New Releases: June 10th-16th, 2021

With appearances from Yuffie Kisaragi, Ryu Hayabusa, Travis Touchdown, Sol Badguy, and well as Ratchet and Clank, this week’s schedule of new releases has a number of familiar faces. But beyond these notables look for appearances from Dariusburst’s mecha-aquatic monstrosities and well at gun-toting, shipboarding animals in Wave Break.

Header image: Kinkoi: Golden Loveriche, PC

PlayStation 4
Altdeus: Beyond Chronos – Episode Yamato (DLC, $9.99)
Chicory: A Colorful Tale (digital, $TBA)
Dariusburst: Another Chronicle EX+ (digital, $39.99)
Dead by Daylight: Resident Evil (DLC, $11.99)
GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- (physical & digital $59.99)
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection (digital, $39.99)
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection Deluxe Edition (digital, $44.99)

PlayStation 5
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (physical & digital, $69.99)
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: Yuffie (DLC, $19.99)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (physical and digital, $69.99)
The Elder Scrolls Online: Console Enhanced (free for existing owners)

Switch
Alchemist Adventure (digital, $19.99)
Animus: Revenant (digital, $22.99)
Game Builder Garage (digital, $29.99)
Inexistence Rebirth (digital, $8.99)
Kirakira stars idol project Ai (digital, $10.00)
League Of Champions Soccer (digital, $5.99)
Life of Fly 2 (digital, $9.99)
Multilevel Parking Driver (digital, $11.99)
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection (digital, $39.99)
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection Deluxe Edition (digital, $44.99)
Piczle Cells (digital, $4.49)
Pix Jungle Adventures (digital, $4.99)
Puzzle Box 3 in 1 (digital, $4.99)
Sable’s Grimoire (digital, $14.99)
Shieldwall Chronicles: Swords of the North (digital, $7.99)
Super Soccer Blast: America VS Europe (digital, $7.99)
Sun Wukong VS Robot (digital, $4.99)
The Solitaire Conspiracy (digital, $9.59)
Wave Break (digital, $29.99)

Xbox One
Dead by Daylight: Resident Evil (DLC, $11.99)
Farm Frenzy: Refreshed (digital, $9.99)
Heliborne (digital, $29.99)
Let’s Cook Together (digital, $12.99)
Life of Fly 2 (digital, $9.99)
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection (digital, $39.99)
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection Deluxe Edition (digital, $44.99)
Super Soccer Blast: America VS Europe (digital, $7.99

PC
Alchemist Adventure ($13.49)
Blood Drop ($6.99)
Chicory: A Colorful Tale ($TBA)
Drift21 ($19.99)
Kinkoi: Golden Loveriche ($TBA)
Life of Fly 2 ($7.99)
Livestream: Escape from Hotel Izanami ($TBA)
GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- ($59.99)
Lumberhill ($TBA)
No More Heroes ($17.99)
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle ($17.99)
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection ($35.99)
Open Country ($13.49)
One Hand Clapping ($9.99)
Rise Eterna ($17.99)
StarScraper ($19.99)
Wave Break ($TBA)
We Are Football ($31.49)

Rob’s Pick: When it comes to realism in games, I’m on the far extremes. Either give me an obsessively intricate simulation or put me in a world that’s completely preposterous. This week’s release of Wave Break definitely falls into the latter category, with anthropomorphic animals racing tiny boats like skateboards as they shoot guns, all coated in a neon-hued Miami Vice aesthetic.

I’m entertained by today’s staunch skateboarding sims, but I really miss being able to pull off a Frontside air into a 900, like the best Tony Hawk games did. The one concern is that there’s a lot of balancing that needs to go into these types of games, and I hope Funktronic Labs is up to the task.

For a more dependable offering, I’m looking at the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection. For $40, you get two classics (Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2) along with the bonus of Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge. Sure, you could play the trio of games via backwards compatibility on the Xbox One, but with the release of this compilation, now PlayStation 4/5, Switch, and PC owners can enjoy Team NINJA’s best work. When the Gaiden first debuted, I fell in love with the sense of atmosphere, as I scampered around the rooms and hallways in the introductory stage of the Shadow Clan hideout and stalked through the secluded spaces of Hayabusa Village. I think revisiting these spots is just as absorbing as coming back to classic Gaiden gameplay.

