Christopher Searle
@darkrula.bsky.social
Creator of home.darkrulamedia.uk | Articles | Stories | Photography
Core franchises: Star Wars | Sonic the Hedgehog | Pokémon | Power Rangers
Core franchises: Star Wars | Sonic the Hedgehog | Pokémon | Power Rangers
Xbox have shown a deep dive into four games with the latest Developer Direct, with some grand worlds for players to explore. Here, I talk of all four games shown off in the showcase. Naturally, it should be no surprise which game had me most hyped.
Grand Worlds Revealed At The 2026 Developer Direct - DarkRula Media
The latest Developer Direct of Xbox revealed some grand worlds for players to explore across the year. This is my look at the games of the event.
home.darkrulamedia.uk
January 22, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Xbox have shown a deep dive into four games with the latest Developer Direct, with some grand worlds for players to explore. Here, I talk of all four games shown off in the showcase. Naturally, it should be no surprise which game had me most hyped.
Hell yes! This is looking to be a great one. Coruscant intrigue, lightsaber action, and just so. Much. Maul. And what a bonus that it premieres in Star Wars Month. One more article during that event month. It's looking a good month.
Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord | Official Teaser Trailer | Streaming April 6 on Disney+
YouTube video by Star Wars
www.youtube.com
January 22, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Hell yes! This is looking to be a great one. Coruscant intrigue, lightsaber action, and just so. Much. Maul. And what a bonus that it premieres in Star Wars Month. One more article during that event month. It's looking a good month.
Reposted by Christopher Searle
🚨GO KART ISLAND IS OUT NOW ON SWITCH!🚨
An open-world, story based kart racer comes to Nintendo Switch! WITH A COW! 🐮🏁
Grab a copy NOW with 20% off! 🥳
$7.99 / €7.19 / £6.39
🇺🇸 tinyurl.com/564pkrdj
🇬🇧 tinyurl.com/54ryafjw
#indiegames #indiegaming #indiedev #gamedev #indiegamedev #nintendo #switch
An open-world, story based kart racer comes to Nintendo Switch! WITH A COW! 🐮🏁
Grab a copy NOW with 20% off! 🥳
$7.99 / €7.19 / £6.39
🇺🇸 tinyurl.com/564pkrdj
🇬🇧 tinyurl.com/54ryafjw
#indiegames #indiegaming #indiedev #gamedev #indiegamedev #nintendo #switch
January 9, 2026 at 2:05 PM
🚨GO KART ISLAND IS OUT NOW ON SWITCH!🚨
An open-world, story based kart racer comes to Nintendo Switch! WITH A COW! 🐮🏁
Grab a copy NOW with 20% off! 🥳
$7.99 / €7.19 / £6.39
🇺🇸 tinyurl.com/564pkrdj
🇬🇧 tinyurl.com/54ryafjw
#indiegames #indiegaming #indiedev #gamedev #indiegamedev #nintendo #switch
An open-world, story based kart racer comes to Nintendo Switch! WITH A COW! 🐮🏁
Grab a copy NOW with 20% off! 🥳
$7.99 / €7.19 / £6.39
🇺🇸 tinyurl.com/564pkrdj
🇬🇧 tinyurl.com/54ryafjw
#indiegames #indiegaming #indiedev #gamedev #indiegamedev #nintendo #switch
First seeing this during its release on Steam last year, it is now also available on Steam. So, in giving Go Kart Island a drive, I fell in love with the variety and humour it offers. It's an easy recommended one, with my experiences showing why.
An Enjoyable Roam Around Go Kart Island - DarkRula Media
The first game I'm offering thoughts on this year, Go Kart Island is a delightful one. Plenty of humour in its interactions being just one reason.
home.darkrulamedia.uk
January 18, 2026 at 11:12 AM
First seeing this during its release on Steam last year, it is now also available on Steam. So, in giving Go Kart Island a drive, I fell in love with the variety and humour it offers. It's an easy recommended one, with my experiences showing why.
It's a new year, and a time for hoping for new things. And one of the things I hope for is new additions to #MarioKartWorld. And one wish that I hope for is an adventure mode to provide a new way to explore this open world. So take a read of my latest concept article.
Adventures in a Mario Kart World - DarkRula Media
When the open world of Mario Kart World was first revealed, I hoped for a grand adventure across it. This article reveals one such adventure.
home.darkrulamedia.uk
January 15, 2026 at 4:15 PM
It's a new year, and a time for hoping for new things. And one of the things I hope for is new additions to #MarioKartWorld. And one wish that I hope for is an adventure mode to provide a new way to explore this open world. So take a read of my latest concept article.
