New Releases: February 29th-March 6th, 2024

While Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (pictured) is the headliner, that’s not the only notable release arriving this week. Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions injects eight different manga stars into its turn-based combat, while Maid of the Dead offers a lethal mixture of firearms and frilly outfits. Here’s the list of everything else arriving over the next six days:

PlayStation 4
10 Seconds to Win! (digital, $4.99)
Anglerfish (digital, $9.99)
Cat and Ghostly Road (digital, $7.99)
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (digital, $49.99)
Hex Gambit: Respawned (digital, $14.99)
Master Maker 3D Ultimate (digital, $4.99)
Mediterranea Inferno (digital, $14.99)
One More Dungeon 2 (digital, $14.99)
Shadows Over Loathing (physical, $44.99)
The Outlast Trials (digital, $39.99)

PlayStation 5
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (physical & digital, $69.99)

Switch
10 Seconds to Win! (digital, $4.99)
A Void Hope (digital, $15.99)
Anglerfish (digital, $9.99)
Another Bar Game (digital, $5.99)
Berserk Boy (digital, $20.00)
BIT.TRIP Presents… Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (digital, $9.99)
Buggy Race – Racing Master (digital, $11.99)
Cape’s Escape Game 7th Room (digital, $4.80)
Cat and Ghostly Road (digital, $7.99)
Cavern of Dreams (digital, $12.99)
Crazy Goose Simulator (digital, $12.99)
Cricket Through the Ages (digital, $7.99)
Desktop BaseBall 2 (digital, $9.80)
Diamond Hands: To The Moon (digital, $6.99)
DIY Fashion Star (digital, $7.99)
Drone Racer: Fly Stunt Simulator (digital, $9.99)
Escape Game The Old Folk House (digital, $4.99)
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (digital, $49.99)
Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds (digital, $11.99)
Gravityscape DX (digital, $2.99)
Heavenly Bodies (digital, $19.99)
Helicopter Simulator : RESCUE SIM (digital, $12.99)
Hellstuck: Rage With Your Friends (digital, $6.99)
Hex Gambit: Respawned (digital, $14.99)
Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling (digital, $2.99)
Matches Puzzle 2: Classic Logic Arcade (digital, $9.99)
Matsukeke BURST! (digital, $4.69)
Mediterranea Inferno (digital, $14.99)
Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi Tsuzuri (digital, $45.11)
Olllo (digital, $8.00)
One More Dungeon 2 (digital, $14.99)
Picross S+ (digital, $4.99)
Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties: Definitive Edition (digital, $19.99)
Pool Together 2 (digital, $4.99)
Sculpt People (digital, $4.99)
Take It Racing 2 (digital, $3.99)
Tamarak Trail (digital, $14.99)
The Lost Ashford Ring (digital, $14.99)
Time Trap: Hidden Objects (digital, $12.74)
Tiny Number Hunt! (digital, $1.99)
We Need to Go Deeper (digital, $13.39)
Ufouria 2: The Saga (digital, $22.49)
Virus Rush (digital, $7.99)
Xelan Force (digital, $10.00)

Xbox One
10 Seconds to Win! (digital, $4.99)
Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions (digital, $24.99)
Cat and Ghostly Road (digital, $7.99)
Colorful Boi (digital, $TBA)
Dynacat (digital, $TBA)
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (digital, $49.99)
Frontier Pilot Simulator (digital, $TBA)
Hex Gambit: Respawned (digital, $14.99)
M.A.D. Cows (digital, $4.99)
Match Village (digital, $TBA)
One More Dungeon 2 (digital, $14.99)
PopSlinger (digital, $12.49)
Reveil
Tamarak Trail (digital, $14.99)
The Mobius Machine (digital, $24.99)
The Outlast Trials
Ufouria 2: The Saga (digital, $22.49)
Welcome to ParadiZe ($TBA)

PC
A Void Hope ($15.99)
Berserk Boy ($20.00)
Direct Contact ($17.99)
Disco Simulator ($TBA)
KeeperRL ($14.99)
Maid of the Dead ($17.99)
Microcosmum 2 ($TBA)
Mortal Glory 2 ($TBA)
Reveil ($17.99)
Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders ($26.99)
Space Will ($TBA)
Secrets of Grindea ($13.49)
Tamarak Trail ($14.99)
The Brew Barons ($TBA)
The Mobius Machine ($TBA)
The Thaumaturge ($TBA)
Welcome to ParadiZe ($25.49)
Winter Survival ($TBA)

Rob’s pick: Thoroughly polished, 3D dungeon crawls are curiously rare. For every City of Brass, there are at least three procedurally-generated, action-driven titles with irritating qualities. And yes,15 minutes of killing peons punctuated by a merciless boss battle continues to be the dominant approach to design, for some reason.

While this week’s release of One More Dungeon 2 isn’t completely free of flaws, it’s better than most of its peers. If you enjoy circle-strafing belligerent snails with bow and staffs there’s fast and frantic fun to be found.

I’m also curious about The Thaumaturge, especially given 11-bit studios’ pedigree. At least some of the allure stems from visiting a detailed rendition of early 20th-century Warsaw, which is a rich context that doesn’t get much attention in gaming. The developers claim that the storyline is filled with morally ambiguous decisions, and I love it when a game doesn’t confine me to a rigid set of ethics. Factor in turn-based combat and there’s a strong chance that I’ll appreciate Thaumaturge.

Ryan’s pick: For me, the clear winner this week is going to have to be Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. I fear I won’t be the first one to play it at my home, as proverbial dibs has already been called, but nevertheless, I really enjoyed Final Fantasy VII Remake, so I’m excited to eventually have a go at it. I’m also going to have to try out the demo, as you can get some extra unlocks in the new game from completing it. I equally can’t wait to listen to the soundtrack, as some of the Remake’s tracks were spectacular.

Going way back to the PS2 era, I used to love Cabela’s Big Game Hunter, and the hunting portion of Winter Survival reminds me a bit of this. Granted in the Cabela game you were outfitted with all the things you needed, including a 4-wheeler, so this survival game is going to be quite different. I really like survival in general, so I think that this one will deliver on a few levels for me. The game also touts a unique sanity system, so we’ll see how my own unique system meshes with this game. We’ll see how it goes.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a truly excellent continuation of the excellent work Square Enix did with the first chapter. Solid action combat, a great narrative that both follows and challenges the original game, and some bloody brilliant performances across the entire cast.

I am bitter that they didn’t figure out a way to bring Jessie back. Jessie was and will forever be my girl, but on the plus side you do get to see Areith in a bikini, so swings and roundabouts. Seriously, though, it’ll be 100 of the best hours you’ll spend with a controller in your hands this year.

I’ll also give The Outlast Trials. I have a love/hate relationship with that series, but one thing can’t be debated – those games know how to throw players a visceral thrill or ten. So I’ll play the game, enjoy the rollercoaster, and then probably find some reasons to slam it once I think about the experience.