What We've Been Playing: Split Fiction's Corrupted Save Redemption, BioEden's Cozy Animal Mating, and Onimusha's Divisive Demo

The weekly ritual of Eurogamer's "What we've been playing" column has long been a space where staff share unvarnished gaming moments, free from hype and editorial curation. This week's edition, published June 20, 2026, delivers an emotional rollercoaster that encapsulates why these dispatches resonate so deeply with readers. Victoria Kennedy concludes a painful save-corruption saga with a triumphant finish of Split Fiction. Robert "Bertie" Purchese discovers the absurd charm of alien animal romance in the upcoming solarpunk sim BioEden (the source of the headline's Barry White quip). And Sherif Saed offers a dissenting voice on Capcom's Onimusha: Way of the Sword demo, a take that sits in notable contrast to more positive buzz elsewhere. Three wildly different experiences, three distinct personalities, and one column that captures the beautiful messiness of what we actually play.

Victoria Kennedy: The Long Road Back to Split Fiction

For regular readers of the column, Victoria's Split Fiction saga has been a running thread of frustration and perseverance. First documented in the May 30 edition, the story began when a corrupted save file erased roughly 80% of her and her husband's progress in Hazelight's co-op masterpiece. To add insult to injury, their TV broke the very next day. "The following day, I kid you not, our TV broke," she wrote at the time, capturing the absurdity of compounding misfortune.

Now, three weeks later, Victoria and her husband have finally crossed the finish line. Replaying that lost content was no small undertaking, but the second journey through Split Fiction offered unexpected rewards. The emotional hits hit differently the second time around, and the co-op experience deepened as they navigated familiar challenges with fresh appreciation for Hazelight's design. It is a testament to the game's quality that replaying 80% of it felt like revisiting an old friend rather than a chore.

Context matters here. Split Fiction launched in March 2025 to massive success, selling 1 million copies in its first 48 hours and reaching 2 million within two weeks. The save-glitch was a rare blemish on an otherwise celebrated co-op hit, and Victoria's story serves as a reminder that even the best games can produce moments of genuine heartbreak. Her eventual victory, however, underscores the resilience of players who refuse to let technical gremlins steal their joy.

Bertie's BioEden: Viva Piñata Meets Terra Nil (With Added "Sexy" Animal Mating)

Bertie's contribution to this week's column is the comic centerpiece, anchored by the headline's irresistible phrase: "And no I don't mean sexy Barry White songs." The quote comes from his bemused explanation of the animal-mating mechanics in BioEden, an upcoming cozy management sim from Italian indie studio Broken Arms Games.

BioEden is described as a solarpunk experience where players restore a barren planet by introducing alien flora and fauna. Think Viva Piñata mixed with Terra Nil's ecological rehabilitation. The team at Broken Arms (just 11 people, previously known for Hundred Days: Winemaking Simulator) has crafted a game where managing animal reproduction is a core loop. Bertie described watching two fluorescent creatures perform a hesitant courtship dance before producing an egg with visible alien DNA patterns, a system he admitted was "weirder and more charming than I expected." Bertie's playful confusion about how that translates to gameplay is exactly the kind of self-deprecating humor that makes the column feel human.

The game is set to launch on September 3, 2026, on Steam (PC), with later releases on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Published by Focus Entertainment, BioEden already has a demo available on Steam as part of the June 2026 Next Fest, giving curious players immediate access. For those who prefer their management sims with a side of alien romance and zero pressure, this one looks promising.

Sherif Saed: Onimusha's Divisive Demo, A Dissenting Voice

Sherif's take on the Onimusha: Way of the Sword demo offers a valuable counterpoint to the early hype surrounding Capcom's revival of the dormant franchise. Shadow-dropped at Summer Game Fest 2026, the demo gave players a first taste of this long-awaited return. Sherif, however, came away unimpressed.

His session clocked in at under 45 minutes, and his criticisms were pointed. The animations felt belabored, with unclear transitions between inputs and on-screen actions. The challenge was minimal, leaving little sense of tension or progression. For a franchise built on precise swordplay and tense encounters, that is a worrying sign.

Yet Sherif's experience is not the whole story. Other outlets have reported more positive impressions. Shacknews praised the swordplay as satisfying, while SteamDeckHQ called it "amazing on Steam Deck." This divergence in early critical reception makes Sherif's dissenting voice all the more interesting. The demo remains available on all platforms' digital storefronts, so curious players can test Sherif's critique firsthand.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is set to launch on September 25, 2026, across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. As a major Capcom revival, its demo reception carries weight. Sherif's honest skepticism provides a valuable reality check for readers weighing whether to pre-order or hold their excitement.

The Beauty of Messy Gaming Moments

What makes this particular trio of experiences so compelling is how they embody the core appeal of the "What we've been playing" series. It is not a curated best-of list or a roundup of the week's biggest releases. It is unfiltered, personality-driven storytelling about the games that happen to occupy staff members' time and minds.

Victoria's saga rewards regular readers who have followed her save-corruption arc across multiple editions. Bertie's bemused discovery of alien animal romance - complete with the Barry White image used as the article's social card - injects humor that transcends the game itself. Sherif's honest skepticism offers a counterweight to hype culture, reminding us that not every demo lives up to expectations.

In a landscape dominated by big-budget marketing cycles and curated previews, these weekly dispatches remind us that gaming is ultimately about individual, messy, and often hilarious moments. A corrupted save file that nearly derails a co-op journey. A management sim where you play matchmaker for alien creatures. A franchise revival that leaves one critic cold while others cheer. This is what "what we've been playing" really means: not a prescribed list, but a genuine snapshot of how different people spend their time with interactive entertainment.

What have you been playing this week? Whether you're resurrecting a corrupted save, playing matchmaker for alien fauna, or wrestling with a divisive demo, your story deserves telling, messy bits and all.