I'm technically on holiday today, but the crossword cannot stop for anything, so here's another entry in our weekly puzzler.

Don't worry, it's all been prepped ahead of time, so I'm not spending my break coming up with clues. Expect another mix of recent news and general tech trivia in this week's puzzle, which I hope will add a brief bit of fun to your Friday as you challenge for the top of the leaderboard.

Right, I'm off to the coast to enjoy this last bit of sun we're likely to get here in the UK before autumn/fall truly sets in. I'll probably end up doing a crossword or two!

• The Game Bakers' creative director says he wants people to "remember our games forever"
• It means the team may take risky or polarizing decisions, but it's worth it to build a passionate audience
• It's paid off with games like Cairn, which has achieved excellent reviews and award recognition, and is about to release its first DLC

It’s a joke, obviously, but given the catalog of titles released by The Game Bakers so far, part of me believes creative director Emeric Thoa when he tells me that “there’s a chance our next game is an MMO match-3 about friendship.”

It’s a testament to the team’s creativity and versatility that I could see something like this sitting alongside the frenetic boss rush Furi, charming co-op RPG Haven, and the captivating climbing adventure Cairn.

“We always make games with the goal of creating a very memorable experience. All our efforts, our ideas, our choices are made so that people will remember our games forever,” explains Thoa.

Cairn definitely stuck in the mind, as you took on a gruelling and demanding ascent up the enormous Mt. Kami with professional climber Aava. It may have mixed in some quiet moments of exploration and an engaging story, but it was almost exclusively about climbing a big mountain.

Thoa appreciates that, as with other The Game Bakers titles, taking this approach to follow and explore a single idea to its fullest in service of creating something impactful can be a big risk.

“This sometimes leads to polarizing design choices, but we’d rather be loved passionately by 10 people than be just appreciated by a hundred,” says Thoa.

It’s paid off with the excellent reception to Cairn, including a four-star review from me. Thoa is also pleased that critics and players responded well to the game, with various high scores and award recognition.

“I should feel extremely happy and grateful, but the truth is that if the response had not been very positive, I would be broken right now. So, I feel not-so-broken, and that’s pretty good. I’m especially proud that people eventually appreciated the innovation and risk-taking in Cairn.”

So with that mindset in place, what is genuinely next for The Game Bakers? Well, there’s the first part of the On the Trail DLC for Cairn coming on October 29, which I went hands-on with at Gamescom. After that, Thoa doesn’t have too much to reveal: “It’s too soon to tell, and I’m not even sure myself.”

Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be fascinating.

Playing the upcoming Cairn: On the Trail DLC with one of its creators looking over my shoulder was incredibly humbling. It had been months since I’d completed my gruelling ascent of Mt. Kami, and my skills were more than a little rusty. When Aava slipped and plummeted into the sea for the fifth time in less than 20 minutes, I was worried they’d lean over, close the laptop, and walk away shaking their head in disgust.

Luckily, I was allowed to play on, and slowly but surely I (quite literally) found my feet, more confidently and successfully finding the handholds and footholds to make progress on one of the three new challenges found in this first piece of free DLC for the excellent climbing adventure.

The one I was currently dramatically failing at features a piton-shaped rock in the middle of the ocean. You start on a wooden path surrounding this peculiar natural structure, before falling into a familiar pattern where you’re scoping out the potential routes to find a good place to climb it. It’s immediately clear, though, that these DLC environments are even more experimental than what we saw in the main game.

Rising up

“On the Trail is pretty much built on ideas and desires we had but decided not to put on Kami for the sake of consistency,” explains Emeric Thoa, creative director of Cairn.

“Because Kami is a very coherent experience, as you climb a single immense mountain, we wanted the On the Trail DLC to explore more variety in the climbing fantasy.”

That breaks down as follows. This first is the level I’m playing now, with its tough climb up a unique structure. There’s also one set in a climbing gym full of more technically demanding challenges and one on a small island featuring various perilous overhangs over the sea.

You can also now play as Marco, who is less flexible than Aava, but he has a longer reach, stronger arms, and a new climbot model.

Whoever you pick, none of the new stages sound very easy, even for veterans who have successfully reached the top of Kami.

“It’s aimed at people who finished the main game, but it’s not especially difficult,” Thoa assures me. “It’s not like you must have finished in free solo mode with zero falls playing with a Guitar Hero controller. But I would definitely recommend playing the main game before starting On the Trail.”

