New Releases: May 25th-31st, 2023

From Gollum getting his own game to the fourth entry in the well-like Super Mega Baseball series, plenty of notable titles are arriving. This week, fans of sisterly bonds can rejoice. From the release of the yuri-themed visual novel, Akaiito HD Remaster (pictured) and its supernatural-driven successor, Aoishiro HD Remaster, those seeking tough adventures should find gratification with the stateside debut of both novels.

PlayStation 4
Classic Racers Elite (physical, $29.99)
Everdream Valley (digital, $24.99)
Farworld Pioneers (digital, $14.99)
Home Sheep Home: Farmageddon Party Edition (digital, $9.99)
Laserpitium (digital, $14.99)
One Piece Odyssey: Reunion of Memories (DLC, $TBA)
Onigo Hunter (digital, $13.49)
Protodroid Delta (digital, $19.99)
Railway Empire 2 (digital, $44.99, $53.99)
Shame Legacy (digital, $TBA)
The Lord of the Rings – Gollum (physical & digital, $59.99)
Undead Horde 2: Necropolis (digital, $16.99)

PlayStation 5
Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat! (digital, $34.99)
The Caligula Effect: Overdose (physical, $49.99)
The Lord of the Rings – Gollum (physical & digital, $59.99)

Switch
Akaiito HD Remaster (digital, $11.99)
Aoishiro HD Remaster (digital, $11.99)
Bat Boy (digital, $14.99)
Bee in The Valley (digital, $4.99)
Best Forklift Operator (digital, $16.99)
BlackSmith HIT (digital, $4.99)
Cassette Beasts (digital, $19.99)
Chronicles of 2 Heroes: Amaterasu’s Wrath (digital, $19.99)
Coloring Pixels: Collection 3 (digital, $7.95)
End of Lines (digital, $14.95)
Fantasy Tower Defense (digital, $2.99)
Fights in Tight Spaces (digital, $24.99)
Finally, in Love Again (digital, $29.99)
Fitness Circuit (digital, $49.99)
Hello Goodboy (digital, $14.99)
Hello Kitty and Friends Happiness Parade (digital, $19.99)
Home Sweet Home (digital, $9.99)
Humongous Classic Collection (physical, $59.99)
Hush Hush (digital, $20.00)
Johnny Trigger (digital, $4.99)
Laserpitium (digital, $14.99)
Maquette (digital, $19.99)
Marlon’s Mystery: The Darkside of Crime (digital, $8.99)
Move The Pin: Classic Logic Puzzle (digital, $9.99)
Mystical Mixing (digital, $4.99)
Mythargia (digital, $5.99)
Onigo Hunter (digital, $13.49)
Pulling no Punches (digital, $9.99)
Replikator (digital, $9.99)
RINA:RhythmERROR
Santa’s Monster Shootout (digital, $1.99)
Serene Hike
Skye Tales (digital, $24.99)
Spectrolite (digital, $13.99)
Star Gagnant (digital, $22.80)
Star Sand (physical, $29.99)
Super Night Riders (digital, $4.49)
Terracotta (digital, $19.99)
The Blind Prophet (digital, $24.99)
The Case of the Golden Idol (digital, $17.99)
The Tartarus Key (digital, $19.99)
To Hell with the Ugly (digital, $19.99)
To the Rescue! (digital, $19.99)
True Disc Golf (digital, $14.99)
Undead Horde 2: Necropolis (digital, $16.99)
Vaccine Rebirth (digital, $6.99)
Waifu Space Conquest (digital, $4.99)
Welcome Kokuri-san (digital, $24.99)

Xbox One
Aquarist (digital, $9.99)
Cassette Beasts (digital, $19.99)
Chicory: A Colorful Tale (digital, $19.99)
Chronicles of 2 Heroes: Amaterasu’s Wrath (digital, $19.99)
Evil Wizard (digital, $17.99)
Farworld Pioneers (digital, $14.99)
Home Sheep Home: Farmageddon Party Edition (digital, $9.99)
Laserpitium (digital, $14.99)
Massive Chalice (digital, $19.99, Game Pass)
Miracle Snack Shop (digital, $19.99)
One Piece Odyssey: Reunion of Memories (DLC, $TBA)
Onigo Hunter (digital, $13.49)
Pirates Pinball (digital, $2.99)
Railway Empire 2 (digital, $44.99, $53.99)
Shame Legacy (digital, $TBA)
Super Mega Baseball 4 (digital, $49.99 & $59.99)
The Lord of the Rings – Gollum (physical & digital, $59.99)
Torinto (digital, $3.99)
Undead Horde 2: Necropolis (digital, $16.99)

