New Releases: November 24th-30th, 2022

This week, Taito’s Cleopatra Fortune and Elevator Action Returns make reappearances, while The Knight Witch brings a blend of intense firefights and exploration. For those mesmerized by mechanized warfare, Gundam Evolution (pictured) arrives this week on consoles. Here’s the complete list of what’s arriving across the next seven days:

PlayStation 4
Astronite (digital, $14.99)
Cleopatra Fortune S-Tribute (digital, $14.99)
Gundam Evolution (digital, free-to-play)
Horse Club Adventures 2: Hazelwood Stories (physical & digital, $29.99)
Sable (digital, $24.99)
Soccer Story (digital, $17.99)
The Knight Witch (digital, $19.99)
The Outbound Ghost (physical, $29.99)
Until the Last Plane (digital, $9.99)
Winter Games 2023 (physical, $29.99)

PlayStation 5
The Outbound Ghost (physical, $29.99)
Winter Games 2023 (physical, $29.99)

Switch
A Building Full of Cats (digital, $2.99)
Aliisha:The Oblivion of Twin Goddesses (digital, $32.99)
Aragami 2 (physical, $39.99)
Arctictopia (digital, $5.00)
Astronite (digital, $14.99)
Blade of Darkness (digital, $14.99)
Car Parking Madness School Drive Mechanic Car Games Simulator 2023 (digital, $5.99)
Elevator Action -Returns- S-Tribute (digital, $13.49)
Floating Cloud God: Anniversary Edition (digital, $7.99)
Freud’s Bones – The Game (digital, $11.69)
Furry Hentai Tangram (digital, $2.99)
Half Dead 3 (digital, $4.49)
Horse Club Adventures 2: Hazelwood Stories (physical, $29.99)
How to Fool a Liar King Remastered (digital, $14.99)
KnifeBoy Rebooted (digital, $9.89)
Legendary Heroes (digital, $4.99)
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Andor Character Pack (DLC, $2.99)
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Book of Boba Fett Character Pack (DLC, $2.99)
Megalan 11 (digital, $7.99)
Monmusu Gladiator (digital, $5.39)
My Downtown (digital, $19.99)
Parents Vs Kids (digital, $24.99)
Pocket Pool (digital, $3.99)
Primal Light (digital, $14.99)
Retro Goal (digital, $1.99)
Savior of the Abyss (digital, $8.99)
Scar of the Doll: A Psycho-Horror Story about the Mystery of an Older Sister (digital, $9.99)
Soccer Story (digital, $17.99)
Swoon! Earth Escape (digital, $29.99)
Tetris Effect: Connected (physical, $39.99)
The Knight Witch (digital, $19.99)
The Outbound Ghost (physical, $34.99)
Until the Last Plane (digital, $9.99)
Watch Over Christmas (digital, $16.99)

Xbox One
Cleopatra Fortune S-Tribute (digital, $14.99)
Gundam Evolution (digital, free-to-play)
Megalan 11 (digital, $7.99)
Run Sausage Run! (digital, $4.99)
Soccer Story (digital, $17.99)
The Knight Witch (digital, $19.99)
Until the Last Plane (digital, $9.99)

PC
Astronite ($14.99)
Deepening Fire ($TBA)
Forest Camp Story ($TBA)
Retro Gadgets ($TBA)
Rush Rally 3 ($12.74)
Shiny Ski Resort ($TBA)
Soccer Story ($17.99)
Tennis Club Story ($TBA)
The Knight Witch ($19.99)
Vayan ($TBA)

Rob’s Pick: As Astro Aqua Kitty demonstrated, the marriage of twin-stick action to metroidvania-style exploration can be an unbeatable union. This week, The Knight Witch mixes card-based spells, plenty of old-fashioned firefights, and a magnificent hand-drawn style. Developer Super Mega Team demonstrated their artistic expertise and technical expertise with 2017’s Rise & Shine. Hopefully, The Knight Witch can temper the frustration, while delivering some taut action.

I’m hoping Soccer Story doesn’t get overlooked since it’s not just another recreation of the sport. Instead, it’s a role-playing adventure where corporations have seized control of the game. Yes, the title is physics based and you’ll face traditional showdowns against eccentric rivals. But the game spends most of its time off the pitch, offering plenty of puzzles and some light humor. It’s a largely winning formula (if you don’t mind fetch quests) that begs to be applied to other sports, like baseball and hockey. Even if you’re overwhelmed by World Cup fever, Soccer Story deserves your attention.

Matt R’s pick (editor, Shindig): I’m going to echo Rob’s hope that Soccer Story doesn’t get overlooked. It joins the growing cohort of delightful sports RPGs that Golf Story helped popularise, and while it may not have Sidebar Games behind it, it nonetheless captures a similar feeling. The appeal for football fans is clear, but even if you don’t count yourself among that group—I might make a lot of enemies right now by saying I find the sport itself rather dull—the sports RPG is enough to make it enjoyable. Sports RPGs feel like video games’ equivalent to sports anime: a genre whose appeal transcends any specific, individual sport even as each one celebrates the nuances of its chosen game. Soccer Story is just another example of a trend that I hope to see continue.

Anyone wanting a short, sweet visual novel that balances intrigue and playful charm will want to check out How to Fool a Liar King as it lands on Switch this week. It’s a simple story about finding love and friendship in a world divided by racial conflict, and while it’s not necessarily a deep or complex take on those ideas, a likeable cast and rather handsome love interest are enough to make it worthwhile. It’s actually the second game in a trilogy, though it stands well enough on its own.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): The Outbound Ghost looks like it could be a delightful little thing, doesn’t it? It looks a little like Paper Mario… just with ghosts, and the concept sounds good. In The Outbount Ghost you are helping ghosts ascend to the afterlife by dealing with their residual regrets from life. This is wrapped up in something that looks charming, rather than morose, and I do think this will be a fun, light way to spend a few hours.

I am also interested in Soccer Story, too, even if “soccer” should be spelled “football.” Sports RPGs have been great since way back with Mario Golf on the Game Boy Color, and I fully expect Football Story to follow the Switch mega-hit, Golf Story, in being a call back to the qualities that made that classic so beloved.