I would, too, considering I scored it four stars and called it ‘an extremely good and beautifully made climbing game’ in our Cairn review.

And while it was the determination to complete the climb and the satisfaction of achieving it that was a main draw of Cairn, it was also the atmosphere that was one of its strongest points.

As you ascend, you learn more not only about Aava as a character, but also about the civilization that used to live on the mountain and some of its secrets. These neat asides are a wonderful break from the intensity of the rest of the game.

“We definitely tried to keep that exploration and treasure hunt vibe that Kami offers,” confirms Thoa. “It’s a bit different as the climbing spots are smaller. So, for instance, we added an energy mechanic to replace the survival elements.

“Instead of risking your life in a huge ascent over several days, you tackle a one-day challenge, and you have to manage your fatigue and resources in order to climb the spot before getting too tired. But that’s also where exploring becomes useful, as you can find items to get you back on your feet.”

I found I needed them too, as a useful way to restock key resources such as chalk and energy to make these tougher climbs more achievable. It still didn’t prevent me from repeated failures, but I felt that same rush of stubbornness and perseverance that gripped me in the original game coming back. It’s a feeling Thoa wants players to feel when they return to Cairn.

“They should first experience the bittersweet nostalgia of coming back to the unique experience of Cairn, and then they should quite soon after find out that it’s still a game that makes your hands sweat! The thrill should still be there.”

I definitely felt it even in the short demo I had. Truth is, I’ve been keen to return to the game since the DLC was first announced, and even though a delay has meant I’ve had to wait a little longer, The Game Bakers recently confirmed that Cairn: On the Trail - Deep Water will launch on October 29 on PC and PS5.

It’s been eight years since I last played a match in Heroes of the Storm.

For the majority of my late twenties, though, it was the MOBA my group of friends and I played night after night. Sure, everyone else was on League of Legends or Dota 2 as they were deemed to be the superior games in the genre, but we enjoyed our home in Blizzard’s crossover brawler, battling away as iconic faces such as Thrall, Jim Raynor, Tracer, and Diablo himself.

I fondly remember the nights spent playing HOTS, and our group would regularly reminisce about the hours we spent together on the game. We’d retell the same stories of the incredible plays and frustrating losses that we would experience every session — and never tire of joking about all the times someone would overextend in mid lane.

However, in that time between my last game and now, and following Blizzard’s decision to put the game into maintenance mode in July 2022, I had fully moved on.

But suddenly, that all changed. At this year’s BlizzCon, the opening keynote presentation kicked off with a surprise that no one could have anticipated. Heroes of the Storm is getting a new hero: Xal’atath, the Harbinger of the Void.

Cue a flurry of messages in the group chat, a Robin Williams ‘what year is it?’ gif, and exclamations of “we’re so back.” The game’s subreddit, a near-dormant sanctuary for players still fighting away in the Nexus, exploded back to life as well. The passion and excitement were reactivated in an instant — and I felt the same too.

A surprise return

Naturally, I had to reinstall the game, and over the past week I’ve dived in for a couple of hours nearly every night. I’ve amazed myself at how quickly I’ve picked it up again and how much I’ve remembered about each map, hero, and the flow of a game. It’s felt so good to be back, and it’s reminded me why I think it’s such an unsung hero in the MOBA genre.

See, Heroes of the Storm strips out a lot of the more, let’s say, hardcore aspects that were found in a lot of the top MOBAs of the time.

There’s no last-hitting creeps to get extra resources, no shop at which to spend gold to build your character, experience is shared team-wide to (theoretically) keep everyone on a level playing field, and there are generally fewer secondary features to think about during a match.

That led to some thinking that Heroes of the Storm is a ‘dumbing-down’ of the MOBA, but I’d argue that the game isn’t lacking in complexity.

One way is with the talents that are earned as you level. These allow you to build your character in a chosen way, adapting your strategy to your strengths and countering the team composition you’re facing.

Surprising depth

The main gimmick, though, is that rather than playing in a single arena over and over again, HOTS offers several maps that feature different main objectives. These require you to prepare and be ready for those moments when you need to defend an area, escort a payload, or gather scattered resources.

