New Releases: February 24th-March 3rd, 2022

With the arrival of titles like Elden Ring, Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, and Shadow Warrior 3, the last week of February bring a number of highly anticipated titles. But there’s also a number of games you might not want to overlook. Martha is Dead offers a tormenting¹ tale of psychological horror intended to put you in a state of unease. On the opposite side of things, Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator offers a blissful replication of vinification.

Header: Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, PC, PlayStation 4, and PC

PlayStation 4
A Musical Story (digital, $14.99)
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream (physical & digital, $59.99-$114.99)
Babylon’s Fall (physical & digital, $59.99-$99.99)
Dark Thrones / Witch Hunter Double Pack (physical & digital, $14.99)
Conan Chop Chop (digital, $19.99)
Elden Ring (physical & digital, $59.99-$79.99)
ELEX II (physical & digital, $59.99)
FAR: Changing Tides (digital, $17.99)
Ghostrunner: Project_Hel (DLC, 14.99)
GRID Legends (physical & digital, $59.99-$79.99)
Little Orpheus (digital, $12.99)
Martha is Dead (digital, $29.99)
Moto Roader MC (digital, $6.99)
Shadow Warrior 3 (digital, $49.99)
Tormented Souls (physical, $39.99)

Switch
15in1 Solitaire (digital, $2.99)
35MM (digital, $7.99)
A Musical Story (digital, $14.99)
Aeternum Quest (digital, $6.99)
Amazing Machines (digital, $19.99)
Ammo Pigs: Cocked and Loaded (digital, $4.99)
An American Werewolf in L.A. (digital, $4.99)
An NPC’s Odyssey (digital, $4.49)
Antarctica 88 (digital, $5.99)
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream (physical & digital, $59.99-$114.99)
Autobahn Polizei Police Simulator 2 (digital, $39.99)
CATch the Stars (digital, $2.99)
Checkers Minimal (digital, $1.99)
Conan Chop Chop (digital, $19.99)
Counter Delta: The Bullet Rain (digital, $14.99)
Dark Thrones / Witch Hunter Double Pack
Dexter Stardust : Adventures in Outer Space (digital, $9.99)
Edge of Eternity (digital, $26.99)
FAR: Changing Tides (digital, $17.99)
Flip The Buddy (digital, $2.99)
Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator (digital, $29.99)
Little Orpheus (digital, $12.99)
Moto Roader MC (digital, $6.99)
Never Alone: Artic Collection (digital, $14.99)
One Gun Guy (digital, $4.99)
Our Battle Has Just Begun! Episode 2 (digital, $9.99)
Plunderer’s Adventures (digital, $4.99)
Primordia (digital, $14.99)
Pudding Monsters (digital, $4.99)
To the Top, Mammoth! (digital, $10.00)
Variable Barricade (physical & digital, $49.99)
Wall of Insanity (digital, $7.00)
Who is Zombie (digital, $8.09)
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes (digital, $13.49)

Xbox One
35MM (digital, $7.99)
A Musical Story (digital, $14.99)
Clouzy! (digital, $14.99)
Conan Chop Chop (digital, $19.99)
Elden Ring (physical & digital, $59.99-$79.99)
ELEX II (physical & digital, $59.99)
FAR: Changing Tides (digital, $17.99)
Ghostrunner: Project_Hel (DLC, 14.99)
Light Up The Room (digital, $4.24)
Little Orpheus (digital, $12.99)
Martha is Dead (digital, $29.99)
Moto Roader MC (digital, $6.99)
Shadow Warrior 3 (digital, $49.99)
Tormented Souls (physical, $39.99)
Tux and Fanny (digital, $8.99)

PC
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream ($59.99-$114.99)
Beastie Land ($TBA)
Bistro Days ($TBA)
Chevalier Historie ($TBA)
Clouzy! ($14.99)
Conan Chop Chop ($19.99)
Elden Ring ($59.99-$79.99)
ELEX II ($44.99)
FAR: Changing Tides ($17.99)
Ghostrunner: Project_Hel (DLC, 14.99)
Hero’s Hour ($TBA)
HordeCore ($TBA)
Little Orpheus ($12.99)
Martha is Dead ($26.99)
Shadow Warrior 3 ($49.99)
Who is Zombie ($8.09)

Rob’s Pick: Recommending a game based on its visuals seems a bit vapid, like praising a song merely because it has a catchy beat. But playing Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream puts me in a state of unrelenting contentment. Sure, the character designs are lovely and probably sexier than ever before, showcasing a magnificently moe appearance and costuming that’s delightful. But it’s how Mysterious Dream frames them that makes all the difference. Extreme closeups reveal eyes that dart around, making it seem like Sophie, Plachta, and the rest of the cast are truly alive and observing things around them. In many games, panoramic views rarely feel natural. But here, god-like perspective of the action provides a lot of context, allowing players to marvel at the dreamland of Erde Wiege’s pastoral beauty. Plus, there’s a level of detail in the main town of Roytale that’s downright enchanting.

