New Releases: March 16th-22nd, 2023

This week, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon sashays onto Switch, WWE 2K23 grapples its way onto console and PC, while Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto Simulatrix materializes on Sony and Nintendo’s hardware. If neither of those pique your interest, Sixtar Gate: Startrail (pictured) offers irresistibly cute rhythm game action.

PlayStation 4
Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto of Simulatrix (physical, $39.99, digital, $26.99)
Peppa Pig: World Adventures (physical & digital, $39.99)
Post Void (digital, $5.99)
Postal 4: No Regerts (digital, $39.99, cross-buy)
Tchia (digital, $29.99)
The Guise (digital, $5.99)
WWE 2K23 (physical & digital, $59.99)

PlayStation 5
Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto of Simulatrix (physical, $39.99, digital, $26.99)
Anno 1800 Console Edition (physical & digital, $39.99)
Deceive Inc. (digital, $19.99)
Last Labyrinth (physical & digital, $29.99)
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution (physical & digital, $39.99)
WWE 2K23 (physical & digital, $59.99)

Switch
Air Battle (digital, $6.99)
Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto of Simulatrix (physical, $39.99, digital, $26.99)
Amber City (digital, $8.99)
Animals Names (digital, $2.99)
Backbeat (digital, $26.99)
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (physical & digital, $59.99)
Bitter-Sweet Cohabitation (digital, $19.90)
Blocky Farm (digital, $9.99)
Cute And Creepy (digital, $12.99)
Fantasy Ball (digital, $2.99)
Flame Keeper (digital, $11.99)
Fur Squadron (digital, $6.99)
FurryFury: Smash & Roll (digital, $9.99)
Have A Nice Death (digital, $24.99)
Kung Fury: Street Rage: Ultimate Edition (digital, $19.99)
Link the Cubes (digital, $4.99)
Loop (digital, $3.49)
Loot Box Simulator – Heroes of the Dark Age (digital, $2.99)
Lost Words: Beyond the Page (physical, $29.99)
My Little Prince -A Jigsaw Puzzle Tale (digital, $3.99)
Nono Adventure (digital, $4.24)
Off the Tracks (digital, $4.39)
Peppa Pig: World Adventures (physical & digital, $39.99)
Post Void (digital, $5.99)
Remnant: From the Ashes (physical & digital, $39.99)
Saint Maker (digital, $13.99)
Sixtar Gate: Startrail (digital, $24.99)
Squad 51 vs. the Flying Saucers (digital, $19.99)
Subway Midnight (digital, $10.99)
Tanky Tanks 2 (digital, $9.99)
The Guise (digital, $5.99)
The Treflik Family (digital, $12.99)
Unheard – Voices of Crime Edition (digital, $9.99)
Unmatched: Digital Edition (digital, $24.99)

Xbox One
Backbeat (digital, $26.99)
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom – Prince’s Edition (digital, $59.99)
Peppa Pig: World Adventures (physical & digital, $39.99)
Superfidos (digital, $29.99)
WWE 2K23 (physical & digital, $59.99)

Xbox Series S/X
Anno 1800 Console Edition (physical & digital, $39.99)
WWE 2K23 (physical & digital, $59.99)

PC
Anthology of Fear ($TBA)
Dark Traveller ($7.99)
Echo Storm ($4.99)
Flame Keeper ($11.99)
Fur Squadron ($6.29)
Ghosts of Tabor ($TBA)
Hero’s Quest ($2.99)
No:Worse ($4.68)
Petit Petit Petit ($4.49)
Super Sketch Bob ($4.99)
The Bubbleboy Project ($9.99)
Wander Vyrosa ($14.99)
WWE 2K23 ($59.99)

Rob’s pick: I used to be a fervent Bayonetta fan, at least until the third game filled its running time with too much Viola, stealth segments, and yet another insipid integration of the multiverse. Like the John Wick movies, a push toward fabricating needlessly complicated lore took away from the otherwise solid action. This week, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon offers an offshoot that doubles down on moving away from what made the original games remarkable. Sure, its art style is gorgeous and young Bayo is developing her trademark saunter. But there’s the distinct feeling that Platinum Games is following Disney formula, creating new characters such Cheshire just to populate spin-offs. I’m always up for Ōkami-style adventure, but this just feels a bit too much like product. That said, I can see how others might feel different, especially since this is easily the most accessible (and incongruously chaste) pathway into the property.

Instead, two different roguelikes have grabbed my attention this week. Have A Nice Death offers intense side-scrolling action rendered in sepia tones. Most of the navigation and attacks are built around Metrovania formula, but they are a few liberties, like filling an area with a poison gas cloud. The animation is the real enticement, with the Grim Reaper scything at enemies with hand-drawn fluidity rather than jerking about like a marionette. Flame Keeper’s action is presented from an isometric perspective, but it also exhibits smoothness as you singe enemies. And really, who doesn’t like playing with fire? (Ok, don’t answer that). Platinum Studios might have momentarily lost their way, but fortunately there are more than enough hungry indies to fill in the gap. Oh, and Peppa Pig is hungry, right?

Ryan’s pick: I missed Have a Nice Death last year when it was released on Steam, and after a long look over the list of the games this week I think this is the best candidate for my time. Visually the game reminds me a bit of Hollow Knight when it comes to the main protagonist, but outside of that I think the game has done a great job in setting itself apart with some spectacular visual effects and animations. The fact that it’s a roguelike is equally enticing, so when I need a bit of a break from Dead Cells latest DLC this is going to be my go-to this week.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon has my overtly referential brain on overload trying to pinpoint all the different games that the artstyle reminds me of. Oddly, it reminds me of some of the stylized Inazuma Genshin Impact story sequences in terms of how the storybook theme is framed, mixed with a bit of Breath of the Wild in terms of action. I do like the idea of using a book to help facilitate the storytelling and utilizing characters’ strengths to strategically overcome enemies, but it just feels like a bit of a large departure visually from the Bayonetta series for me.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Clearly, Peppa Pig: World Adventures is going to be the finest game of 2023. You get to travel the world, make new friends (including a kangaroo!), play a bunch of minigames and even decorate your house. Sure, there will be a bunch of people that will dismiss it as some silly kids game. They’ll probably even call it “shovelware.” But you, and I, and Robert here all know that it is going to be so much more than that.

Elsewhere I’m almost scared to actually buy this, but Anno 1800 Console Edition is calling me. The problem is that it’s Ubisoft, and Ubisoft can’t pull a good game out of their backsides if the company’s entire existence depended on it right now. I quiver in fear at the thought of what microtransactions and other evil things Ubisoft will nickel and dime us out of with this thing. But I do love Anno. I’ve loved Anno since back on the Wii and DS, when I spend hundreds and hundreds of hours building up my little cities. I hope against hope that the core qualities of Anno haven’t been gutted so much that there’s at least a hint of that classic series left with this new release.