Achieving these gives you a temporary boon that works towards destroying your opponent’s home base, or Nexus. That might be a giant bone golem that lays siege to any structures in its path, or a barrage of missiles that directly attack buildings. At one point, a player could take control of a massive plant abomination to root enemies in place and smash up the other team’s defences.

These objectives add dynamism and give players a direction to move towards at regular intervals throughout a match. They also encourage more teamfighting, which I find is the most exciting and enjoyable part of any MOBA, where positioning and smart engagements are rewarded over repeatedly clicking on a creep at just the right time to build a pot of gold.

While I can appreciate there’s a skill to farming creeps efficiently in the opening phases of a Dota 2 or League of Legends game, I’d rather not be spending my time doing that. I’m also not a huge fan of the downtime in those games, going back to buy items and fiddling around in menus to buy a bigger sword or stock up on wards that you scatter across the map to give vision.

In comparison, Heroes of the Storm is a game of near-constant action, with matches that generally last a glorious 20 minutes or so. Sometimes shorter if you go on a tear, and sometimes longer if things are tight, but rarely too long that it starts to feel like a slog — especially in those painful situations where you can see the writing’s on the wall in the first 15 minutes.

This is all before I’ve even dug into the roster, which is a joy for any Blizzard fans and anyone who loves to have a diverse range of fighting styles at their fingertips.

As well as its satisfying selection of tanks, assassins, brawlers, and supports to master from across WarCraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and more, Heroes of the Storm has fun experimenting with all sorts of characters.

Abathur is a classic: a creature of the Zerg who hides in the backlines, but can assimilate with other players anywhere on the map to provide support. There’s Cho’Gall: a two-headed ogre who has its movement controlled by one player and abilities controlled by another — cue chaotic attempts to work together. And there’s the Blizzard deep cut, The Lost Vikings, who challenge you to control three different characters at once, almost bringing the stress of a full RTS experience to the game.

It’s these new and fascinating ideas in its map and hero design, as well as a focus on the more thrilling aspects of a MOBA, that make me think Heroes of the Storm has always been such an underrated gem.

I’m hoping this new spotlight on the game not only brings back a lot of old fans like me, but also introduces it to an entirely new audience so Blizzard sees reason to release heroes and updates in the future.

We dropped a five-star review of the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max this week, so it's a good time if you're an Apple fan and are looking to upgrade to a new device. As exciting as those phones might be, though, it feels like all eyes are on the iPhone Duo, as we enter an era where foldable phones might actually be quite good now.

You know what all of that extra screen real estate will be good for as well? Crosswords! A seamless segue.

• England and Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer was temporarily banned on Twitch this week
• He was streaming the upcoming EA Sports FC 27 ahead of an agreed embargo
• He responded in a light-hearted manner on Instagram, asking the streaming service to “unban me pls."

Cole Palmer, everyone’s favorite straight-talking Chelsea and England midfielder who loves his chippy-chips and a basic builder’s tea, took to Twitch earlier this week to livestream the upcoming EA Sports FC 27. There was just one problem: he wasn’t supposed to be showing off the game this early and was given a temporary ban by the platform.

As spotted by ESPN, Palmer was given early access to the upcoming football sim and decided to livestream it on Tuesday afternoon to a fairly significant audience. However, he was supposed to wait until after an official EA Sports showcase took place later that evening.

After an EA rep popped up in the chat to remind Palmer, the stream ended, and his Twitch account page was updated to show that it had been suspended.

In response to the gaffe, Palmer characteristically posted on Instagram that, ”I was only giving the people what they wanted.” He followed that up with a simple request: “unban me pls.”

Genuine mistake or not, any potential leniency from EA probably wasn’t forthcoming after he started complaining about his rating in-game during the untimely stream. EA Sports FC 27 has given Palmer an overall score of 85 out of 99 in the latest edition. He was 87 in the previous entry.

"I need a word with EA. They took two ratings off me," Palmer said during the stream.

In fairness, he did call out that he spent a lot of last year out with various injuries, which he joked had effectively left him with “one leg for 10 months last season.”

His ego also took another small knock when he saw that long-time friend and Chelsea teammate Morgan Rodgers had been given a pace score of 76. Palmer's pace rating is listed at 75. Savage.

Fortunately, his account has now been reinstated, and he’s already been back streaming as if nothing had happened, bringing an end to another hilarious aside in the footballer’s career that's already been full of meme-worthy moments. This one is my new favorite.