The 2019 film, Weathering With You explored weather manipulation through the character of Hina, whose prayers might have stopped an incessant stretch of rain. Cleverly, Atelier Sophie 2 gives you the power of alchemical atmokinesis. Now only is it a visual delight, it introduces a new puzzle component, as you might have to create rain to increase the level of a lake before freezing it over to make it traversable, thereby opening new pathways. And yes, weather even affects the world’s wildlife. For a game that’s been persistently rooted in rustic life and adjacent to nature, there’s a sense of wonder that permeates through The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream.

Ryan’s Pick: Gigantic screaming bosses are back, and this week I’m eagerly looking forward to enjoying some old-fashioned one percent health remaining boss encounter deaths in From Software’s latest game. While the Demon’s Souls remake was great, I’ve been patiently awaiting a chance to play some new content from this publisher. By design, I have not watched many playthroughs and or streams about Elden Ring in order to be able to fully enjoy the game. I definitely plan to Platinum it, no matter how arduous the journey becomes, especially since I did so for Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, and Demon’s Souls. 

I promised myself I’ll learn to parry better this time, but I fear the idiom of old habits are hard to break will rear its ugly head again. I mean, I fat rolled through almost half of my first playthrough of the Demon’s Souls remake, so there already is a history between me and less-than-orthodox playstyle decisions in these games. I guess I just need to get good. And that I will, hopefully. I also have to give a brief nod this week to Shadow Warrior 3. While I think Mr. Wang’s personality has gone through different evolutions since the original release on PC, what I can say about the game is I really like some of the visuals from this latest installment. It seems pretty gory, but at the same time looks like a blast because of some of the interesting weapon ideas and ways you can interact with enemies with them.

Matt R’s pick (editor, Shindig): Like The Town of Light before it, Martha is Dead is going to be a divisive game. It’s clear where developer LKA’s priorities lie, and they’re not in pristine levels of polish or games designed to appeal to the masses. Their games are rough, technically and thematically, and intentionally discomforting (yet strangely delicate) as they explore some truly horrific corners of human existence. Between the lack of substantial “gameplay”, the technical shortcomings, and the traumatic subject matter, a lot of people are going to be put off Martha is Dead.

But for those who approach games the same way that the people at LKA do—who think games should push artistic boundaries and explore challenging themes in impactful ways, and who think having something to say and committing everything to that message is more worthwhile than polish for the sake of polish—Martha is Dead is something remarkable. It’s a bold, clever, confronting, and authentic reflection on abuse and the darkest sides of a fragmented psyche.

And when you need a break from something so heavy, there’s always the pure, unadulterated joy of Atelier Sophie 2.

Matt S’ pick (Editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Where do I even go this week? On the one hand, Atelier Sophie is such a lovely warm game (and Sophie looks so pretty in her bikini!). On the other hand, Elden Ring is the most excited I’ve been for a “Souls-like” game since Demon’s Souls. That game is evocative and beautiful and a true masterpiece. I’ve been playing these two side by side for a while now, and they’re the perfect pairing. Sophie for when Elden Ring starts to become a bit much for me.

But I’m going to go with a completely different pick here, just to be a bit different. Hundred Days. Ever since I first heard of this one I’ve been keen to try it. It’s a winemaking simulation, where you need to manage the whole process from vine to bottle and… I love vineyards! I love the aesthetic of all those lovely vines all lined up. I love the restaurants that you usually find in vineyards. And I love wine. Like, a lot. Wine is great. I don’t know much about Hundred Days beyond its concept, but if it can be even a halfway decent simulator, then I am going to love that thing. The screenshots suggest that it was a passion project that the developers really thought about too, so I’m very hopeful here.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Elex II. As a fan of Eurojank, I enjoy my way through the trashy B-grade plots, action, and bugs, to enjoy the ambition, scope, and brave efforts of the developers to actually try something. I’ve always admired Piranha Bytes, and while I’m not expecting Elex II to be a conventionally good game, especially in comparison to the likes of Elder Ring, I am expecting to enjoy it a lot.

¹ Slightly less tormenting on PlayStation, as Sony decided to censor the game.