Ever wondered how Scrabble and Balatro would look combined? Neither did I, but this addictive indie sure pulled it off

We’re nearing the end of 2025, and indies just cannot stop winning. A new form of roguelike is once again here, this time combining Balatro and Scrabble into an incredibly addictive gameplay loop, accompanied by great audio and visuals.

The game in question is Cursed Words, which initially brought to mind Wordle. However, as I would come to discover from the gameplay itself, it’s more akin to Scrabble, as the devs themselves like to point out.

The loop goes something like this: You combine adjacent letters to form words, each word carrying a certain number of points; each round requires you to reach a point threshold, eventually leading you to a boss fight. Clear three bosses to “win” a run, unlocking new characters, letters, buffs (like those Balatro jokers) and so on. It’s super simple but incredibly addictive.

It takes liberal inspiration from Balatro, but combines it with a different kind of game that is far removed from its poker core. We did previously get Clover Pit, which continued down the gambling path paved by Jimbo, introducing a slot machine instead of cards and tables. This time, however, gambling as a whole was transcended, proving the visually striking roguelike loop is more important than the setting.

Combining longer words, especially if they’re buffed by your “jokers,” is immensely satisfying. The sounds, the visual cues, everything is just as it should be: evocative, crisp, creative. A lot of artistry went into the making of this game, and it immediately draws you in with a recognizable art style that stands out from most games of its kind.

It’s genuinely amazing how far indies have come, and how unrelenting they are in the wake of the total corporate AAA gaming collapse that we’ve been witness to over the past few years.

Cursed Words adds itself to the long tally of astounding indies of 2025, even though it’s only got its demo out at the moment (which, by the way, is completely free, while still offering quite a good chunk of gameplay). I can’t wait to get my hands on the full release, which I expect to keep me occupied with its words and letters for a long, long time.

At least until another indie shocks the industry again.

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ARK Survival Ascended‘s Lost Colony DLC has finally been released after a launch delay, and it brings a host of new creatures.

While the list of prehistoric creatures was already vast in the base game, Lost Colony adds to them. This guide will list all the new creatures along with their brief in-game descriptions. As always, I will add to this guide if I come across new names that are part of the DLC but not mentioned here.

Complete list of Lost Colony DLC creatures in ARK Survival Ascended

The theme of the Lost Colony DLC is pretty same as that of the base game. Some of the new creatures are straight from the books of history. Others are mutated monsters that are byproducts of the misuse of technology.

Names	Description
Aureliax	A brand new flying creature, you can use the Aureliax to destroy enemies with gravity effects.
Cryolophosaurus	Deals damage via narcotic sludge, but it can also buff your allies.
Desmodus	The Desmodus uses echolocation to target and damage enemies, and it can be a great option in areas where visibility is low.
Gigadesmodus	This massive creature is an absolute tank and also allows you to place a mobile command center on its back. This is arguably one of the best creatures to find in the Lost Colony expansion.
Gloon	The strange creature fires a laser, and it can make other creatures go into a frenzy and lose self-control.
Gargoyles	Mythical creatures that are made of stone, and they can be extremely dangerous if you aren’t careful.
Malwyn	This is the aggro version of the Veilwuyn, and offers multiple forms of attacks to take down enemies.
Neophytes	Another massive bat-type creature that can absorb a great deal of enemy damage before feeling the effects.
Ossidon	A giant primate that throws sludge balls at enemies. It can deal damage from range.
Revenants	These are corrupted remnants of Thralls and dinosaurs that have been corrupted by the liquid Edmundium.
Solwyn	Similar to Malwyn, it can use ice for different reasons, and can also be used as a mount.
Veilwyn	An Arctic Fox that can teleport (has some other handy uses as well).

Overall, I really love the different creatures that are part of the Lost Colony DLC. Vielwyn is a curious creature that comes in two other forms: Solwyn and Malwyn. There might be more forms that I haven’t discovered yet.

I have always loved gigantic creatures, and it doesn’t get any better than the Gigadesmodus, which is absolutely massive. Taming the beast is a challenge in every sense, and I will have a guide to help you do the same. While I would have loved for the DLC to have more creatures, the different types make up for the lack in quantity.

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