I've not really followed the Truck Driver franchise since finding out Soedesco were working on a second game. And now I find out there's a third that has already been released! Well, I think it's time to dive back into the franchise. Soon.
Buy Truck Driver: The Dutch Connection | Xbox
Hit the European road in Truck Driver®: The Dutch Connection! Set in a reimagined Netherlands in 2027, AI and automation are changing the trucking world. Join Lucas and Felix as they face new challeng...
www.xbox.com
January 15, 2026 at 12:21 PM
I've not really followed the Truck Driver franchise since finding out Soedesco were working on a second game. And now I find out there's a third that has already been released! Well, I think it's time to dive back into the franchise. Soon.
April for DarkRula Media is Star Wars Month, and with photography now being a part of the label, I want to feature some great Star Wars cosplay as part of the month! If you want to be part of the month, contact me and we can discuss the details.
#starwarscosplay #ukphotographer
#starwarscosplay #ukphotographer
January 14, 2026 at 4:11 PM
April for DarkRula Media is Star Wars Month, and with photography now being a part of the label, I want to feature some great Star Wars cosplay as part of the month! If you want to be part of the month, contact me and we can discuss the details.
#starwarscosplay #ukphotographer
#starwarscosplay #ukphotographer
If the date here is true, I'm one out of two on release month guesses for the games showing up at the Developer Direct. As a reminder, I've said Forza in May. Fable in April. And I'm adding one for Beast of Reincarnation, which I suspect will be February.
Forza Horizon 6's release date may have been revealed early by an in-game ad.
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/forza-h...
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/forza-h...
Forza Horizon 6’s release date may have been revealed early by an in-game ad | VGC
An Xbox Developer Direct is set to show the game in action next week…
www.videogameschronicle.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:09 PM
If the date here is true, I'm one out of two on release month guesses for the games showing up at the Developer Direct. As a reminder, I've said Forza in May. Fable in April. And I'm adding one for Beast of Reincarnation, which I suspect will be February.
And so the LEGO Pokémon sets are revealed, ready for release on Pokémon Day. Damn do they look great. And fortunately Eevee - the one I couldn't resist - is the cheapest. I would absolutely love the other two if I had the room for them.
January 12, 2026 at 3:23 PM
And so the LEGO Pokémon sets are revealed, ready for release on Pokémon Day. Damn do they look great. And fortunately Eevee - the one I couldn't resist - is the cheapest. I would absolutely love the other two if I had the room for them.
All these barely above 0C temps can get lost, honestly. Yes, it's fun to see snow on the ground, but I can't be dealing with sudden breathing constrictions every time I want to go outside. And sometimes even when inside.
January 10, 2026 at 12:09 PM
All these barely above 0C temps can get lost, honestly. Yes, it's fun to see snow on the ground, but I can't be dealing with sudden breathing constrictions every time I want to go outside. And sometimes even when inside.
Tracking playtime is something I enjoy doing. I don't place too much importance on it, but it is nice to see the trends that develop. The games I get invested in across a year. So for 2025, I went a bit deeper. Using Exophase and a spreadsheet to track by month. Now, I'm revealing highlights here.
The Fun World of Playtime Stats - DarkRula Media
One of the things I've always found interesting is tracking playtime. In 2025, I started doing so by month. Here, I talk in brief of the results.
home.darkrulamedia.uk
January 9, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Tracking playtime is something I enjoy doing. I don't place too much importance on it, but it is nice to see the trends that develop. The games I get invested in across a year. So for 2025, I went a bit deeper. Using Exophase and a spreadsheet to track by month. Now, I'm revealing highlights here.
And so Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake is complete. A good time, for sure. Though only having one party member to use for the entire story does make things more difficult than it feels it needs to be. Especially coming up against the final few bosses. Thank you Dracky Mode + Invincibilty.
January 6, 2026 at 9:49 PM
And so Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake is complete. A good time, for sure. Though only having one party member to use for the entire story does make things more difficult than it feels it needs to be. Especially coming up against the final few bosses. Thank you Dracky Mode + Invincibilty.
Well, it's time to start looking ahead at what the year can bring now it's 2026. So, here's two articles where I look at all the games, TV and films I'm waiting for across 2026.
TV & Film- home.darkrulamedia.uk/tv-film/the-...
Gaming - home.darkrulamedia.uk/gaming/the-g...
TV & Film- home.darkrulamedia.uk/tv-film/the-...
