Guild Wars 2's Super Adventure Box update turns Tyria 8-bit, trashes child's bedroom

There's a blink-and-you'll miss it moment in the trailer for Guild Wars 2 's Super Adventure Box update where Charr leader Rytlock Brimstone rocks an air guitar while riding a wireframe F-22 fighter jet inside a child's TV in the late 1980s. That's all I'm going to say. You should probably watch it.

It's that time again, when MMO developers decide to have more fun in the space of a day than they usually manage in a year. As the Flame & Frost storyline continues to smoulder away at Guild Wars 2's fringes, April's update is, erm, different. An Asuran inventor has managed to invent videogames inside ArenaNet's videogame, turning the client 8-bit and pitting players against foes that appear to include 'a big, happy snake' and 'a cloud'. Your Inception horn will not save you now.

Unlike a lot of developer gags, this is actual content that is going into the game today. The Super Adventure Box is a custom 5-man instance that can be reached via a new NPC near the Magustan Court Waypoint in Rata Sum. There are two difficulty modes - 'Infantile' and 'Normal' - and rewards for completing challenges including new weapon skins.

See below for a bunch of screenshots of the new stuff.

Joining in 2011, Chris made his start with PC Gamer turning beautiful trees into magazines, first as a writer and later as deputy editor. Once PCG's reluctant MMO champion , his discovery of Dota 2 in 2012 led him to much darker, stranger places. In 2015, Chris became the editor of PC Gamer Pro, overseeing our online coverage of competitive gaming and esports. He left in 2017, and can be now found making games and recording the Crate & Crowbar podcast.