Matt S’ pick (Editor, DigitallyDownloaded): The things I’d like to do with Yuffie… I mean, Final Fantasy VII Remake is good, innit? An all-new chapter within it must be better! Yes, nice save, Matt.

But yes, I’m very much looking forward to this new Final Fantasy VII Remake story, largely because Final Fantasy VII Remake impressed me with how willing it was to subvert expectations and defy conventions. Because of that, even as someone who has played the original Final Fantasy VII often enough, I have no idea whatsoever how this new chapter is going to go, but I am so intrigued to find out.

Of course, I’m also a big fan of Koei Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden series. Before there was Dark Souls and all that. Ninja Gaiden has lost a tiny bit of its edge as THE HARD game for HARD games (Soulslikes have taught us well), but the atmosphere, slick action, and aesthetics are as good as ever. Also, for all the very loud criticism that the third game received, it is aging like a very fine wine indeed and it’s actually that one that I’ve enjoyed digging back into the most this time around.

Ryan’s Pick: For the most part, the premise is often not one of the strongest facets of Japanese visual novels. I am happy to announce that my pick this week likewise may not be a blockbuster tale that incites tears and self-reflection, but I think there is still plenty of charm for me in Kinkoi: Golden Loveriche. This game almost wasn’t my pick actually. Nothing gets my brain screaming via some old fashioned cognitive dissonance more than a Japanese video game trailer. Upon viewing this VN’s trailer I originally was pretty skeptical about the game, however upon checking out the demo I have changed my mind.

You see, somehow, the protagonist becomes the interest of a princess who is about to join an elite boarding school called Nobel Academy. Through a series of unfortunate events he is  also forced to join the school, and then finds himself assigned a room in the women’s dormitory at an elite boarding school. And off we go! This game I would put in the higher tier of VN’s, possibly a few points lower than the Nekopara series in terms of polish and execution. A few things I immediately like about this particular visual novel is the fact that it varies their bust up positioning as well as panning when the characters are speaking. The game is also voiced in Japanese, which also helps me to begin liking the characters more. While it may not score the highest marks for lecherous content, I think there is still plenty to enjoy. If a gal game is not your fancy this summer, I would possibly give Chicory: A Colorful Tale a look instead.

Matt C’s pick (editor, Shindig): You those people who are forever “working on a book”, by which they mean they have a rough idea of a book that they might vaguely consider writing one day, if they ever get round to it? I’m that, but for making games—which means that every time some sort of new easy-to-use game creation tool comes along, I’m first in line to jump on, play around with all the new tools, but never actually… y’know, finish making a whole thing.

Anyway, I’m very much looking forward to doing that all again in Game Builder Garage, Nintendo’s new game development playhouse. It reminds me a lot of Dreams and the oft-overlooked creative side of Disney Infinity, with bright, playful presentation and drag-and-drop programming that belies some powerful tools to make fun little games. Will this be the one that sees me actually finish a project I start? Almost certainly not, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy playing with it all the same.

While I’m setting bold, ambitious goals that I’ll never achieve, I’m also daydreaming about being the best in New Zealand at Guilty Gear Strive. Or at least, the best in Wellington….Maybe just the best in my house (my cats aren’t very good, I think I can get better than them with some time and effort).

Jokes aside, Strive is an interesting beast. It’s a very different take on Guilty Gear, with a different tempo and a different vibe to it, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I love classic Guilty Gear and will go to my grave rejecting the notion that it’s particularly difficult, unfriendly to beginners, or overly focused on lengthy combos, but Strive’s different energy is proving a lot of fun to delve into, and I’m excited to see how it goes on the competitive circuit. It’s also full of the indulgent character designs and killer soundtrack that Guilty Gear is known for.

And finally, I hadn’t heard of Sun Wukong VS Robots until today, but apparently it’s a mini retro pixel art metroidvania starring the Monkey King? Sign me up.