New Releases: April 6th-12th, 2023

This week, EA Sports PGA Tour tees off, Curse of the Sea Rats gnaws its way out, while Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories has ripened its way toward release. Visual novel fans are in luck, with Kunado Chronicles’ (pictured) post-apocalyptic tale extending some unexpected exquisiteness.

PlayStation 4
Below (physical, $49.99)
Cannon Dancer Osman (digital, $29.99)
Curse of the Sea Rats (physical, $29.99 – digital, $17.99)
Marfusha (digital, $11.99)
Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories (digital, $14.99)
Pretty Girls Tile Match (digital, $5.99)
Process of Elimination (physical, $49.99 – digital, $39.99)
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (digital, $39.99)
The Library of Babel (digital, $17.09)
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (physical, $19.99)

PlayStation 5
Curse of the Sea Rats (physical, $29.99 – digital, $17.99)
EA Sports PGA Tour (physical & digital, $69.99)
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge (physical, digital, $49.99, PS VR2)

Switch
A Light in the Dark (digital, $15.99)
Alekon (digital, $15.99)
Another Tomorrow (digital, $11.99)
Batora: Lost Haven (digital, $TBA)
Bumballon (digital, $4.99)
Catgotchi: Virtual Pet (digital, $12.99)
Celebrity Slot Machine (digital, $7.99)
Curse of the Sea Rats (physical, $29.99 – digital, $17.99)
Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon (digital, $14.99)
Dungeons of Aether (digital, $14.99)
Finger Football: Goal in One (digital, $2.00)
Forever Lost: Episode 1 (digital, $4.99)
Fusion SHIFT (digital, $3.49)
Goroons (digital, $8.50)
Hyper-5 (digital, $9.99)
IIN (digital, $8.50)
Incoherence (digital, $6.99)
Lucky Slots (digital, $7.99)
Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories (digital, $14.99)
Numbers and Squares (digital, $2.49)
Pretty Girls Tile Match (digital, $5.99)
Process of Elimination (physical, $49.99 – digital, $39.99)
Pupperazzi (digital, $19.99)
Repit (digital, $2.99)
Station 117 (digital, $6.99)
Super Cute Alien’s Adventure (digital, $9.99)
Tasty Slot Machine (digital, $7.99)
The 7th Guest (digital, $14.99)
The Answer is 42 (digital, $2.99)
The Library of Babel (digital, $17.09)
TRON: Identity (digital, $TBA)
Tuya (digital, $2.00)
Volley Pals (digital, $5.52)
Wildfrost (digital, $19.99)
Witch Explorer (digital, $11.99)
Zodiakalik (digital, $9.99)

Xbox One
Curse of the Sea Rats (digital, $17.99)
Dashing Orange (digital, $3.59)
Horror Tale 1: Kidnapper (digital, $9.99)
King of the Arcade (digital, $6.39)
Marfusha (digital, $11.99)
Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories (digital, $14.99)
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (digital, $39.99)
The Library of Babel (digital, $17.09)

Xbox Series S/X
EA Sports PGA Tour (physical & digital, $69.99)

PC
Cardboard Town ($TBA)
Coal Mining Simulator ($TBA)
Curse of the Sea Rats ($17.99)
Cynthia: Hidden in the Moonshadow ($TBA)
EA Sports PGA Tour ($69.99)
Flooded ($TBA)
GHOSTWARE: Arena of the Dead ($TBA)
Knight Crawlers ($TBA)
Kunado Chronicles ($TBA)
Lightracer Spark ($TBA)
Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories ($14.99)
Miniland Adventure ($TBA)
Oxygen ($TBA)
Plantera 2: Golden Acorn ($TBA)
Ravenswatch ($17.99)
Rusted Moss ($TBA)
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened ($39.99)
Song of the Prairie ($TBA)
Supplice ($12.74)
The Library of Babel (digital, $17.09)
The Voidness – Lidar Horror Survival Game ($TBA)
TRON: Identity (digital, $TBA)
Tropical Resort Story ($TBA)
Unscripted ($TBA)
Wildfrost (digital, $19.99)