Gaming - home.darkrulamedia.uk/gaming/the-g...
January 3, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Well, it's time to start looking ahead at what the year can bring now it's 2026. So, here's two articles where I look at all the games, TV and films I'm waiting for across 2026.
TV & Film- home.darkrulamedia.uk/tv-film/the-...
Gaming - home.darkrulamedia.uk/gaming/the-g...
TV & Film- home.darkrulamedia.uk/tv-film/the-...
Gaming - home.darkrulamedia.uk/gaming/the-g...
Because it's on Gold again, I've just had a weird thought. GTA: Miami Twice. A retelling of the Only Fools and Horses episode within GTA: Vice City. Not sure exactly how it'd work, but it would be funny to see exist.
January 3, 2026 at 10:34 AM
Because it's on Gold again, I've just had a weird thought. GTA: Miami Twice. A retelling of the Only Fools and Horses episode within GTA: Vice City. Not sure exactly how it'd work, but it would be funny to see exist.
While I don't normally post the monthly updates to socials, this one is a bit different. As this year is the start of a new era for DarkRula Media. As such, this monthly update goes through the changes seen as part of that, as seen with the new landing page.
home.darkrulamedia.uk/update-archi...
home.darkrulamedia.uk/update-archi...
January 1, 2026 at 11:16 AM
While I don't normally post the monthly updates to socials, this one is a bit different. As this year is the start of a new era for DarkRula Media. As such, this monthly update goes through the changes seen as part of that, as seen with the new landing page.
home.darkrulamedia.uk/update-archi...
home.darkrulamedia.uk/update-archi...
Happy New Year, all! Yes, I'm a bit late with it, but I've been working on getting the changes to my site done. Ready to welcome in 2026 with the start of the fifth era of DarkRula Media. More details to come with the monthly update I'll be getting up sometime today.
January 1, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Happy New Year, all! Yes, I'm a bit late with it, but I've been working on getting the changes to my site done. Ready to welcome in 2026 with the start of the fifth era of DarkRula Media. More details to come with the monthly update I'll be getting up sometime today.
For years, I have tracked playtime on both Xbox and Switch per year. Since starting to use Exophase last yar, I decided it would be fun to start tracking by month. Yes, I really have a spreadsheet tracking games played per month. It's been a fun thing to see develop across the year. Of course...
December 31, 2025 at 10:16 PM
For years, I have tracked playtime on both Xbox and Switch per year. Since starting to use Exophase last yar, I decided it would be fun to start tracking by month. Yes, I really have a spreadsheet tracking games played per month. It's been a fun thing to see develop across the year. Of course...
The end of 2025 is here. So, I've got my usual looking back articles providing my highlights of the year across both Gaming and TV & Film. There's been some very great things from both this year.
TV & Film - home.darkrulamedia.uk/tv-film/the-...
Gaming - home.darkrulamedia.uk/gaming/the-g...
TV & Film - home.darkrulamedia.uk/tv-film/the-...
Gaming - home.darkrulamedia.uk/gaming/the-g...
December 30, 2025 at 4:10 PM
The end of 2025 is here. So, I've got my usual looking back articles providing my highlights of the year across both Gaming and TV & Film. There's been some very great things from both this year.
TV & Film - home.darkrulamedia.uk/tv-film/the-...
Gaming - home.darkrulamedia.uk/gaming/the-g...
TV & Film - home.darkrulamedia.uk/tv-film/the-...
Gaming - home.darkrulamedia.uk/gaming/the-g...
The year is coming to a close, meaning one last look at the planning for some short stories. Those of this fourth quarter, which include two seasonal stories added to Shorts of the Rula, and the final story of The Alternate Extras of Halesowen.
The Planning of the Q4 2025 Short Stories - DarkRula Media
The final three short stories of the year are now all published, so it's time to reveal some of the planning that went into them.
home.darkrulamedia.uk
December 26, 2025 at 11:45 AM
The year is coming to a close, meaning one last look at the planning for some short stories. Those of this fourth quarter, which include two seasonal stories added to Shorts of the Rula, and the final story of The Alternate Extras of Halesowen.
Merry Christmas to all! Hope you're day is a great one, no matter what you're doing on this day.
December 25, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Merry Christmas to all! Hope you're day is a great one, no matter what you're doing on this day.
#12ShortsOfChristmas
And with one more day before Christmas, the last short story of the year is published. Elfish Photography, as part of Shorts of the Rula, is set on Christmas Eve at a kids Christmas Party. From the first person perspective of Tyler, see the events of that party.
