New Releases: July 27th-August 2nd, 2023

This week, Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed invites Switch owners back to Electric Town, extending the possibility of meeting Kati Räikkönen (pictured), a Finnish exchange student who also works as a part-time maid. Meanwhile, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons gives the classic Technōs franchise a modernization, with a roster of playables and some minor roguelike elements.

PlayStation 4
Atomic Heart: Annihilation Instinct (DLC, included in Atomic Pass)
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons (physical $29.99, digital $22.49)
F1 Manager 2023 (physical & digital, $54.99)
Ghost Song (physical, $29.99)
Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara (digital, $19.99)
PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe (digital, $19.99)
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition (digital, $19.99)
The Expanse: A Telltale Series (digital, $39.99)
The Red Exile – Survival Horror (digital, $4.99)

PlayStation 5
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm (digital, $29.99)
Spells and Secrets (physical, $29.99)
Venba (digital, $TBA)

Switch
3 Minutes Mystery (digital, $6.99)
A Short Tale (digital, $5.99)
Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed Director’s Cut (physical $39.99, digital $29.99)
Alien War 2 Dog Fight (digital, $7.99)
Barony (digital, $14.99)
Barony: Myths & Outcasts (DLC, $3.99)
Burger Chef Tycoon Couch Co-op Edition (digital, $6.75)
Demonic Supremacy (digital, $6.99)
Disney Illusion Island (physical & digital, $39.99)
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons (physical $29.99, digital $22.49)
Ducky’s Delivery Service (digital, $9.99)
Eden’s Last Sunrise (digital, $14.99)
Ferris Mueller’s Day Off (digital, $5.99)
Hyper Meteor (digital, $7.99)
Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara (digital, $19.99)
Last Mage Survivors (digital, $99.99)
Leafy Trails (digital, $4.99)
Luna & Monsters Tower Defense -The deprived magical kingdom- (digital, $3.89)
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code- Season Pass (DLC< $16.00)
Mega Ramp Moto – Dirt Bike Stunts Simulator (digital, $11.99)
Mirrored Souls (digital, $14.99)
Operate Now: Hospital (digital, $9.99)
Patrick’s Parabox (digital, $19.99)
Pixel Game Maker Series Angel’s Gear (digital, $8.99)
PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe (digital, $19.99)
Psychic 5: Eternal (digital, $19.79)
Raccoon Adventure: Animal City Simulator 3D Farm Super Deluxe (digital, $13.99)
Radiant Tale (physical & digital, $49.99)
S.N.I.P.E.R. – Hunter Scope Summer Edition (digital, $15.99)
Sword & Fairy Inn 2 (digital, $19.99)
Super Intern Story (digital, $18.99)
The Forgotten Room (digital, $5.99)
The Master’s Pupil (digital, $14.99)
The Red Exile – Survival Horror (digital, $4.99)
Venba (digital, $TBA)
Venice 2089 (digital, $6.99)
Veritas (digital, $11.99)
Watch (digital, $5.99)
Working Hard Collection (digital, $4.99)
Yggdra Union~ We’ll Never Fight Alone ~ (digital, $24.99)
Zombie Hunter: D-Day (digital, $8.09)
Zoo Park Story (digital, $10.80)

Xbox One
Atomic Heart: Annihilation Instinct (DLC, included in Atomic Pass)
Demonic Supremacy (digital, $6.99)
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons (physical $29.99, digital $22.49)
F1 Manager 2023 (physical & digital, $54.99)
Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara (digital, $19.99)
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition (digital, $19.99)
The Expanse: A Telltale Series (digital, $39.99)
The Red Exile – Survival Horror (digital, $4.99)
There is No Light (digital, $19.99)
Venba (digital, $TBA)

