New Releases: February 2nd-8th, 2023

This week, Sakura Cupid (pictured) is cooking up some cuteness just in time for Valentine’s Day, while Drainus’ weaponry exhibits the accuracy of Cupid’s bow and arrow. Elsewhere, the inelegantly titled Puzzle Bobble2X / BUST-A-MOVE2 Arcade Edition & Puzzle Bobble3 / BUST-A-MOVE 3 S-Tribute brings several of the franchises arcade titles and Saturn entries into an oddly organized collection. Below is the full list on new releases arriving across the next seven days:

PlayStation 4
Deliver Us Mars (digital, $29.99)
Exitman Deluxe (digital, $4.99)
Fashion Police Squad (digital, $16.99)
Helvetii (digital, $16.99)
Puzzle Bobble2X/BUST-A-MOVE2 Arcade Edition & Puzzle Bobble3/BUST-A-MOVE 3 S-Tribute ($14.99)
Tetris Effect: Connected (physical, $39.99)

PlayStation 5
Brave’s Rage (digital, $19.99)
Seed of Life (digital, $39.99)

Switch
A Little Golf Journey (digital, $34.99)
Active DBG: Brave’s Rage (digital, $19.99)
Air Jet Fighter Combat – Europe Fly Plane Attack (digital, $4.99)
Car Factory Driver (digital, $12.99)
Cat and Tower: Pixel Game Maker Series (digital, $4.99)
Cooking Tycoons 3: 3 in 1 Bundle (digital, $12.99)
Cuddly Forest Friends (physical & digital, $39.99)
Daily Dadish (digital, $9.99)
Drainus (digital, $19.99)
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights (physical, $39.99)
Exitman Deluxe (digital, $4.99)
Fashion Police Squad (digital, $16.99)
Helvetii (digital, $16.99)
Hundred Fires: The Rising of Red Star (digital, $5.99)
Jumbo Airport Story (digital, $12.60)
Kart Crazy Race Simulator Game (digital, $4.99)
Life is Strange 2 (digital, $31.99)
Monster Girls and the Mysterious Adventure 2 (digital, $19.79)
Oshiiro (digital, $7.99)
Pets at Word (digital, $4.99)
Radiantflux Hyperfractal 4.0 (digital, $1.99)
Sakura Cupid (digital, $9.99)
Seraph’s Last Stand (digital, $1.99)
Sport & Fun: Swimming (digital, $19.99)
Swap Puzzles (digital, $2.99)
The Pathless (digital, $39.99)
Tiny Detour (digital, $4.99)
Trophy (digital, $9.99)

Xbox One
Deliver Us Mars (digital, $29.99)
Exitman Deluxe (digital, $4.99)
Fashion Police Squad (digital, $16.99)
Metal Black S-Tribute (digital, $6.99)
Prison Tycoon: Under New Management (digital, $24.99)
Puzzle Bobble2X/BUST-A-MOVE2 Arcade Edition & Puzzle Bobble3/BUST-A-MOVE 3 S-Tribute ($14.99)
Speedway Racing (digital, $9.99)
The Pathless (digital, $39.99)

PC
Deliver Us Mars ($26.99)
Fallen Bride Mege ($TBA)
Helvetii ($16.99)
Interference: Dead Air ($13.49)
Nuclear War Simulator ($29.99)
Perish ($17.99)
SpellForce: Conquest of Eo ($TBA)
Tails: The Backbone Preludes ($14.99)
Trackmania (free to play)
Yggdra Union ($TBA)
Your Only Move is Hustle ($TBA)

Rob’s pick: Ok, you might have reached your Vampire Survivor-clone limit. Between that title and copycats like Soulstone Survivors, 20 Minutes Till Darn, Nordic Ashes, it seems like Steam is amassing a glut of by-the-book clones. But Seraph’s Last Stand offers a bit of distinction, with gravity confining the protagonist to the bottom of the screen as waves of enemies rain down. Yes, the “select one random perk every time you level up” mechanic is here, but perhaps a reliance on formula can be forgiven when it’s accompanied by a two-dollar price tag.

For STGs fans, Drainus is definitely worth a look. The horizontally-scrolling game employs a system where you can absorb energy attacks and throw it back at foes. Mastery can feel a bit like Ikaruga, as you gradually discover the best way to tackle the threats tossed at you across each stage. Hopefully, the same technical polish that Team Ladybug devoted to the PC version is present in this week’s Switch version. And yes, I really hope Yggdra Union is more than just a no-frills port of the PSP title.

Matt R’s pick (editor, Shindig): Team Ladybug has already more than proven its chops with shmup-influenced games like Touhou Luna Nights, so it shouldn’t be any surprise that when this team turns its attention to a STG proper, they absolutely hit the mark. Drainus couples sharp level design with robust shooting fundamentals with an assortment of secondary systems that strike a fine balance between adding strategic layers without becoming overwhelmingly complex. This is never more apparent than in the shot-absorbing mechanic at the heart of the game: its basic application is immediately apparent, while also providing a huge degree of possibility for advanced scoring and survival strategies as you master the game’s nuances.

And while not on the list above because it’s not technically a new release, the Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Final Bar Line demo that just came out is a must. Thirty tracks in a free demo is nothing to scoff at—I’ve played full-priced rhythm games with a fraction of that—and with progress carrying over to the full game, it’s a perfect way to get ready for what will be one of the best celebrations of Final Fantasy music to date.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): I… honestly don’t know if I’ve ever played Yggdra Union before. I’ve gone and looked up screenshots, and something about it is familiar, but then I don’t remember anything about it. It’s possible that I loaded it up for about ten seconds on one of my emulator consoles once, I guess, but I don’t remember sitting down to actually play it. So that’s my pick for this week. I strongly suspect that if I sit down to actually play Yggdra Union that I’ll like it, so I’ll give it a spin for its new PC release.

I wish it were coming to Switch though.

I also echo other Matt, above, in saying that the Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Final Bar Line is ridiculously generous for a demo. I think the development team could have done themselves a favour by including Good King Mog as one of those tracks and convincing everyone to buy the game based on the greatest piece of music in all of Final Fantasy, but still. It’s a good cross-section of what will be an absolutely ginormous game (385 tracks in the full thing!)

Ryan’s pick: There isn’t much jumping out at me this week, to be really honest. Sakura Cupid’s key art made me laugh a bit with the main protagonist using a sniper rifle to fire love bullets, but unfortunately my interest didn’t go past that. The character art outside of the main CGs weren’t my favorite, so I had to part ways with this game. This week I’m going to go full nostalgia and have chosen Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move Tribute. Long before Snood this series existed and provided challenging puzzles and likable accompanying Taito mascot characters.

One other Steam game that looked interesting was the turn-based combat simulator Your Only Move is Hustle. Frame-by-frame games have been on the rise as of late, and this particular game allows you to plan out elaborate attacks that can chain into believable fight scenes. I think that this genre may not be the type of gamers that require instant pleasure, but I can see it being a viable choice for those that enjoy animating things frame-by-frame.