And with one more day before Christmas, the last short story of the year is published. Elfish Photography, as part of Shorts of the Rula, is set on Christmas Eve at a kids Christmas Party. From the first person perspective of Tyler, see the events of that party.
Shorts of the Rula - Elfish Photography - Wattpad
Read Elfish Photography from the story Shorts of the Rula by DarkRula (Christopher Searle) with 1 reads. uk, realitytwists, alternatehalesowenandbeyond. The on...
www.wattpad.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:15 PM
#12ShortsOfChristmas
And with one more day before Christmas, the last short story of the year is published. Elfish Photography, as part of Shorts of the Rula, is set on Christmas Eve at a kids Christmas Party. From the first person perspective of Tyler, see the events of that party.
And with one more day before Christmas, the last short story of the year is published. Elfish Photography, as part of Shorts of the Rula, is set on Christmas Eve at a kids Christmas Party. From the first person perspective of Tyler, see the events of that party.
Y'know what? I totally get the people who dislike the snow weather after doing that MC business sale mission. The most terrified I have ever been in GTA Online. Still a lot of fun on the ground, though, so I think I'll just stay down there for the rest of the week.
December 23, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Y'know what? I totally get the people who dislike the snow weather after doing that MC business sale mission. The most terrified I have ever been in GTA Online. Still a lot of fun on the ground, though, so I think I'll just stay down there for the rest of the week.
#12ShortsOfChristmas
The reason for a short story a month this year came to a close as The Secondary Futures got published to The Alternate Extras of Halesowen. The third viewpoint of the start of the second year, Vector reflects on what his friends have been thinking about their futures.
The reason for a short story a month this year came to a close as The Secondary Futures got published to The Alternate Extras of Halesowen. The third viewpoint of the start of the second year, Vector reflects on what his friends have been thinking about their futures.
The Alternate Extras of Halesowen - The Secondary Futures - Wattpad
Read The Secondary Futures from the story The Alternate Extras of Halesowen by DarkRula (Christopher Searle) with 5 reads. college, halesowen, summerholiday. T...
www.wattpad.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:58 PM
#12ShortsOfChristmas
The reason for a short story a month this year came to a close as The Secondary Futures got published to The Alternate Extras of Halesowen. The third viewpoint of the start of the second year, Vector reflects on what his friends have been thinking about their futures.
The reason for a short story a month this year came to a close as The Secondary Futures got published to The Alternate Extras of Halesowen. The third viewpoint of the start of the second year, Vector reflects on what his friends have been thinking about their futures.
And so ends another fantastic #JingleJam. It's been a wild one, with some great stuff coming from both the Yogscast and various other fundraisers. This comes later than I would usually post for a reason, and that is being partnered with Trust in Rust. But now, the final total is confirmed.
The Jingle Jam 2025 Ends With Over £3.4 Million Raised For Eight Charities - DarkRula Media
It's been another fantastic and successful Jingle Jam, with this article providing a brief roundup of the event.
home.darkrulamedia.uk
December 20, 2025 at 3:22 PM
And so ends another fantastic #JingleJam. It's been a wild one, with some great stuff coming from both the Yogscast and various other fundraisers. This comes later than I would usually post for a reason, and that is being partnered with Trust in Rust. But now, the final total is confirmed.
#12ShortsOfChristmas
With October being the month of Halloween, Shorts of the Rula was bound to be given another themed story. And so Let Sleeping Secrets Lie told a mystery of eternal daylight and people falling asleep from it. Told in first person, one discovers the reason, and pays for it.
With October being the month of Halloween, Shorts of the Rula was bound to be given another themed story. And so Let Sleeping Secrets Lie told a mystery of eternal daylight and people falling asleep from it. Told in first person, one discovers the reason, and pays for it.
Shorts of the Rula - Let Sleeping Secrets Lie - Wattpad
Read Let Sleeping Secrets Lie from the story Shorts of the Rula by DarkRula (Christopher Searle) with 7 reads. realitytwists, uk, shortstorycollection. Looking...
www.wattpad.com
December 20, 2025 at 1:03 PM
#12ShortsOfChristmas
With October being the month of Halloween, Shorts of the Rula was bound to be given another themed story. And so Let Sleeping Secrets Lie told a mystery of eternal daylight and people falling asleep from it. Told in first person, one discovers the reason, and pays for it.
With October being the month of Halloween, Shorts of the Rula was bound to be given another themed story. And so Let Sleeping Secrets Lie told a mystery of eternal daylight and people falling asleep from it. Told in first person, one discovers the reason, and pays for it.