foundation.

“I think it always starts in the writing,” Namit Malhotra said. “Ramayana is already written to be an epic, and it is bigger than anything else out there. So all we’re doing is faithfully trying to just reproduce it based on what’s been written into what we can present on screen. And that is actually fun because you have such a good base material to work with and really build on. So I think the artists are having a great time, really bringing it to life because you’ve got so much richness in the way it’s been written and what’s been created. Originality of thought, design, all the things that you crave for are all embedded in Ramayana and have been for thousands of years.”

Check out the full interview below:

About Ramayana

Synopsis: From visionary producer and filmmaker Namit Malhotra comes Ramayana, a sweeping, two-part cinematic event inspired by one of the world’s most enduring epics.

Since the beginning of time, the Trinity Gods rule the three worlds; Brahma – god who creates; Vishnu – god who protects; and Shiva – god who transforms. As the realms of heaven, earth edge toward chaos, the Trinity god Vishnu descends to earth in an avatar to restore balance. This time, Vishnu is reborn as RAMA (Ranbir Kapoor), a human prince destined to restore balance. Opposing him, stands the most formidable, learned, undefeatable and immortal demon king RAVANA (Yash), blessed by the Trinity themselves, driven by pride and a vengeance powerful enough to shatter the cosmos.

Unaware of his true purpose as the only opponent destined to stand up to Ravana in a fateful cosmic design; Rama is the idol of Dharma (duty above all) and the most loved crown prince of Ayodhya, the greatest human dynasty of the time. Rama tries to build a life of quiet honor with his beloved wife Sita (Sai Pallavi) and loyal brother Lakshman (Ravie Dubey) amongst others, until a twist of fate drives him into exile and toward an inevitable clash with Ravana in a reckoning so cataclysmic, it will decide the destiny of gods and mortals.

The post The Risk Behind Ramayana: Yash on Playing Ravana and Global Ambition appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Nerd Reactor had the chance to interview the cast of the series, and their chemistry was brought out on display in the video.

Navarro, who is known for portraying Tony Padilla in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, never thought Dungeons & Dragons would be something he would enjoy. All that changed during COVID.

“My best friend Jack tried to get me to play for about 10 years, and I really was not into it at all,” Navarro tells Nerd Reactor. “And then COVID hit, and I shared this… I deal with depression. He said, ‘You can’t be in your house during COVID and not be interacting with human beings. It’s not good for you.’ He started the campaign, and I was hooked pretty immediately.

“Fun fact, he met his now girlfriend, and they’ve been together for three years. I was hooked then. I saw the power of love in Dungeons & Dragons.”

Berrin can be heard in video games such as Dispatch and Fire Emblem Heroes, and she was a fan early on.

“Yeah, honestly, from the beginning, I love improv,” Berrin said. “I come from an improv comedy background. And improv, it’s hard to come by sometimes in these streets in this economy. And so getting to be in a space where I get to ‘yes and’ with people and con your situations with people, I can’t even count… I can’t remember the exact moment. I think that part of me has always been in love with D&D.”

Check out the first two episodes below.

Dungeon Masters will be released weekly on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM PT, starting on April 22, 2026.

The post Baldur’s Gate 3 Actors Join Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeon Masters Actual Play Series appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

We were invited to check out the experience before it started and chatted with the winner, Molly, as she shared how she’s going to plan the marathon. Robbie Amell, who starred in the revival series, was also in attendance to talk about the show and the event.

About Pluto TV’s The Fan Is Out There Experience

The truth is out there…and now it’s free. Pluto TV wants to find X-Philes obsessed enough to find it. With all 11 seasons of The X-Files now streaming on Pluto TV, the platform is giving them a chance at an experience even Mulder couldn’t get clearance for. One superfan winner and their chosen investigation partner will disappear into the desert for nine days to marathon the entire series inside an undisclosed, off-grid facility in Joshua Tree.

The experience features:

• A living case board to track patterns, connections, and conspiracies across all 218 episodes
• Themed provisions including black coffee, sunflower seeds, and paranormal paraphernalia
• Daily on-camera debriefing confessionals for social documentation

The post X-Files Superfan to Marathon Series for 9 Days Inside Desert Bunker appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

“I always enjoy fighting with Cush,” Capaldi tells Nerd Reactor about his scene partner. “There’s always a point where we’ve been simmering for a while, and not saying what we want to say. And there are scenes that come along where we actually tell it the way it is. So we’ve had enough. And I always enjoy those because we can sort of let go of those.”

“Yeah, I like simmering with Peter,” Jumbo added. “And then going and hitting bad guys, and then coming back and yelling at Peter, and then going and hitting bad guys. So it works for me really well.”

The action thriller features high-stakes moments, but it’s the dialogue that Jumbo cherishes.

