New Releases: March 24th-30th, 2022

This week, Andro Dunos gets a long overdue follow-up, Ghostwire: Tokyo sends players into the sprawling metropolis, and Relayer delivers an notable blend of visual novel storytelling and gridded, turn-based mecha battles. If you’re looking for a bit less intensity, Café Stella and the Reaper’s Butterflies, (pictured) or Kirby and the Forgotten Land might be worth looking into.

PlayStation 4
A Memoir Blue (digital, $7.99)
A Place for the Unwilling (digital, $14.99)
Catie in MeowmeowLand (digital, $14.99)
Ikai (digital, $14.99)
In Nightmare (physical & digital, $19.99)
Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files (DLC, $TBA)
Relayer (digital, $59.99)
The Ascent (digital, $29.99)
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (physical & digital, $59.99)
Tunche (digital, $19.99)

PlayStation 5
Ghostwire: Tokyo (digital, $59.99)
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (physical & digital, $69.99)

Switch
A Memoir Blue (digital, $7.99)
Agent Intercept (digital, $19.99)
Aery – Calm Mind 2 (digital, $9.99)
Andro Dunos 2 (digital, $19.99)
Catie in MeowmeowLand (digital, $14.99)
Crystar (digital, $49.99)
Devastator (digital, $4.99)
Disco Cannon Airlines (digital, $0.99)
Ikai (digital, $14.99)
Imp of the Sun (digital, $17.99)
Kirby and the Forgotten Land (physical & digital, $59.99)
Mini Words Collection (digital, $3.99)
Niko and the Cubic Curse (digital, $4.99)
Nun Massacre (digital, $5.99)
Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy 2 (digital, $29.99)
Shattered – Tale of the Forgotten King
Super Nanaru (digital, $8.99)
Take Off: The Flight Simulator (digital, $14.99)
Taqoban (digital, $4.99)
Taqoban (digital, $4.99)
Ultreia (digital, $12.99)
World Soccer Kid (digital, $2.99)
WRC 10 The Official Game (physical & digital, $49.99)
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier (digital, $15.00)
Valis II (digital, $15.00)
Valis III (digital, $15.00)
Vengeful Heart (digital, $9.99)

Xbox One
A Memoir Blue (digital, $7.99)
Agent Intercept (digital, $19.99)
Aery – Calm Mind 2 (digital, $9.99)
BouncyBoi in Puzzle Land (digital, $13.99)
Catie in MeowmeowLand (digital, $14.99)
Devastator (digital, $4.99)
Imp of the Sun (digital, $17.99)
Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files (DLC, $TBA)
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (physical & digital, $59.99)

Xbox Series S/X
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (physical & digital, $69.99)

PC
A Memoir Blue ($7.99)
Café Stella and the Reaper’s Butterflies ($TBA)
Catie in MeowmeowLand ($14.99)
Game Dev Story ($TBA)
Ghostwire: Tokyo ($59.99)
Highrise City ($21.24)
Expedition Zero ($17.99)
Imp of the Sun  ($17.99)
Norco ($12.74)
Outside the Box ($TBA)
Smart Factory Tycoon ($TBA)
Succubus x Saint ($TBA)
Summer Vacation (VR, $26.24)
The Planet Crafter ($TBA)

Rob’s Pick: If you haven’t noticed by now, I have an obsession for the horizontally-scrolling shooter. From Defender, Gradius, R-Type, G. Darius, and Deathsmiles, I love the sub-genre. The original Andro Dunos was a winner for two additional reasons beyond your eastward flight pattern. It had a useful weapon-shifting system and a spirited soundtrack with lots of big, synth drum fills. This week, I’m cautiously hopeful that Andro Dunos 2 retains what was good about Visco’a 1992 title. Speaking of thirty-year-after follow-ups, I still need to play Sol Cresta.

Although Agent Intercept can seem like an endless runner at times, it’s an elegant variation. Flaunting Spy Hunter vibes, the game’s procession of stages are filled with explosions, vehicular combat, transformations into a boat and jet, and the lure of uninterrupted combos. While it might not be a must-play at full price, if you’re a fan of casual, spy-themed action, consider picking it up one day. As an SRPG fan(atic), Relayer has captured my attention. I love a good mix of VN-style storytelling and turn-based battling.

