New Releases: October 24th-30th, 2024

This week, platformers are plentiful, with both Sonic x Shadow Generations and The Smurfs – Dreams arriving on a variety of different hardware. Meanwhile, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 and Romancing SaGa 2 deliver a pair of enticing remakes as SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky (pictured) is poised to pluck the heartstrings.

PlayStation 4

Arcade Archives: Metamorphic Force (digital, $7.99)
Barbie Project Friendship (physical & digital, $39.99)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (physical & digital, $69.99)
Card-en-Ciel (digital, $22.49)
Goat Simulator 3 (digital, $29.99)
Miraculous: Paris Under Siege (physical & digital, $49.99)
Moe Waifu H – BlockBlast (digital, $4.99)
Monster High Skulltimate Secrets (digital, $39.99)
Reel Fishing: Days of Summer (physical & digital, $29.99)
Retreat to Enen (digital, $TBA)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake (digital, $59.99)
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven (digital, $49.99)
Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut (digital, $16.19)
Skater’s Solstice (digital, $4.99)
Sonic x Shadow Generations (digital, $49.99)
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication (digital, $24.99)
The Coma 2B: Catacomb (digital, $14.99)
The Jackbox Survey Scramble (digital, $9.99)
The Smurfs – Dreams (digital, $39.99)
Vampire Hunters (digital, $TBA)
Ys X: Nordics (digital, $59.99)

PlayStation 5

Life is Strange: Double Exposure (digital, $49.99, $79.99)
Orange Season (physical & digital, $29.99)
Post Trauma (digital, $TBA)
Soul Stalker (digital, $7.49)
Way of the Hunter: Wild Expeditions (physical & digital, $29.99)

Switch

Alchemist Generations Bundle (digital, $26.99)
Anime Dance-Off – Ghost Party (digital, $4.99)
Arcade Room Simulator (digital, $6.99)
Arcade Tanks World II: Tank Battle Simulator (digital, $4.99)
Backrooms: Partygoers (digital, $11.99)
Barbie Project Friendship (digital, $39.99)
Bookshop Wonderland: Supermarket Simulator (digital, $7.99)
Botworld Odyssey (digital, $22.50)
Card-en-Ciel (digital, $22.49)
Care Bears: To The Rescue (digital, $14.99)
Cats Hidden in Spooky Places (digital, $3.99)
Cell Scientist: Beyond (digital, $6.99)
Clock Tower: Rewind (digital, $19.99)
Crash Puzzle Hammer-San (digital, $9.99)
Cute Bite (digital, $14.99)
Don’t Let Him In (digital, $9.99)
Doodle Hunt: Halloween Rush (digital, $3.99)
dotage (digital, $17.59)
Easy Cute Clean Up Lesson (digital, $6.99)
EGGCONSOLE Murder Club PC-8801 (digital, $6.49)
Fun Pack (digital, $7.20)
Garbage Driver Truck Simulator 2025 (digital, $7.99)
Guess the Flag! (digital, $5.22)
Hidden Cats in Spooky Town (digital, $3.99)
House of Horror – 7 Psychos (digital, $9.99)
Keeper’s Toll (digital, $5.59)
Medieval Grandmaster: Tavern Board Battle (digital, $4.99)
MiniGhost (digital, $3.99)
Miraculous: Paris Under Siege (digital, $49.99)
Monster High Skulltimate Secrets (digital, $39.99)
OnePunch (digital, $4.99)
Orange Season (digital, $29.99)
Pixel Game Maker Series Chrotopia (digital, $5.99)
Police Simulator: Patrol Officers: Nintendo Switch Edition (digital, $26.99)
Prisnhax (digital, $4.99)
Rogue Flight (digital, $19.99)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake (digital, $59.99)
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven (digital, $49.99)
Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town (digital, $39.99)
SINce Memories: Off The Starry Sky (digital, $35.99)
Skater’s Solstice (digital, $4.99)
Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut (digital, $16.19)
Solomon Snow: First Contact (digital, $3.99)
Sonic x Shadow Generations (digital, $49.99)
Soul Stalker (digital, $7.49)
Stickin’ the Landing (digital, $7.99)
Stilt Fella (digital, $12.99)
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication (digital, $24.99)
The Cheese Chase: Pizza Madness (digital, $14.99)
The Coma 2B: Catacomb (digital, $14.99)
The Jackbox Survey Scramble (digital, $9.99)
The Legend of Santa (digital, $4.99)
The Smurfs – Dreams (digital, $39.99)
The Sun Shines Over Us (digital, $24.99)
The World of Kungfu: Dragon and Eagle (digital, $17.99)
Vampire Hunters (digital, $14.99)
Vengeance Hunters (digital, $19.99)
Voidwrought (digital, $19.99)
WolfFang 空牙2001 SkullFang 空牙外伝 Saturn Tribute Boosted (digital, $26.99)
Yakuza Kiwami (digital, $19.99)
Ys X: Nordics (digital, $59.99)
Zebulon: A Lost Cat (digital, $4.99)