“Oh, I love the action, but I think the dialogue on our show is amazing,” she said. “We have the most amazing scripts. We have the most amazing teams of people who sit around thinking about story and about the way these characters speak and how they place an argument. And it’s a joy to put that language in your mouth. So I would do the dialogue any day, probably over the action.”

About Criminal Record

Synopsis: From BAFTA Award nominee Paul Rutman, “Criminal Record” is a powerful, character-driven drama set in the heart of contemporary London, exploring the impossibility of policing when the truth is up for grabs. In season two, when a young man is stabbed to death at a political rally, rival police officers June Lenker and Daniel Hegarty are forced into an uneasy alliance. But what starts as a hunt for a murderer escalates into an undercover operation to foil a Far-Right bomb plot in the heart of London. Season two reunites Capaldi as ‘Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty’ and Jumbo as ‘Detective Sergeant June Lenker.’

Dustin Demri-Burns, Luca Pasqualino, Luther Ford, Lyndsey Marshal and Peter Sullivan join the cast in addition to the returning ensemble that includes Shaun Dooley, Stephen Campbell Moore and Charlie Creed-Miles.

The eight-episode, season two of Criminal Record debuts the first episode on Wednesday, April 22, with new episodes weekly until Wednesday, June 10.

The post Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo on Tension, Chemistry, and ‘Simmering’ Through Criminal Record appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

For players who want something tangible, the game’s physical edition is now available for the Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion features Marvel heroes as they try to save the world from an alien threat. Characters include Spider-Man, Storm, Wolverine, Phoenix, Captain America, Iron Man, She-Hulk, Black Panther, Rocket Raccoon, Nova, Beta Ray Bill, Venom, Cosmic Ghost Rider, Phyla-Vell, and Silver Surfer.

The game is developed by Tribute Games, which is known for fun gameplay and gaming nostalgia, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and Scott Pilgrim EX.

Dotemu is the publisher, which also has a track record of games from classic franchises such as Streets of Rage 4, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Metal Slug Tactics, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.

Players are able to do tag-team battles, allowing them to switch off characters to stay in the fight. Multiplayer includes 4-player local and online co-op.

Will you be able to stop the threat from Annihilus, with other villains joining including Thanos, M.O.D.O.K, Taskmaster, and more?

The post Marvel Cosmic Invasion Gets Physical Release on Consoles After Strong Reviews appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Starring in the role of young Michael is Juliano Valdi, who has the talent to bring the voice and energy of Michael to the biopic.

“My mom told me that I got the role being young [Michael],” Valdi tells Nerd Reactor. “I was at my grandmother’s house again, and she told me, ‘Hey, you’re going to be young Michael Jackson.’ And I was like, ‘What, really?’ She was like, ‘Yeah.’ I was really excited, but I knew that it was a big responsibility, so I had to focus and work hard on my craft. I started practicing my Michael Jackson voice.”

Michael Jackson is known for his singing and dancing, and Valdi talks about which talent was the hardest.

“Well, I would say dancing, but it’s also his mannerisms,” the actor said.

Portraying Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, is Nia Long (Friday, Are We There Yet?), who serves as the glue to the family.

“I think the feminine energy always has that responsibility, whether it’s conscious or subconscious,” Long said. “It is just part of the journey. But I absolutely had a kinship with my young man who played my child. And obviously, to my leading man, who played my husband. We took care of each other. It’s a reciprocal exchange of energy. And we have a responsibility to support each other to be the best in that moment.”

Colman Domingo plays the controversial father figure, Joe Jackson.

“There have been versions of Joe Jackson portrayed before,” Domingo explained. “If I know anything, I know that sometimes people will take an idea or a trope and let that run wild throughout an experience. And I don’t think that’s the truth for anyone… any human being. It is just not their truth. They act differently in different spaces when they’re conducting business, or they’re at home with their wife or with one of their kids, compared to when they’re with the rest of their kids. And so for me, I wanted to show the different Joe Jacksons in different spaces. You know what I mean?

“He has a bit more vulnerability when he’s with his wife. Even sometimes when he’s just with adult Michael, he can show a different part of himself that he probably wouldn’t show if he were in a stadium with other people around. He’s got to be the top dog. He’s got to be the businessman because other people are watching. I’ll find that humanity in every character. There is. What connects us? And so I feel like it was my job to really look through the lens of Joe Jackson and see how he sees the world and what his actions are and what he’s about.”

About Michael

Synopsis: Michael is the cinematic portrayal of the life and legacy of one of the most influential artists the world has ever known. The film tells the story of Michael Jackson’s life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world. Highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. This is where his story begins.

The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan, and produced by Graham King, John Branca, and John McClain.

It stars Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, Juliano Valdi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Laura Harrier, special appearance by Mike Myers, with Miles Teller, and Colman Domingo.

Michael releases in U.S. theaters on April 24, 2026.

The post The Moment Juliano Valdi Found Out He Was Playing Michael Jackson appeared first on Nerd Reactor.