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 - Choose Your Game!
Fallback
Fallback is a roguelite action game set in a collapsed underground world where humanity survives beneath a machine-controlled surface. Players fight their way through procedurally generated 2.5D levels, battling increasingly dangerous robotic enemies while unlocking new skills and gear after each run. With multiple distinct classes and evolving builds, every attempt reshapes how you approach combat, survival, and progression on the path toward escaping the depths.
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Bakery Simulator
Bakery Simulator is a detailed business sim that turns the day-to-day reality of running a bakery into a surprisingly engaging challenge. Players follow authentic recipes, manage ingredient supplies, invest in new equipment, and deliver fresh products to local stores while balancing costs and reputation. Beyond baking bread, croissants, and pastries, the game emphasizes logistics, time management, and business growth, creating a satisfying loop where every successful delivery helps transform a small bakery into a thriving enterprise.
Marathon: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
Marathon is a high-stakes extraction shooter set on the hostile world of Tau Ceti, where every run is a gamble between profit and survival. Playing as a cybernetic Runner, you venture into dangerous zones to gather valuable loot, complete contracts, and uncover the mysteries of a lost colony while battling both AI threats and rival players. Flexible loadouts, unique character abilities, and seasonal progression allow for a wide range of playstyles, from stealthy scavengers to aggressive frontline fighters. Whether tackling the battlefield solo or with a squad, Marathon revolves around tense risk-versus-reward decisions where one successful extraction can change everything.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'marathon'. We will pick a winner and send over the key in 48 hours
Romestead: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
Romestead blends survival crafting, city building, and Roman mythology into a cooperative adventure where rebuilding civilization is just as important as surviving the undead. By day, you gather resources, recruit settlers, expand towns, and restore trade networks across a procedurally generated world; by night, hordes of the dead emerge to test your defenses. With support for up to eight players, divine upgrades tied to forgotten gods, and a steady progression from humble camp to thriving empire, Romestead offers a satisfying mix of action, automation, and settlement management.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'romestead'. We will pick a winner and send over the key in 48 hours
Historically Low Prices
This section of Loot Happens currently tracks historical discounts on games and throughout the industry. 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.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows [PS5]
Master the deepest stealth mechanisms of the series.$69.99 $34.99
Spiritfarer [Nintendo Switch]
Spiritfarer is a cozy management game about dying.$29.99 $2.99
Balatro [Nintendo Switch 2]
Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelike deck builder.$14.99 $12.74
Is This Seat Taken? [Nintendo Switch]
Play seating matchmaker to please picky characters and solve satisfying puzzles.$9.99 $6.99
Featured Game Review: Mina the Hollower
Mina the Hollower feels like a game pulled from an alternate timeline where the Game Boy Color era never ended, but developers kept finding new ways to push its ideas forward. Created by the team behind Shovel Knight, this gothic action-adventure blends retro aesthetics with modern design, sending players into a cursed world filled with monsters, buried secrets, and sprawling interconnected environments. It immediately captures the charm of classic handheld adventures, yet beneath its nostalgic presentation lies a surprisingly ambitious game that constantly rewards curiosity. While a few rough edges occasionally slow its momentum, Mina the Hollower succeeds by understanding exactly what made old-school adventures memorable and finding clever ways to make those ideas feel fresh again.
A retro adventure with modern confidence
The star of the show is Mina herself, a whip-wielding Hollower capable of burrowing beneath the ground to avoid danger, solve puzzles, and uncover hidden paths. That simple mechanic transforms exploration from the very beginning. Instead of merely moving through environments, you're constantly looking for opportunities to tunnel under obstacles, bypass enemies, or discover secrets tucked away beneath the surface. The world feels dense with possibilities, rewarding experimentation in a way many modern action-adventure games struggle to replicate.
Combat also strikes an impressive balance between accessibility and challenge. Mina's whip gives battles a deliberate rhythm, while secondary weapons and upgrades allow for different approaches to encounters. Boss fights are especially memorable, demanding careful observation rather than mindless aggression. Combined with atmospheric pixel art, haunting music, and a wonderfully eerie gothic setting, the game creates a strong sense of identity that extends far beyond simple nostalgia
Exploration remains the true highlight
What elevates Mina the Hollower above many retro-inspired projects is the way its world continuously expands. New abilities unlock shortcuts, hidden areas, and optional challenges that encourage revisiting earlier locations. The interconnected map evokes classic adventure games without becoming frustratingly obscure, creating a satisfying loop of discovery and progression. Every new area introduces fresh enemies, environmental hazards, and mysteries that make exploration consistently rewarding.
That said, the game occasionally leans a little too heavily on its old-school inspirations. Some stretches involve backtracking that can feel repetitive, and a few combat encounters rely more on patience than excitement. Difficulty spikes can also catch players off guard, particularly during later boss fights. Yet these frustrations rarely overshadow the overall experience because the game constantly offers another secret to uncover, another path to investigate, or another piece of its fascinating world to unravel.
Bottom Line
Mina the Hollower is a confident blend of retro design and modern craftsmanship that understands nostalgia is most effective when paired with strong new ideas. Its burrowing mechanics, rewarding exploration, and atmospheric world make it one of the most compelling action-adventure games in recent years. A handful of old-school frustrations remain, but they do little to diminish the journey's consistent encouragement of curiosity and discovery. For players who love classic adventure games with a fresh twist, Mina the Hollower digs up something genuinely special
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!
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