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!
Lily in Puzzle World
Lily in Puzzle World is a charming 2D platformer that combines simple jumping mechanics with clever, single-screen puzzles. Players guide the cheerful Lily through a hand-drawn sketchbook world filled with hazards, switches and increasingly challenging obstacles, with the goal of reaching the exit door in each stage. Its colorful details, forgiving instant respawns and gradually increasing difficulty make it an enjoyable, accessible game for players who prefer relaxed puzzle-solving with a touch of platforming action.
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XEL
XEL is a 3D sci-fi fantasy action-adventure that follows Reid, a young woman who becomes stranded in a mysterious world with no memory of her past. Armed with a sword, shield and an expanding collection of gadgets, players explore colorful environments, battle dangerous enemies, navigate challenging dungeons and solve puzzles involving time and space. With its Zelda-inspired gameplay, imaginative setting and story centered on uncovering Reid’s connection to XEL, the game offers a blend of exploration, combat and puzzle-solving.
Corsair Cove: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
Corsair Cove is a colorful pirate-themed city-building game in which players transform a small shanty settlement into a thriving criminal kingdom. By constructing buildings vertically along the cliffs of Skull Rock, managing resources and recruiting crews, players can expand their hideout while sending ships on treasure hunts, trading missions and battles against the Crown. Its lively presentation, unusual vertical-building mechanics and mix of colony management and high-seas adventure give the traditional city-builder formula a playful pirate twist.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'Argh'. We will pick a winner and send over the key in 48 hours
BeastFolk Barber: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
Beastfolk Barber is a charming narrative-driven simulation where you run a small barbershop in a fantasy city populated by beastfolk, combining hairstyling with meaningful conversations and personal stories. As customers return, you learn about their relationships, workplace struggles, identities, and hopes, while your haircut choices influence their individual storylines, your earnings, and the direction of the larger plot. The story takes a supernatural turn when a demon offers to grant you one wish in exchange for the perfect haircut, sending you on a journey involving resource gathering, difficult decisions, and a mysterious mirror that previews hairstyles. With atmospheric pixel graphics, choice-based storytelling, and multiple possible outcomes, the game appears designed to offer a relaxing yet emotional experience where every haircut can reveal something deeper about the person sitting in the chair. We have one key for early access.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'beast'. We will pick a winner and send over the key in 48 hours
ARC Raiders: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
ARC Raiders is a third-person multiplayer extraction adventure set on a devastated future Earth dominated by deadly machines known as ARC. Playing alone or alongside a team, players leave the underground settlement of Speranza to explore the dangerous surface, battle mechanical enemies and rival Raiders, and gather valuable resources before attempting to escape safely. Recovered materials can be used to craft, repair and upgrade equipment, creating a tense cycle of preparation, exploration and survival in a beautifully atmospheric post-apocalyptic world.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'arc'. 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!
Sea of Thieves: 2026 Premium Edition [PS5]
Plundering lost treasures, intense battles$59.99 $20.99
Featured Game Review: Kill The Shadow
Kill the Shadow is an ambitious detective RPG that blends supernatural mystery, role-playing choices, and noir-inspired storytelling into a distinctive experience. Players control Lucas, a former police officer investigating a series of strange cases throughout the divided Dark Tide City. Accompanying him is a mysterious creature known as the Shadow, which can examine memories and reconstruct the final moments of the dead. This ability gives each investigation an eerie atmosphere while creating some genuinely intriguing crime-scene puzzles.
Choose Your Path
The game’s greatest strength is the amount of freedom it gives players when approaching an investigation. Lucas can develop his Strength, Spirit, and Charm abilities, allowing him to persuade witnesses, bribe suspects, manipulate conversations, or resort to violence. Evidence must be gathered and connected through a deduction system, but the conclusions reached—and the methods used to reach them—can alter characters’ lives and eventually lead to different endings. This makes solving a case feel less like finding one predetermined answer and more like deciding what version of justice Lucas is willing to accept.
Visually, Kill the Shadow stands apart through its unusual combination of detailed 3D environments and expressive 2D pixel-art characters. Dark Tide City is filled with memorable locations, from rusting industrial ruins and muddy waterfront settlements to crowded neighborhoods illuminated by neon lights. The contrast between the retro characters and modern environments initially feels unusual, but it quickly becomes part of the game’s identity. A colorful supporting cast and frequent moments of dark humor also prevent the grim storyline from becoming relentlessly bleak.
Bottom Line
The dialogue-heavy structure and slower investigative pacing may not appeal to players looking for constant action, and some may find the large number of clues, characters, and branching decisions overwhelming. However, those who enjoy narrative RPGs, detective mysteries, and choice-driven adventures will find plenty to appreciate. With its compelling supernatural mechanic, stylish presentation, and willingness to let players solve problems through intelligence, charm, intimidation, or brute force, Kill the Shadow is a creative and atmospheric mystery that rewards curiosity and experimentation.
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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