Rob’s pick: While I’m still a noob at the real sport, I’m pretty good at golf simulation. My virtual career began with 1991’s True Golf Classics: Waialae Country Club before moving onto the Everybody’s Golf, Links, and the Tiger Woods franchises. Lately, I’ve been playing PGA Tour and enjoying the inclusion of the 3-click swing system. I’ve found that it’s nuanced enough to affect my momentum. After a single flubbed shot, I find myself struggling to regain composure. But 2K23’s always-online requirement for most modes feels like a double bogey, especially since the game runs proficiently on the Steam Deck. So, I’m very cautiously looking forward to EA Sports PGA Tour. However, Electronic Arts’ uncharacteristic quietness has be worried. Why wouldn’t a publisher highlight the intricacies of their game and what were the reasons for the game’s multiple delays? This approach doesn’t signal confidence but at least there’s some competition in the golf sim arena.

As a firm believer that grappling hooks make almost everything better, I have my eye on Rusted Moss. Sure, the metroidvania sub-genre is overcrowded, but I like the idea of having to sling your character about as you gun foes down with oversized weaponry. Add in witches that summon everything from swords to spiders, and the game just might be a sleeper hit.

Ryan’s pick: It’s pretty rare for me to recommend a sports game, but with a little bit of practice EA’s PGA Tour series can really provide a lot of enjoyable content and replayability. I started playing these on the PS2 and the 2001 version was a difficult experience when it came to putting which made getting par a feat of strength. The very next year however, the series hit its stride, which made putting and all facets of the short and long game a bit more intuitive. Most noteworthy was the addition of the slowed-down heartbeat moments when your shots got you close to the hole, character customization, and the ability to level up your player. EA also typically is on-point with choosing surprisingly diverse soundtracks, so the series really has a bunch to offer if you are willing to give them a try.

While you can’t play as Tiger anymore now that he’s moved to a different golf game with 2K Games, I think there’s plenty to like about EA Sports PGA Tour despite this fact, and if you can give them a chance they provide some relaxing enjoyment. One other game that caught my eye was the tactical roguelike deck building game Wildfrost. I like the art style and detail that has been placed into each card, and the way the cards interact with each other in the battle also has some impressive animations. In general, since Genshin Impact added a TCG game inside Teyvat I have come to appreciate other games in this genre, so I think that this one could also be worth a quick look.

Matt R’s pick (editor, Shindig): I know that every other indie game that comes out these days is a metroidvania, but you know what? I still can’t get enough of them. Throw a grappling hook into the mix, and even better. In other words, Rusted Moss is my pick for this week. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a healthy dose of twin-stick shooter to go with the platforming, and art direction that lives up to the game’s title with its focus on browny-green hues helps set the melancholy mood of a world being torn apart by war. But it’s the grappling-based exploration and the giant labyrinth that really get their hooks into me.

And sticking with the metroidvania theme, Curse of the Sea Rats is another worth looking at. Some parts of it feel admittedly sluggish, particularly when it comes to combat, but it makes up for it with a gorgeous art style, a captivating story that feels almost like a swashbuckling take on Redwall, and a big, cleverly-designed map that’s a delight to piece together.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Can you believe that I’ve never actually played The 7th Guest? It’s one of those notorious classics from yesteryear that is referenced all the damn time, but yeah, never actually put myself through it. Given that it’s on the release list for the Switch this week, that’s my pick, so I can finally knock it off the “to do” list.

Otherwise, I am genuinely interested in EA’s new golf game. As much as EA is… well, EA, the company has consistently been the one to produce the (serious) golf games that I have genuinely enjoyed. With 2K having a stranglehold on the sport that it does not deserve in recent years, I am very interested in seeing if EA can wrestle its way in. Because I do love golf, and I am not happy with how poorly it has been represented in video games in recent years.

Finally, this week, I’ll be buying the new Sherlock Holmes game. I don’t know much about it, to be entirely honest, but it’s a game by a Ukranian developer. Working in Ukraine. Right now. Ukraine. Frogwares deserves support just for somehow actually getting a game out the doors right now. If it’s great, so much the better.