New Releases: April 20th-26th, 2023

This week, Trinity Trigger channels the virtues of classical action role-playing, Labyrinth of Zangetsu offers striking ink wash styled dungeons filled with yokai, while Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord (pictured) extends the legend of furies and fencers. Here’s the complete list of what’s arriving across the next seven days:

PlayStation 4
Afterimage (physical $29.99, digital, $TBA)
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly (digital, $13.49)
Dead Island 2 (physical & digital, $69.99)
Dredge (physical, 29.99)
Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord (digital, $49.99 & $69.99)
I am an Air Traffic Controller – Airport Hero Haneda (digital, $49.99)
Labyrinth of Zangetsu (physical & digital, $26.99)
Moe Waifu H (digital, $4.99)
Neko Rescue Tale (digital, $4.99)
Prodeus (physical, $29.99)
Roots of Pacha (digital, $24.99)
Stranded: Alien Dawn (digital, $34.99)
Strayed Lights (digital, TBA)
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution (physical $49.99, digital, $39.99)
TramSim: Console Edition (digital, $39.99)
Trinity Trigger (physical $59.99, digital $49.99)

PlayStation 5
Prodeus (physical, $29.99)
R-Type Final 3 Evolved: Deluxe Edition (physical, 49.99)
Trinity Trigger (physical $59.99, digital $49.99)

Switch
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (physical & digital, $59.99)
Afterimage (physical $29.99, digital, $TBA)
Aliens: Fireteam Elite (digital, $29.99)
Animal Shelter Simulator (digital, $14.99)
Arcana of Paradise —The Tower— (digital, $19.99)
Backgammon Pro (digital, $7.99)
Carbage  (digital, $14.99)
Cavity Busters (digital, $12.49)
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly (digital, $13.49)
Desta: The Memories Between (digital, $TBA)
DoraKone (digital, $4.99)
DNF Duel: Who’s Next (physical & digital, $49.99)
Drop – System Breach (digital, $9.99)
Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord (physical $49.99, digital $49.99 & $69.99)
Halftime Heroes (digital, $4.99)
Japanese Nekosama Games The Outlaws (digital, $4.99)
Jigsaw Kitties (digital, $2.99)
Just Xiangqi (digital, $5.29)
Labyrinth of Zangetsu (physical & digital, $26.99)
Lifeslide (digital, $14.99)
Light of Life (digital, $4.99)
Magical Drop VI (digital, $29.99)
Mangavania (digital, $3.99)
Melonizard (digital, $3.99)
Moe Waifu H (digital, $4.99)
Molly Medusa: Queen of Spit (digital, $39.00)
Mr. Sun’s Hatbox (digital, $14.99)
NachoCado (digital, $9.99)
Neko Rescue Tale (digital, $4.99)
Panic Porcupine (digital, $7.99)
Park Story (digital, $18.49)
Prodeus (physical, $29.99)
Road Builder (digital, $8.99)
Smile For Me (digital, $14.99)
Summer Bubble Splash (digital, $3.49)
Super Geisha Neon (digital, $4.99)
Sunrise GP (digital, $13.49)
The Last Dragon Slayer (digital, $14.99)
Tin Hearts (digital, $29.99)
Trinity Trigger (physical $59.99, digital $49.99)
Wild Dogs (digital, $9.99)
Yello Adventures (digital, $5.99)
Zoeti (digital, $19.99)

Xbox One
Afterimage (digital, $TBA)
Ampersat (digital, $9.99)
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle – Special Edition (digital, $TBA)
Cavity Busters (digital, $12.49)
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly (digital, $13.49)
Dead Island 2 (physical & digital, $69.99)
Mangavania (digital, $3.99)
Mr. Brocco & Co. (digital, $4.99)
Neko Rescue Tale (digital, $4.99)
Roots of Pacha (digital, $24.99)
Smile For Me (digital, $14.99)
Stranded: Alien Dawn (digital, $34.99)
Strayed Lights (digital, TBA)