Xbox One

Barbie Project Friendship (digital, $39.99)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (physical & digital, $69.99)
Card-en-Ciel (digital, $22.49)
Core Keeper (digital, $19.99)
Goat Simulator 3 (digital, $29.99)
Last Escape: Dead Complex (digital, $4.99)
Miraculous: Paris Under Siege (digital, $49.99)
Monster High Skulltimate Secrets (digital, $39.99)
Paper Plane Arena – The Haunted House (digital, $9.99)
Reel Fishing: Days of Summer (digital, $29.99)
SINce Memories: Off The Starry Sky ($35.99)
Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut (digital, $16.19)
Skater’s Solstice (digital, $4.99)
Sonic x Shadow Generations (digital, $49.99)
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication (digital, $24.99)
The Coma 2B: Catacomb (digital, $14.99)
The Jackbox Survey Scramble (digital, $9.99)
The Smurfs – Dreams (digital, $39.99)
Vampire Hunters

Xbox Series S/X

Orange Season (physical & digital, $29.99)

PC

Botworld Odyssey ($22.50)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 ($69.99)
Card-en-Ciel ($22.49)
Carry the Glass ($4.24)
Destiny Star Girlfriend 2 ($TBA)
Finding Frankie ($TBA)
Goodboy Galaxy ($TBA)
Hot Springs ($TBA)
Light de Deux ($TBA)
Rogue Flight ($19.99)
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake ($59.99)
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven ($49.99)
Sonic x Shadow Generations ($49.99)
The Coma 2B: Catacomb ($14.99)
The Jackbox Survey Scramble ($9.99)
The Smurfs – Dreams ($39.99)
Voidwrought ($15.99)
Ys X: Nordics ($59.99)

Rob’s pick: Kaz Ayabe, has long been one of my favorite designers, with 2013’s Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale stirring memories of watching tokusatsu while growing up in San Francisco. This week’s release of Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is just as adorably sentimental, with players assuming the role of five-year-old Shinnosuke. It’s all fantastically relaxed, whether you’re helping folks in your grandfather’s village in Akita or in the game’s eponymous mining town. And while collecting bugs and fishing might not seem like engrossing activities, each is elevated by absolutely gorgeous hand drawn backdrops. Layer in fart jokes, a preoccupation with teenaged girls, and bonding with your grandfather and Shin chan can feel like a dog-eared scrapbook filled with evocative memories.

Last year, I overlooked Sonic Superstars. But when a recent price drop occurred, I ended up picking it up and enjoying the nostalgia-infused approach and character-specific movesets. I plan to do the same with Sonic x Shadow Generations. If you also appreciate platformers, don’t avoid The Smurfs – Dreams just because of the license. There’s some surprisingly solid stage design.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Yes! As we all know I love Call of Duty and it’s Call of Duty week. I can’t wait to get stuck in… hahahaha, had you all fooled for a second there, didn’t I? Of course I don’t recommend CoD. That series of jingoistic propaganda can get in the bin. What I’m actually going to recommend first is so niche it’s not even on Robert’s list, but there’s a little indie visual novel by a Ukranian developer about ballet called Light de Deux, and it’s a really lovely thing. It’ll only take about an hour to play through, but the sweet story, excellent art and fact that we actually got a visual novel about ballet made it really stand out for me.

Otherwise, in an absolutely jam-paced week of games, my other big recommendation is Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII Remake. With over 1000 officers to choose between and an almost unlimited number of events and campaigns to play through, the sheer content in this game is extreme. Beyond that though, RoTK VIII offers a great blend of efficient nation-building and elegant tactics action, making it one of the most accessible entries in the series, without sacrificing depth for RoTK veterans.

Also, the art is stunning. Especially Lady Sun Shangxiang. Oh, to be a time traveler.