PC
Arcadian Atlas ($25.49)
Cornucopia ($TBA)
Delivery INC ($12.74)
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons ($22.49)
F1 Manager 2023 ($54.99)
Grand Emprise: Time Travel Survival ($17.99)
Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara ($19.99)
Lunacy: Saint Rhodes ($15.99)
Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun ($TBA)
PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe ($19.99)
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition ($19.99)
The Master’s Pupil ($14.99)
The Shell Part I: Inferno ($TBA)
Undaunted Normandy ($TBA)
Venba ($TBA)
Witch’s Rhythm Puzzle ($TBA)

Rob’s Pick: Across their 17-year history, Q-Games has established a commendable track record. Sure, a few titles stumbled on their ambitions, but most of their efforts have injected a bit of creativity into the traditional genres. PixelJunk Shooter merged puzzling and physics-based action, while the Eden games pushed the platformer into an intriguing new direction. This week’s release of PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe offers a remarkable take on the co-operative brawler. Here, a team of robotic sanitation workers isn’t just removing debris from the streets, there’s also pummeling aggressors before throwing them into the giant metal mouth of a trash truck.

Elsewhere, Thronefall’s minimalized take on real-time strategy and tower defense has me intrigued. I often don’t have hours to invest in the latest 4X title, so a streamlined strategy is welcome. Then, there’s the single-button action (which recalls PixelJunk Eden) of Ninja or Die: Shadow of the Sun. Between wall jumping through subterranean spaces, defeating enemies, and harnessing the ability to slow down time, this one has me absorbed.

Ryan’s pick: Nostalgia is absolutely fueling my decisions this week, so for my official pick I’m going with Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons. My favorite arcade game of all time is the original Double Dragon and no matter how many times I play it I just never get tired of it. There have been countless iterations of the series since the early 90s, and I think it’s been almost 9 years since I played one of the more recent games which was Double Dragon: Neon. The character art style this time is a bit of a departure from Neon, with the aesthetic reminding me a bit more of the Scott PIlgrim Vs. The World style sprites. Much like we saw with the more recent TMNT game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, there seems to be plenty of unlockables and extra things to do whilst beating up massive groups of zako.

Staying with the nostalgia motif, I’m equally interested in picking up the Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition. I only owned the Shareware version of the game, so every time I wanted to play the full version I had to visit a friend’s house in the 90’s. Typing rott.exe in DOS was always satisfying. For most, this game’s graphics will certainly be quite dated, however for me this game is in my top 3 favorite FPS games of all time. It definitely held its own against DOOM and had its own quirkiness about it that set it apart. Ludicrous gibs, the disturbing yet hilarious moaning sounds you make when you get the God Mode power-up, and of course Dog Mode are other things to experience with this one. It’s definitely a classic game, so I’m glad it’s being re-released. The famous tagline from the first boss, “They’ll bury you in a lunchbox!” had me laughing 30 years ago, and it still does to this day.

Matt R’s pick (editor, Shindig): I really love the Pixel Game Maker Series. Most of the games that come out of it are really damn good, but more than that, the way it provides an avenue for commercial console release for games made with “entry level” tools—and showcases the quality that is possible with those tools—has to be commended. Angel’s Gear looks like it might be one of the most impressive yet, a sci-fi horror platformer that overflows with atmosphere, even just in store listing screenshots. That description might call Metroid to mind, and while Samus’ early adventures are almost certainly a source of inspiration here, Angel’s Gear looks to have more than enough of its own ideas—in both game design and theme—to resist any suggestion of being a mere impersonator.

For something a little lighter, Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara has my attention. Developer Chibig tends to put out games that are a little clunky and unrefined, but charming despite their shortcomings, and taking place in a world that gets more vibrant and enticing with each new game. With Koa, the studio turns to a 3D platformer inspired by the genre’s ‘90s heyday, and it’s looking like their most ambitious project yet. It’s also a genre where a lack of polish can be detrimental—there’s nothing quite like a platformer with sluggish movement and unreliable jumps—so I’m curious to see if Chibig can pin down the necessary precision. At the very least, it’ll be a cute, relaxing adventure from an indie team that knows that vibe well.