PC
Cassette Beasts ($TBA)
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly ($14.99)
Dead Island 2 ($59.99)
Dead Unending ($8.99)
Desta: The Memories Between ($TBA)
Eresys ($8.09)
Evid Dead: The Game ($TBA)
Factory Town Idle ($4.49)
Havendock ($15.29)
Hush Hush – Only Your Love Can Save Them ($17.99)
Labyrinth of Zangetsu ($26.99)
Mr. Sun’s Hatbox ($14.99)
Neon Echo ($TBA)
OTXO ($13.49)
Roots of Pacha ($24.99)
Stray Blade ($27.99)
Strayed Lights ($TBA)
Trinity Trigger ($49.99)
Volcano Princess ($TBA)
Zoeti ($19.99)

Rob’s pick: This week, Matt S. remarked on a game feeling like it was tailor-made for you. I don’t know if he was referring more about Trinity Trigger or Labyrinth of Zangetsu, but it matters little. The former represents FuRyu reviving what made twenty-year old action role-playing games so beguiling. In many ways, Trinity Trigger channels the spirit of older Ys games, with a cast of likeable characters, a plot that shirks over-complication, and combat that genuinely feels rewarding. A week and a half with Trigger has felt like a vacation, renewing my appreciation for our recreation. It’s one of those games where you can’t wait for some downtime to jump back into the adventure, making it perfect for play on Switch and Steam Deck.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu feels like playing a manga about dungeon crawling. Sure, it might not push the genre forward, but reconnoitering the game’s labyrinthine levels looks and sounds absolutely fantastic. The sumi-e inspirited aesthetic is striking, especially when the turn-based encounters pit your party against various yokai. Meanwhile, soaring gagaku (traditional music of the Imperial Court and one of the older forms of orchestral performance) is offered by traditional instruments such as the koto, biwa, and hichiriki, endowing Zangetsu with a sense of place or time that feels unique. Spend your Spring Break taming the supernatural.

Ryan’s pick: Thematically, there’s a lot one can do with a dungeon rpg, and Labyrinth of Zangetsu caught my eye this week with its art style and enemy design. The enemies in the game remind me a bit of something you’d see in Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories, so naturally this one got my yokai radar going. The dungeon design and levels as well appear to follow the black and white art motif much like the enemies, so in general aesthetically it makes it unique for the genre. This genre typically also provides plenty of content and rewards exploring, so it’s a solid choice for RPG fans that are looking for a longer adventure.

There were two other Steam platformers that caught my eye for very different reasons. First up is Neon Echo which is a 2.5D platformer with impressive vibrant visual effects and attacks. Admittedly I’m a sucker for flashy things cascading all over the screen (which is a reason I like Genshin Impact so much) but this particular game looked like it may be worth a try to experience the flashy visuals and 3D environments. The other platformer is Mr. Sun’s Hatbox which satisfies my sprite palate is Mr. Sun’s Hatbox. While the art and animations are completely different from the other platformer pic, this roguelike’s gameplay looks fun yet simple, and there’s a bit of a collection allure to the game with all the different characters you can unlock and hats you can wear. This one just feels unique and quirky, so count me in.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): There isn’t a thing about Labyrinth of Zangetsu that I do not love. The black-and-white sumi-e aesthetic, combined with the Japanese setting, gives the game a unique flavour – it’s like if Akira Kurosawa were to direct a Wizardry game. The dungeon crawling itself is stunningly classical, and the combat is exactly what you expect from a good quality, traditional crawler. It’s traditional, sure, but it has its own identity that helps it to stand out.

I also can’t wait to get stuck into Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord, and that’s not just because I love Tiara, honest (but also, I really love Tiara). The original Fairy Fencer F was such an interesting game. It had Idea Factory’s love of fan service, and a combat system that was very reminiscent of Hyperdimention Neptunia, but it also had something of an “all-star” team working on the art, the music, and the storytelling, and it was a genuinely good time. I’m very much looking forward to returning to this world and exploring more of it via the tactics JRPG format that they’ve chosen this time.

And I’m looking forward to seeing more of Tiara.