Xbox Series S/X
Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition (physical & digital, $59.99)

PC
Above Snakes ($22.49)
Bat Boy ($14.99)
Candle Knight ($TBA)
Diluvian Winds ($16.19)
Doomblade ($TBA)
Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099 ($12.74)
Dynopunk ($13.49)
Etrian Odyssey HD ($39.99)
Etrian Odyssey II HD ($39.99)
Etrian Odyssey III HD ($39.99)
Everdream Valley ($19.99)
Evil Wizard ($17.99)
Friends vs. Friends ($TBA)
Frigato: Shadows of the Caribbean ($TBA)
Hello Goodboy ($14.99)
Poly Bridge 3 ($TBA)
Protodroid Delta ($19.99)
Railway Empire 2 ($49.99)
Summer Trip Cruise ($11.69)
System Shock ($39.99)
The Highrise ($TBA)
The Lord of the Rings – Gollum ($49.99)
The Tartarus Key ($19.99)
To Hell with the Ugly ($TBA)
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong ($TBA)

Rob’s pick: I’ve always been a fan of dungeon crawlers. But when 2007’s Etrian Odyssey added cartography to the exploration and combat, I was completely hooked. Any extra time was spent reconnoitering hallways, methodically building up my party, and evading the attention of Field on Enemies (FOEs) that could obliterate imprudent crews. Like every other devoted franchise fan, I would have liked to see Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl receive the port, since the remake added a story mode that added several gratifying role-playing elements. To update an old adage: I guess port beggars can’t be port choosers.

In 1994, puzzle solving wasn’t usually done from a first-person perspective, 2007’s Portal would ultimately popularize the approach. As such, the original System Shock was a bit of a headscratcher for many. It didn’t have the intensity or gore of Doom or Heretic. Instead, the title delivered one of the first examples of a truly immersive 3D world. If you’re interested in how gaming has evolved over the years, revisiting System Shock might be essential.

Ryan’s pick: System Shock was released in 1994 and offered a lot of options and ways to play the game, but at least for me it left things a bit too ambiguous. I suppose with Rise of the Triad, Doom, and Full Throttle I had gotten so used to linear games that it was too much of a departure for my 90’s brain to absorb. A few years later I did also buy the original Deus Ex for PC as well from Electronics Boutique, but it too was overwhelming and I found myself losing interest fairly early on in the game. Like most gamers in the Xbox 360 era however, I discovered BioShock and absolutely loved it. I have always regretted not giving this iconic game the college try, so I think that it definitely is worth a second shot with this remake.

There was one other Steam game that caught my eye which was the horror game Shame Legacy. I like to believe that I thrive in stressful environments, so that is why I think I’m always drawn to this genre. I recall the stealth portion of Amnesia: The Dark Descent really fun, so hopefully this game will come close to that. Lastly, for all those going out this weekend for Shadow Mewtwo raids, may shundo Mewtwo wanters be shundo havers.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): I’m apprehensive about this, because the studio was acquired by EA and we all know what happens to stuff that EA acquires, but I’m still going to be putting Super Mega Baseball 4 through its paces. Its predecessor was one of my favourite sports games of all time, being an absolutely perfect blend of arcade action and humour, and depth and precision for longevity. All they have to do is deliver more of that, with a bit of tweaking to make it even better, and I’ll be happy. Surely even a post-acquisition now-EA company can manage that?

I’m also looking forward to Railway Empire 2. The previous Railway Empire was a good and accessible simulator, and I’m interested in seeing what new ideas the developer might have for the sequel.

Finally, like Robert, I am a passionate fan of Etrian Odyssey. Unfortunately, I do think these games need the dual-screen experience, to properly emulate the experience of pacing through a dungeon, mapping it on grid paper as you go, and the remasters are going to lose a little something in not having that quality. With that being said, Etrian Odyssey is Etrian Odyssey and if these releases help more people discover and experience them, so much the better.