A big welcome back to all Loot Happens subscribers. Loot Happens is a weekly newsletter that is emailed and posted on LootHappens.com.
It's important to note that for premium subscribers, game offerings and in-game content, every week is different. Sometimes it's in-game codes, Steam keys, and giveaways, but premium members will always get something special every mailing. We also occasionally get mind-blowing early access or premium games that pay for an entire year's subscription.
Each newsletter is generally structured as Premium Loot > Free Sub Giveaways > Game Feature > Game discounts.
Key Giveaway For Premium Subscribers: Death Noodle Delivery or Balloon Flight
Death Noodle Delivery throws you into a neon-soaked city where every noodle run is a fight for survival. Ride a hoverboard through collapsing streets, dodging traffic, drones, and bad decisions as speed and precision keep your deliveries intact. Between runs, you’ll hack systems, upgrade your board into a weaponized monster, and uncover unsettling secrets hiding beneath the city’s glitchy surface. Fast, chaotic, and darkly funny, Death Noodle Delivery turns gig work into a lethal rush where trial, error, and explosions are all part of the job.
———OR-------
Balloon Flight
Balloon Flight is a breezy, score-chasing flyer built around playful experimentation. Spawn balloons on the fly, attach them to your glider, and stay airborne as you thread through floating rings that extend your time. Each island adds new challenges, demanding careful control and quick reactions to keep your run alive. With unlockable balloons and ever-higher scores to chase, Balloon Flight turns lighthearted mechanics into a deceptively addictive test of precision.
LaneSplit: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
LaneSplit is built around speed, nerve, and razor-thin margins. The faster you ride and the closer you cut through traffic, the higher your score climbs—until one mistake wipes the run clean. Different weather, traffic density, and modes shift the rhythm, from tense rush-hour dodging to meditative solo rides. With a drum & bass soundtrack that swells as you accelerate, LaneSplit turns momentum into obsession and every clean pass into a small victory.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'split'. We will pick a winner and send over the key in 48 hours
ANTHEM#9: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
ANTHEM#9 is a stylish "Strategic Gem Match" roguelite that blends match-three puzzle mechanics with deep deck-building strategy. Set in a world overseen by a mysterious secret society dedicated to maintaining global balance, players step into the shoes of elite agents—such as the poison-wielding Rubit or the high-rolling Phannie—to "purge" threats through high-speed, combo-driven combat. The core gameplay revolves around matching colored gems to activate specific skill "recipes" within a limited time window, rewarding quick thinking and synergistic deck construction. With its vibrant aesthetic, customizable skill requirements, and challenging endgame content like "Extra Missions," ANTHEM#9 offers a fresh, kinetic take on the roguelite genre that is as cerebral as it is visually explosive.
This game has not been released yet, and therefore the key will not be valid until February 5th.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'split'. We will pick a winner and send over the key in 48 hours
Historically Low Prices
This section of Loot Happens tracks historical discounts on games and across the industry right now! Our tireless web crawlers scour the web daily, sniffing out the best deals across the gaming landscape.
These aren't just any games – they're titles we adore and highly respect. And right now, you can grab them at prices we've never seen before!
Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven [Steam]
Winter descends, and a long-silenced deity stirs beneath the snow.$̶̶20.33 $14.47
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration [Steam]
Explore Croft Manor in the new Blood Ties story.$̶̶35.89 $3.28
Jurassic World Evolution 3 [PS5]
Not everyone wants to see the dinosaurs thrive.$59.99 $47.99
Fable III [Xbox]
Fable III is the next blockbuster instalment in the highly praised Fable franchise.$19.99 $6.59
Dead by Daylight [Xbox]
Choose between playing an unstoppable Killer and one of 4 Survivors.$29.99 $11.99
Featured Game Review: Code Vein 2
Anime-styled soulslikes promise a very specific fantasy: precision combat wrapped in melodrama, where suffering is stylish, and perseverance feels heroic. Code Vein 2 returns to that space with bigger ambitions than its predecessor, expanding into an open world and anchoring its story around time travel and cause-and-effect. On paper, it’s a strong hook—repair a broken present by rewriting pivotal moments of the past. In practice, the result is uneven. Across dozens of hours, Code Vein 2 flirts with greatness, landing a handful of striking ideas and memorable moments, but struggles to sustain momentum in a genre that demands consistency above all else. It’s a sequel that wants to stand taller, yet often trips over its own systems on the climb upward.
A world shaped by time, but not always by impact
The open world of Code Vein 2 exists to reinforce its central theme: history matters. Moving between past and present versions of the same regions gives the world a sense of continuity, and visually, the contrast can be striking. Lush landscapes slowly eroded into barren wastelands communicate loss more effectively than dialogue ever could. Early on, these shifts feel meaningful, grounding the time-travel premise in tangible change rather than abstract lore.
Narratively, however, that promise isn’t always fulfilled. Key story beats are often delivered through vague, dreamlike sequences that sap emotional weight from moments meant to matter. Characters speak in broad strokes, and revelations arrive abruptly, without enough buildup to truly resonate. There are highlights—specific companions and side stories manage to land genuine emotion—but the broader conflict between revenants and humanity remains underdeveloped. By the time the story reaches its conclusion, it gestures toward tragedy and catharsis, yet rarely earns the depth it goes for.
Exploration without curiosity
Structurally, the open world is restrained, which works in its favor. There’s no checklist bloat, and objectives are clearly signposted. You’re rarely overwhelmed, and side content is easy to parse. That said, exploration itself lacks mystery. While landmarks often hide upgrades or stat boosts, there’s little incentive to wander purely out of curiosity. You don’t stumble into surprising dungeons or encounters that reframe your understanding of the world; instead, you methodically move from one purpose-built area to the next.
Traversal adds friction rather than freedom. The motorbike is functional but awkward, invisible barriers interrupt natural movement, and minor falls can result in instant death. These frustrations compound, breaking immersion and reinforcing the sense that the world exists more as a narrative delivery tool than a playground meant to be explored. It serves its purpose—but rarely excites.
Systems with potential, but limited expression
Mechanically, Code Vein 2 offers flexibility through its Blood Code system, allowing players to shift builds without permanent commitment. It’s a smart idea, encouraging experimentation rather than lock-in, and once understood, it becomes one of the game’s strongest RPG elements. Supporting systems like companion summoning, fusion buffs, and Ichor-based abilities add layers to combat that reward varied playstyles.
The issue isn’t the systems themselves—it’s how rarely the game asks you to fully engage with them. Long stretches of repetitive enemies and recycled encounters fail to meaningfully challenge the player, making the deeper mechanics feel optional rather than essential. Side quests that explore timeline shifts and character backstories offer glimpses of what Code Vein 2 could have been if it took more risks more often. Those moments stand out precisely because they break from the game’s otherwise predictable rhythm.
Verdict
Code Vein 2 is a game caught between ambition and execution. Its time-travel premise, flexible RPG systems, and occasional standout encounters show real potential, and there are moments where everything aligns just right. But inconsistency—whether in storytelling, exploration, or combat balance—keeps it from fully capitalizing on its ideas. In a genre that has evolved rapidly since the original Code Vein, this sequel struggles to keep pace, even as it reaches for a broader horizon. For fans invested in its world and concepts, there’s enough here to justify the journey—but it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is a step forward that still doesn’t go far enough.
Next Week
Every newsletter has a lot to look forward to, and we are in active communication with several developers and studios. More to come next week!
The Eighth Inc. c/o LootHappens.com
46 Plains Road
Essex, CT 06426
©2024 Loot Happens | hi@loothappens.com | Privacy Policy | Terms