Lastly, there’s Kirbs, one of the last remaining stalwarts of accessible gaming. I realize the pink puff isn’t for everyone, but I can’t think of a better franchise for when I just want to chill out, have fun, and not face the humiliation of being told to “git gud”. Kirby is the accepting one in the gaming family, whether his facial expression is determined (US box art) or infectiously jovial (Japan’s art). I’m always skeptical of the jump from 2D to 3D, except when Nintendo is involved. Here’s hoping Kirby and the Forgotten Land doesn’t let us down.

Matt R’s pick (editor, Shindig): I’ve also got my eye on Andro Dunos 2, even though I tend to favour vertical shmups and never played the original. There’s something unique about the NeoGeo aesthetic, even within the 16-bit space, and that’s been kept very much intact here, to the point that a glance at some screenshots is enough to trace its roots and set it apart from the sea of pixel art indie games. Andro Dunos 2 makes a few little tweaks, but it’s not a reboot or major modernisation—it gives the impression of a game that could have come out 25 years ago, with the timeless appeal of ‘90s shooters, and that’s an appealing proposition.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a clear choice this week, too. I know Rob said the pink puff isn’t for everyone, but I can’t imagine anyone not being taken in by such a delightful little character. Kirby is also a series where Nintendo likes to get a little experimental, and the jump to a 3D platformer—and Kirby’s newfound appetite for road cones, cars, and various other objects—certainly opens up a world of possibilities. If the demo was any indication, three dimensions might just be where Kirby thrives best, and I’m really curious to see what directions the full game takes those ideas.

Lastly, don’t sleep on Shattered – Tale of the Forgotten King as it makes its way to Switch. It might look at a glance like yet another indie “Soulslike”, and while there’s certainly some clear influence there, it’s much more willing to break out of that mold as it mixes in some platforming and elements of more acrobatic character action games. It can be a little unwieldy and lacks the polish of a AAA game, but there’s a lot of fun to be found in it, and an intriguing world to discover.

Ryan’s Pick: I’m going to be brutally honest in that I’m still knee-deep in Elden Ring and I’ve committed to getting the platinum trophy for it. Coupled with the Genshin Impact 2.6 patch quickly approaching with the popular husbando Ayato making his debut, it’s a bit difficult to find time for a new game. However, Ghostwire: Tokyo seems visually really interesting, so I’m going to make that my choice this week while I feverishly attempt to capture more Primogems before October 30th.

The thing I really like about this new Bethesda title is a lot of the odd visual elements they have included in the game. The specific visual cue that immediately grabbed my attention was the VFX that seemed to make everything a bit surreal. This would make sense however, in that thematically you are using elemental powers to hunt ghosts. I’m not entirely sure how far down the yokai hole the game will go, but I am definitely curious to see how this western developer will portray Japanese ghosts. One other game worth mentioning is the cool mech SRPG Relayer on PS5. I’ll have to play it with Japanese audio, but I really like the animated battle scenes and it looks pretty polished.

Matt S’ pick (Editor, DigitallyDownloaded): I’m very keen on Relayer. Not that I know that much about it, but an SRPG mech thing? Yeah, sign me up for that.

But my main recommendation this week will be Crystar, which lands on the Nintendo Switch. If you haven’t played it yet, then you really need to. It’s one of those high concept JRPGs that, on the surface, seems quite simple. But given that it comes from the creator of Monark, you should probably assume that there’s more to it than that, and indeed that’s the case. It offers a melancholic story that takes crying and turns it into a gameplay mechanic… yeah, you’re going to feed things playing this game.

Finally, I’ll also mention the Valis series. They were released as a collection previously, but now you can purchase them individually if you want to dip your toes in first. This are very fanservicey action platformers from yesteryear (some of the first examples of fanservice in general, really), and lean heavily into the joy that is magical girl storytelling. Of the three I actually recommend the first, as it’s probably the most daring overall. Every time she jumps her skirt flies right up. That’s always a good time.