EA Sports FC 27 officially launches on September 25, with early access starting September 18 for those who pre-ordered the Ultimate and Ultimate Plus editions.

When I first saw the IKEA x Xbox collaboration at this year's Gamescom, I was struck by two conflicting ideas.

With its multi-functional side table, TV stand, and decorative controller box, this is some smartly made furniture with some genuinely helpful uses. Then, with a thumbstick stool and a D-pad cushion, it's also one of the silliest things I've seen.

Taken as a whole, you can see it's a mix of the playful and the practical. After I spoke to designers at both IKEA and Xbox at the show, it turns out that was the point all along.

"That was present throughout the journey because it's important," explained Philip Dilé, product developer for IKEA of Sweden. "Playing games is playful; it is fun. Solving people's needs connected to that can be very functional and practical. We tried to balance that, for sure.

"We wanted to make things that are relevant for people who play games. Something that reflects you, or that you feel allows you to express yourself...but the object itself is a beautiful piece of home furnishing."

It's a philosophy echoed by Carl Ledbetter, partner head of design at Xbox: "Just like when we design a console, it can be as quiet as people want it. They can put it back and let it recede into their environment. Or they can pull it forward and have it be very expressive. And I think some of those same qualities are in these products in the YXSTABY collection."

Ledbetter used the controller display box and the TV stand as examples of this. With the former, it's ideal for enthusiast gamers who like to collect controllers and show off their favorite designs in a dedicated gaming space. Meanwhile, with the latter, it serves a "dual life" — whether it's sitting in the corner while you're watching shows and movies, or wheeled front and centre for an intense gaming session.

"That was a big part of our philosophy: how do we make products that can adapt to how people want to use them? Either be as expressive as possible, or just be part of your world," summarised Ledbetter.

You can see that approach clearly in all of the more practical products from the collection.

Take the side table. Closed up and next to your sofa, it could be mistaken for another piece of clean and minimalist furniture you'd find in IKEA. Open up the sliding doors on the front, though, and inside there's space specifically designed to store controllers, headsets, and battery packs — plus the all-important cable management and power connectivity options you need to keep your tech charged between sessions.

"This came up time and time again: cable management, charging stuff — where do you put it when you're done? People don't want it all over the place," said Ledbetter.

And Dilé agreed: "We looked at it from the perspective of: what does gaming throughout the home look like? Because, of course, people play at their desks, in the living room, on the couch. In so many different ways. For us, it was important to cater for a lot of these different needs.

"And there's one never-ending challenge working for IKEA: cable management. It always comes up over and over again. I think it's a very real frustration for people.

"Take the TV stand, for example. Yeah, you need to have the console there; you need to have somewhere to charge the controllers, somewhere to put a headset. That was one of the benefits of working together with someone like Xbox that knows gaming, and the hardware, and the players. That made the brief really, really clear."

And even though designing for gamers was a big part of their brief, both teams were also well aware that they wanted products that a non-gamer would be happy to live in their home. This meant offering something that wasn't bedazzled with RGB lighting and garish colors.

"You need to cater for gamers, but also for non-gamers or people who are living with gamers, or people who want to have the functionality but still want to have a nice home," said Dilé.

"[We wanted to create] things that maybe your spouse or the people you live with also want to put in your home. These aren't just things that you accept because of your hobby. That was an important balance for us.

"There are so many people who play games, so it’s incredibly diverse. We really wanted to showcase that you can have that [gaming] experience and still have beautiful products that blend into your home to create a nice environment that you want to live in."

That led Ledbetter to reminisce about the first meeting between both parties, where they both discovered they shared very similar design philosophies and were keen to get both of their respective design teams together to bounce around ideas.

The result is this YXSTABY collection — nine products encompassing everything from stools, seats and cushions, to TV stands, storage and display cases — set to launch in October later this year. A weird and wonderful mix of items that speak to both the fun side of gaming and the practical needs in the home.

Ledbetter summed up his hopes for the collection as follows: "Think about it: we create these controllers, and we sell millions of controllers, but we're not in charge of the controller’s home. We make the controller, and then where does it go? We don’t know. So, now, there's this opportunity between IKEA and Xbox to build that home. It felt like a completion of that journey."